My entire career wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the gig economy. I work full-time from home, running my own business, selling writing services to clients literally all over the world. I’m far from the only one, and as the gig economy continues to thrive (which it will), we’re going to see the number of people making money online continue to skyrocket.
Plenty of sites and companies have caught onto this, and offer platforms and services that are designed to help independent creators find new ways to make money off of their work– even if they aren’t selling it directly to someone else.
Patreon is one of these sites, which allows account holders to offer paid subscriptions to interested users who love what they’re doing. Everyone from poets to video game streamers to podcast hosts to nonprofit organizers have set up Patreons, with the goal of earning enough income from interested users that they can spend more time creating great content without the need to bog their viewers/listeners/readers down with annoying advertisements.
Patreon therefore offers a valuable chance for semi-regular, predictable streams of income that allows the creators to keep doing what they love, all while getting sponsored. It goes without saying, however, that most people won’t part with their money so easily, so having a solid channel that looks reputable is almost as important as great content. And of course, the Patreon banner is an important part of that.
The Best Patreon Banner Size
Your Patreon banner size– which is also sometimes called a cover photo– will be displayed at 1600 x 400 pixels at its largest, making this the best Patreon banner size.
Long and lean is key here, with the need to prioritize images that are wider than they are tall. According to Patreon, you can use images smaller than 1200 x 675 pixels, though they may become slightly pixelated.
Keep in mind that when you’re creating your banner, you want to prepare for the largest display size possible, because this is where it’s noticeable. If it looks great at 1600 x 400, it will look great on every display smaller than that, too. And in order to prevent awkward cropping or image stretching, you want to design your banner with these dimensions in mind from the start.
Snappa can help you here, with the ability to create custom graphic sizes right from the get-go.
Banner size matters. If you don’t get it right the first time, you can end up with an oddly-cropped picture that doesn’t represent you well. Consider the following example:
While this image was seemingly intentional, the cropping falls in an odd way, and it looks a little accidental. The last thing you need is having part of your design or text cut off.
Need another example? Check this one out, that clearly has text cut off because the image wasn’t sized correctly from the beginning:
Why Patreon Banners Matter
Your Patreon banner will appear stretched across the top of your account’s profile. It’s often one of the first things that people will notice about the page, and it’s absolutely important when you want to make a big impression.
Having strong banners will help your account to look more credible and established, which will in turn directly help you convince more potential contributors to become a patron. They can also help with brand awareness; even if you don’t consider yourself a business, you should consider branding. Branding makes you memorable and sets you apart, and will increase your likelihood of long-term success.
3 Incredible Patreon Cover Photos & What You Can Learn
Patreon was made for artists and creators, so you can get really creative here with your cover photo, as long as it’s representing who you are and what you’re doing on the platform. Let’s take a look at 3 very different but equally strong cover photos and how you can emulate them with the right design tricks.
1. Jesse Ferguson Music
If you aren’t sure exactly what you want your Patreon cover photo to look like, this is an excellent example. Choose a stylized, monochromatic background image and then use bright, large, contrasting text overlay to detail the name of your channel.
The look is simple, but it’s clean and it looks professional. And here’s the best part: this is easy to do with Snappa. Just upload the picture, and then add in the text overlay with just a few clicks. You can add in a logo, too (custom or graphic-based) to help you stand out.
2. Crime Junkie Podcast
This is a great example of how interesting visuals are all you really need to sell it. A simple mostly-black text over a white background works well with the profile, and helps the “junkie” to really make a big mark, especially since it’s made up of a ton of tiny bills.
This is an excellent example of something that requires a little extra creativity, but it helps you make a powerful first impression. Most casual podcasters don’t have custom-designed graphics that look this great; it’s an investment into your branding, and it’s something to consider.
3. Issa Rae Presents
This is another Patreon cover photo that you could easily make yourself, but that looks truly incredible. And this one still is going for a different approach, using a simple splash of bright purple to capture the eye, and big, shaded-in one white letters for big contrast.
One amazing thing this cover photo is doing aside from the casual-but-gorgeous design is the context of the text. They are promoting the channel name, but also the social media handles of the profile. This is a big asset, since growing your followers cross-platform is always beneficial. This was a smart move, and it’s one to consider stealing if you aren’t sure what you want to use your cover photo for.
Conclusion
Patreon is an exceptional platform, but just because there are so many enthusiastic patrons floating around it doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed steady income here. Just like all other types of online businesses or income streams, you need to work hard to earn the payoff at the end of the month, and having a strong visual profile is a part of that. Put just a little extra work into creating a strong cover photo, and with a tool like Snappa, you’ll be on your way to making a great first impression on new patrons very quickly.
Want to check out Snappa for yourself? Sign-up for your free trial now!
What do you think? What do you want to see in a Patreon cover photo? Do you have any amazing examples you want to show us? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
