Patreon is taking Reddit’s approach to content moderation (original) (raw)

Patreon is taking a page out of Reddit’s book. Now, podcasters, artists, writers, and other creators on the subscription-focused creator platform will be able to assign community members as moderators as the platform expands its product offering.

All Patreon content is subject to the company’s own guidelines, but different creators may have specific community rules, like a ban on posting spoilers — and having multiple moderators could help develop and enforce expectations. Previously, creators were able to assign teammates with certain permissions; this update allows creators to distribute some of the work of moderating their community to their liking. Like subreddits with their own rules and teams, moderators on Patreon will be tasked with keeping the community running smoothly.

“This puts the power in creators’ hands to develop the dos and don’ts specific to their own authentic, nuanced communities,” the company wrote in a blog post.

The shift comes as Patreon continues to expand how fans can interact with their favorite creators — which, in turn, could create more places where moderation is necessary.

The community chat room feature first announced in 2023, for example, is expanding starting today as well. At its launch, the Discord-like chats were relatively limited: they were available only on mobile and to paid subscribers. Beginning today, users can access chats via the web, and Patreon will also test the ability for creators to open chat rooms up so their unpaid Patrons can also participate. Creators will also be able to record short video responses to use in chat rooms in response to fan messages.

Patreon introduced chats around the same time it underwent a major rebrand and expanded product offering last fall. The platform has been a leader in community-funded creators and exclusive, subscription-only content but set its sights on all the other places fans engage with content creators.

Apart from subscribing to creators on Patreon, being a fan means you might be chatting on Discord with other subscribers or buying digital products on Etsy or following a creator’s public posts on X. Patreon’s recent updates target those additional interactions through offerings like chat rooms, the ability to sell products natively, and free subscription tiers. As a result, the company has gradually been moving away from being strictly a subscription app into something resembling an all-in-one space for content creators.