We’re Changing How Podcast Sponsorship Works (Patreon)

When we announced Phase 4, we mentioned that there were some things that we couldn’t discuss yet, and today we’re excited to announce that starting next month we’re changing how our two biggest podcasts are sponsored. The sales network Roost, run by Rooster Teeth, will be helping us provide ads for the Easy Allies Podcast and Frame Trap. It’s important to note that Rooster Teeth does not have any ownership of Easy Allies or any say over how we produce our shows. This partnership is simply to better facilitate relationships with sponsors and to ensure that they come in consistently.

This means that on November 25th we will be removing the $700 Mega Sponsor, $500 Podcast Sponsor, and $250 Frame Trap Sponsor reward tiers. We have reached out to current sponsors to let them know of the change, and we’re exploring ways they can still support us. Primarily, we’re introducing a new tier in which patrons can get a quick shoutout on every episode of the Easy Allies Podcast, Frame Trap, Friend Code, and Reaction Shots. This will be non-commercial in nature, but will still allow us to recognize patrons who want to show us support in larger ways.

When this change takes place in December, sponsors will only appear on public versions of podcasts. Patrons will have access to separate ad-free versions, which some of you may prefer as extra incentive for your support.

One of the purposes for this change is to separate advertisers from our Patreon. While it worked well enough when we started, Patreon hasn’t always been the best fit for sponsorships. As larger companies have grown interested in becoming sponsors, asking them to create Patreon accounts to facilitate these transactions isn’t ideal. Plus, the fluctuation of short-term sponsors can result in confusing swings in the growth of our Patreon when only a handful of people join or drop out at those levels. The loss of the higher reward tiers will cause an initial drop in our Patreon numbers by several thousand dollars, but afterwards, our growth should be more consistent and easy to understand. Similar to how we removed goals at the beginning of Phase 4, we want to do as much as we can to remove factors that create unnecessary stress for anyone who closely watches our growth.

What does this mean for Easy Allies?
The immediate effect will be minimal for viewers, listeners, and patrons, but starting in December, you’ll notice us focusing on other sponsors during those podcasts. It'll be strange not having some of the sponsors we've grown to know and love over the years, but we’ll be putting our own spin on brands you’ve probably heard of on other popular shows. You may start seeing our work pop up in places that Rooster Teeth promotes, getting our faces in front of an entirely new audience. We may also get to try out other promotional opportunities with them in the future, including sponsorships on additional shows.

Why Roost?
They’re one of the most experienced groups in this field, and while we’ve had friends at Rooster Teeth for a long time, it was only recently that we discovered this opportunity to partner with them. Like everything with Phase 4, this change will give us more time to focus on creating fun videos for you to enjoy, instead of worrying about the business side of things. None of us are particularly good at that stuff. Roost is.

There are other opportunities that we’re exploring with Roost as well, but sponsorship is the only thing that will directly affect this Patreon. For more info on what they do, you can visit https://www.roostnetwork.com. This doesn’t replace our need for your support in any way; it’s just a change in one piece of the puzzle. You helped get us here, and this partnership is going to help us get even further. If you have questions, we can answer them below and we’ll cover all this again on Cup of Jones.