It’s easy to Talk About Funding.
In today’s world, there is more than one way to fund something. I chose a model which guaranteed I could remain as flexible and motivated to bring as interesting and valuable whisky content as I could imagine. I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone; I needed to preserve my own independence and dictate my own direction - with feedback only from the community.
The best part? It’s fully optional.
I don’t do paid content. There are no affiliate links, no “today’s sponsor is…”, no paid collaborations, no free products in exchange for review and no fees charged (or paid) to anyone.
Everything is up to the people who watch and listen. So, how does it work…?
How the channel is funded
PAtreon.
This is the main funding for the Aqvavitae channel.
Separate form YouTube, Patreon is a platform which gathers the community who are willing to “sponsor” my output, in effect becoming patrons. At patreon.com you sign up and support at any level you prefer (or can afford) and pay for as many video creations or vPub livestreams you’d like to support, from a single one-per-month to as many as I create. I prefer this method, over a fixed monthly commitment, because it means I can take breaks when necessary and patrons don’t pay. For example I take a few weeks every summer as annual leave and with this method patrons are only charged when I’m active.
Patrons enjoy exclusive content and other “perks” which include a monthly exclusive “Lock-in” vPub. I make efforts to interact with patrons as much as I can. Patreon and the support I receive there is something I am truly grateful for. It is the main reason I never need to ask for anything from the industry. As well as preserving my independence, it ensures the channel, and the sharing culture behind it, can endure.
Of all the revenue generated inside Patreon, I get over 90% after taxes and fees are deducted. This revenue is taxable. This is by far the best way to support the channel.
Youtube.
YouTube is pretty amazing. It is a huge, flexible and free platform powered by the search engine, analytics and services of Google. It costs me nothing, although I do choose to pay a premium membership - as a viewer of more YouTube content than all the other streaming services I subscribe to combined.
YouTube earn money from ads running along side the content that creators like me make. They give a “cut” of this content, largely based on type of content and numbers of views generated, to these creators. For me, and the whisky niche I occupy, this is very small.
Recently, I added another way to support the channel by becoming a YouTube Member. By clicking the join button on any channel page you can choose to pay £1.99 / €1.99 or $1.99 per month and get access to custom emoji and loyalty perks that’s fun to use during the streams and throughout the comment sections of the channel.
This tier is known as “The Aqvavitae Barflies” - the term many viewers already self-refer as, especially those who join in or watch the vPub livestreams.
YouTube take as well as give. They take a cut of my earnings regardless if it’s from ads, super chats or memberships, although I get paid at least two-thirds. While this may seem unfair, you need to be familiar with the platform YouTube provide - for free - to understand how amazing it actually is. It has allowed me to build a community like no other I’ve ever encountered. They don’t charge me for any of the tools, storage (literally terabytes!), analytics or promotion they do.
There is another tier inside this membership called “The Patreon Averse” which offers a one-off monthly support payment of £8.99 / €8.99 or $8.99 for those who don’t want to sign up to Patreon.
Even if you don’t support me via any YouTube revenue, it means a lot to subscribe, leave a valuable like and a comment, as well as sharing the content with people who you think may enjoy it. I am so grateful to everyone’s YouTube support. It’s the lifeblood of the channel and the foundation for everything.
Merch.
No one comes to the Aqvavitae web-store to buy clothes. They buy things that help them enjoy whisky and perhaps things that help them be more a part of the community they’ve discovered.
I try to be very selective with the merch I offer, I only stock things I like and would use myself, I don’t scattergun and I only restock it periodically. So if you see that things are sold out, keep an eye out as (usually) twice a year I’ll restock with fresh designs as well as replenishing the evergreen stuff.
It’s a huge upfront investment to sit on stock for months afterwards, so I’d prefer I run it this way. You can always email me if you’ve missed out and I’ll try to keep you posted for the next releases. I am careful with the quality and will go the extra mile to make sure you love it.
Buying merch is an amazing way to support the channel and the culture around it. Like everything else here - it is fully optional.
I SIGNED UP TO SUPPORT ON PATREON WHEN I REALISED I WAS WATCHING MORE OF THE SCOTCH TEST DUMMIES YOUTUBE CONTENT THAN I WAS WATCHING NETFLIX. I LOVED IT. I WANTED IT TO ENDURE.
Roy on why he signed up to Patreon in 2016.