Patreon takes as much effort as you want it to be tbh.
I know my limits, pace, and my current priorities, so I'm still sticking with only two tiers even a year since launch. First tier is just my $1 donate what you want tip-jar. Patrons of this tier know not to expect ANYTHING by default! I do of course share an all-patrons posts every now and then (sharing requests from the higher tier) or whenever a new episode is ready, they can see a hi-res of it few days before public. I don't always have a new ep every month, so this is a fair compensation i feel.
My entire focus is on my only other $6 tier! That's where I drop at least one new "bonus artwork" per week, alongside other occasional stuff (profiles, BTS, Fanart, teasers, themed days not related to the comic like Werewolf Wednesdays...)
Now keep in mind, the key point is honest communication with your patrons!
I never really specified how many new posts to expect per month, but i try to keep it to AT LEAST once a week. Even then, i let them know when there won't be a new post next week for whatever reason. They've always been understanding and supportive, but it's good practice to maintain this level of communication with your paying supporters : >
Also, all of this won't even be a problem if you schedule like.. a month worth of updates? (1 post per week is ideal imo) and never have to worry about keeping up again.
[ Pro-tip time!!!! ]
If you're using CSP, I HIIIIIGHLY encourage you to prepare at least a single "comic" file and label it something like Patreon2020, and this is where you draw and prepare all your rewards for this year. It's WAY easier and organized to work in batches like this.
Here i have two files, one exclusively for my webcomic rewards, and the other i recently introduced for "Werewolf Wednesday" + "Feline Friday" and any other reward not related to my comic.
Notice how in the top file, i have two "pages" i used just as labels to organize everything in the same file. First my normal illustrations, then wallpapers, then profiles.
This kind of setup is excellent for many reasons: 1)can keep duplicating a page setup you like (that already has textures and ur signature etc) and start drawing right away 2)You know you got a year worth of weekly updates covered if you prepared a good ~52 pages 3)have a clear idea of who you've been drawing a lot, and who you've been neglecting for a while lol 4)everything is neatly in one place. Keeps you focused.
Oh also
in an attempt to keep my very dead social account alive, i recently prepared a "page" (number 29 in the attached image) where i drag and drop whatever latest artwork i made, blur it out and post on my social media to advertise my page outside of webcomic platforms (note: the dimensions are made specifically to mitigate Twitter's stupid cropping system. Feel free to use it as a base!)
As a lazy potato, this been working well for me so far.
I plan on overhauling the look of my page sometime soon, but free to have a look at it now for reference : >
And good luck!!