The British from start to finish did not have enough troop numbers to protect anywhere near a majority of Loyalists *in the communities where they lived* given the dispersed population patterns in the colonies. And the Loyalists, never had the numbers to do a successful rising against the town and state militias and continental army in Patriot territory, even if they had gotten more "inspired" by better British support.
Yes and no. The Loyalists and the rebels at the start of the war were not far off in numbers (rebels slightly outnumbering them, with a plurality of the population neutral). Therefore, they should only need a little support to defend themselves against some state militias. NE militias, no (those were borderline Continental Army level of dedication to the cause, discipline, aim, and speed). The NJ militia? Probably the armed loyalists actually outnumbered the armed Patriots given that a lot of their Patriots were in the Hudson at the Saratoga Campaign.
In Georgia, the Loyalists outnumbered the Patriots 4 to 3 by modern estimates (plurality neutrals). In New York, Loyalists actually formed a plurality, but the more organized rebels (who had control over the colonial beauracray) quickly muzzled them until Howe came to NYC. And even then, because he took
almost the entire field army on a sea trip, most of the ones armed couldn't do anything but defend the base.
My suggested operation could protect a lot of the loyalists in rural Georgia and South Carolina (where the Patriots often left them be as they were not worth the trouble) and with a successful Saratoga campaign, Howe could start working down New York and New Jersey, freeing loyalists from rebel rule.