Technology has changed the way we do a lot of things, with sex work being one of the industries that’s seen some of the biggest shifts. Where in the past people would have to contact producers, directors, and agents before getting started – with them taking profits and calling the shots as a result – it’s not possible to make sex work for you.
One of the platforms that’s exploded in recent years is OnlyFans, which is allowing content creators to charge a monthly fee that allows customers to see pictures and videos. With OnlyFans comes the added benefit of freedom, with creators choosing what they post and when, giving the platform 20% of profits and keeping the rest. But, it’s often touted as something of a get-rich-quick scheme. But is it?
In effect, OnlyFans is one of the rare spaces where sex workers have the power. The biggest difference between OnlyFans and other platforms of its kind is that it allows sexually explicit content, and its pay model is similar to camming sites in that it allows for tipping and pay-per-view content on top of the subscription fee.
The model’s brilliance is in its simplicity, and it’s revolutionary in how it prioritizes the agency of creators, offering them the ability to have autonomy over their bodies, their content, and their prices.
The company also offers free legal services to all of the creators, working quickly and swiftly to remove any leaked content (and yes, a lot of the sexually explicit content is leaked to PornHub). Of course, this isn’t a charitable enterprise: OnlyFans takes a 20 percent cut of its creators’ profits, and with 75 million active users, the company has been turning a profit of its own since its inception.
So how much can you realistically make?
With claims from the company that they’ve paid out $725 million to its 450,000 content creators, and celebrities including Cardi B, Blac Chyna, and Tyler Posey registered to the subscription service – not to mention Bella Thorne, who claims to have made $2 million from it in less than a week – it’s easy to see why it’s an attractive option. Like any form of work, though, you get what you put in, as evidenced by those who use OnlyFans to sell photos.
Subscriptions to an OnlyFans account start from $5 and move their way up to $25 a month. Although there’s no cap on what you make, it does vary a lot between smaller and larger creators, so it’s important to be realistic.
What kind of content should you be uploading to the site?
OnlyFans is primarily for adult content, but there are a number of creators who use it for different reasons. Some food and fitness influencers share premium recipes and workouts to their paying subscribers.
You have absolute choice over what you post but, as mentioned, you’ll likely get requests from subscribers for specific things. Although you might make extra money from these requests, only ever do what you feel comfortable with.
Before you get into things, perhaps write a list of absolute ‘no’ content, and this can act as your benchmark for what you’re happy to do. From there, it’s just about your own creativity and imagination.
Now, how do you get those followers and their coins?
For established adult performers, the fans you have already can be translated onto OnlyFans. However, all of the creators we spoke to said that the main way they found their loyal subscriber base was through interaction and finding a niche.
Honey Gold, an award-winning pornstar who posts content on OnlyFans said: ‘It takes no time at all to find out exactly what your fans want, making it easy to provide them with the best content and keep them on-board as subscribers… ‘It’s really important to interact with your fans too – a lot of your subscribers will be paying for this reason alone. By doing this you can find out exactly what content to put out and build a really dedicated fanbase as you go.’
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