At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along

– Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive

After several decades of working in adult I’ve seen the industry take a whole lot of twists and turns. And while things sometimes get disrupted for a bit, the people willing to do the work will always adapt and survive.

If you’re one of the tens of thousands of creators worried about your future after OnlyFans announced it will ban ‘sexually explicit’ content starting in October, read on because I want to share some possible tactics you can use to thrive — and perhaps just reading these will also help you feel a little better about your financial future in adult.

Tactic #1: Continue to Work OnlyFans Under the New Rules

I get it. You’re mad at OnlyFans and how their sudden policy change will impact sex workers, the very people who built that platform. You want to hurt them back, and you want to lead a mob of angry creators right off the platform.

That’s certainly an option. And as a… let’s say “passionate” person myself, I really do get it.

If you have a lot of fans on that platform though, and it’s responsible for paying your bills, quitting it cold turkey may not be your best option. But you’re probably wondering if you stay, if you stop posting ‘sexually explicit’ content (whatever that turns out to mean), won’t you just lose all your fans and revenue anyway?

Here’s the thing: ‘softcore’ content, meaning nudity only, sells. How do I know this? Decades of experience.

When I first started building adult websites in 1997, I went with 100% ‘softcore’ content. There were plenty of websites that offered explicit ‘hardcore’ content, but I wasn’t then sure about the legality of explicit adult content online (there were few established laws at that time), so I erred on the side of caution.

Eventually as I grew more comfortable with the rules I added some more explicit websites to my arsenal. What I found surprised me: hardcore didn’t sell any better than softcore. At least, not for me.

This was admittedly a small sample size, so I’ll give you another example.

At a time when most of the largest players in online adult were running explicit adult ‘paysites’ (as they were called then), one of the biggest early success stories was Steve Lightspeed, a guy who focused very heavily on just plain old nudity. He basically pioneered what came to be known as the “solo girl site,” where each site focused on just one model instead of many.

The reason why this approach worked so well is because a whole lot of porn consumers crave authenticity. They crave an opportunity to form a connection with someone they find to be attractive. OnlyFans creators definitely know this — I mean, DUH! — but back then it wasn’t common knowledge. Most companies building adult websites back then thought a huge catalog of explicit content covering a variety of niches was the way to go.

That isn’t to say there aren’t lots of porn fans who want something explicit to watch. Here’s the thing though: a lot of those guys are just going to Porunhub and jerking off for free. The guys who pay often for porn are typically the guys who want to interact with you, want to please you and win your affection and impress you. This dynamic doesn’t rely on hardcore, but rather on a feeling of intimacy.

So while I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you can’t monetize explicit content, because you obviously can, I think it’s important to also understand that you can do extremely well with nothing more than nudity and a willingness to interact with your fans.

Even if your goal is to get away from OnlyFans entirely, you can still use the nudity-only tactic there now while you build up your fan numbers someplace else. If your fans really need something harder, you can just refer them to your other platforms. Paying porn fans are savvy about these kinds of things, they’ll learn quickly they need to seek you out elsewhere if they want more than just nudity.

Tactic #2: Get Those Email Addresses!!

I used TWO exclamation marks above for a reason! This one is extremely important because it’s about control.

Think of all the different ways you can communicate with your fans online. Twitter? TikTok? OnlyFans? Instagram? AVN Stars? Then there’s email, also one of the options.

Most of the channels you have for reaching fans are controlled by large mainstream companies. Some of them aren’t mainstream, but still controlled by a company who can choose, at any time, to kick you off the platform. Or, those companies might experience financial struggles and disappear entirely. Or (as we learned again this month) change the rules suddenly.

Email though is a different thing. Email isn’t directly tied to any one company. If the email delivery platform you’re using kicks you off, you can just switch to a new solution and upload your lists — your fans will never know the difference. When you have a large and engaged email list, nobody can knock you back to “square one” anymore.

Think of all the time you’ve spent on Twitter and other social media platforms. Think about all the people who you’ve interacted with, people whose attention you got for a brief moment in this chaotic world. How many of them disappeared and you have no means to remind them about your content or your live shows? Maybe they’re watching on social media, or maybe they’re not.

If you had been collecting email addresses all along, you could stay in touch with all these people. You could reach out and “slap” them, so to speak. A large email list of engaged fans, who want the content you’re offering, is a huge asset and it can supercharge your revenue stream in amazing ways — if you do it right.

There are some best practices and rules with email. Only email people whose permission you have to email them; never buy lists from someone else, or trade lists with another model. (You can however send your list some message on behalf of another model, as long as the recipients know it’s coming from you so they understand it’s not spam!) Make sure people can ‘unsubscribe’ at any time from your emails, and always honor those requests. If you fail to use best practices, fewer of your emails will get delivered over time so it’s like shooting yourself right in the foot. Don’t do that.

You’ll also want to have a good plan for how often you’ll email your fans and what you’ll send them. You don’t want to email them TOO often because more will unsubscribe if you do, but you also don’t want to fall off the radar by waiting too long. So pick a frequency and stick to it — twice a week, weekly, twice a month? Consistency is pretty key.

Here’s the best part: you’re going to get way better engagement from email than most companies will get with their own email campaigns. That’s because you have fans that REALLY want to hear from you. AND, you can easily create email content in minutes that will make their day. “Hey, was thinking of you! Here’s a selfie I took this morning.” You get the idea. “I’ll be online on Chaturbate later today, here’s a cute pic until then!” Or, “I have some great new clips up at iWantClips if you want more!”

Shameless plug time: need help getting started with email, YNOT Mail can help you. You can check out the platform now, and also join us Wednesday for a free Zoom webinar we’re presenting in collaboration with Sex Work CEO and PS: Group. It will help you understand how to get email working for you.

Don’t sleep on email because it’s the single best tool you have to take control over your fate. It takes time to build up a proper email list and work that channel into a routine, so best to get started as soon as possible. As your list grows, so too will the money it brings in.

Tactic #3: Live Cam Shows

If you’re not already camming then you’re missing out on some serious earning potential. In fact with the right approach you can even out-earn your OnlyFans revenue with camming.

Cam shows are of course a significant source of revenue for a whole lot of models, but they also are one of the best tools you have for developing a strong relationship with your fans. If you’re worried about losing revenue because of the OnlyFans changes and you’re not already camming, now might be a good time to consider adding shows to your routine.

There’s the money you make while on cam, then there’s also the money you make from fans who fall in love with you during your shows and find your other content online. You also may grow your social media followers faster this way too, as also your email lists.

The most successful cam models I’ve met have done an excellent job managing and maintaining a consistent schedule. That doesn’t mean you have to be on-cam all day long every day, and in fact that’s probably a pretty good way to burn out quickly. You do though need to figure out what works for you and stick to it.

If your goal is to get in front of a lot of people then a site with a freemium model is probably your best bet, so look at sites like Chaturbate, Stripchat, Flirt4Free, Cams.com and BongaCams. There’s also newer arrivals like Cherry.tv that you can consider.

If you’d rather just focus on higher priced private shows instead of working a crowded room for tips, a cam platform with a premium model might suit you a little better. Take a look at LiveJasmin, ImLive, Cam4 and Sex.cam, all established players.

Tactic #4: Alternative Fan/Clips Platforms

From what I’ve seen, there’s nothing especially exceptional about the OnlyFans platform other than its popularity. Fans who want explicit content will find other places to get it if they can’t get it on OnlyFans, so it makes sense for you to look into the alternatives.

You have a couple different kinds of platforms, if the goal is to sell your videos and pictures to fans.

Clips platforms provide you with a marketplace for selling your content, plain and simple. You create, you upload, you point the fans at it, you collect the checks. This is a business model that has worked quite well for a long time now, and probably should be part of your routine. Check out iWantClips, Clips4Sale and ManyVids for starters.

If you’re looking more for that OnlyFans experience, you have a number of fan platforms competing for your attention. Some of them are in-development, and many are ready to go right now. OnlyFans is the biggest name for the moment so you’ll have to expect that any new platform you use will need time to grow. If you’re driving your own traffic to your page though, this won’t be a big problem for you.

We’re big believers in Chaturbate, so we’re thrilled that they’re accelerating development of Peach right now in the wake of the OnlyFans news. This is a company you know is on your side. You can find them at shows, they’re always accessible and 100% on the side of sex workers. I feel extremely good about recommending you look into Peach — and you know this is a company that can deliver the fans too. Just know it’s still a platform in development.

You also might look into ePlay, JustFor.Fans and Loyalfans. Your list of options will be growing in the coming months as new options show up and ask for your support, so look for the companies that are visible, accessible and accountable. If you aren’t seeing the executives of these companies at shows, on social media, communicating with sex workers and proudly pro-industry, then consider this your first warning sign.

Tactic #5: Your Own Website

Maybe you’re reading all this and thinking, Yeah gee thanks Connor but what if the banks just cause all these other services to shut down too?

First, this isn’t likely. While it turned out with OnlyFans that they went the drastic route by choice, they also have “mainstream” creators to help carry the day and may be intending to re-brand around them. And it’s possible they chose this approach because they simply didn’t want to try and implement the new rules that MasterCard announced regarding adult content online. Whatever their reasoning, it was their own decision and not forced on them.

Just because OF chose to pass on explicit content doesn’t mean other platforms will do the same. You’ll probably see many of them implementing stricter sign-up procedures, and you may have to jump through more hoops when uploading content. If you see this happening, please have some patience with these platforms as they’re trying to stay economically and legally stable. But, I’m reasonably confident that very few of them, if any, will follow OnlyFans’ lead here.

That said, if you’re worried about possible future pressure campaigns from self-righteous assholes, like NYTimes pundit Nicholas Kristoff, then you can get ahead of that now by building your own website. A site dedicated to you can accomplish a whole lot of things.

First, it’s a great way to communicate to your fans where they can buy your content and watch your live shows. So in its simplest form, your website might do little more than provide you with a place where you can link to all your services and also collect email addresses for Tactic #2 above.

However your website can be a lot more than that.

While the big platforms have a challenge following all the MasterCard rules, simply because they’re dealing with a large number of models and creators who they don’t know personally, it’s way easier for you to deal with these rules when you have only yourself (and maybe a few of your friends) to worry about. There’s technically nothing stopping you from setting up billing services through an industry-friendly billing provider like Segpay, OnlineIPS, CCBill, etc. That would let you sell subscriptions to your website — monthly subscriptions that automatically recur until cancelled. Which is an excellent way to generate passive income. The only challenge with adding your own billing solution is the setup fees, which can run on the high side, so there’s some significant initial cost to going the paysite route.

If you have the resources you can hire someone to build a website for you, or you can partner with an “adult webmaster” and maybe work some kind of revenue sharing agreement. You also can research how to build a site yourself if you’re technically inclined, just know it takes some time and that’s time you can’t spend with your fans or shooting new content.

You’re Invited, So Join Us in Hollywood

If you’re vaccinated and can make the trip, consider joining us in Hollywood starting October 11th for YNOT Cammunity at the W Hollywood Hotel. YNOT Cammunity is presented by Chaturbate and was started in 2019; it’s the industry’s ONLY show in North America designed just for cam models and creators. This show is 100% for you. There are no fans allowed, and all sessions, workshops, photography sessions, networking receptions, games and parties are designed for cam models and creators.

If you want to learn more about how to build websites, work email lists, attract more fans, and protect your revenue streams, this is the show. You’ll also meet new friends and have all kinds of opportunities to work together with other models and creators. I know a lot of creators are planning to shoot a lot of content while they’re in Hollywood. You’ll learn a lot, make friends, come away with free swag and possibly some great content too, and you’ll have a lot of fun.

You’ll also have the opportunity to join us at the YNOT Cam Awards, happening October 14th at Avalon Hollywood. This is a formal red carpet event with drinks, food, comedians, an award show that celebrates models and creators, then an exclusive after party. As with YNOT Cammunity you’ll need to have proof of vaccination to attend.

Final Words of Advice

During my time in adult I’ve met a lot of great people. I love this industry, it’s my home. I’ve made some incredible friendships. I also have come into contact with some people I wouldn’t piss on if they were on fire. These people always have ways of outing themselves, if you’re paying attention. They see the industry and its sex workers as a resource to exploit, and they’re the first to run for the door when their bad decisions result in bad things for others.

If a company owner or a business burns your trust, remember that. If you can tell someone’s just trying to exploit you and doesn’t really care about mutual success, remember that too. And the next time they show up asking for your support remember these words from Dua Lipa:

Don’t show up, don’t come out
Don’t start caring about me now
Walk away, you know how
Don’t start caring about me now