THINK THIS THROUGH

Once you post explicit photos online it’s likely they’ll be on the internet f o r e v e r. There are photos I posted 10 years ago still being distributed to this day. People you don’t want to see may find out and come across your content. If you’re not okay with the idea of that then maybe SW isn’t for you. But there are precautions you can take such as not showing your face or hiding any identifiable marks such as tattoos, scars or piercings but even then there is no guarantee someone won’t recognize you. Never ever use your real name. Pick a stage name and use the same username across all platforms.

SEX WORK ISN’T EASY MONEY

Sex work is work. You have to treat this like a 9 to 5 job. My days are spent promoting, coming up with content ideas, making those ideas come to life on my own, editing photos and videos, engaging with my customers, and being active on several platforms. If you don’t set some kind of schedule for yourself, things can fall behind or you might become stressed out. One way to make things easier on yourself is to buy a planner & keep track of what days you want to create content. You can also use it to down any ideas or goals you have set for yourself. Staying on track is a bit easier when you see it written down. Always keep in mind that if you didn’t have a platform/large audience prior to debuting in the world of sex work, gaining a following or earning a sustainable income might be a slow process. Don’t be discouraged when you see other SWs posting large tip amounts or bragging about their percentage in their first month of using onlyfans. I guarantee you’ll get to where you want to be but you need to have patience. All it takes is one viral post to blow up overnight but staying active and maintaining consistency is key. Taxes and sex work: ok so for most websites you’ll fill out a form for the tax authorities and when it’s time to do taxes you will owe. You are considered self-employed. To be safe put away 20% or more of your annual earnings. If you go on google and search self-employment tax calculator that can give you a rough idea of what you’ll be paying.

WEBSITES

I’ve had the most success with Onlyfans. However onlyfans has been switching up its policies so make sure you have a backup plan in place. I also use Manyvids.com which has been fruitful as well. Other websites to check out: Iwantclips, modelhub, myfreecams, streamate, avnstars, sextpanther, friskvip, clips4sale, apclips, modelcentro, fancentro, mygirlfund, admireme, just4fans.

CAMMING: I don’t have a lot of experience with camming. But what I can tell you is to set a schedule, commit to it & don’t be sporadic with your lives. Talk to your audience and play games. Make it fun for them! Just stay engaged & they’ll be happy. Check out Chaturbate, MV Live, MFC. I used a Logitech C920.

LET’S TALK ABOUT CONTENT

My biggest piece of advice is to pick a niche and stick to it. For example, I am overweight so I use being fat to my advantage. I market myself as a bbw and I cater to a crowd that loves bellies and rolls. Even if you don’t fit into the standard cookie cutter image adult film has had for decades, you can still thrive and make money. There is a market for any gender and body type. So whether you fat, thin, transgender, poc, you will find an audience. I know I would be a lot more successful if I lost weight but I’m making a good amount every month so it’s possible to succeed if you look a little different! With that said, don’t compare yourself to other models. You are YOU and I promise you’re perfect the way you are. Ok so, what I tend to do is take a bunch of photos and video in one day with outfit switches that way I can set up a queue for a couple day’s and use those days for me time or to focus on promotion. It’s important to have a day or two off or you’ll get burnt out. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. You can do so and not feel guilty about it by queuing content on whatever platform you use and scheduling tweets. Make special content to send out to your most dedicated subs and tippers. You don’t need to do this all the time but I try to get them something exclusive at least once a month. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what kind of content you can make. It doesn’t have to be explicit. Do your research and surely you’ll find something you’ll be comfortable doing if posting explicit content isn’t your thing.

INVEST IN NICE EQUIPMENT

Quality over quantity when it comes to content. You’ll be a lot better off posting less content with good lighting that look clean and crisp than you’d be posting a ton of grainy photos with Snapchat filters. Daylight will become your best friend. Everything I shoot during the day doesn’t even need extra lighting. But if you don’t have good lighting I suggest buying a ring light. I use both my iPhone camera and a canon m50 to shoot! It’s easier to get things done with my phone camera but I do use my m50 on a regular basis. If your phone camera isn’t up to par, you can always buy a second phone used on eBay to solely use for photos. If you have the money, I recommend buying the m50 because it has a flippable screen to see yourself, you can use your phone as a Bluetooth remote, the quality is immaculate and it has a great auto focus feature!

ADVERTISEMENT

You’re going to need to spend a lot of time promoting yourself. On twitter, find sex worker threads to post an advertisement in. Include your links, a short spiel about what you offer and a photo to go with it. You can also start your own thread. Post previews on your timeline. If you’re going to post uncensored content, keep it short and sweet making the viewer want more. Offering free trials (I do 1-3 days) can be a great way to get new subs! It’s a smart business move because sometimes potential customers might want to see what they’ll be paying for first. Not everyone will stick around but some do! Engage in sex worker gain trains and make sure to follow back other sex workers. Befriend other SWs for better exposure! Participate in Rt for Rt threads or start your own.  Another great way to be seen on Twitter is to host a giveaway. You can either give away something like a monthly free trial to subs or make it directed towards other SWs. In order to win, have people RT & follow you to gain more followers. Other platforms I post on are Reddit, tiktok, Instagram, skip the games, whisper and occasionally Facebook groups. Try doing share for share with other SWs! I prefer doing them with models who have a similar look or body type because if I do s4s with someone who isn’t a bbw their subs are less likely to sub to me.

PAYMENT

Never give someone your banking information. If they ask for that, it’s a scam. If they tell you send them money first, it’s a scam. Honestly if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. I use several different payment platforms. I use cashapp, Venmo, chime, and PayPal. Paypal is not sex worker friendly at all so be careful – withdraw your money ASAP. They’re all iffy towards SWs though so make sure your customer doesn’t put anything incriminating in the notes and don’t let money sit in your account because I have had my funds frozen at random causing me to lose money. I also have two cash apps! I use one to have them send money to and then I transfer it to my other with my banking information attached. I do this because if someone buys something with no intent of actually paying they can dispute the charge, get their money back and now they have your product for free.

TOYS & LINGERIE

During the pandemic, a lot of people have turned to sex work because they desperately need the cash to survive. So if it’s not possible for you to buy props I would suggest getting in contact with twitter accounts that provide free lingerie and toys for an amazon review. These accounts will ask you if you have PayPal and Amazon. All you have to do is add the item to your cart and then screen shot the total amount. They will then send you the money to buy it beforehand on PayPal. Some will pay you after you write a review and I’ve done a few of those before with no issue. I’ve gotten over 40 items for free this way. Create a wishlist on amazon and fill it up with a variety of different toys and lingerie. Subs will buy them for you and if you want offer an incentive for them to do so. Amazon will not give them your address and you can change the recipient name to your stage name. Make sure you have the item in hand before giving them a reward because it’s possible they’ll buy it for you but cancel after receiving whatever you gave them in return.

PRICING & WHAT TO SELL

Okay so I see a lot of price shaming going on lately so let’s talk about that. On Onlyfans you can either charge someone to subscribe or have it set to free. If you choose to go the free route you cannot post anything explicit to your wall it has to be blocked by a paywall but if you charge to sub you can post anything you want to your feed. Whether your OF is free or you have a set fee, you also have the option to send out PAY PER VIEW messages that contain exclusive content. You can sell whatever it is you offer for whatever price you feel is right. Don’t let others shame you or make you feel bad if you choose to sell your onlyfans for $3 or $30. That is solely up to you and if someone feels like what you’re asking for is too much they can find someone else in their price range. When my onlyfans was set at $10 I had a hard time gaining any subs but now I sell mine for $5 and make triple what I did then. It’s all about finding what works for you. If someone is asking for free previews first it’s likely they have no intention of spending any money especially if you’re already posting previews onto a feed. If you’re having trouble pricing the things you’re selling, what I do is scope out the going rate by searching for similar items on Manyvids. You can also ask other SWs, most will be glad to help you out. When asking someone for help approach them with kindness and gratitude. Maybe retweet some of their posts first as well! You can even offer them a small tip in exchange for their insight. Whatever you do, just be polite and if they decline, that’s okay! Simply thank them for their time and move on. Don’t hold any resentment because they aren’t exactly obligated to help you, you know?

HERE’S A LIST OF MISCELLANEOUS THINGS YOU CAN SELL ASIDE FROM PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: 

Panties, Socks, bras, old shoes, sex toys, lingerie. All used. Armpit or pubic hair, toe or finger nail clippings, spit, cum, pee, used tampons, dirty qtips, pussy lollipops, bath water, chewed gum, used condoms.

EDITING & POSING

My go to for photo editing is Meitu. It looks difficult at first but just read their user guide and watch tutorials on YouTube. Best thing about Meitu is it’s free and has a lot of options for both photo & video editing! You can also download picsart, prequel, Videoleap, splice, InShot, snow, Facetune, Lightroom. Some of these require payment to get the most use out of them but it’s worth it. If you aren’t sure I believe most have free trials!

RANDOM BITS OF ADVICE

Never compare yourself to others. Yes, this is easier said than done but try your hardest not to. Accept yourself for who you are and know that there are people who will definitely find you as or even more attractive than the person you might envy. The flaws you see in yourself are likely going to be invisible to your audience. Cut yourself some slack because you are perfect the way you are. Engage with your fans. Always thank them when they tip you. Show your appreciation for their time and effort spent supporting you. If you have a lot of subs it can be difficult to keep track of messages but try to stay on top of replying because you never know when it might be a missed opportunity to make extra cash. Keep sex work separate from your personal life. I occasionally share tidbits of my life but I keep it to a minimum. People enjoying seeing your personality too but be wary of what you say about yourself. If possible don’t disclose your true location. Oh one last thing for today: PLEASE SUPPORT THE POC/TRANS/DISABLED/LGBTQ sex workers when you can! A simple RT can go a long way because in an industry that is biased and based upon unrealistic standards, people who don’t fit the cookie cutter mold can always use the extra support