How To Make Money On OnlyFans

The Best Tips For Aspiring Amateurs

Written by: Angela Watson | Updated: February 5th, 2021

Well, it's no secret that in 2020 lots of people have had more free time to spend online to pass their days. Another reality is that a lot of people could use a few bucks here and there doing something online. On porn sites there's always been amateurs who apparently upload out of the kindness of their hearts (among other kinks), but it's not like all that many people who turned it into a career from stuff like that.

So what is a person to do? Get hired by a porn studio? Not really in the cards for most people. Most people can only do low-level camming much like how I did in university.

That leaves pretty much just one option left besides just giving up: producing erotic content yourself to upload and hopefully gain a fanbase that is willing to support what you're up to. Even that isn't necessarily a new idea, there have been lots of stand alone websites for individual performers over the years. Thing is, those sites often didn't provide enough content for the money, didn't have the best scenes of that performer (studios kept the rights to the good stuff, I assume), and radiated sketchiness. 

 I figure that these days we have mobile apps for just about everything and most things now go through one platform style website. In the few short years since 2016 Onlyfans has managed to become a site managing hundreds of thousands of new users a day.

What Is OnlyFans?

OnlyFans started off in 2016 as a website meant for adult performers to interface with their fanbases and charge a subscription fee, optional extra paid videos, or some mixture of the two. In essence, it's like a social media page where the performer has free reign to make posts with video or picture attachments around any topic of  their choosing. Some content providers on the site are mainstream pornstars and show off behind the scenes snippets. Some even go all the way into directing and producing their own work. The other end of the spectrum would probably be couples who just record themselves enjoying their intimacy and creating a following around it.

It's a platform used by sexually explicit content creators (read: anyone who can go through the sign-up process) to have a public face for their brand. The benefits provided to the performers as well as the users include the payment processing on top of the other miscellaneous cybersecurity features present on the site, plus tons of visibility so performers can focus exclusively on their craft instead of learning how to run a popular website.

Who Uses OnlyFans As A Performer?

There isn't really a rule that you have to be sexually explicit to run an OnlyFans account, in fact lots of fairly normal content creators do use the site as well. Center stage however seems to be taken by sex workers working either solo or with other talent working with them.

Once a few mainstream pornstars came along and started showing off behind the scenes snippets among other things, OnlyFans started to blow up. Some of those performers go all the way into directing and producing their own work. The other end of the spectrum would probably be individuals/couples who are average people sharing nude pictures or engaging in sex acts either alone or with someone else. Of course there's all kinds of girls inbetween that have more or less became professional pornstars in their own right solely due to how much success they were able to enjoy from the platform.

Now, there are a few things we can't really be sure of. Is the runaway popularity of OnlyFans because of the casual Facebook/Twitter style layout where its more like talking to someone you know or is it due to how readily it was embraced by content creators? It's probably a bit of those two and a whole lot more!

What we can be sure of is this: OnlyFans has helped to normalize online adult work while giving adult performers a distribution deal unlike any before.

How Does OnlyFans Work?

There are a few important things that are fundamental knowledge for new cam stars: Onlyfans does NOT own your content. Anything you post on OnlyFans can be used on any other online platform completely at your discretion, and you can also have your content taken off  OnlyFans completely at your discretion. OnlyFans will also help you get your content taken down with a DMCA notice if it gets posted somewhere without your authorization. Of course, nothing stops you from pursuing them with your own methods because at the end of the day its your content. 

The next most important question that needs to be answered is what exactly does OnlyFans get out the arrangement? Nobody is naive enough to think they do it as volunteer work. They decided to make things very simple: When any transaction is made (subscriptions, pay-per-view posts, tips) 80% of the proceeds go to the performer while OnlyFans takes 20% for themselves. The terms are extremely favorable since OnlyFans allows for a safe and trustworthy payment system while providing the platform full of features as well. When you compare what pornstars make for a typical scene (a flat $500-$1500 more often than not) to the raw potential of a well promoted OnlyFans there is simply an insanely larger proportion of the proceeds going to the person/people who actually star in the content.

A side effect of this payment model is that it incentivizes OnlyFans to make the platform as impressive as possible since their success is intertwined. As opposed to the disposable nature some real adult performers are subject to the party with more control (OnlyFans) has direct reason to collaborate with their performers to make for the best experience possible. Ultimately, it's unique in that everyone from the people "at the top" to the performers to the users themselves gets the most possible benefit out of the site's culture and philosophy.

What Are The Rules On OnlyFans?

Despite what you might assume OnlyFans isn't free reign for anyone with a working pair of genitalia. The biggest rule would be that anything that is typically illegal for being obscene is prohibited on OnlyFans. Nothing you'd see on a shock website, underage material, or anything violent. That's a typical blanket prohibition not necessarily unique to this site. OnlyFans is an 18+ website so no users or performers can be underage, not very surprising given the content.

To avoid confusion I will say that paid content is not subject to the other restrictions I am about to discuss. If someone wants a specific type of video that is part of a fetish not allowed on your public page, you are allowed to make that content to be sent to them specifically. I should also note that a lot of the words surrounding the list of not allowed content cannot be typed but the content itself can be sent privately.

Restricted Content On OnlyFans INCLUDES:

When it crosses the line into obscene seems to be somewhat arbitrary, with some creators getting shut down for a week at a time for a video that at face value seems just as obscene if not less obscene than content by similar creators. The bottom line is if your content could show up on the front page of a porn site and not make a sizeable chunk of the population a little uncomfortable you're smooth sailing.

Setting Up Your Page

The signup process is very straightforward and you can even sign up with an existing Google or Facebook account to make things simple. Once you've signed in, the very first thing you should do is navigate to your Profile Page and then select Edit Profile.

The Username field refers to what will be your URL name and what comes after the @ symbol associated in your name. It should be simple and easy to type, you can get fancier in the Display Name field which is what shows up as your name in big letters at the top of any post you create. Change your cover photo as well as your profile photo and then fill in the rest as you see fit.

Your bio is the most important thing besides your name. It's where you need to fill in what kind of performer you are (solo, kinks/fetishes, etc) as well as anything relevant like personal measurements and a short paragraph that gives people a sense of what kind of personality you have. If you got it, flaunt it! That means giving all relevant details about your physical attributes as well as the topics of the content subscribers can expect from you.

Setting Up Your Bank Account

Before you can actually post any content you need to set up your bank account. This is an extra step in confirming your age before allowing you to post content.

After that, click the box to let them know you are uploading explicit content and then send away for approval. Once you've been approved you can begin posting content as well as set your monthly subscription fee.

How To Ensure Your Page Makes Money 

If you've decided that you want to shoot your shot on OnlyFans, there's a few things you'll have to keep in mind no matter what your goals are. The same rules apply for people who are trying to make a genuine source of income and the people who are doing it to get their rocks off. Successful OnlyFans take a few different forms, but they all follow some of the same rules.

Set Your Subscription Price Properly

Subscribers make up a large chunk of your income from OnlyFans as the income is trackable and will reliably come in each month assuming you maintain your subscriber count. That means you need to choose a pricing scheme that makes sense with how much content you provide as well as how difficult it is to produce.

If you plan on releasing a lot of content to your subscribers without a massive emphasis on pay-per-view videos that can justify an above average subscription price. For most newcomers something around the realm of $4.99 to $7.99 is a good way to at least have people subscribe and see what's on your profile.

If you're willing to take on the burden of two accounts some providers make both a free subscription and a paid subscription account and use the free one to drive people to the other. The strategy is very useful if you have content to be posting on both profiles and are willing to put in the extra effort.

Promote Yourself On Any Platforms You Make Sense To Be On

Remember what I mentioned earlier about owning your own content? Besides what it means for your privacy if you ever decide you don't want the videos to be online anymore it gives you free reign to remove any and all of your content, as well as promote it elsewhere. PG13 content is allowed on most social media sites plus there are other sites where your content can go to let people know you're on OnlyFans.I'm going to name just a few to give an overview of what opportunities you should be looking for. It is by no means a comprehensive list, try your best to get a feel for each platform and how you can utilize it best. Remember, OnlyFans is a platform in and of itself! Collaborations with other content creators helps all of you out in the long run.

On all other platforms your screen name should be as close to the one you use on OnlyFans as well as include a link to your OnlyFans profile (if permitted) and ensure that your profile information is public.

Don't neglect what people see when they visit your OnlyFans page while promoting yourself. Some content you can make visible to non-subscribers and you absolutely should post a public post once in a while to be sandwiched between lots of your subscriber-only content. If people can scroll through your page and see something they like it's only human nature to see if the subscriber-locked doors hold something even better.

Be Active And Personable

One of the things that makes users decide against renewing a subscription is how much interaction they get with the performer. If it just feels like they're at a porn vending machine with pre-recorded lines they aren't likely to find the experience all that worthwhile. Make sure to schedule a block or two a day that is a few hours in length specifically to respond to your followers. This means going through your DMs and making chit-chat at a bare minimum.

All aspects of the page should be well maintained with your input. That's everything from comments on public posts to all of the private messages that have accumulated. A good performer is able to put their subscribers at ease and continue giving them the experience they expect. For most people, that's just steady content and the feeling like you are really there at the other end of a computer/phone available all the time.

The tiniest amount of effort can pay back tenfold, don't neglect your subscribers! Sending messages to people who have renewed their subscriptions that are bare minimum uniquely typed out is one of the best ways to stay on someone's good side.

Diversify Your Content

The whole reason anyone would want to be a fan of someone is because they enjoy the work they produce. It stands to reason that you should be producing content for them to enjoy, right? It is important to remember though that content comes in many forms and they all serve their purpose if used gainfully.

At its core OnlyFans is a way for people to share their creations and interact with their fan base. It is much closer to a social media page that allows adult content than it is a porn site. Little things like updates on when you will be checking your DMs to venting about a difficult morning commute all work in your favor of letting your fans know you are around and willing to interface with them. People want to be able to check your profile to see what you've been up to lately. Everything you think your fanbase might want to hear should be posted, and it doesn't matter in what form!

A good morning video goes a long way!

Be Creative When It Comes To PPV Content

Most of the above tips concern themselves with the initial build-up period of an OnlyFans page. That's because traffic and people who actually want to subscribe to you are the backbone of any profile, not just yours. That's not to say all of your efforts should be put into expanding your reach, it is vital that you use the reach you have already to your advantage.

The types of paid content offered can be as simple as $5-10 for a custom photo/video to things like $15 for a dick rate or other similar service. If you are going to offer paid dick rates you should be careful to be honest but not insultingly so. They paid for an opinion, not to hear what you think they'd like to hear most. 

Another thing to be sure to do is to have videos that you don't post anywhere specifically to be sold for $2 or so to those who want them. You can push these videos as extra scenes to all of your followers extremely easily while also sending off specific videos to people who you think would enjoy them. It is extremely important to anticipate what kind of content your fanbase would like and have it ready before they even know they want it.

There's no shame in asking for tips on some of your public posts that you worked really hard on. The ability to garner tips from people is great for revenue as well as learning what type of content people appreciate seeing from you. Use your profile to create a tip menu where people can get some content in return for a tip. It doesn't matter if they are $5 dick rates or $50 personalized lap dance videos, it's just a matter of giving something of value back to your fanbase for supporting you directly.

Be Passionate!

Tons of people just use OnlyFans as a way to supplement their income without making it their full-time job. The perfect amount of time to dedicate towards it depends on the individual, but if you are just going through the motions and don't like the content-creation experience then you're likely to just get burned out. Of course there will be times where you might have to make some content that you aren't extremely enthused about. The thing is, enjoying what you produce and being able to capture some emotion in it is a huge part of what your subscribers visit you for.

Ultimately people want to be able to get small doses of genuine sexuality with their subscription. They'll figure out pretty quick if your chosen persona has any actual commitment behind it.

Why Do I Like OnlyFans So Much?

The reason why I like OnlyFans so much that I'm willing to write an article about it is just how groundbreaking I think it is for people who work in the sex industry. To this day I still hear horror stories about women coerced financially who just wanted to make a movie or two and even the women at the top had to fight really hard to get fair compensation. Simply put, with the porn studios in charge there simply wasn't any legitimate other route people who wanted to have sex on camera for money could take.

With the rise of internet personalities that directly interface with their fanbase (Twitch streamers come to mind) it's about time porn performers took advantage of not needing expensive camera crews and distribution centers. When was the last time anyone bought an actual porn DVD? Besides that, porn studios have been reluctant to give raises simply because with things like piracy it's not extremely easy to figure out how valuable any one scene is.

The entire issue of performers having to do things they don't want to for less compensation is entirely avoided with OnlyFans and they still retain the rights to their content. They offer by far the fairest deal to sex workers or sex adjacent workers that I have ever heard of in my life, full stop. It's for that reason that I chose to make this article to help out anyone trying to avoid a rocky start.

Think You're Cut Out For Porn Life?

You're more than likely reading this because you're considering making an OnlyFans for yourself/your partner and wondering if you're cut out for what it all entails. Well, part of the equation that can be hard for some people is that your fans know you in a much more personable and intimate way than you know them. Once you've put yourself online you need to respect the fact that the internet is a dodgy place and some of the interactions you'll have with people are way out to left field. It's all a part of how people consume their pornography, not much to be done about it. At least with OnlyFans all of the power is in your hands with regards to what you create and the circumstances under which you create it. 

It's also quite the time commitment! Even scheduling a day a week to make a few hours worth of content can chew up your free time. That's exactly why you should be doing everything in your power to cultivate a fanbase eager for that content in the first place!

Now that you're armed with more than enough information to get started, how about it? Click below if you think you've got what it takes.