Learn the basics
There are plenty of how-to guides, but here’s what you need to get started: a camera (webcam, phone, and/or photography camera), a computer, internet, a place to cam or shoot, and ID’s. Upgrade your space and gear as you go, but don’t invest a lot of money in it when you start. Use what you have. You need to make sure it’s fiscally worth it to continue.
My favorite resource for cam models and clipmakers, especially beginners, is AmberCutie Forums. Amber’s been a cam model and erotic content creator for over a decade, and a lot of models who frequent the forum have been in adult entertainment for years.
Camgirl Wiki is another excellent resource run by ACF models specifically for cam models. Some of the info may be a little outdated, but it’s a good place to start.
Stripperweb: Camming Connection is another great forum, and while Reddit does have some subforums for cammodels and clip makers, I’ve found they tend to be populated by newer models.
Which websites?
Do you want to be a livestreamer, a clip maker, or a fan content model? You can be more than one, but choose what you want to focus on first and pick the site that you think will fit. Set up one or two social media platforms so you can start directing fans there right away. Most sites - like models - will give you the ability to offer multiple types of products and services, but each has their central focus.
Livestream:
There are three types of cam shows: public, pay-per-minute, and ticketed. Most sites offer all three, but each site is known for certain strengths. Public shows are viewable to anyone on the site and often include achieving certain goals to move the show forward, tip menus, playing games, and tip-controlled vibrators.
Pay-per-minute can be one-on-one or group shows, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: they take you private and pay a set rate. Ticketed shows begin in public chat, usually with some kind of preview. Viewers tip for a ticket, and everyone with a ticket gets to see the show when you start it. You can do all three types of shows over the course of one livestream.
Here’s a quick rundown of a few sites that I like:
Streamate - Mostly pay-per-minute privates. They also have ticketed (“Gold”) shows. You get a smaller cut, but the income is more stable and some people make more there than on higher payout sites. Like me!
Chaturbate - Mostly public shows. They have tons of game apps and bots that you can use which make them the most playful site.
MyFreeCams - Mostly public shows. MFC is strictly for cis women. They’re a well-established site, though it’s a more competitive environment.
Cam Model Directory - While technically not a streaming site, CMD is useful if you’d like to offer Skype privates. It has a 75-80% payout, but not as much traffic as other sites. (I should probably do a post about Skype shows. . .) There are tons more cam sites out there, but these are the ones I’m most familiar with.
Other popular sites include Flirt4Free, Cam4, IMLive, Cams.com, BongaCams, Live Jasmin, and CamSoda. Visit the sites that interest you several times at different times per day to get a feel for them before signing up. Take notes on which shows you liked and what elements you want to incorporate into your own. Don’t copy, but take inspiration and make it your own. Make a user account to see what it looks like to them. You’ll get a “new” tag on most sites, so make sure you have enough time to cam that first week!
Clips:
There are two types of clips you can offer: free and not free. Free clips are great advertising if you’re a cam model, and they can be used to drive traffic to your clip stores. I’ve had tons of people come into my cam room after seeing a free clip of mine! A lot of them become regulars. As a verified model, you can make money from ad revenue. It’s like YouTube minus the subscriber count requirement.
Free tube sites with ad revenue:
PornHub - The parent company, Mindgeek, owns numerous other tube sites, so your videos will automatically be posted there, too. It connects to their clip store ModelHub, and you can make even more money from views on PornHub Premium (paid subscription).
xvideos - I know they have an ad rev program, but I’m not familiar with it. I’ll update this section when I have a better idea.
Clip site cultures are as varied as cam sites - each has its own quirks and techniques for success.
Paid clip stores:
ManyVids - My favorite clip site! ManyVids is the go-to for a lot of cosplay models, and for good reason! Cosplay is a very popular genre on MV, plus you can sell other goods, cam shows, and customs. They also have a fan club, MV Crush, which is similar to OnlyFans, and MV Live if you want to broadcast a cam show.
Clips4Sale - The OG clip site. It’s still the go-to clip site for fetish lovers
AP Clips - One of the smaller clip sites. You’ll need to drive most of the traffic yourself. The advantage? It’s a smaller pond, and cosplay is popular.
iwantclips - Very popular among Dommes. If you’re combining cosplay and BDSM, it’s one to look into. They also have several sister sites for phone sex, customs, and fan clubs.
ModelHub - PornHub’s paid side (same sign up page). It’s greatest advantage right now is the traffic. Your paid videos appear on your PornHub channel so when users click them, they’re redirected to your ModelHub store.
Fan Sites:
If you’re good at keeping a schedule and uploading content every day, a fan site can be very lucrative! Most new porn is being created for fan sites right now.
OnlyFans - Everyone’s heard of it. It’s a paywalled blog with pay-to-open posts and tipping. On the upside, it’s popular among users. On the downside, it’s presently oversaturated.
Patreon - Another popular option for cosplayers, but please note: they’re a little vague about how adult their content can get, so don’t expect to post porn there. If your focus is artistic nudes and pin up, this site is a good one.
JustFor.Fans - An alternative to OnlyFans, JFF offers more features like a clip store and a sexting service.
ModelCentro - A more personalized fan club platform. ModelCentro looks more like a personal website. You choose the design, which pages you want, and you can embed your livestream if you’re a Streamate model.
FanCentro - Snapchat subscription site. Snapchat is generally easier if you don’t mind posting content out of costume. The downside is you can’t queue your posts like on browser-based fan sites.
Social Media:
Some adult performers can get away with having a low key social media presence. That ain’t us. Learn each site’s rules and how to get yourself seen on each site.
Twitter - Ah, Twitter, you glorious cesspool of verbal diarrhea and depravity! It’s the only mainstream social media network left that allows us pornographers to have a visible presence, so you really should get an account. It’s how most of the adult industry communicates now.
Instagram - Another popular platform and a great way to find cosplay fans! Be aware that Instagram is not sex worker friendly and will ban your account if you get caught peddling porn. I don’t include links to any porn or adult-related sites on Instagram, but I do direct people to my Twitter and personal website.
Reddit - A potential fan source that I’m currently exploring. I haven’t determined how much of an impact it has yet, but there are a lot of cosplay subreddits! Make sure you read the rules first, and always watermark your content.
TikTok - It’s on the rise, but the user base skews younger. I’m not sure how great of a platform it is for cosplayers in general, but it’s easy to get kicked off for lewd content. Personally, I’m not comfortable with it.
Facebook - I don’t know many adult entertainers who use Facebook. Frankly, the site is too invasive for me, plus they kick off porn stars.
YouTube - You never know where someone will find you! I had one guy find me through a cosplay compilation on YouTube with a couple thousand views. It’s not necessary to have a YouTube channel, but if you like making SFW content, it doesn’t hurt to have one.
A few notes on safety
Hide your Location:
Turn off your location on all of your phone apps including your camera. Use a VPN for both your phone and computer. If you want to be extra safe, don't mention where you live or what the weather is like. Stalkers aren’t super common, but they do exist.