A dear friend of mine recently introduced me to an old college friend of hers who was thinking about becoming a cam model. She asked for a few pointers, so I ran through my typical intro-to-camming spiel: compare different camsites, take notes on what current models do in their shows, think about the niches you think will suit you, start researching online/social media marketing now, etc. She explained that she had already looked at the top live porn sites and was set on trying Chaturbate first - a wise choice, in my opinion!
While I exclusively focus on private shows now, I started my camming career doing tip-driven public shows, and from what I’ve observed over the years, Chaturbate was and still is the best cam site to cut your teeth on as an American (or Canadian) camgirl. The site garners a crapload of traffic, especially compared to other camsites, and it tends to be busiest in the evenings which most Western Hemisphere models can easily accommodate.
Make Your Profile Suit Your Image
High traffic isn’t the only advantage of starting out on Chaturbate: a large part of Chaturbate’s success is due to clever online promotional practices, but perhaps an equally important feature is the site’s ease of customizability. The site is a veritable sandbox for new livestreamers between its About section, show apps, and room bots! But doing all of that programming and graphic design by yourself is time consuming (thankfully, the apps and bots catalog has expanded exponentially and services like Designurbate are now available to help other models get started).
There’s no way to sugar-coat it: online sex work is not a stable profession, and “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket” is a common saying within the adult industry for a reason. The internet is a fickle marketplace susceptible to the unpredictable whims of financial institutions and ever-shifting TOS updates, so creating a consistent online presence for yourself across multiple platforms is crucial for sustainability. As you develop your online personality, you need to consider how you want to market yourself, and 95% of online marketing is visual presentation.
My Aesthetic Evolution - From Boudoir to Cosplay
My first "About" section in 2013!
I started streaming in July 2013. At first, I went for a more romantic image: lacy lingerie, garter belts and stockings, glamorous make-up, etc. My original bio was just simple text with a curvy font on a basic background. Yes, I made money, but I was barely making minimum wage for the hours I spent livestreaming and working behind-the-scenes.
I had auburn hair at the time, and from the first day I started camming, new visitors would frequently comment that I looked like Anne Hathaway. It became a running joke among my regulars. My moderators created the YLLAH (“you look like Anne Hathaway”) Counter, tracking how many new users mentioned my celebrity look alike.
They lost count after a week. So I added a “YLLAH Penalty” to my profile, and adding that little visual touch helped develop my presentation as a goofy, down to earth, nerd girl-next-door, reinforcing the connection between myself and my fans.
From my 2016 Chaturbate bio.
As the YLLAH joke became a signature flourish of my online persona, my fans started asking me to do a Catwoman cosplay. One of my fans bought me the costume for Halloween, and from there, they helped me expand my cosplay collection to include Poison Ivy, Rogue (retired), Wonder Woman (retired), and Harley Quinn, over the next three years. I leaned into the nerd-girl image, and by 2017, I had fully committed to making superhero cosplay my primary niche!
Of course, as my primary niche shifted, I had to adapt my visual presentation, and my About section evolved from boudoir aesthetic to superhero-inspired graphics to match my cosplay style. I added sections with thematic nicknames like "Gotham's Best" for my top tippers and the "Evengers" for my fan club, incorporating my room regulars into my little super-sexy, super-powered internet nook.
Evengers. . . Assemble!!
Use Your Wishlist!
Speaking of fan engagement, Chaturbate is one of the few sites that allows models to post wishlists from other websites, so take advantage of that and add a “Wishlist” button! Fans like feeling included in your community, especially on sites that focus on public shows, and one way for them to feel like a part of your community is by purchasing gifts for you. Viewers get a thrill knowing that they were the person who bought you the lingerie set you’re wearing or your new webcam or the vibrator you’re using. Most models use Amazon as their wishlist, but you can use other sites as long as it’s not direct pay like GiftRocket. Please be aware that some websites, including Amazon, will send the buyer shipping information either by default or if requested, so I’d recommend getting a PO Box or a private mailbox (such as UPS) away from your home address.
What I've Learned
Over the past few months, my primary niches have changed. Femdom is now my main focus with cosplay roleplay as my subspecialty. While I no longer stream on Chaturbate, I’ve applied the same graphic design techniques to my main camming profile on Cammodel Directory. I’ve come full circle to romantic glamor, albeit darker and more mature.
Back to boudoir in 2021.
However, time is money (no, but seriously, it’s why we charge $ per minute), and sometimes I feel like I could have spent my time more efficiently on planning shows and data tracking when I first started out. I spent hours designing and redesigning my Chaturbate bio, and while it takes a lot less time for me to compose my graphics now, I think I could have used my time more wisely.
Starting with simple HTML fonts and inserted images is still an option, but frankly, with today’s competition, users expect models to have a slick Chaturbate profile design because it shows them that you take yourself seriously and won’t just disappear after a few weeks. Of course, not every model is visually oriented, but you don’t have to be a Photoshop expert to have a sharp bio! Basic design templates are easier to access these days, especially those developed by fellow adult entertainers, and adjusting them as your sexual self evolves is no longer such a time-consuming process.
Example template from Designurbate