If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, let me catch you up...OnlyFans is an extremely popular content sharing platform with a simple premise: creators monetize their content by selling directly to their fans for the cost of a monthly subscription.
Think of it like Netflix for people you follow online.
Why would people pay for content when there’s free content everywhere?
As someone who works in the sex writer space, I can tell you that I see this question all the time: “why would I pay for porn when there’s free porn everywhere?”
I’ve seen the same question in various forms: why would I pay for content when I can read it somewhere else, why would I pay for movies when I can download them, etc. There are two main reasons people pay for content when “free” content is available elsewhere: to support the creator and to potentially gain access to the stuff others can’t see.
The first reason people pay for OnlyFans content: because they like to support their favorite creators. It can be said that there is “free” content everywhere, but nothing is truly ever free. Every article you read, every picture you see - someone put their time and effort into that. In the world of online content creation, time is money and your platform can be your biggest selling feature to potential brands who would like to hire or work with you.
The second reason people pay for OnlyFans content: because they may get access to content no one else can see. On OnlyFans, one of the great things about the platform is that you can post content for everyone to see and then have select ‘unlockable’ content that is behind a paywall. Your fans can either subscribe to your paid account to see all your paid content or you can have a free account and people can pay to see the content you lock behind a paywall.
Who uses OnlyFans?
OnlyFans is an insanely popular platform. We’re talking about over 30 million users and 450,000+ content creators. While OnlyFans is known widely in NSFW circles, it’s home to all kinds of content creators: influencers, bloggers, vloggers, Instagram models, chefs, celebrities. NSFW/adult content creators, in particular, tend to do well on OnlyFans because it truly is one of the largest platforms where this kind of content can thrive.
How much money can I make on OnlyFans?
On OnlyFans, you can set a “subscriber rate” - which is the monthly fee that your fans will be charged to gain access to your content. Most subscriptions are between $4.99 - $15.99. Some users set their subscription rate to FREE and then just put NSFW posts behind individual paywalls which can range anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars to unlock.
Taking the average numbers into account: if you charge $4.99 per subscriber and have 25-50 subscribers, you’re making anywhere between $120 - $240 + per month (before OnlyFans takes their cut, which is 20%).
Depending on who you are, an extra $200 (give or take) per month is either a lot or not much - but you can always do more! That’s the beauty of platforms like this - you can grow and thrive. You can make this work in your favor by creating content in batch loads and uploading frequently or by being open to custom orders. You can also promote your OnlyFans to the point where you’re reaching 100+ subscribers and obviously - the more subscribers, the more money you’re making per month.
This is a whole article based on that exact question, but a TLDR of it is that there are several platforms that are great for promoting your OnlyFans content, and then there are several more platforms where you may have to censor the images to promote your account with an “uncensored pic over on my OnlyFans” disclaimer.
Where to share OnlyFans uncensored promotions:
Where to share OnlyFans censored promotions:
Twitter is actually integrated rather seamlessly with OnlyFans, as it’s one of the main ways to sign into OnlyFans. Additionally, Twitter is known for being NSFW-content friendly and accepting of sex workers, with a rather large underground NSFW/sex worker community.
Snapchat is a place where all kinds of NSFW content is shared, even if it’s not technically allowed on the platform. Snapchat does have fairly strict “no nudity” policies, however, there are ways around that (like sharing half-censored content) or using it to simply communicate and arrange for NSFW content to be bought by your fans.
Creating your own website where you model, market, and blog about your OnlyFans account is a great idea if that’s something you’re interested in. You can have email campaigns, you can arrange sales outside OnlyFans this way and you can also grow as a sex worker, branching out into other avenues like sexting and/or camming.
Reddit is a wonderfully weird place where just about anything could be - so why not promote your OnlyFans there? Posting in Reddit forums for NSFW content creators, BDSM communities or erotica communities can really help you grow your audience!
Instagram, Facebook & Youtube are places where NSFW content is harshly cracked down upon - so consider sharing your censored versions here with a “link in bio” explainer. Linking your OnlyFans account in your biography and using these platforms for more artistic, SFW photos can be a great marketing strategy to please the ones who want to see SFW content while hooking in ones who would like to see a little more.
Autumn Red: “Have at least one social media where you can promote your page.”
Autumn goes on to suggest using Twitter, “...preferably Twitter since it’s NSFW friendly. I’ve heard Instagram and TikTok are pretty good too but you need to adapt [them] for SFW. [And] if you feel comfortable doing it, you can also use YouTube and Periscope to have more exposure. Beware: anyone can find you. It’s the same with using cam sites. Upside: they will give you plenty of exposure. Downside: they will give you plenty of exposure.”
Emmaleigh Kelly: Find user-friendly editing platforms to make your content look good.
“I use a mobile editing app called PowerDirector, it's one of the only mobile apps I've found that lets you do the pan/zoom thing. So you can add subtle movement to your video shots and make it look less "static webcam on a tripod". When I'm on a computer I use VideoPad because you can get a free trial.”
Jizzabelle: “Running specials helps!”
She goes on to give some examples, “30% off for a week that lasts one month. Giving expired users a discount helps too but can be challenging to perfectly master with the way their stuff is set up. I’ve heard some women have success with offering free content to those who have auto-renew on but haven’t tried that personally. I have offered free stuff to my top 10-12 subscribers and that seems to be motivating. I also do this thing where I’ll share the beginning of a naughty story for free and then offer the rest for $3. That’s super popular.”
Autumn Red: “[OnlyFans] is completely saturated. It’s imperative that you find your niche.”
Autumn goes on to explain, “Don’t waste your time paying for promotions or posting in [OnlyFans] free promo sites. You’re gonna be just another girl. Try to promote yourself in other kinds of environments so they will like you FOR YOU and they will be interested in subscribing. Do you have really cute eyes? Post in eye-lover subreddits. Do you play the guitar beautifully? Post a video on YouTube with a link to your [OnlyFans].”
Emmaleigh Kelly: Be consistent, even if you post irregularly.
“Do sexy selfies daily/every other day (take loads when you're feeling yourself and keep a backlog for when you're not feeling so hot!). And then once a week or bi-weekly put out a higher quality set/video.”
Jizzabelle: “The more paid content with others you can get, the better.”
“Solo is good but people always want a duo or more.”
Emmaleigh Kelly: Get creative with your look(s) and have fun with it!
“I try to get creative and do different themes or outfits, so it's not always just flat lingerie or naked. Have fun with it, and different toys/props/wigs [ect]. Keep it interesting. As well as post-editing to keep it visually pleasing.” Emma goes on to explain that you should stick with holiday themes when you can. “Try to do event content too: like Valentines [Day], Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc. I like to do them for my birthday, too.”
Autumn Red: “Support other creators. Community is always a very good idea!”
“Don’t be afraid they’re gonna ‘steal’ your clientele - on the contrary, it’s like a snowball. The more you interact, the more exposure you get. A lot of subscribers will get to you because a fellow creator recommended you. I repeat: no one is going to steal subscribers from you! In fact, [OnlyFans] ‘consumers’ will usually subscribe to more than one person. Variety is always more fun!”
Emmaleigh Kelly: Use the system to your advantage.
“I ran a reward scheme for a little while that I'm bringing back, which worked great. OnlyFans tells you who your top fan of the month is, so I ran it as "top fan gets the next month free" or whatever, the 2nd and 3rd place get half price. You can offer exclusive content to them too. If you tell your fans that the top fan is dependent on engagement, it gets them liking and commenting on everything which boots your %.”
Emmaleigh Kelly: Look up photography tips to ensure lighting is flattering for the best photos.
“Make sure your lighting is good and intentional. The most flattering light will always be well balanced but have fun with it, Pinterest/Youtube are great for photography lighting tips and such! But experiment and find what works for you.”
Emmaleigh Kelly: Add your watermark, logo, or social media handles to everything.
“When I can, I put my logo in the corners of my videos and images. And I always add my logo at the end of my videos. On video teasers (1min of SFW content from the video I'm uploading, so it's safe for Instagram), I add my social links and logo at the end for a few seconds so people know where to find me. It's a small thing but I find it helps.”
If you’ve read any of my OnlyFans deep-dive articles, you’ll have heard of Leo from The OnlyFans Bible. He’s a normal 20-year-old guy who just absolutely blew up on OnlyFans, reaching the point where he made $50,000 in ONE MONTH on the platform. In that video, he gives a breakdown of how he did this - I’ve jotted down a few of the tips and tricks from that video below.
“If you like and comment on my last [ten] posts, I’ll send you ____”
Adding captions to your posts that add incentive to your audience to like, comment, and engage with your profile (which ultimately helps your account become more visible) is a great way to boost your stats.
Promote your profile on Instagram - carefully.
Instagram is a great resource, even if they are a bit picky about who can show what and what hashtags you can use. Shadowbanning and suspended accounts on Instagram are definitely a hassle, but if you can figure out a way to share SFW content (teasers, previews, etc) - this is a great way to draw in fans.
Design (or hire someone to design) a nice header and profile picture so your profile is eye-catching and appealing.
Your profile is the first glimpse into your content, you want it to capture the eye and appeal to a mass audience. Make this look official, beautiful, and well-thought-out.
If you have high-quality content, set your prices to reflect that.
Leo explains in his video (linked above) that most people tend to forget about the price after the first month (as most of the time it’s auto-renewed to their credit card) and that if you’re posting high-quality content, don’t sell yourself short!
Paid shoutouts (usually) pay off.
If you’re able to arrange a shout-out for shout-out thing (where you both promote each other), that’s great. However, some accounts charge for paid shout-outs. Leo suggests that this can really be worth it to reach new fans. If you break even, the return-on-investment is usually good. Leo suggests doing this sparingly, as you don’t want your account to come across as only a promo account.
In this separate video, Leo is back to explain how his biggest (and best) trick yet works.
As you can see, this is a really simple step-by-step promo idea that will work really well in many different scenarios. You can do this with a friend who has an OnlyFans page, you can pay a larger age to do this for you, etc. However you do this, it will likely result in a giant influx of fans for you!
As a beginner, you may have some questions - and I’m here to gather the information you need to answer those questions and decide for yourself if starting an OnlyFans is the right move for you.
“How do I get paid?”
There are two main ways content creators can receive their earnings from OnlyFans:
What options you’re given for this may vary depending on your location, and each option has a different payout limit. Some options may take more time than others. For example, for Canadian and Australian creators, direct transfer is available as soon as you make $20 and takes less than 24 hours to arrive in your account. However, e-wallet transfers are slower (1-3 days wait) and have a higher payout (of $100).
For more information on which payout options will work for you, click here.
“Can I stay anonymous?”
You can stay anonymous on OnlyFans. While the platform itself needs things like a photo of your government-issued ID, your legal name, and a full-faced photo, none of these things will ever be shared with your fans. You can also geo-block entire regions (and countries) from seeing your profile, meaning you won’t be spotted by anyone close to home.
“Do I have to pay taxes on the money I earn?”
Yes - the money you make on OnlyFans is taxable. You could claim this as being “self-employed” or as a “second income”, depending on how much you earn from your online endeavors. Just because it’s taxable doesn’t mean you have to pay taxes on it, as in most countries, if you’re making below a certain amount, you do have to claim that but you won’t be taxed on it.
OnlyFans issues you a form that you can send along to your accountant or bank when you file your taxes. For more information on that, click here.
“What are ‘free’ subscriptions on OnlyFans?”
If you’ve noticed some accounts on OnlyFans marked as “FREE”, you may be asking yourself: how are these people making any money? Well, FREE accounts are free to subscribe to, but OnlyFans has this near system where you can mark certain posts behind individual paywalls. This means that some of your content can be free while other content can be pay-per-view - the best of both worlds. This is a strategy that is commonly used by OnlyFans newbies - set your profile to FREE to gain more subscribers and then paywall certain naughtier posts for those who want to see more.
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