Are you interested in getting into the porn industry? Maybe you are an actor, model, or NSFW content creator looking for a way to break onto the scene with amateur porn. There are tons of places to be and things to do in terms of how you can launch yourself into this kinky world - so let’s dive into it!
If you’re an NSFW content creator working in the porn space, there are some things you should know before you dive down this kinky-rabbit hole.
Branding is (almost) everything.
Any successful content creator will have a “brand” - even amateur porn creators and porn stars. Whether it’s what you do, what you offer, how you look or the dynamic between you and your partner(s), people who consume adult content often are interested in specific people who offer specific vibes.
As an NSFW content creator myself, my brand and focus is with BDSM romance and the dynamics between a Dom and their submissive. I write about it here, I tweet about it there - most of the content I create is focused on that, and that’s what people have associated me with. Additionally, I’m a huge audio-porn lover, and most people know that about me, too. Why? Because it’s been built into the “Jaimee Bell” brand.
If you’re an NSFW content creator looking to dive into the amateur porn world, take some time to think about how you want to be known, perceived, and what your ultimate goal is. This will help you create an authentic, sexy brand that people relate to and want more of.
Aside from branding, knowing yourself (and your limits) is the most important thing.
Once you’ve got the brand ideas out of the way, you’ll want to focus on what you want to happen (and what you don’t want to happen) in terms of the content you create, the spaces you share that content and how much you earn with your content.
Knowing yourself and your limits in the sex industry is very important. NSFW content creation can build a lot of confidence but it also takes a lot of confidence. We are still living in a world where many parts of mainstream society aren’t acceptive of porn and content creation that explores sexuality so publicly.
Knowing your worth is important, too.
You will be asked for free stuff. It’s just an unfortunate certainty in this industry. With so much “free” porn out there (I put “free” in quotations because we all know sex work is work, and work isn’t free, even if the people consuming it aren’t paying for it) - there will be a lot of people trying to “haggle you” or flat-out exploit you to get what they want.
If you’re someone who is comfortable “working for exposure” (not being paid, but gaining shares, likes, comments, visibility, etc from your collaborations or projects), that’s really a personal decision. However, I urge you to think about this long and hard (I’m going to sidestep the obvious sex-related pun here) - because your time, effort, and work are valuable and should not be exploited for a few social media shares that ultimately won’t impact your brand as much as actual wages could.
Again, as a content creator, there’s no judgement here - I’ve been there, I’ve worked for free, and it’s not fun but in some cases, it feels like the right choice. Considering what’s best for you and your brand in the moment but also in the future will help you make the right call, here.
The internet is forever, just FYI.
Anything you post online, you should be okay with being online forever. Even deleted things on the internet are never really deleted, there are lots of people who copy content to their phones, take screenshots, screen-recordings, re-upload them, etc. While this may not be exactly ethical, it does happen and as an amateur porn creator, you need to be comfortable with the things you put online.
Creating porn can be really fun and confidence-boosting.
Creating porn, exploring your sexuality, expressing your desires...it’s all just so...sexy. It’s empowering, confidence-boosting, and really lets you get to know yourself. The NSFW content creation community bands together in a lot of ways, networking is super fun and most of the time you come across the same names. There’s a lot of room for collaborations and opportunities, and it can even be the start of a great business venture.
Let’s talk about promotion! Any content (NSFW or otherwise) needs promotion to thrive. In a digital world where everyone is looking for the next big thing, it can be really hard to stand out. How can you set yourself apart? Most people start with promoting on free platforms and then move up to more exclusive ones - so that’s where we’ll start, as well...
OnlyFans - The Best NSFW Fan-Based Subscription Site
OnlyFans is a really easy place to start when it comes to breaking into the porn industry. Why? Because it’s super easy to set up, and it gives you some experience in promoting yourself and your content.
OnlyFans, which launched in 2016, isn’t just for NSFW work but that’s what most people associate it with and NSFW content does particularly well on the platform.
On this platform, you can upload photo, video, and audio content, exchange paid private messages and more. How it works: a “fan” subscribes to you like they subscribe to Netflix - they pay a monthly fee to gain access to your content. Then, they can tip you or arrange custom content via DMs, and this is a great way to earn some extra cash and get some experience in the NSFW industry.
If you’re interested in learning more about OnlyFans and NSFW content, check out some of the articles below:
How to Sign Up For OnlyFans
How to Gain More Fans on OnlyFans
Rookie Mistakes to Avoid on OnlyFans
Reddit - Because Why Not?
Reddit is 100% the kind of platform that most independent content creators are using for the simple reason of “why not?” While there is no way to earn an income from this (aside from chatting with random people and making one-time transactions that way), Reddit is a very large network (more like thousands of small networks) that can do wonders for promotion.
Engaging in NSFW/sex work related threads, you can not only promote yourself but you can also get to know more about online sex work from other people in the field. It’s a great way to participate in threads where important questions are answered, some hacks and tips are given, etc.
Some interesting subreddits I have found for this include:
Sex Workers
OnlyFans Info
Sex Worker Support
Twitter - The Best NSFW Social Media Platform
When it comes to NSFW platforms, Twitter is such a unique and fascinating place. Somewhere between Instagram and Reddit, Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that has a pretty relaxed set of NSFW rules for what can be shared. You will find a huge underground system of sex workers, OnlyFans creators, NSFW voice actors and more on Twitter, all trying to promote and gain followers in an increasingly NSFW-unfriendly digital world.
In my experience, Twitter is a place where you can promote NSFW work. You may be shadowbanned at times, but other platforms (such as Facebook/Instagram) will likely ban your account completely instead of temporarily making you less visible as Twitter sometimes does. The lesser of bad situations, Twitter can be used to your advantage.
Premium Snapchat - The Thing No One Saw Coming
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include premium Snapchat on here, even though nudity and sexual content goes against Snapchat’s policies. What on earth is Premium Snapchat? Well, it’s basically a normal Snapchat account that you charge (outside of Snapchat) for members to gain access to. This is often advertised on Twitter or OnlyFans as a way to get more exclusive content.
People typically pay you via a cashapp and then are granted access (added as a friend) to your Premium Snapchat account where you post more exclusive NSFW content. Are you curious about this fascinating trend? I did a deep-dive article on it, check it out here!
Now...let’s move on to some more ~exclusive~ places to promote your porn. These are places where you can apply to become a model or actress, license your original content and/or make other brand partnerships with larger porn companies.
Lustery - Intimate Homemade Porn
Lustery, for those who aren’t familiar, is advertised as the “home of homemade porn.” A brief disclaimer: I have reviewed this platform before (here on Sofia Gray, actually) in exchange for a free trial to their premium site and I also now write for their POV blog. However, I wouldn’t be this closely affiliated with them if I didn’t believe in their content and their mission.
Lustery is the home of real-life partners filming their sex lives behind closed doors. It’s an intimate place of porn that isn’t acted or scripted or arranged in any way. Lustery licenses content from their creators, and it’s a great platform to look into if you’re looking to sell couples content. I plan to do a deep-dive into how to become a Lustery creator in the future, so stay tuned!
For now, if you’re interested in learning more about partnering with Lustery, click here.
Pornhub - A Porn Juggernaut
Pornhub is at the top of everyone’s list when they start looking into how to sell amateur porn. Why? Because Pornhub has been and likely will always be one of the biggest players in the online adult entertainment industry.
Becoming a Pornhub model, participating in their affiliate program or uploading content to any of their tube sites can be a great way to promote your NSFW side hustle and gain a relatively large following.
DId you know that the company that runs Pornhub also runs websites like YouPorn, RedTube, Brazzers, Digital Playground, and more? This means that you can cast your net wide by uploading to Pornhub and it’s partners with little effort.
Are you interested in becoming a Pornhub affiliate? Click here.
Are you interested in becoming a Pornhub model? Click here.
Chaturbate - The Infamous Camming Website
Chaturbate is a very popular adult camming website where you can stream live, sell content, and engage in custom arrangements via DMs to promote your NSFW content creation. There are many camming websites, but Chaturbate is among the best.
Camming websites, if you’re unfamiliar, are all set up relatively the same: each model (or couple, if you’re a couple) is assigned a “room”, and each room (which can be private with one or a few people or public with a large audience) is essentially a live show. Models set certain ‘objectives’ (which are usually sex acts but not always), and then they put a “token price” on this objective. When viewers tip that amount, the model will perform that act. This can be a really great way to promote yourself and get your brand name out there.
Are you interested in signing up for Chaturbate? Click here. And if you’re interested in other camming websites, check out this comprehensive list.
Audiodesires - The Audio Porn Platform
NSFW work isn’t always visual - and that’s where audio porn comes in! Audiodesires is an erotic audio platform for women and couples, and they are now accepting submissions from the public! This means, if you’re an NSFW voice actor or audio porn artist, there is a way to earn some passive cash through the affiliate program at Audiodesires and be exposed to hundreds of thousands of listeners.
Do you want to make it big in the amateur porn industry? Maybe become a porn star, popular NSFW content creator, or sex positive advocate in some other way? There are tons of ways you can leverage your amateur porn promotions to gain a leg-up in the industry - and to do that, you may want to follow some of this advice...
Invest in the right equipment.
Cameras, lighting, backdrops, a proper recording space that captures sound and light well, nice lingerie...all of these things are pretty important if you want to create authentic, appealing NSFW content that stands out.
Additionally, if you’re looking to license your content to places like Lustery, there are going to be certain quality standards that need to be met. No grainy films with bad quality and lighting. Investing in the right equipment can be expensive and can take time, but it’s an investment in yourself, your brand, and your job - one well-worth making, if you ask me!
Start small, buying a proper smartphone to film with and some inexpensive lights and decor to make your set seem appealing and unique.
Be upfront on your profiles about what kind of content you sell.
One of the biggest mistakes in this industry is not promoting yourself properly - and “properly” means being up-front about what you offer and how much that costs. On platforms like Twitter and OnlyFans, you can “pin” menus to your profile that explain what you offer and how much you charge for that content or those services. This can be a really, really helpful tool in not only seeming more professional, but engaging with people who are actually willing and able to purhcase your content.
Link yourself everywhere.
I’m talking links on links on links, here. Your OnlyFans should be linked to your Twitter, which should be linked to your Chaturbate, which should be linked to your Snapchat, which could give shoutouts and links to all of those platforms. Making yourself visible is one thing - marketing yourself, making yourself easy to find everywhere is something else.
Build an inner network of everywhere and anywhere someone could buy your content, and then make sure you’re promoting all things at once using tools like All My Links, etc.
Make it fun and sensual!
NSFW work should be fun and exciting. Of course, there’s some pressure when it comes to building a brand and a business that can give you what you want - but at it’s core, this industry is about pleasure and sex positivity - don’t lose sight of that!
Sell bundles and give discounts where you can!
A great way to market and sell is to sell bundles. One example could be, on OnlyFans, having a menu that states (one video for $10, two videos for $15). This is a great incentive for people to buy more from you and that extra $5 may not seem like much until you get lots of people opting for the two video bundle - then it really starts to add up!
Another great sales ploy is to offer a certain discount for the first month (say 20% off) - you will be surprised how many people stick around and pay full price after that!
Network, network, network.
Along with linking yourself everywhere, another great way to gain exposure in the digital NSFW world is to collaborate with other sex workers, content creators, cam models, etc. Host shows together, swap promotions...the more links you have out there, the more people who know your name, the better.
If you enjoyed this article, check out some of these posts:
Sofia Gray’s Guide to Creating Amateur Porn
Sofia Gray’s Lustery Review
Everything You Need to Know About Cam Modeling
Kinky Couples Guide to Mutual Masturbation
You can find Sofia Gray on Instagram, and you can also follow me on Twitter.
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