How to start a NSFW webcam business

Do not get into this line of work until you have fully accepted the possibility that your family, friends, vanilla job, hometown, etc could find out.

It can take YEARS before you get to a point where you can make SW your only source of income.

You may not even make your first sale for 2-3 months, this is normal.
If you don’t have the patience or desire to put in an insane amount of effort to build a fanbase, or wait some months before making any sales, this probably isn’t the job for you.

Ignore the haters – Some people hate sex workers and nothing you say to defend yourself will change how they feel, or their crazy beliefs.

Don’t engage in bullying or callout culture unless someone is a genuine threat. It looks immature and unprofessional to potential customers and other professionals.

Don’t be afraid to start with your phone as many of us did and upgrade later. Investing in your work quality will pay off but this is generally something that is done over time.

If camming isn’t going well – Consider dick ratings, content sales, underwear sales, kinky calls, virtual GFE as ways to suppliment your income.

Protect your mental health, it’s great to be productive, but you can’t be if you are burnt out and you’ll be irritable which is noticeable to your audience!

Don’t forget to take breaks when you can, burnout comes REAL quick in this line of work.

Join the group on Reddit and ask questions, the members are usually very helpful.

If you are a new webcam model or creator, consider joining WeCamGirls to utilize their resources.

Find out which platforms to use and which to avoid.

It seems that OF (and others) is changing and placing more and more restrictions on NSFW content. We DO NOT recommend OF as they are becoming “PC” and banning models everyday – you won’t get your money out either.

Create accounts on several platforms and see which works best, if one account is banned at least you still have the others. Check out Myfreecams, Chaturbate, Manyvids, Clips4sale, Fansly, LoyalFans, StripChat, NiteFlirt, JFF.

Some find it helps to create backup social media accounts, one for SFW, one for yourself, one for NSFW etc. Keep them seperate and see which generates the most interest.

Follow SexWorkCEO on X, Instagram and on YouTube for creative ideas and excellent advice.

Follow Adult Services on X, post your ads on our “Wednesday Webcam” and “Fetish Friday” threads. See the insert window below (when X allows it to work properly).

Studying and keeping your creative juices flowing are important to enjoyment, learning never hurts and can inspire you!

Be careful who you trust! – A lot of people in this industry are cliquey, fake and use their peers. Take the time to get to know people before you trust them with intimate and private details of your life.

What people say about you is a reflection of them – not you!

Be kind, be supportive and be yourself!

Cam moderators – They give their time in exchange for either praise, love, or something else. They are not sex workers, oftentimes manipulative and try to exploit models – avoid them.

Posters – The men posing in front of hired lambos that take half your money for scheduling posts.

Sex Workers selling courses or “paid mentorship” are no different to crypto guys selling “signals & stock picks”. Successful people don’t have time to sell courses, it’s just a quick cash grab.

Name Calling and Body/Rate Shaming – There is way too much name calling and body/rate shaming going on. Strippers name calling escorts, escorts running down creators and visa versa, it is immature and unnessesary and doesn’t achieve anything but cause animosity in the industry. Everyone is free to charge what they decide works best for them, and it doesn’t concern anyone else. #SW has enough problems and haters already – #SW needs to stand together and help one another.

Scamming – Con artists exist in all fields. It is our duty to stamp out those who con clients as it does irreparable harm to the entire industry and undoes all the hard work we put in to make ourselves trustworthy and “train” clients to adhere to screening requirements.

Having your own site, creating verified pages on sites like ours will enhace your persona, add realism as well as increase your advertising – at no extra cost! The more profiles you have, the more people will see you.

Find Places to host links – Adult Services, Allmylinks and linkTree are a few.

Keep your links pages updated – LinkTree etc, It’s really annoying clicking on expired “dead” links. You don’t see how much traffic is using your links pages and it’s way more than you think. People who are genuinely interested do want to see more of you – even if they don’t step forward right away.

Pick a name that sounds like a real name (first & last name) and not a username.

Research that name and make sure no one else is using it (the hard part), otherwise advertising will be hell.

Don’t go for a persona you think makes a lot of money, go for something you can relate to. People can tell when you genuinely love what you do.

Plant your persona in google, if you were to google your name your personal website or page should pop up first. (Not so easy as google search has changed completely in the last few months).

We found this very useful article on how to create personas, by an expert on the subject.

Keep up with your fans on social media (Twitter, NOSTR, Mastodon, Fetlife), let them have a peek into your life so they can feel more connected to you and who you really are.

“Your vibe attracts your tribe!” The way you market yourself, showcase your brand, create your content and set your rates really does determine the kind of people you attract.

These tips are known to cause account bans on OF –

Having more than TWO accounts.

Accepting payment for your OF via a third-party app or bank transfer.

Compromising client confidentiality (uploading screenshots with usernames etc).

Sending out EXPLICIT content to expired subscribers, once they unsubscribe any explicit media is unsolicited as the consent is revoked.

Bondage media where ALL limbs are restrained.

Showing links to other sites or hidden messages inside your content. (Do that here or on Linktree, Social Media).

Carrying out raffles or any games where a participant may pay, the site does not have gambling licenses.

Talking about MEETS, arranging meets, even giving false hope of meets. Tell your customers not to do this as they will get you banned.

Requesting your OF subscribers message, you through other apps. (You can do that here).

Breaking the Fetish rules that are put in place (ABDL, watersports, scat, CNC are forbidden).

Explicit headers or profile pictures, these can be seen by ANYONE before age verification is carried out, keep them PG.

Pets, Alcohol, Guns, Drugs or family photos you may have on the wall or being in the background of your videos.

The insertion of ANYTHING that isn’t specially made for penetration. All items must be body safe! (One woman was banned for inserting a lit candle).

Outdoor Content – Someone posted topless in her garden while sunbathing and was banned for indecent public exposure?

Public Content – you must be able to produce a location release form if asked for. Outdoor content will be removed until they have proof it’s on private land.

Milk/lactation content is Not allowed – It is allowed on Fansly.

I’m so sorry you’re going thru this but you’re not alone at all.
This past year has been tough and it seems that it’s getting tougher, whether it’s the influx of new webcam sites or the economy, maybe a combination of both?

Let’s try to understand why it isn’t working for you:

Equipment: Do you have good quality? Ok camera? Lights? Sound? Try using different lighting. Make things look cozy and nice. Not cold white neon lighting. Dim lights, use a ring light, use lightstrips or lamps around your room to make it nicer, add plants, or some decor.

Internet: If you do have good equipment, is your internet connection good? Is your stream laggy, use ethernet cables if possible (it’s a lot faster than wireless). Run a speed test, open a new “incognito tab” and type in your room URL and check your stream quality.

Schedule and consistency: Do you have a schedule and follow it? Or do you show up at random hours every now and then for 30 minutes and give up because it’s not going well? If you don’t have a schedule try to do 4 hours at the same time for a couple of weeks.

Sites: What sites are you trying? Did you take advantage of each sites “New” tag? Do you know how to use the resources each site has – apps, bots, games, hashtags, scores, etc? Maybe it’s time to try a new site?

Location: Where are you located and do you have your location blocked? This can affect your placement on some sites.

Prices: Are you over priced? Check similar girls and their prices. Look up some models who are successful and see what they do. What bots/apps do they run?
How do you promote tipping? Do you have a menu and goals? Do you interact with people? Do you give away too much for free? Or too little?

Attitude: What’s your attitude on stream? Do you just sit there waiting for the tips? Dancing, teasing, doing chores, moving around in general does help with getting attention. You can always do something involving things you enjoy, like if you have cute lingerie you can do a “fashion show” or if you have lovely hair maybe brushing it/caring for it. You could fold laundry or play a game (look into T.O.S because there’s different rules around this). You can even put a little box on your stream in OBS/Netfix and show viewers what you’re watching just to get a conversation going.

Freebies: Do not give anything away for free! Say hello to viewers and ask them what they’re into, then ask them if they want to go private. I’m sure you’re doing similar but honestly, talking too much for free or masturbating/being naked does not get tips generally speaking. Charge them to ask questions.

Blocking: Block whoever is annoying you or ruining your mood, being demanding or complaining about your prices.

Passions and Interests: Make a list of topics, hobbies, skills and subjects that genuinely interest you. If you have expertise or knowledge in specific areas it could set you apart from others in your niche.

Testing: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different topics and content formats to see what resonates best with your audience.

Refining your niche: As you create content and gain more experience, be open to narrowing down your niche further. Your niche should be something that excites you and keeps you motivated in the long run.