Natalie Star is one of the highest-profile cam stars on the net. The Fleshlight CamStar model has appeared in Playboy, and her insights and business savvy have been featured prominently across adult industry media. Star also has been recruiting and mentoring models since 2010, and models who work with her are becoming some of today’s top earners. Star stopped by YNOT Cam to share some tips for career success.
You don’t have to be psychic to know that using your eyes, smile, and personality will help you on cam.
We’ve all seen it: a super-hot model staring blankly off into space, totally unaware of the people popping in and out of her room. Or, heard nothing but the sound of clacking as a model chats furiously on IM, nothing but the top of her head visible as she hunches over the keyboard.
At some point, your instinct should kick in — a sixth sense about what it takes to get people, who are being presented with an overwhelming amount of choices, to choose you. According to Natalie Star, using your ESP — eyes, smile and personality — is a sure-fire way to get more people to engage you in chat and eventually take you private.
Eye contact
The eyes are the windows to the soul. We keep our eyes peeled, we see eye-to-eye with some people and we turn a blind eye to others. We can read emotions just by looking into someone’s eyes, with feelings and expressions enhanced by squinted eyelids or incredulous eyebrows. It’s pretty obvious why talking to people wearing oversized sunglasses can be so unnerving. Who knows what they’re thinking?
Think about the impact meeting another person’s gaze has on you. You glance up and look around a coffee shop only to see a stranger’s eyes starting right at you. You’re scrolling through model profiles and are immediately drawn to the one woman looking directly into the camera.
“Have you ever been out and about and your eyes met another’s, and later that day all you can think about is the way they looked at you?” Star asked, not really seeking an answer. “Looking directly into your webcam is like looking into the eyes of a customer. And it has an effect.”
According to Star, maintaining eye contact with your webcam — especially when you are in your room waiting for someone to come in — is essential.
“Try not to look like a serial killer. There’s no need for a super intense, unbroken stare,” she explained. “But maintaining regular contact is inviting and welcoming — exactly what you need to be doing.”
Smile
Everyone loves a smile. Even in cultures where smiling at random strangers in public may be perceived as suspicious behavior, an intimate smile in private conveys nothing but positive emotions. Nothing looks more off-putting than an unsmiling model alone in her room staring into the webcam.
“Smile! It’s so simple,” Star explained. “You’re trying to welcome people into your room, and glaring into the camera is no way to do that.”
Like everything else in camming, smiling in a natural, welcoming and normal way may take some practice. You may find yourself delivering a fake-looking smile at first — the on-command type where your eyes aren’t involved. This is often perceived as fake and, consequently, isn’t very helpful. It may sound silly, but smiling at your reelection in a mirror can be good practice. You can also put your self on a “smile schedule.” Set a timer on your phone (keep it on vibrate!) to remind you to smile regularly. Eventually, it will become second nature.
According to Star, “Smiling is absolutely essential, especially for those of us with a little bit of resting bitch face.”
For people who don’t already know you, a smile lets them know that you are ready to engage.
Personality
You are awesome. You have a lot to say. Chat is a good way to communicate with people, but text has no tone. A lot of what you intend to say is conveyed by the way you speak — your inflection, the tenor of your voice, the way you pace your words. It isn’t possible to share all this information as easily or as quickly in chat, and when you only have a few seconds to make an impression, time is of the essence.
“Talk to people! Even if you are talking while typing, let people hear your voice,” Star explained. “It has such an impact.”
According to Star, your voice is essential to your webcam job. Your voice shows personality and draws attention. Your voice is an asset that will really appeal to some people — people who may become regular visitors.
“There is nothing sadder than to see a new webcam model sitting in a room full of customers typing to them instead of talking to them,” Star said. “When mixing your voice with consistent eye contact and a welcoming smile, you will find that not only are your customers talking more, but they are actually spending more, as well.”
Visit Natalie Star on Twitter at @NatalieStarLive.
