Should You Add Phone Sex to Your Portfolio?

First in a three-part series.

Before the internet changed life as we know it and long before camming became a hot career (no pun intended), advertisements for phone sex services appeared in every adult magazine and were staples of late-night TV. Horny guys — and sometimes girls — could call numbers starting with area code 900 and have their aural fantasies fulfilled with a charge to their telephone bill.

Though payment methods have become more varied, phone sex services still thrive. Despite the availability of cam girls and the ubiquity of online porn, there’s nothing quite like a sultry voice whispering to the imagination, allowing a caller to immerse himself into his own fantasy without extraneous visual cues. Does the caller want to interact with a wanton vixen who’ll slowly strip out of an evening gown? No problem. Does he crave a middle-aged mother type who’ll scold him for being a bad boy? She’s on the other end of the line.

Lynn, a sex worker for two decades who has worked as a phone sex operator (PSO) for the past six years, now operates the consulting firm Phone Sex Secrets when she’s not satisfying “gentlemen callers.” She still enjoys phone-sex work, she said, partly because she feels she’s providing more than a sexual service. Some of her regulars call just to talk, because they’re lonely or isolated or afraid to trust their emotions to a real-world woman. Providing comfort and virtual companionship to those clients produces a special kind of fulfillment, she said.

In some ways, camming and phone sex are remarkably similar, making the latter an intriguing additional revenue source for cam models when they aren’t on cam. In this first of a three-part feature, Lynn offers an inside look at the phone-sex profession and provides tips for cam models who want to take a closer look.

YNOT Cam: Why did you decide to pursue phone sex as a career?
Lynn: After leaving escorting, I found I missed it — both the sex work with clients as well as the income. I initially tried writing erotica, but found it lacking in both the personal client contact and pay. Recalling some of the conversations I’d had with other sex workers who’d done phone sex and highly recommended it, I went back to them and investigated the reality of the work.

At that time, the premiere phone sex platform site was NiteFlirt (then a division of Keen). I joined, created and tested a few profiles and listings and learned from there. Some ideas were hot; others not so much. But I continued testing (including at other phone sex platform companies) and building phone sex experience and skills. I added all that to my sex work, marketing and website knowledge bases, eventually finding my professional phone sex stride.

There were some transition issues initially. For example, when providing the direct physical services of escorting, you can easily see a client’s interests, needs, etc. It took a bit of time to get an ear for detecting and understanding auditory clues, but over time, I’ve mastered the art of listening. I can now ascertain if a silence is that of pleasure, discomfort, confusion, etc. I can virtually hear a blush — and tell the difference between a shy blush and an arousing blush!

What is the phone sex market like these days?
Despite what many publications say, phone sex is not dead. It’s alive and well, with paying customers who appreciate the live, interactive, intimate and imaginative nature of such an erotic service. While there certainly is some overlap between the consumers of the various adult entertainment services and products, the phone sex industry is a very specific category unto itself, with a specific clientele and unique target audience. As such, the phone sex industry is not going away.

In terms of working as a PSO… There is a low barrier to entry, which makes it an inexpensive and ideal business venture for many people, especially for those who, for health, family or other reasons, find a flexible schedule necessary. Of course, this ease of entry to the industry makes for a lot of competition — not only in terms of the number of individual phone sex operators, but also in the ever-growing number of phone sex sites and companies. It can be a very competitive field, especially in a digital age where we are all just figuring out how to master — that is, profit from — commercial enterprises. This is why marketing and effectively promoting your phone sex business is important. But if you offer great service, know your market well and treat it like a business, you can do very well!

Cam models do basically the same thing as PSOs, except with a visual component. Why should they consider adding phone sex to their repertoire?
Being a camgirl is quite different from being a phone sex operator. Typically, most cam sites feature performers in rooms open to multiple viewers at once, with options for tipping more, or otherwise purchasing, exclusive or private shows. This is why some of the most successful — and spectacular! — camgirls are those who really put a lot of thought and planning into their shows. Many of them really are live, theatrical performances, adult improv performances — even short film productions.

I really do admire my camming sisters, and brothers. I’ve a few favorite cam performers of my own! But camming is quite a different sort of adult entertainment. Even when they are niche camgirls, even when they are performing private shows — or one-on-one cam viewing while on phone sex platform sites — cam shows are performances for an audience.

With phone sex, the service is one-on-one. There’s no audience; both PSO and caller are participants, and, this all takes place in the minds of the participants. There are literally no limits, save for the terms of service of the phone sex platform site or phone sex company, which often are dictated by merchant accounts and credit card companies like Visa. If the phone sex fantasy call takes a sudden turn, it’s as easy a changing the description, the story details and the like, whereas with camming, such interactiveness can limited by the costumes, props, sets, etc. that the client can see.

Another major difference is the very intimate nature of phone sex calls — and I’m not simply using the word “intimate” as a safe mainstream word to reference adult or sexual things. Sure, phone sex can be graphic and down-right nasty-dirty. But the special power of phone sex lies in the collaborative companionship, in the private coziness. In the closeness born of secrets shared, confessions bared. The power of a voice in your ear while you lie with your eyes closed, using your imagination to create fantasies. It’s very, very personal. And the anonymity of talking with a stranger provokes a daring to confess as well as evokes fantasies that the two of you, caller and PSO, might just pass by one another on the street. Phone sex is a private, unshared secret.

While I’m sure some camgirls build great personal relationships with their fans, it can be rather difficult to sell the idea of personal, intimate companionship when you are entertaining 5,000 viewers in a single session on cam. This is where adding phone sex to your professional offerings can really add to your brand — and your bottom line.

Not only by selling conversations by the minute to fans, either. Just as savvy cam performers can learn much about what their fans desire by offering private shows and custom clips, private phone sex conversations and confessions can seriously increase awareness of customer interests and desires.

In addition, cam performers working in very specific niches or fetishes likely have a wealth of experience and education to share. Running a fetish “sex ed” cam session may not be the entertainment paying customers wish to see, or even be likely to address the private needs of every viewer. However, individuals may love a one-on-one call with an understanding, experienced professional who can help them accept and even explore their hidden desires.

Also, in a very practical sense, phone sex is a very easy option for the client who cannot access cam viewing due to traveling, family situations, etc., as it is often far easier and more convenient to sneak away to dial a phone number and have a secret call than it can be to open a laptop and view a cam show.

Similarly, these conveniences are some of the very same reasons a camgirl may wish to add phone sex to her menu of services.

What’s more, many camgirls and adult performers find there comes a time in their life when they no longer wish to perform. It may be for family or privacy reasons; it may be due to the dreaded “aging-out” factor of the adult industry. Or maybe they simply no longer enjoy the rigors of performing. Whatever the reason, phone sex may just be the perfect “cam retirement” option. It is easier — and wiser — to start transitioning early while you have that customer base to draw from.

And let’s not forget our friends with vision impairments! They desire, and deserve, erotic thrills too. Offering phone sex provides a real option to expand your client base.

Next: What is the earning potential for phone sex operators?

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Lynn is a 20-year veteran of sex work who found fulfillment as a phone sex operator six years ago. In addition to her continuing work with phone sex clients, she also serves as a consultant to independent PSOs through Phone Sex Secrets. Follow her on Twitter for tips, tricks and advice.