We recently received a question from a person who was not yet a model, but she was thinking about it.
This potential model had been doing her own research into which type of cam site she wanted to sign up with — if she decided to move forward, that is. This got me thinking: When first looking to take the cam plunge, what are some basics you need to consider? When you are still cam uninitiated, how do you pick the right site for you?
What do you want to get out of cam?
Some people want to make camming their primary source of income. For others, it’s a side hustle.
Whether you’re interested in full-time or part-time work — and that’s just one consideration of many — it’s important to pick the cam site that suits your personal needs the best. This is difficult to determine and requires you to be as honest as possible with yourself.
Are you an exhibitionist, or are you better one-on-one? A little bit of both? Are you okay with work that will give you a lot of interaction via the computer but is actually pretty solo on the day-to-day?
In addition, some big things to consider are: payout percentages, payout frequency and reliability, the site’s overall traffic, the site’s overall model saturation, model support (as in customer service, but for models working on the site – who is there to help you?) and site culture. In many ways, site culture – the website’s environment between models and members, as well as model expectations from the site itself — is the most important thing to think about.
Do you start with an established site, or with something new and innovative/fresh?
It’s easy to assume that members and clients will choose to visit established sites, and this makes sense. In addition to feeling secure with an established site, these online spaces may also just be the sites people are aware of. Just like the way people go to McDonald’s when they’re traveling abroad from the United States — you may wonder why, but it’s largely because it’s familiar.
Established cam sites tend to have a large base of regular customers. Longevity also helps insure models’ payouts will actually arrive. Established sites are also likely to have great admins and mods, as well as accessible and responsive model support.
But, with established and well trafficked comes… established relationships and a lot of model traffic. It may be challenging to stand out in the crowd.
A new camsite has pluses and minuses, just like an established one, but almost in reverse. One major advantage of a new site is a clean slate – new clients and new faces for you to captivate.
One big general negative though is traffic. Customers may have yet to flock to an established, unproven, and/or brand unrecognizable site. Traffic is a key thing to think about as it impacts every other aspect of webcam work. For instance, you might be being offered higher payout percentage on a newer site – say, 80 percent verses 45 — but 80 percent of no traffic and conversion is… nothing.
Another thing to consider is payout methods and tech. How you get paid is key, and how good a site’s tech is basically controls your ability to work. If a site is always crashing, it doesn’t matter if they have all the traffic in the world.
In sum, when you are weighing your options and formulating a strategy to get on cam, make sure to get as much information as possible. Read reviews, think about the points raised here, talk to other models and — most important of all — go with your best, informed instincts.
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Erika is a sex positive people watcher (and writer). Email her at erika@ynotcam.com.
