The most obvious and timely choice of topic for my first full article has to be what is affecting not just camming, but pretty much the whole planet right now: the COVID-19 virus. There is a lot to talk about on this topic and its obvious impact on the camming industry, both positive and negative.
For instance, are you someone who was working in the service industry like restaurants, bars, retail stores or hospitality industry and the lockdowns and COVID-19 took away your ability to earn money? Or did it reduce what you were earning enough you decided to give web camming a try?
And if you were already a cam model for years, did you see a huge increase or decrease in your earnings since COVID started? Did it change how you approached work? Did regular members disappear? Did you get a lot of new members? Were members spending more or less in your cam room or on your clip sites? Was camming from home more difficult now because maybe others in your household were forced to be home more often? Or, did the current situation lead to better or worse financial security for you and your family? Did it increase your stress levels or create more instability in your life?
I spoke to some experts in the industry to explore these questions and get some insights.
It’s only Quarantine if it’s in the Quarante province of France. Otherwise it's just Sparkling Isolation.
— Vikram Paralkar (@VikramParalkar) March 13, 2020
Insights from Managers, Models
One thing is clear, COVID lead to an increase in models signing up to platforms to try and earn money, which led to a bigger field of models to compete amongst. But was there a similar increase in visitors? Especially those willing to spend money on cam sites?
“Such a sudden and unexpected spike in the number of models wanting to be online and working longer hours can definitely cause issues if a platform does not also see a similar increase in traffic,” said Carlos Diaz, Broadcasting Training Manager, VSMedia. “We have had a large increase in not only the number of models online but the number of hours they are staying online.”
“[This] creates more competition and a need for more users to fill all the rooms,” Diaz added. “About a year ago Naked.com merged into our network and we recently affiliated with high-traffic tube sites Xvideos and XNXX which brought a lot of new users to the Flirt4Free network. For us it has been a great thing. A lot of site records have been broken over the last few months!”
But what if you aren’t getting a lot of new traffic in your cam room or not seeing the kind of earnings you used to get or were hoping to get? What if you are getting more visitors, but they aren’t spending?
A lot of models had this problem or continue to have this problem. So what are the solutions for this?
One long-time cam model has a positive view and opinion on what models need to do to be more competitive and stand out.
“Changes were coming anyway sooner or later and if you were ready for it, 2020 was a great year,” said Jakub Stephano, a webcam model for 16 years and Flirt4Free brand ambassador. “It might be a wakeup call for some sites and models that they need to adjust and innovate more than they do if they want to stay on the top of the game.”
Jakub Stephano
Strategies to Improve, Expand
So what are some of the positive, innovative ways one can be more successful and continue to earn money while camming?
One option whether you are a full or part-time model is many platforms have made it easier to broadcast online from your phone. This allows more flexibility on where and when you can be online and can give more access to new or different locations, conditions and views (if you don’t mind doing that).
Working more hours online or on content (if you have the time) can be another way to help earn more. And this can be supported by being more active and interactive on social media to gain followers and get more eyes on you and your content.
An additional option you can do if you have some extra time is create your own personal website. Places like VXPages and Model Centro have simple templates to get your own site started quickly and easily where you can blog, broadcast and reach out to fans on other levels and sell content.
Another is just your overall attitude and approach when online. Many people feel isolated, alone and bored and are looking for entertainment to cheer up, or to have a more social connection with someone. Smiling and being positive can have an important role in not only gaining new members but maintaining them as well. It can be very gratifying to know you made a difference in someone’s life just by being kind, friendly and interested in them.
So think long-term even if someone isn’t spending a lot or even nothing at the moment. If you believe in karma and invest a little time and kindness to someone else, it can come back to you in extremely rewarding ways.
A huge area to help increase earnings has been creating and selling content online, whether on the platform(s) you broadcast from or on clip or fan sites like ManyVids, Loyalfans, JustFor.fans and others. This has been a huge focus during COVID for many models — but it does require commitment and extra work.
“In spring 2020 content pages grew insanely fast,” said Stephano. “This led to a change in focus for content and social media and limited my cam time. Overall my income shifted from 75% from camming and 25% content to 30% from camming and 70% from content.”
This change of focus, however, was not totally unexpected to the experienced cam model.
“I saw new trends and changes coming even before COVID so I was ready for it. It led to a great 2020 and my overall income almost doubled. But my work time increased too,” Stephano said.
Clips and fan sites are topics I will go deeper on in the near future to help models who are new or interested in the content creation area.
So in the end, was COVID a good or bad thing for the camming industry?
“Honestly I don’t see [COVID affecting camming] as a positive or negative overall,” Stephano continued. “2020 and COVID-19 brought a lot of changes and our industry is still blessed for being able to generate money. Many other industries were hit way harder.”
The Big Picture
While some models like Stephano prepared for or made the best out of this situation and even found ways to increase their earnings, it hasn’t been so easy for everyone.
For many models the challenges of COVID can be overwhelming. Numerous models have changed sites or started working on multiple sites simultaneously instead of just one or two primary sites.
Whether you are new to camming or an experienced model, numerous others are dealing with stress too. I’ve been contacted directly and through my academy by many models worried about issues related to camming during this pandemic and looking for advice to help their sudden financial need to enter this new industry, or how to stay positive both personally and professionally. So you aren’t alone if you are having a tough time. Many of us are dealing with the psychological consequences of the situation and there is definitely a need to be mentally healthy.
So, stay positive and you may be surprised how current circumstances can turn out better than you expected. Things may look dark now, but if you keep your eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel it will make it easier to not get distracted or run into obstacles on the path to your goals.
Change is never easy — I know as I went through some major changes myself last year, and not just because of COVID-related issues — but it also presents opportunities which can turn out to be a good thing.
Hopefully experienced and newer models to the industry won’t be discouraged by the current situation or they have found new and innovative ways to make the most of it. This is a transition phase for many and it’s not always easy. In fact it can be a good thing, like a much needed kick in the ass to get out of a lull or comfort zone when you get too set in your ways. It can be stimulating and create new opportunities and options and change one’s path to a greater outcome or bring out something new that was dormant inside.
Challenges are how we usually grow in life and in most cases the people who learn to adapt, adjust and persevere are the ones who will succeed making it through.
So again, stay positive and keep your eye out on future articles here as there will be more information, tips, tricks and other advice to help with camming.
Thank you again for your time, and please feel free to send feedback, questions, comments, concerns or positive stories or advice to help others!
xx, O
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LittleRedBunny is a multi-award-winning cam artist and industry icon who created the first cam model academy, LittleRedBunny Academy, which focuses on her philosophy of Camology: The Art of Camming. Find her on Twitter at @LittleRedAcadem or email her at littleredbunnyacademy@ynotcam.com.
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