Countless businesses (and potentially your own if you’re reading this) have gone from successful to the graveyard and at no fault of their own.  Whether it is a Facebook page that was given false metrics or got shut down without warning or what appears to be happening with OnlyFans.  Your income and your company should never be reliant on any one platform.  The minute that platform changes their TOS, you can lose everything.

If you’re a content creator you should be using these platforms to build your following and your revenue, not the other way around.  And that is the issue many content creators are finding out the hard way.

If you’re a content creator you should be using these platforms to build your following and your revenue, not the other way around.

If you’re reliant on a single platform or revenue stream like AdSense or Sponsorships, now is the time to diversify.  Do not wait for the weekend to research, not next month, now!  Trust me, I have first hand experience watching things fall apart and none of it being in my control.  That’s how and why I built my agency and company.  And there are countless others who have gone through the same.

This post has three sections.  Feel free to read through (which I recommend) or jump to the most relevant one using the links below:

1. Build your own platform
2. Create unique assets for each third party platform (not as bad as it sounds)
3. Diversify your monetization

Before I jump into how to build your own platform you can make money from I want to say I am not going to blame or bash OnlyFans for making this decision.  According to the article I linked to above and another article published on Axios, OnlyFans is being asked by their funding to do this.  It is a business decision they are likely being forced into and something OnlyFans likely doesn’t want to do.  Who would want to purposely kill off a massive revenue stream that is widely successful?  That’s why I am not going to talk bad about them and encourage you to think about the negative impact they know this will have on them as well.  But it also builds a massive opportunity for you to become independent.  

If anything in this post is confusing, leave a comment below and I’ll respond or reach out via email.  If you join and activate in either of the two affiliate programs below I can provide you with multiple resources to make it easier to implement the strategies below.  Please note the links below are mostly affiliate links so I’ll earn a commission if you shop through them.

Here’s the two affiliate programs to join:

• HUSTLER Hollywood
• The Enhanced Male

Build Your Own Platform

The first thing to do is to build your own platform.

If you’re one of the many entertainers switching away from OnlyFans or looking for an OnlyFans alternative, don’t go to the competitors.  What happens if they are also bank funded and need to change policies?  Now you’re back to struggling.

Instead of depending on a third party like OnlyFans or YouTube, build your own website and use these third party platforms to send traffic to the website you control.

Start by:

1. Setting up your own website (you no longer need to know how to code thanks to WordPress) on a host that allows your type of content.
   1. OnlyFans creators can sometimes use WPEngine and MojoHost is built for adult content creators.
   2. Make sure you buy a hard drive or cloud based backup as well, because your host could change policies and delete your content.  Having a backup will help protect you and backing up your website can normally be automated.
2. Add in an email system (Aweber, Mad Mimi, Constant Contact, CheetahMail, etc…).
   1. If you’re an OnlyFans content creator try YNot, they work with the adult industry and specifically cam stars and live streamers.
3. Create a plan to get people off of the third party controlled platforms.
   1. Offer exclusive content once the subscriber double verifies their email.
   2. Host a contest for a small group chat with an AMA as the prize.
      1. You could even do a weekly private AMA for VIP subscribers.
   3. Collaborate with other similar performers for a live and exclusive show only available through subscribing to your platform.
   4. Feature a giveaway with your own content and see if brands will contribute a prize or two.

Create Unique Assets for Each Third Party Platform

This is much easier than it sounds.  Whether you have a blog post, a new page, or a landing page, make sure to fill out all required fields in your website’s backend and with the correct sizes. This way your content can be shared properly across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google,and more.

Each platform rewards and penalizes different types of content.  With Google you want to keep the title of the page 55 characters (with spaces) or less and feature the main keyword phrase or selling point towards the beginning of the title tag.

Facebook has a different title length than Google and penalizes content with click bait titles algorithmically, so look for a way to entice the person enough so they take a break from political and social commenting and pay attention to you.  The images matter here as well.

On Google your job is to get a click through by providing a solution to a query.  Facebook, Twitter and social media platforms look for engagement and audience relevance vs. word and answer relevance, so incorporating like, share, etc… into the wording and imagery may help you.

Speaking of images, Facebook uses horizontal images for desktop and square for mobile (Instagram too).  Pinterest uses vertical and can work nicely with infographics.  Making sure you use images that match the shape the platform needs.  This will help you present yourself better and possibly get more exposure.

Below you’ll find an example for a featured image on a “how to” piece of content by platform.  “How to” could be anything from advice on fixing something to a technique you are teaching.

• Google – Use landscape alignment instead of vertical and include a clear message on the image.
• Facebook – Use landscape as well but show the steps visually in a horizontal pattern with each step numbered or an images that emphasizes the solution.  The CTA or main message should be in the very center so it doesn’t get cut off when Facebook pulls it in.
• Instagram – Same as Facebook but in a square.  You’ll want to go counter clockwise left to right and top to bottom so step 1 is in the top left and step 4 is in the bottom right.
• Pinterest – Go vertical and place the wording at the top.  Step 1 is up top and step 4 is on the bottom.

And don’t forget the descriptions!

Make sure your Google description matches the title so a person will know that they will find a solution if they click through to your website.  For Facebook you’ll want to gauge their interest enough so they click through vs. pretending to be an expert on whatever topic is currently trending.  Twitter is all about providing a solution, and the description should match the image and title to really make the person want to click through and engage.

Diversify Your Monetization

If you’re reliant upon subscriptions to your content, that is fine.  It is a great business model as long as the platform you’re on does not kick you off.

Get a trustworthy payment plugin or system for your website and offer your content subscription the same way bloggers offer e-courses and private groups for VIPs.  It is easy to host on your own, although you don’t have the user base and discoverability of platforms like OnlyFans, so it will take more effort from you.

Now think of other ways to monetize your content.  There are tons of them.

• Affiliate marketing is perfect for content creators.  As you mention products you can create product links to help the person find them just like I did with the hard drives affiliate link above.
• It could be a video on how to repair a leaky faucet and the patches or pipe cutters are your affiliate links.  These are items many people will not have on hand and need to buy giving you the chance to make a commission.
  • If you’re an adult content creator think about the products you use while entertaining and also how to clean them.  You’ll find affiliate programs from companies like HUSTLER Hollywood and The Enhanced Male that will help you make money.  I currently manage both of these so we’ll get to work together if you join.
• Ad networks are another.  Not all ad networks pay well, and not all work with all types of content.  But many will and you can run these ads in the footer of your site, side bars, headers and interstitials.  Ad networks can include Adsense, MediaVine and niche platforms that have advertisers and payouts specific to your content genre.
• Sponsorships can be fantastic once you’re established.  You can sell sponsored email blasts if you have a newsletter, blog posts on your website, tweets and social shares, or even clothing you wear while streaming.  If you launch a podcast, sell a sponsored mention at the beginning, middle and end.  The same goes for YouTube videos.  The options are almost endless and if you track ROAS you can build a solid business and dominate because most of your competitors do not do this.
• Become a brand ambassador if you don’t mind being locked into a contract.  Yes, you are stuck with the brand and you will need to follow their guidelines and their campaign themes, but at least it is ongoing and repeat revenue during that contract.  The downside is it can limit you from earning as much with the other channels above.  You sort of become part of the brand’s assets until your contract ends.

There are plenty of alternatives to OnlyFans and social media networks.  But why go to another third party that can turn off your revenue and audience overnight?  Instead use these platforms to bring traffic to a platform you control like your own blog or fan site with a newsletter.

You can build these easily and you don’t have to know how to code.  If you’d like help with this, join the affiliate programs I manage and I’ll be happy to share some tips.  I do this regularly with the partners for the companies that hire us for affiliate management.