The Pornhub saga has been told and retold in a myriad of publications, for its vast all-encompassing shadow reaches every corner of cyberspace with mind-boggling tsunamis of online traffic and more than several lifetimes worth of adult content.
Since its genesis 10 years ago and subsequent purchase by Manwin (which is now MindGeek), Pornhub has evolved into a titan of mythological proportions, shepherded to greater and greater glories by the likes of vice president Corey Price.
We’re beyond excited for the new features we’re building for Modelhub. At launch, along with video sales, models will be able to accept tips from fans. Coming soon are merchandise stores, custom clip request services, paid subscriptions and tons more.
As an industry disruptor, the company’s every move sends out seismic ripple effects that can be felt worldwide. And now, it is diving headfirst into the video-selling game, with Modelhub. For even as top paysites and tube sites attract a veritable dragon’s hoard of wealth, camming and clips platforms are swiftly ushering in a new golden age for the biz.
In fact, even the most frequently shot adult stars are finding the tantalizing allure of live performances and indie content creation too lucrative to ignore. Not to mention, there are scores of cam models and clip artists that have never even performed on a traditional porn studio set.
That is why stars of every stripe are leveraging their fanatical fan base for multiple revenue streams across innumerable platforms, including Pornhub, which already provides a way for them to earn affiliate-esque cash from drawing loads of eyeballs to vids.
Now, what better way for Pornhub to channel stardom into a truly crystallized format, than by offering a full-fledged video-selling platform? Enter Modelhub. To explore the many profitable perks and powerful plunder that Modelhub offers models, XBIZ sat down with Price to see why the price is right for Pornhub’s latest venture.
XBIZ: What inspired you to expand Pornhub’s monetization options for models, to include a robust video-selling platform?
Price: The entire reason for building Modelhub is feedback, feedback, feedback. We listen to our models, and we keep an eye on where the industry is trending. We’ve had hundreds of messages from models, followings large and small, asking for a safe and efficient way to sell videos and merchandise, with reasonable payouts.
A major factor in the decision to launch Model-hub was the many requests we’ve received from models for a way to monetize their subscribers and fans on Pornhub. When our models are successful, we’re successful, so really our goal is the same — how can we maximize payouts and monetization in a safe, efficient and fair way?
XBIZ: Given the choice to make videos viewable by all Pornhub Premium members, how can a model maximize their Premium Viewshare earnings?
Price: Pornhub’s search algorithm works the same way as most of the major mainstream players. The best way for models to maximize earnings is to pay attention to what people are watching and searching for, and of course finding their own niche.
Loyal fans and repeat views are huge factors in driving Premium Viewshare earnings — models who engage with their fans enough to get lots of subscribers will always earn more.
There is a huge opportunity for amateur and professional content creators in Premium Viewshare — the majority of current Viewshare content is from professional studios, and we get asked by Premium members all the time for exclusive model content. It’s a brand-new niche for creators to break into.
XBIZ: What distinguishes Pornhub’s video-selling program from other platforms?
Price: Besides the obvious advantage of leveraging Pornhub’s traffic, we’re putting our resources to task to create a platform that’s designed with models in mind from the ground up. Every detail, every feature, has been carefully selected to make things easier and more profitable for models. We’re committed to providing an engaging and profitable experience for fans and models, and the scale we operate at means we can adapt and add new features quickly as we receive more feedback from models.
Along with straight-up video sales, models will be able to monetize content in a bunch of different ways — since they’re part of the Pornhub network, content can be switched from Paid Only to be available for free on Pornhub, or added to Premium Viewshare, all with a couple of clicks. One of the best strategies for using our new features is to upload a new video as Paid Only, then use our scheduling tool to automatically set it to Free after a specified amount of time.
Many models in our model program currently disable downloading on their free videos. Now with Modelhub, they will be able to set a download price for a free video that can potentially get millions of views and thousands of download sales.
We’re making it as easy as possible to explore all the different monetization options available to models with many more to come, like the ability to sell merchandise, pictures and subscriptions.
XBIZ: In a nutshell, how can a model make use of metadata to enhance their content’s performance?
Price: Metadata is how your videos get found by viewers, and the number one thing to remember when writing your metadata is accuracy. Of course, you want your titles and tags to rank on popular search terms, which is the basis of all search optimization, but only if your videos actually follow through on what’s promised.
You could have the most search-optimized title in history, but if your content doesn’t deliver on what’s promised, your ratings will suffer and you’re unlikely to get any repeat views. Accurate, well-formulated metadata means more views and more earnings. Inaccurate metadata means bad ratings and angry viewers. Say no to clickbait, folks.
Our Insights blog (Pornhub.com/Insights) is an excellent resource for models to find out what’s trending. That said, while our most successful models do take cues from trends, they’ve built their empires on loyal fans. That means trial and error to find out what your fans enjoy most, and knowing when not to chase trends, as well. Since we get so much traffic from so many different kinds of people, there’s opportunity everywhere for all types of models.
XBIZ: Talk about the various contests and awards you offer to models who take part in this program.
Price: Currently, with our Model Payment Program, we do both monthly and yearly awards for top-viewed videos, newcomer of the month/year and model of the month/year, split by professional and amateur. We love to celebrate our models and give them as much visibility (and cash prizes) as possible.
We also give bronze, silver and gold plaques to models who reach subscriber milestones. These plaques are highly coveted and we’re always happy and proud to give them out.
Along with our various awards, models have the opportunity to win great prizes from Pornhub and our partners with our themed video contests. Taking place every couple of months, we invite models to upload content around a particular theme. Winners are selected by a panel of Pornhub and partner judges, based on creativity and quality.
With Modelhub, there will be a whole host of new awards and contests — stay tuned for announcements. With the addition of these new awards and contests, our giveaways to models will top $150,000 per year.
XBIZ: How can a model increase their chances of being featured on the front page of Pornhub?
Price: The front page of Pornhub is determined in part by an algorithm, based on a myriad of factors, such as how many clicks, views and favorites a video gets, along with its rating and viewing percentage. The rest of the front-page placement comes from our recommendation engine, specific to each user.
General video marketing tactics will help models appear higher in the ranking. This might seem trite, but good videos get more views. If you’re giving viewers what they want, in good quality, and making it easy for them to find you, your videos will perform well, front page or not. Longer HD videos often outperform lower-quality alternatives as well.
One often-overlooked detail that is key to maximizing views is a good thumbnail. Choosing a good thumbnail is huge for attracting viewers. Experiment with different kinds of scenes or action moments in your thumbnails, and you’ll see success.
All of that said, as with most content providers, Pornhub is moving away from a featuring system and into a more recommendation-driven content delivery system. That means that detailed and accurate metadata will be more important than ever.
XBIZ: Describe the promotional tools you’re creating for models to drive more traffic to their “for sale” videos.
Price: We have tons planned in terms of promotional tools for Modelhub. On the immediate horizon, we’ll have social media automation tools available, with analytics dashboards, discount tools and more smart promotion tools to come shortly afterwards.
We’ve also got something very exciting in the wings — a completely model-controlled advertising system within Pornhub. Expect more details in a future announcement.
XBIZ: Since models can price their videos anywhere from $1 to $150, which price range seems to be most lucrative, based on your analytics?
Price: Success with video pricing varies a lot on the individual level. Our best advice for pricing is to experiment and find out what your viewers and fans are willing to pay. As a general rule, more niche fetish content sells at higher prices, whereas more generic content will probably move best at a lower price point. Quality of recording is a big factor as well — 4K videos will always sell at a higher price than 1080p will, for example.
XBIZ: Any advice for models looking to create solid photo albums and tease content?
Price: Photo and tease content should always have one goal: driving viewers to your paid content. “Tease” is definitely the operative word here — if you give your viewers just enough of a taste to entice them over to your paid videos, you’ll always do well. Soon enough, models will also be able to sell photo sets directly through Modelhub.
XBIZ: Give us a preview of what you’re adding to the program in the months following its launch, like merch stores, custom clips and paid subs.
Price: We’re beyond excited for the new features we’re building for Modelhub. At launch, along with video sales, models will be able to accept tips from fans. Coming soon are merchandise stores, custom clip request services, paid subscriptions and tons more. Read the Pornhub blog (Pornhub.com/Blog) to stay up-to-date with new developments. We’ll be listening carefully to our models to find out what new features should be added and when. Our inboxes are always open for suggestions and feedback.
