One thing that is appealing about being a content creator is that you answer to no one but yourself. There’s no one to tell you what to shoot or when to do it, so you can go online whenever you want. You don’t have to put in a vacation request, you can be sick for a week if you need to and your “office” can be anywhere you want it to be!
That’s all great, but being a creative person alone in a large field can also leave you at a disadvantage at times. That’s why we’re going to talk about the advantages of collaboration with other content creators and the various ways it can be done.
A strong collaboration will generally bring two content creators together to work towards a common goal. This can be getting exposure to a different fan base, sharing experiences that are new to both or one of you without committing to a complete change in style, or simply introducing you to someone who has shared the same experiences as you and who may serve as a mentor or simply a new friend who knows what you’re going through as platforms push new updates or make sudden changes. For both creators, the experience should improve your final product first and foremost.
How do you go about selecting a content partner? It’s kind of like dating. You want to make sure you’re matching with someone you’re personally comfortable with, and who can help you reach a new audience that might not be familiar with you — especially if your collaborator has a larger fanbase — or help you give something different to your fans that they’d appreciate seeing. For instance, if you’ve been a solo performer and have been thinking about playing with another female performer for a while, you could work together to produce your first girl-girl scene. Both of you would get to promote the scene from a unique perspective. You, as the first time recorded lesbian experience, perhaps timid and nervous, but eager to please. Her as the experienced lesbian who guides you into new territory with a steady but gentle hand.
At the end of the experience, you could have a variety of posts, from BTS photos and clips to a post-scene giggle-fest teaser and the final scene itself. Plus, you will both end up with a ton of options for social media promotions! As a bonus, some platforms make it easy for a fan to find creators who are similar in content style, allowing them to get a feel for multiple creators easily. Others can make it like a needle in a haystack.
Partnering with other content creators to give each other a shoutout is another way to get fresh eyes on your content. For example, Aila Donovan and Karlie Montana are two models with similar likes; both enjoy travel and have strong content that is enjoyed by their fans. Aila can post Karlie’s profile to her feed with a simple “Check out my girl Karlie! I can’t wait to go on a beach date together!” while Karlie does the same with a post for Aila’s profile: “Aila has got abs of steel, so sexy! I bet she’d look great in my bikini!” They’ve both now been seen by a whole new fan base, and each creator can get a boost in traffic and potential new fans to appreciate their hard work.
On top of the creative collaboration that working with other creators brings, an under appreciated aspect of collaboration is a network of like-minded individuals coming together in ways that allow you to be free with your art. You get to build a network that can offer you support when you’re struggling creatively, or help you figure out the newest site update that crashes your post schedule. Having like-minded individuals who share the same frustrations as you to vent with and help you brainstorm some new ideas is something that office coworkers share, and content creators can create their own little tribe to help get through the good times and bad.
If you’re ready to take the next step towards collaboration and don’t know where to start, look at different social media channels. Reddit has groups dedicated solely to content creators on a variety of platforms who are looking for others to work with. Follow content creators on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok and take the time to get to know them. Or create your own post on either of these platforms asking if other content creators are looking to collaborate, and open up your DMs — they’re not just for sexting anymore! (They’re mostly still for sexting, though.)
Get out there, make new friends and create new art!
Megan Stokes is co-founder of NMG Management, the premier content distribution and management firm. A veteran of the adult industry, she has proven to be an endless well of knowledge and is a collector of data that she gladly shares with those who seek her help.
