Everybody knows that opportunities for independent adult performers have exploded lately. The sheer number of new content creators starting their journey is staggering. Yet as exciting as the constant surge of platforms, new ways to monetize and all the strong competition for eyeballs can be, it can be very hard to cut through the noise and establish a standout brand presence that gets noticed among a sea of online personalities.
Achieving your desired following and revenue numbers in an oversaturated market can be a tough task, but following these strategies will ultimately set you up to succeed even without a team or management company behind you.
Consistency plays a huge role in being at the top. You want fans to engage with your content daily, keeping them interested and excited about your brand and what’s next.
Find a Genre and Content Style You Love
The first step toward finding your content style and genre is asking yourself, “Who am I, online and off? How much of my ‘real’ self do I want to share? What kind of content do I feel comfortable putting out there?”
Whether you present yourself exactly as you are in your day-to-day personal life, or craft a persona that you enjoy inhabiting or that expresses certain aspects of your identity, you want to show up in your content in a way that’s genuine and effortless, and matches your chosen style and genre. Showing people what you are about — your ups and downs, your personality, aesthetic and interests — brings authenticity to the fore.
You can differentiate your content through video filters or a consistent color grading in your clips, having a set intro or outro, the background for your content or even specific positions, acts or angles. Try things out, explore and iterate!
Clarity about your identity, the content you feel comfortable doing and what aesthetics suit your brand will show you the path forward. For example: I am a perfectionist and 4K scenes with rough, passionate love, full of intensity in a glam setting turned out to be the key factor in establishing my ideal content, identity and brand. With that in mind I have invested in high-quality lingerie sets since day one. It has become a signature, and my fans know that they will always find me wearing new hot lingerie and beautiful nylon stockings while delivering glamcore.
Be as Active as Possible on Social Media
Upload your content to different platforms in order to maximize your potential customers. Pay attention to the market: the algorithm changes all the time, so adjust to it. Focus on shareable content like memes or funny bits. Do lots of SFW content: podcasts, Tiktok, YouTube and especially SFW clips of every scene or collaboration you shoot, so you can promote what you’re doing on more restrictive social platforms.
Build a community on Reddit or Discord, revolving around you and your content. You can do raffles, giveaways and use different types of incentives to keep things personal and keep fans engaged.
Make sure to provide easy access to your different sites and platforms whenever you can. For instance, if you post a teaser on Twitter, make sure to attach links to your premium sites so your fans can purchase the full video.
By engaging frequently on your platforms, liking other people’s posts, commenting and replying to comments, you’ll not only give fans an incentive to interact, but also get the algorithm to boost your content for more people to see, helping you grow organically.
Stay Consistent on Every Level
Consistency plays a huge role in being at the top. You want fans to engage with your content daily, keeping them interested and excited about your brand and what’s next.
Your content should speak for itself, but make sure to be vocal about what fans can expect from you. Let them know how often you’ll be releasing new content or going live on your premium sites, and never disappoint. In fact, if you can do more than what you have committed to, that’s a great way to make your fans feel spoiled and appreciated, ultimately providing an outstanding customer experience.
I personally have committed to dropping a new scene every single weekend, and if I happen to have extra scenes ready to be released, I’ll drop a second video the following Monday or Tuesday.
Invest in Your Growth
Try to reserve a set percentage of your income as a budget for growth as a performer and a business, to upgrade your equipment, buy promotions, acquire new lingerie or hire a photographer/videographer if you need to. Small things like getting good lighting equipment or a nice full-length mirror for taking selfies can go a long way.
Be Professional and Maintain Positive Industry Relationships
This may sound like a cliche, but you are your reputation and a strong work ethic is essential if you’re in it for the long run. This business is a marathon, not a sprint. Taking the high road and treating people the way you would want to be treated is a win-win from every point of view, as it helps build community and a healthy environment for content creators.
Lift Your Friends Up
Tag them, mention them in your stories and consider creating content together, even if you just meet up for coffee and post about it. Your fans will discover more layers to you, and learn about who you are and the folks you surround yourself with, making your content more engaging while sharing traffic from your fan base. Some of my favorite and most loyal fans throughout this journey have subscribed to my friends’ sites and sometimes even request that we do custom videos together, which is super fun and easy.
No matter how daunting the path may seem as a new content creator, these best practices can help you stand out and succeed. They say slow and steady wins the race — but so does genuine, engaged, consistent, professional and generous.
Catherine Knight is an XBIZ Award-winning performer and content creator who can be followed @xcatknightx on Twitter and Instagram, as well as at TheCatherineKnight.com.
