A girlfriend of mine, who’s also a camgirl, recently told me that she basically regrets having researched “camming tips” on the internet before she started in the business a couple years ago. Her point was that, after reading lots of webcam modeling advice on several sites and forums, she put together a plan of attack based on what she had read that pretty much stunted her career in the early going — something she realized only long after the damage had been done. She had gotten a lot of BAD camming advice, and implementing it did her more harm than good. I know it’s true, because I had almost the same experience when I was starting out.
The “Freebies Are Evil” Myth
One of the tips she read on almost all the sites she visited was that she should never do anything for free. The common argument was that, if you show boobs, or do sexy dances, or get naked for free just to get attention, you’re selling yourself short and cheating yourself of income. This is one of the biggest bullshit myths out there in the webcam model world, right now. When you’re new and totally lacking in any kind of fan base, your most powerful tool in building one is to do free stuff for viewers in order to draw a crowd. Now, if you keep doing everything for free, even once you have the crowd you’re after, then yeah, you’re not gonna make much money. But if you intelligently use nudity, flashes, and dances to get people interested, then start to push privates, content, and premium Snapchat to monetize that crowd, you’re likely to see a nice jump in your token hauls.
Can you make $1,000 in a week with your webcam?
Wasted Time, or Wasted Opportunity?
Another common tip that gets floated around so often is the idea that you shouldn’t “waste time” on private messages because they’re pointless and take your attention away from the public chat. Well, first of all, PMs are anything but pointless — they’re actually the chief way smart cam models build rapport with potential regular clients (and every camgirl knows how valuable regulars are over the long term). But second of all, if you’re sitting there without a huge amount of constant activity in your public chat (as 90% of cam models do, let’s face it), then what the hell SHOULD you be doing, your nails?? Use the time to build intimate bonds with members who seem like they’re genuinely interested in getting to know you! Learn about their interests, their kinks, and anything else they’re up for sharing. It can make them loyal fans who eventually start tipping BIG.
And never, and I mean NEVER, tell viewers to stop PMing you and instead talk in the public chat. That might be easier for you, as a model, but it’s actually deadly to your goal of regular building. Most viewers aren’t comfortable about sharing their deepest, perviest kinks and fantasies in a public chat, where they’re open to the judgment of dozen of other viewers (I mean, would YOU be??). That means that if you only talk to them in public, they’re never going to really open up to you, and you’re never going to form that special bond with them that so often leads to serious business down the road. Am I making sense here? Because so many models seem to totally not get that.
I totally understand that there is disagreement among webcam models about which tactics work, and which don’t. There are some truly gray areas where the success of a particular method actually depends on the model. But, clearly, there are basic no-no’s that apply to pretty much everyone. Building friendships with members is generally GOOD, for example, and you shouldn’t be shutting down the best ways of doing that. Obviously not all of them will end up tipping you or buying shows. In fact, most won’t. But the minority who DO end up being awesome to you will make all the difference, trust me. If you get hung up on the idea that you’re wasting your time on guys who will just talk dirty, leave, and never be back, you’re thinking about this all wrong. It’s not about monetizing every single member you give some attention to…it’s about creating a handful of devoted, long-term tippers and show clients who will return again and again to pad your income.
So, some of the camming tips out there, even if agreed on by many models, are horrible advice. Be careful about which ones you choose to employ during your broadcasts, and try to test them out logically in your head before making plans to use them in Camland. If they don’t stand to reason, you probably shouldn’t use them.
Aria <3 XOXOXO
