Author - Holly

Webcam Industry

How do I start a Gold show on Streamate

Many models who cam on Streamate do gold shows at some point. A gold show is basically a group show where multiple people contribute to help you reach your goal amount. If the amount is reached, or if you get close enough to your goal, you can choose to do the show and everyone who contributed at least the minimum amount gets to join in and watch. Gold shows are appealing to many members because they usually only have to pay a small one-time amount in order to get a longer show, as opposed to paying per minute for a private show. And gold shows are appealing to cam models because they can raise a large amount of money and only have to do one show. It’s also guaranteed money as opposed to the possibility of someone taking you into private and leaving after only a couple of minutes.

Although the idea of a gold show is appealing, they can sometimes be hard to get started. This can be incredibly frustrating and may even make you want to give up or stop camming for the day. Luckily for you, I’ve been on Streamate for over four years now and can give you some advice on how to get your show started. 🙂 The first thing you need to consider is the time of day that you cam. This is important not only for gold shows, but just in general. You simply aren’t going to get as many customers if you cam while not as many people are online. Play around with different times and see what works for you. I’ve found that I get a lot of traffic when I cam in the afternoon (1-4 pm EST) and then again in the evening (7pm-midnight EST). My room is usually pretty busy during those times, especially when I’m offering gold shows.

When you go to start a gold show, you put in the amount that you want to raise all together, the amount of time your fans have to get you to that goal, how much each person has to contribute in order to watch the show, how long of a show you’re gonna do, and a topic for your show. Every single one of these factors is important and plays a big role in how successful your gold show will be. The amount that you want to raise all together should be realistic and based on how much you’re generally able to pull in during a gold show. If you set it too high, members will be hesitant to tip because they’ll think that you’ll only start the show if you reach that impossible goal. If you’re new to gold shows and having a hard time figuring out what to make your goal be, look at other models on the same line of the homepage as you. Likely they’ll be getting about the same amount of traffic as you, and this can at least help you decide a general range.

The amount each person has to contribute in order to watch the show is also very important. You will always want this number to be less than your per minute rate for private shows, since this is more of a group show without requests. And you’ll generally want it lower than the amount of time your show is gonna last. I’ve found that a 6-7 minute show for $4 works well for me. The topic that you set for your show is also important. You want it to include a general idea of what your fans can expect to see in the show. Don’t be misleading. Make sure you’re offering a show that’s well-rounded… something that a wide variety of people will enjoy. Your topic can also include any special deals you have going on.

Speaking of special deals, that’s another way to raise more money for your gold show. If you offer entries into a raffle, video packages, or something special to the high tipper, you’re more likely to get guys wanting to tip more than the minimum amount. For the high tipper, you can offer to moan their name during the show or even let them direct you. You can also offer different level video packages that your fans can purchase. They’re more likely to purchase these during a gold show than in free chat because then they get the videos plus the gold show as opposed to just the videos. Entries into a raffle are a good idea too. For me, I tell my fans that for every $5 they tip, they get one raffle ticket. So even though my gold shows are only $4 to watch, many will tip that extra $1 to get an entry. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can really add up over time.

Teasing and getting people pumped for your show is also very important. During your gold show countdown, you should never just be sitting there looking bored. Engage with your fans. Chat with them and greet them as they enter your room. Be sure to mention any video deals, games, or raffles that you have going on. Sometimes they’re too lazy or too busy watching you to read your topic or messages. Let them know what you’re gonna do in the show. You might even want to start removing some articles of clothing after you get a certain amount away from your goal. Being enthusiastic and teasing is a great way to get your fans excited for your show.

Feeling Comfortable As A Cam Model

July 11, 2016

Webcam Industry

Feeling Comfortable as a Webcam Model

When first starting out on cam, it’s important to figure out what kind of cam model you want to be. Just because you see the majority of cam models acting a certain way, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to follow in their footsteps. One of the most important factors among successful cam models is that they only do what they’re comfortable with. Doing only what you feel comfortable doing will make you enjoy your job that much more. And if you truly enjoy what you’re doing, it’ll show in your cam shows.

Despite what you might think from watching other models online, not all cam models get naked. Shocking, right? There is an art to teasing, and a lot of guys are really into that. Not all guys frequent cam sites to watch girls masturbating. Some are there simply to chat and make friends with you, for the company of the other fans in the chat room, and because they like your personality and enjoy interacting with you in a way that they might not be able to with other people in person. If you do decide that you want to be a non-nude model, it’s important to make that known to your fans. Misleading them to think that you may eventually take your clothes off if they tip you enough is wrong and could get you in a lot of trouble. Misleading your fans in that way can actually get you banned from cam sites. You may also start to notice bad reviews about yourself online. You won’t have return customers because no one will trust you. So just be sure you’re upfront about how far you go in your shows.

This is your job and you are in complete control. You’re free to switch up your style at any time. Maybe you decided to start non-nude and then decide a few months later that you want to start showing more. Doing this is completely up to you. But again, just be sure you’re doing whatever you feel comfortable doing. Don’t feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re uncomfortable or not enjoying yourself, it’ll show. It may be a turn-off to your fans to see you looking bored or uninterested. You won’t last as a cam model if you’re doing things that make you feel bad about yourself. The same way it’s ok to start doing something you didn’t do before, it’s also ok to stop doing something you used to do. If something you used to offer has started to make you feel uneasy, you don’t have to continue doing it.

Besides just deciding between being a nude or non-nude model, you also need to consider the kinds of things you want to offer and the types of shows you want to do. Do you only want to do live cam shows, Skype shows, premade content, sexting, phone calls, cam2cam, solo shows, boy/girl shows, shows with other cam models, dirty talk, toys, anal… the list goes on and on. Once again I’ll give you the same advice as I did earlier… only do what you’re comfortable with. Always remember that it’s ok to say no and it’s ok to ban someone who’s being a troll or making you feel uncomfortable.

Win Big On ManyVids

July 8, 2016

Making Money

ManyVids Contests

If you aren’t taking advantage of selling stuff on ManyVids, you’re really missing out! ManyVids has quickly become one of the most popular clip and store sites in the camming/adult industry. With their growing popularity comes lots of new and exciting opportunities for models to have some fun while earning extra cash! Over the past few months, ManyVids has announced several new contests and events where you can win big!

WINNING WEDNESDAY
On April 29th, ManyVids launched their first Winning Wednesday contest. The way the contest works is that they pick a theme and members of the site vote for who they think has the best themed picture. Any model or studio account can enter and every member of the site gets one free vote per model/studio. After using their free vote on someone, members can purchase extra votes for that model if they choose to. Since the contest ends up being more about who has the fans willing to spend the most on votes and not so much about the person who has the best themed picture, ManyVids gives out two prizes. The first is $300 to the model or studio that collects the most amount of votes. The second is $100 to the model or studio that the ManyVids staff thinks has the most creative/fun themed photo.

These contests don’t happen every week, but still pretty often. They’re usually announced 1-2 days in advance so you have time to take your photo. They only last for a few hours, usually from 1pm – 5pm EST. Besides displaying your photo on the contest page, you can also put in some text. Most models will offer prizes to the members who purchase votes for them. You can either list your prizes right there below your picture, or tell them where they can find a list of your prizes (public Snapchat account, Twitter, in your photos section on ManyVids, etc.). Another great perk… whenever someone purchases votes for you, you keep the money that they spent on the votes! You keep the same percentage as you do throughout the rest of the site, so 60%. So you’d earn $60 if someone buys $100 in votes for you. If you finish in the top 5-10, they sometimes send you goodies as a way to say congrats.

SUMMER SPLASH
ManyVids Summer Splash event is definitely something to check out! Every month, they already hand out $10,000 to their top earners every month. But for July, they’re doubling it! That means the top 25 models and studios who earn the most in sales throughout the month of July will get double what they normally get! The below chart shows how much you win if you place in the top 25:

MV DAILY GRIND
ManyVids is giving out even more cash throughout the month of July with the MV Daily Grind event. Every day in July, they will be giving out $500 to the top earner. The winner will be announced daily and the cash goes into your account right away. You can check out the leaderboard or visit your profile page to see what place you’re in. On the top of your profile, below your tabs, you can see your rank and also see a drop down menu where fans can donate extra to help you win. You’re free to offer prizes if you want in exchange for tips.

Protecting Yourself On Cam

July 7, 2016

Protecting yourself on Webcam

Protecting yourself while on cam is extremely important. From your real name to where you live, it’s completely up to you what information you decide to share with your fans. Definitely make sure you have a clear plan in action before getting on cam for the first time of what you’re comfortable sharing and what information you want to keep private. I’m gonna go over some different things to consider in this article, but keep in mind that this is the internet and you are being broadcast in front of hundreds or even thousands of people. Even if you do everything that you can to protect your identity, the possibility is always there for family, friends, or potential employers to find out what you do online.

There are lots of different things that you can be doing in order to protect yourself. The first is picking out your stage name. You shouldn’t use your real name on cam. Pick out a name that you like. This is your chance to be called whatever you want! If you decide to cam with a friend, make sure they know not to call you by your real name. It can be easy to slip up, so just watch out.

Some models are comfortable giving out their location, while others are not. This is completely up to you. If you decide not to share your location, there are some extra things to consider. One big give away of where you live could be sports teams that you root for. Even if you tell your fans that you used to live there and now you moved, it could still compromise things. You also have to be careful when posting on social media. Don’t mention events or places that you’re gonna be attending. That could be another sign of where you’re from. You could even end up with a stalker this way that follows you home… who knows.

Most cam and clip sites offer some form of regional blocking. Regional blocking allows you to block certain countries, states, cities, or even zip codes from viewing your cam shows. If you’re worried about friends, family, or just people in your area finding out what you do, you should probably set up regional blocking. Although this sounds like it would completely protect you, it doesn’t. There are hacks around it, such as someone using an IP address from somewhere that you don’t have blocked. Someone watching your shows could also secretly record them and post them on a tube site or somewhere else on the internet. If your content gets pirated and posted somewhere without your knowledge, you won’t be able to block regions on that site and someone you know may stumble upon it.

Keep your personal life and camming life separate. Create a new email address specifically for camming before you start. Never use your personal email or have it attached in any way. You should also make sure you protect your address on your wishlists. Either have it kept hidden from your wishlist or use a PO Box to get your fan mail. One thing that a lot of cam models don’t think about is photo cross-referencing. If you post a photo on one of your personal social media accounts, you should not post that picture on anything related to your camming. Someone could do a Google search of that photo and cross-reference it back to your personal account.

What you decide to share is up to you. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable, but be safe about it. Even if you feel fine with sharing a lot of your personal life, use common sense to know when it’s enough. I hope this article hasn’t scared anyone. It wasn’t meant to scare you, but more to make you aware of things you absolutely need to consider before deciding if this is the right career for you.

Making The Most Out Of Sexting

July 1, 2016

Webcam Models and Sexting

Now that you’re a cam model, what should you do next? Don’t just stop at camming… broaden your horizons! Expanding your business past just camming is what many successful models do. There are lots of different ways to do this: starting your own website, offering custom content, and even sexting! Sexting and phone sex is becoming more and more popular. There are lots of different sites out there that offer an easy way for you to sext your fans without having to give out your phone number or compromise your security.

On all of the sexting and adult phone call sites out there, they keep your personal phone number and the fans who are contacting you personal phone numbers completely private. They are able to do this with a routing system that takes the messages sent back and forth and making them come from an anonymous phone number. This way you can’t be tracked and your fan’s number is also secure. This can be done for both texting messaging and actual phone calls. The only thing you’ll want to do is make sure your voicemail doesn’t mention your actual phone number. That way if a fan calls you and gets sent to voicemail, they’re just hear some kind of generic message and not get your actual number.

Setting yourself up on the various sexting platforms is super easy, and there are lots of different choices out there for the site you decide to stick with. You can even feature yourself on multiple sites to increase your earnings if you want. But more goes into it than just getting approved and setting up your profile. It’s important to follow some pretty simple steps in order to get the most out of sexting and to be successful at it.

All of the various sites have different features, but one of my favorite features is being able to see how many credits on the site each member who’s connected with you has. This makes it easier to decide which members are a waste of time and which ones might actually chat with you. It’s especially useful if you have your phone number set to free and just charge per message they open from you. When your number is free, any member can ‘connect’, but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually chat with you. Some guys don’t understand how the site works and think they’re collecting hundreds of model’s phone numbers for free, not realizing they can’t do anything with them unless they pay per message. So being able to track how much money each user has on the site can really be a time saver. So that’s basically the first tip that I have… check credit amounts before spending too much time continuously messaging everyone who connects with you.

With that said, you should at least send some kind of hello message to everyone when they connect. Even if they don’t have any credits, they might be intrigued by your message and buy credits so that they can see what it says. And once you’ve roped them in, they might just become a repeat customer. Usually what I like to do is send them a short hello message thanking them for connecting and say that I hope I hear from them soon. Then I’ll send some kind of sexy teaser picture. I’ll even sometimes say something after the picture like, “If you like what you see, let me know so I can send more ;)”. If the person doesn’t have any credits on the site, I’ll usually just send the initial hello message. But if they have a decent amount, I’ll do the follow up ones to see if I can really engage them.

It’s also important to hold your customer’s interest without giving too much away at once. Don’t send them your most provocative picture right off the bat. Ease them into it with some flirty messages and pictures first. Make them want to see a little more at a time until they’re totally hooked on you. Make sure you’re engaging. Get to know the person and let them get to know a little about you. Many guys want to do some normal, everyday chat in between sexting. And also make sure you reply to their messages at a timely manner. They might message you on their lunch break or something and if you don’t get back to them until they have to start working again, they might lose interest by the time they can check their messages.

Just have fun with sexting and follow my simple tips. You’ll find that you can make a lot of extra income from it without having to do a lot of work.

Types Of Cam Shows

June 30, 2016

Different types of cam shows for webcam models

Depending on the site that you cam on, there are different types of cam shows you can offer your fans. It’s completely up to you which kind of shows to offer on each site. In most cases, you can set your own price either per minute for different shows or have a flat fee that each fan has to contribute in order to watch the show. So let’s go over the different show types:

FREE CHAT/PUBLIC CHAT
Every cam site has a free or public chat, but they all have different guidelines for what you can and cannot do while in public. Essentially this chat mode is free to any member or guest (although you can turn guests off on some sites, such as Streamate). You can still get tips while in public chat though. So, like I said, the rules for what you can get away with in public chat vary by site. Some sites such as Streamate don’t allow any nudity below the waist in public chat. You can shows your titties, but no pussy or asshole shots allowed! Other sites such as Myfreecams, don’t have restrictions for public chat. On sites like this, most girls will set a goal while in public chat and accept tips until they reach that goal. Once the goal is met, they’ll perform a show for everyone right there in public chat.

PRIVATE SHOW
Despite the name, private shows usually aren’t exactly private. On some sites like Streamate, one member will take you private and pay your per minute price for the whole time he’s in that private session with you. But other members can enter that same private chat and join in on the show. They have full access to everything that original member does. The private ends either when you end it or when all members leave the private. A private show is a little different on Myfreecams. Only one member can take you private and they pay MFC’s set per minute price. Other members can join in, but they only join as spies. This means they can watch the show, but they cannot chat with you or hear anything you’re saying. They pay a lower per minute rate, which is also set by MFC.

EXCLUSIVE/TRUE PRIVATE
Although they have different names depending on the site you’re on (exclusive on Streamate, true private on Myfreecams), these shows are the same thing. When a fan takes you into an exclusive or true private chat session, it’s just the two of you. No one else can enter and no one can spy on the show. MFC sets the per minute price for you, but many models require the member to tip a certain amount before the true private to show they won’t just take them and leave them after a minute or two. You set your own exclusive price per minute on Streamate, and it’s generally higher than your private rate since it’s a one-on-one show. You can also offer block sessions on Streamate for exclusive and private shows. With these, the member pays for a certain block of time in advance (5 minutes, 10, minutes, 20 minutes, etc.). They’re charged the full amount right away and you’re paid that amount as long as you don’t end the session early.

GROUP SHOW
Group shows exist on various sites, including Myfreecams. Basically at least three members have to request a group show from you before you can actually enter a group chat. More members than that can join, but three is the minimum to get things started. Once in group chat, everyone watching the show pays a small per minute price, set by MFC. You can end the show whenever you want, or else it ends automatically once all paying members leave the chat.

GOLD SHOW
A gold show is a special show on Streamate. Similar shows exist on other sites as well, but have different names. With a gold show, you set a topic letting your fans know what you plan on doing in the show, a goal for how much you want to raise in order to do the show, the minimum amount each member has to tip in order to watch the show, how long of a show you’ll do, and how long your members have to collectively get you to your goal. During the countdown process, members tip the minimum or higher to be able to watch the show. Every member that tips will get to see your show if you decide to start it. If you hit your goal or get close enough that you decide you want to start it, all of those members who tipped the minimum or higher get taken into a private chat where they can watch you perform. Even after the show starts, more members are free to tip in and join as well.

Hygiene Tips For Cam Models

June 24, 2016

Hygiene for Webcam Models

Keeping up with your health and hygiene is incredibly important for anyone, but extra important for cam models. If your body isn’t healthy, you may not be able to work. There are lots of little tips and tricks that you can do to keep your body at it’s best. You really have to pay attention to everything that you put on and in (giggity) your body. From the type of soap you use to the material of toys you use, it’s important to know your own body and do everything you can to keep it healthy.

When first starting out as a cam model, it’s a good idea to get several toys that are all made out of different materials. Even if you just buy cheap ones at first, it’ll give you the opportunity to see which materials feel the best for you. You’ll also be able to find out if your body doesn’t react well to certain materials. Some models buy expensive toys right off the bat and then end up being allergic to them. They have to either throw them away at that point or put a condom over them. And let’s face it, guys don’t want to see you fucking a dildo with a condom on it.

After finding out which materials work best for you, keeping up with cleaning your toys is incredibly important. You should clean your toys every single time that you use them. Some toys such as glass ones and silicone ones can be boiled. This will kill any germs and bacteria. But good old soap and water will do the trick too for most toys. Use a gentle soap and be sure to completely rinse your toys off after using soap. You don’t want to get that soap inside of you because it could lead to an infection. You also want to make sure you completely dry your toys after each washing. Leaving them wet could cause mold or bacteria to grow on them. When you aren’t using your toys, you should store them in a cool, dry place. Either space them out or get some kind of individual storage unit for each toy. You don’t want them touching each other. Some toys don’t react well when touched by other toys, and you may end up ruining them. There are also cleaners made specifically for toys. These are a good option too. Although you really should wash your toys after each use, some models use baby wipes to clean them off in between shows and then actually wash them or boil them at the end of the night. This isn’t a bad option, and baby wipes can really come in handy if you have toys that are particularly attracted to dust and fuzz.

Some models will do oil or lotion shows. Depending on the type of oil you use, it may not be the best idea to get any inside of your vagina. It may lead to an infection. The same goes for lotion. You should never put lotion inside of you. Some girls make the mistake of filling their squirting dildos with lotion. Terrible idea! Use watered down, plain yogurt instead.

If you do a lot of bath shows, you may also be susceptible to infections. To help prevent them, try using soaps and bubble baths from the baby aisle. These are specifically designed to be used on sensitive skin. You won’t have to worry about them irritating you. I also recommend using baby soap for shaving. It’ll help prevent irritation and leave your skin smooth and moisturized.

Another good habit to get into is showering after you’re done camming. If one of your toys or even your fingers were a little dirty, you’ll prevent anything from going wrong down there with a quick rinse off in the shower. Also, if you start to feel sore or swollen during your shows, take a little break or switch to a wand vibrator for awhile. The last thing you want is to be in pain while working or have to take the next day off because you went too hard the night before.

File Sharing And Storage

June 15, 2016

File Sharing and Storage for Webcam Models

As you start to create more and more content, it’s important to have a place online where you can store everything. There’s a couple reasons for this. First, it’s good practice to keep backups of your content just in case something happens to your computer. If you get a virus or any kind of issue happens with your hard drive, it’d be a nightmare to lose all of the content that you spent so much time working on. If you have everything saved online, you can just download everything after your computer is fixed. Sometimes your customers will lose their copy of a custom you shot for them. Instead of wasting space on your hard drive, you can store custom content online. That way you’ll be able to send it to them again if they accidentally delete it.

When using most file storage sites, they also let you share your files anonymously. This is great for sending out customs, putting together and sending out video/photoset packages, and also for sharing files on sites like Streamate where they don’t allow you to give out any personal information or other social media names/links. On sites like that, it’s perfectly fine to send out content using a file sharing site as long as it’s anonymous and you don’t have your content watermarked with a different site link or username.

There are three main sites that most cam models use for their file storage and sharing needs. All three sites are pretty similar, but have a few differences.

The first site is Dropbox. Dropbox is my personal favorite and the site I use to store all of my content. It’s the most expensive option, but I find it to be the most reliable and incredibly easy to use. If you don’t have a lot of content, Dropbox allows you to store up to 2GB for free. If you connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts, you can earn an additional 250MB of storage. And for each person that you refer, you earn an additional 500MB of storage space. If you have a lot of content, you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro version. It’s $9.99/month or $99/year for 1TB of space. That’s 1000GB! You can organize everything by folder, move, copy and rename files, and share your files. You might be thinking, “If I give out a link to one of my videos to a paying customer, couldn’t they just share that link with other people?” A really great feature with Dropbox is the ability to make links expire. And if you upgrade to Pro, you can password protect your links as well if you choose to. For me, I sell video/photoset packages when I’m doing my live cam shows. I have four folders that contain different videos and pictures, depending on how much the person tips. Every Monday before I get on cam, I set my links for those folders to expire at 11:59 pm the following Sunday. And then when someone tips for them throughout the week, I send them that week’s link and let them know to make sure they download the content by Sunday night. Another nice feature about Dropbox is the phone app. You can access your Dropbox from any device.

The second file sharing and storage site is MediaFire. MediaFire offers many of the same features as Dropbox, but it’s cheaper. You get 10GB of free space when you sign-up. If you connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts, you can earn an additional 2GB of free storage space. And for every person that you refer, you earn an additional 1GB of space. If you run out of storage space, you can upgrade to Pro for $5/month or $45/year. If you’re using the free version of MediaFire, there are lots of ads and captcha codes. The amount of time that you can store your files for free is also limited. Like Dropbox, you can organize your files into folders and share those files through links.

The final file sharing and storage site is Project Maenad. It’s currently in beta mode and completely free to use. It was designed specifically for cam models. In the future, they plan to monetize the site by taking a percentage from payments processed through the site. The site has been around for over a year now, but I’m a little skeptical of future plans. I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable moving all of my content to them since they aren’t as established as Dropbox or MediaFire. I’ve also seen a decent amount of cam models reporting errors and bugs on the site. Just like with the other sites, you can organize your files into folders and share those files through links. You can also set expiration dates for your links. With Project Maenad, you’re even given a profile that you can customize. Your profile can contain a picture of you, some basic information, and the sites you’re on. If you’re using Project Maenad with a site like Streamate, you must check the Hide Profile Links button before sending out a link. That way you won’t break Streamate’s TOS about not giving out links to other sites you work on.

All three sites are good options for file sharing and storage. Ultimately it’s up to you which site to use.

Being Smart With Your Contests And Raffles

June 13, 2016