20 Apr How To Price Your Content Without Selling Yourself Short
Posted
in Tips 'n' Tricks
One of the silliest misconceptions about the adult industry is that you can just post a couple of foot pics and suddenly be raking in piles of cash. It sounds ridiculous to outsiders because, well, it totally is. For those of us actually doing the work, we know the real story: there’s a massive gap between taking a cute photo of your piggies and actually seeing a dime for them. You’re juggling marketing, networking, and a constant daily grind just to get someone to the finish line. That final hurdle is always the price tag.
SET YOUR VALUE WITH CONFIDENCE
Whether you’re just starting your journey or giving your old menu a long overdue overhaul, never forget that you’re the boss here. Your body, your labor, and your art are 100% under your control, including what you decide to charge for access to it. Despite that, it’s totally normal to want to peek at what others are doing to get an idea of where to start. There’s no need to stress about it, though, because you’ve got plenty of resources if you’re willing to put in the work.
DEFINE YOUR PRICING MODEL EARLY
Before you go diving head first into a mountain of other people’s menus, you’ve got to narrow down your own vision. For example, if you’re going for a subscription site, decide if you want a cheap or free entry price that relies on PPV, or a higher monthly fee with more content on the wall. If you set up a $30 page but expect the high volume of a free page, you’re probably going to end up disappointed. On the other hand, if you have a free page, don’t throw your whole library on the feed, or you’ll kill your PPV sales.
LEARN FROM THE MARKET AROUND YOU
The great thing here is that you can use the same kind of logic normie businesses use to figure out a pricing strategy. Check out your competition, chat with your network, and scroll through socials to see where the middle ground is for your specific niche. It definitely sucks sometimes that almost everything we do is ranked and numbered like a leaderboard, but that gives us a lot of tangible information we can use when we need to nail down our rates. If you’re a girl-next-door type with a few thousand followers, you’ll get a much better baseline finding others in that neighborhood than looking at a goth domme with a massive following.
Now that your vision is locked in, it’s time to do some actual market research. Find other creators, cam models, or influencers who fit your general vibe and see what they’re up to. While you’re lurking, maybe buy some content or send a few tips as a secret “thank you” for the insight you’re gaining. It helps you get a real feel for what fans are actually paying for and what they expect in return. Just use this info as a reference point – never copy someone else’s work, it’s unethical, yucky, and what works for one person isn’t universal anyway.
TAKE ADVICE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
You can also take a more direct route and just ask people for their advice or input on the prices you’ve put together. Most people who actually take the time to respond are trying to be helpful and offer some genuine insight. Just take everything with a grain of salt, because some people love to see the competition slip up. If someone with no engagement tells you they charge $100 a minute for SFW customs, they’re probably full of it. Trust your gut when people start giving you “expert” advice that doesn’t add up.
BUILD IN FLEXIBILITY WITH PRICING
Once you’ve finished your homework and built that menu, try adding an extra 10% to your base prices. This gives you room to run “sales” and make your content look more attractive without actually losing money. Do your best to stay competitive without selling yourself short, and don’t let fans push you around. If someone comes at you with “well, this other creator only charges $X,” just remember, they aren’t you.
STAND BY YOUR WORTH
When it comes down to it, you’re the only one who gets to decide what your labor is worth. Be confident, project that value, and don’t apologize for your rates. Your current and future fans will follow your lead and believe what you believe about your worth. Stay firm on your boundaries, keep your head up, and go get that money you rightfully deserve.
Riley Cyriis is a New England-based indie content creator and mortician. She owns Cyriis Studios with her partner, Ryan Cyriis. She’s a cult survivor, a heavily-armed liberal, and the enemy of corruption and greed.
One of the silliest misconceptions about the adult industry is that you can just post a couple of foot pics and suddenly be raking in piles of cash. It sounds ridiculous to outsiders because, well, it totally is. For those of us actually doing the work, we know the real story: there’s a massive gap between taking a cute photo of your piggies and actually seeing a dime for them. You’re juggling marketing, networking, and a constant daily grind just to get someone to the finish line. That final hurdle is always the price tag.
SET YOUR VALUE WITH CONFIDENCE
Whether you’re just starting your journey or giving your old menu a long overdue overhaul, never forget that you’re the boss here. Your body, your labor, and your art are 100% under your control, including what you decide to charge for access to it. Despite that, it’s totally normal to want to peek at what others are doing to get an idea of where to start. There’s no need to stress about it, though, because you’ve got plenty of resources if you’re willing to put in the work.
DEFINE YOUR PRICING MODEL EARLY
Before you go diving head first into a mountain of other people’s menus, you’ve got to narrow down your own vision. For example, if you’re going for a subscription site, decide if you want a cheap or free entry price that relies on PPV, or a higher monthly fee with more content on the wall. If you set up a $30 page but expect the high volume of a free page, you’re probably going to end up disappointed. On the other hand, if you have a free page, don’t throw your whole library on the feed, or you’ll kill your PPV sales.
LEARN FROM THE MARKET AROUND YOU
The great thing here is that you can use the same kind of logic normie businesses use to figure out a pricing strategy. Check out your competition, chat with your network, and scroll through socials to see where the middle ground is for your specific niche. It definitely sucks sometimes that almost everything we do is ranked and numbered like a leaderboard, but that gives us a lot of tangible information we can use when we need to nail down our rates. If you’re a girl-next-door type with a few thousand followers, you’ll get a much better baseline finding others in that neighborhood than looking at a goth domme with a massive following.
Now that your vision is locked in, it’s time to do some actual market research. Find other creators, cam models, or influencers who fit your general vibe and see what they’re up to. While you’re lurking, maybe buy some content or send a few tips as a secret “thank you” for the insight you’re gaining. It helps you get a real feel for what fans are actually paying for and what they expect in return. Just use this info as a reference point – never copy someone else’s work, it’s unethical, yucky, and what works for one person isn’t universal anyway.
TAKE ADVICE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
You can also take a more direct route and just ask people for their advice or input on the prices you’ve put together. Most people who actually take the time to respond are trying to be helpful and offer some genuine insight. Just take everything with a grain of salt, because some people love to see the competition slip up. If someone with no engagement tells you they charge $100 a minute for SFW customs, they’re probably full of it. Trust your gut when people start giving you “expert” advice that doesn’t add up.
BUILD IN FLEXIBILITY WITH PRICING
Once you’ve finished your homework and built that menu, try adding an extra 10% to your base prices. This gives you room to run “sales” and make your content look more attractive without actually losing money. Do your best to stay competitive without selling yourself short, and don’t let fans push you around. If someone comes at you with “well, this other creator only charges $X,” just remember, they aren’t you.
STAND BY YOUR WORTH
When it comes down to it, you’re the only one who gets to decide what your labor is worth. Be confident, project that value, and don’t apologize for your rates. Your current and future fans will follow your lead and believe what you believe about your worth. Stay firm on your boundaries, keep your head up, and go get that money you rightfully deserve.
Riley Cyriis is a New England-based indie content creator and mortician. She owns Cyriis Studios with her partner, Ryan Cyriis. She’s a cult survivor, a heavily-armed liberal, and the enemy of corruption and greed.
