How to Make Money on OnlyFans

Monetize your OnlyFans account by creating unique content viewers will be willing to pay for through subscriptions, tips, pay-per-views, and others.

Curious how other online creators have made OnlyFans their thriving income stream? The naked truth is, most of them take the sexy route.

While this platform also welcomes other passionate individuals seeking financial independence, creators tend to make good money with adult content.

If you dare turn your shtick into a revenue powerhouse, read on to learn more.

Is It Difficult to Make Money on OnlyFans?

While it may come easy for some creators, it generally takes effort to monetize an OnlyFans account. Begin by strategically planning and building a fanbase, which is vital to your earning potential.

Meanwhile, these are the specific steps to help you get there:

Establish Your Niche

Although OnlyFans gained fame as a hub for adult entertainment, it has a lot of subcategories that help creators stand out from an already saturated market.

For example, a male OnlyFans creator who goes by the name Teddy Bear took full advantage of the fact that there aren't too many men in the SW space. He sells himself as the hairiest guy on the platform.^[1]

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to have a unique selling point that'll interest viewers enough to pay for it. It could be a distinctive personality, a signature move, or an underexplored topic.

More importantly, you must genuinely enjoy creating your content. This will keep you motivated and engaged in the long run.

Promote Your OnlyFans Account

You've probably heard about actress Bella Thorne blowing up OnlyFans in 2020, generating $1 million within her first 24 hours.^[2] But is that just an outlier?

A few days before launching on the platform, she promoted her OnlyFans account to her 25 million-plus Instagram followers. That's a lot of eyeballs!

Effective self-promotion is key to expanding your audience which, in turn, increases your potential to roll in the dough.

Use your existing socials (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) to invite people to OnlyFans and become your fans. Then share teasers or use relevant hashtags to boost your content's discoverability online.

You may not have Bella's star power, but you can go from zero to hero if you do your part.

Offer Paid Subscription-Based Content

Paid subscriptions are the lifeblood of most online creators. They allow creators to earn more by providing viewers with exclusive high-quality content.

You can set your monthly subscription price, starting from $4.99 to a maximum of $50.^[5] You can also offer different subscription tiers according to varying levels or perks.

OnlyFans superstar Bryce Adams has three accounts on the platform, two of which are paid subscriptions. One sells for $6.99 per month while the other is her VIP account which costs $30 per month. She makes 8 figures from OnlyFans.^[6]

When pricing your OnlyFans subscription, look at how much similar creators in your niche charge. Check the frequency and quality of their content to come up with a competitive price.

Activate Tips

Interacting regularly with your audience can get your tip action going. Set tipping goals to spice things up and give your fan a little nudge. In return, whip up exclusive content to say thanks.

And here's the lowdown for newbies: your fans can tip up to $100 for a single transaction, which increases to $200 if they've been on the platform for more than 4 months.^[7]

Famous OnlyFans celebrity Bhad Bhabie showed screenshots of her phenomenal earnings of nearly $53 million from April 2021 to April 2022.^[8] She received a total of over $160,000 in tips during that period. Talk about making it rain!

Send Pay-Per-View Messaging (PPV)

Pay-per-views add a layer of exclusivity to your offerings, which can be an effective strategy to augment your OnlyFans income.

Jade Nicole, a mom of 2, is said to have made $1 million on the platform, even if she only had around 1,000 subscribers.^[10] The secret is — you know it — PPVs!

To start, you can use templates with PPV unlocks that follow a sequence of a conversation or story. Then set ascending fees as you progress from one template to another.

You may also consider having 2 OnlyFans accounts, one free and one paid. You can offer select content from your subscriber account to your free account fans as PPVs.

Ultimately, your paid messages have got to be worthwhile. Otherwise, you might turn away fans and incur a chargeback or credit card dispute.

Stream Live

Live streams provide great value to your subscriptions, pay-per-views (PPV), and tips. They offer real-time, unfiltered interaction, making your fans feel they've gotten past the velvet rope into the hippest club in town.

Whether you're belting out tunes as a musician, owning the stage at a public gig, or just doing your thing, live streams add that personal touch your audience craves.

At one point, Marie Dee earned close to $5,000 when she streamed live on OnlyFans for 3 hours.^[11] She recommends promoting your live stream at least 1 to 3 days beforehand.

No matter what your vibe is, live streaming on OnlyFans can cater to various niches. Its multifaceted approach to how you make money offers exclusive and dynamic content that goes beyond traditional presentations.

Create Custom Content

Custom content is exactly what it is — content you make specifically for someone. It's like serving an off-the-menu dish in a restaurant because that's what your customer wants.

This offer is particularly helpful when you're still growing your account and don't have a lot of fans yet. But as your page grows bigger, so should your custom content price.

Typically, you price custom content depending on how complex or how long it would be. It could be anywhere from $10 to $50.

For example, Kayla (knicoledz), an adult content creator, sets a minimum of 3 minutes for customs, at around $20 per minute ($30 if it mentions the fan's name).^[13]

She says that if that fan unsubscribes after several months, she will reuse the unnamed custom content by sending it as a mass message. Now that's working smart.

Provide Referrals

Aside from your OnlyFans content, you can also make money off of others through a referral program. To get your unique referral link, just go to your My Referrals on your drop-down menu.

Share the link on your socials, websites, and blogs with snippets of your content. This will give potential new creators a glimpse of what they may gain by joining.

You get 5% of their total earnings (capped at $1 million or $50,000 for the referrer) for the first 12 months.^[15] But before May 2020, referrers can rake in their 5% commission for as long their referral earns on the platform.^[16]

Although there's a cap on commissions, the number of referrals you can make remains unlimited. Those creators, however, must input your referral code upon signing up, or you lose the referral benefits.

Sell Merch

Referrals aren't the only alternative to paid content. You can also sell merchandise like hoodies, posters, mugs, and even digital downloads that feature your unique branding.

Marketing your brand through merch not only generates additional income but also strengthens your relationship with your audience.

And don't worry about doing the dirty work; you can use a third-party service to handle production, fulfillment, and customer service. One example is Spring Store, which can be integrated into your OnlyFans account.^[17]

Aside from merch, it's also common for adult creators to sell even their personal items. Rebekka Blue says that 20% of her total OnlyFans earnings come from this activity.^[18]

Set Up An Onlyfans Agency

Even if you're not a creator, you can hit it big in OnlyFans. By creating an OnlyFans agency, you'll manage and represent multiple content creators and get a cut from their income.

Running an OnlyFans account alone can be a lot of work for creators. That's why they might go to an OnlyFans agency that can take care of things they'd rather not do, like marketing.

For example, Sparks is an OnlyFans management agency that does 90% of the work, from advertising to content strategizing.^[20] They even have a team that handles clients' paid chatting services, working in 3 shifts 24/7.

Much like a regular modeling agency, you'll earn by charging a commission on the OnlyFans income of your talents. This can range from 30% to 60% of your creator's net earnings.

Collaborate With Other Creators

Collaborations and crossovers are nothing new on social media. However, they continue to be a power move for most, whether you're a new user or a long-time creator.

Teaming up with other creators may not only bring a fresh spin to your content but also help expand your audience. Even a shoutout from another creator can give your OnlyFans a push.

Co-streaming is live streaming that involves two creators, making content available on both pages. One of you has to be subscribed to the other to enable this feature. Bryce Adams often co-streams with other creators to stay on top of her game.

Remember, successful collaborations often present a genuine connection between collaborators. Fans can sense when it's forced or inauthentic, which can impact retention rates and engagement.

How Do I Start An Onlyfans Account?

Here are the steps in setting up your OnlyFans account:

1. Sign up on OnlyFans.com (must be at least 18 years old).
   
2. Upload a valid form of ID (passport, driver's license, ID card).
   
3. Add your bank account or verified e-wallet details.
   
4. Choose your payout option for your creator earnings.
   
5. Start uploading your content!

To begin charging your fans, set your monthly subscription price from $4.99 to $50. Or, you can offer your account as a free subscription first.

Note that if you live outside the US, you may be asked for additional information, depending on your country.

Tips In Maintaining Your Onlyfans Account

Running a successful OnlyFans creator account involves a combination of creativity, consistency, and effective engagement with your audience.

Here are some things to remember about the platform:

Focus on what makes you unique.
The creator market on OnlyFans is highly competitive. You'll find that so many others are already doing the same thing as you.

It's important to establish your niche, determine what sets you apart, and inject that into your content. More importantly, don't forget to market your page.

Treat your page like a convenience store.
OnlyFans viewers can just come and go—that's just the nature of the business. So, instead of worrying about customer retention, focus on bringing people to your page to purchase your content, even if they leave after that.

Repost content for newer fans.
The OnlyFans Vault provides cloud storage for all the content you have released on the platform.^[21] Thanks to this, you can easily pluck photos or videos for your new subscribers as a bonus or PPV.

Be consistent.
When you say you're going live at a particular time of the week, you should keep your word and deliver. Set aside extra hours because they can go longer, especially if you're freestyling.

Don't be shy to ask for tips.
Nobody wants to come off as being too greedy. But if you believe you're doing great work, fans can be more than happy to show their appreciation. You can even pin your tip menu on your profile page, which is best when selling multiple content.

Bottom Line

Making money on your OnlyFans account requires a blend of business savvy, exclusivity, and engagement.

You must leverage its existing tools for paying fans while delivering high-quality content in return.

So, if you're ready to embrace and showcase your passion and creativity, start hustling!

References