What to consider before starting an OnlyFans

Monica Huldt went from working as a dancer to making $750,000 in a year as an OnlyFans Creator—and she’s not the only one. Many content creators have completely transformed their lives by joining the platform.

Earning big on OnlyFans is enticing, but it’s not all smooth sailing. There are lots of things to consider before making an OnlyFans profile.

This guide will help you understand the key considerations to make an informed decision.

#1: OnlyFans is a lot more work than it seems

You might think OnlyFans is an easy way to make some quick cash by posting a few racy pictures every now and then, but there’s a lot more work going on behind the scenes than it may seem. 

• Self-promotion: Building an audience on OnlyFans takes a lot of effort. You’ll need to be active on other social media channels, reply to comments and DMs promptly, and collaborate with other Creators for cross-promotion. 

• Content creation: Being an OnlyFans Creator means creating content that fans will like and hopefully pay for.  Snapping a few pictures isn’t enough. You’ll need to post high-quality content regularly, listen to their desires, and create the content they want to see. 

• Fan interaction: Getting fans to subscribe to your page isn’t the end of it. You also need to continually engage and interact with them. Be ready to reply to spicy requests, do dick ratings for them, or create custom content based on their wishes. Keeping up that personal connection is a lot of work but is key to having loyal subscribers who can’t get enough of you.

• Business responsibilities: When starting an OnlyFans profile, you’re also starting a business and creating your own. And in order to make your business successful you need to give it time and a lot of work. This also means dealing with the business side of things. You’ll have to handle your own finances, track your income and expenses, and manage your taxes.

#2: You’ll need to learn the basics of photography and videography

Learning about photography and video editing can be incredibly helpful if you want to start an OnlyFans.

It all starts with some good equipment: a professional camera, lights, tripods, and editing software. 

You may start taking pictures with your phone at first, but you’ll quickly realize that switching to pro gear will pay off. The reason is simple: high-quality content has more visual appeal.

If your photos and videos are well-shot and well-edited, they’ll stand out more. Good lighting, composition, and clarity make or break a good photo. 

It also makes the difference when it comes to branding. Good photography and editing help you establish a consistent visual style that aligns with your personal brand, making your content recognizable and unique.

#3: It’s hard to stay anonymous 

Revealing your identity on OnlyFans can have serious consequences. In this subreddit, a Creator shares how their life was turned upside down when their family found out they were working as a spicy Creator. 

It’s not hard to see why many Creators opt to stay anonymous. You can achieve anonymity using different angles, masks, or props to hide your identity. However, even if you want to keep your OnlyFans hustle a secret, you might realize that showing your face is actually way more lucrative.

Why?

Personal connection is a big factor. When subscribers can see your face, they often feel a stronger connection to you. This sense of personal connection can increase their loyalty and willingness to spend money on your content.

People tend to engage more with Creators who they feel they know and can relate to on a personal level.

Not to mention, your branding and marketing efforts will be more effective when you show your face. It’s easier to build a recognizable brand and attract followers on social media when you give a face to a name.

Creators like Emma Claire and Bambiblue have never publicly shown their faces, and they’re among the top-earning Creators on the platform. So, staying anonymous on OnlyFans might be tricky, but it’s not impossible. 

#4: You need to be active 

OnlyFans isn’t about dropping a few pictures and calling it a day. To be successful, you need to be active on the platform. 

OnlyFans is like any social platform—when you interact with your audience often, they feel more connected to you. This connection can lead to loyalty, more requests, and more money. 

The platform is pretty competitive, too. There are tons of Creators out there, all trying to grab attention. Posting regularly helps keep you visible in subscribers’ feeds and in search results. That’s key for attracting new fans and keeping the ones you have.

Now, how often you post can vary. Some Creators post daily, while others find success with a less intense schedule. It really depends on what works best for your niche and how your audience responds.

Experimenting a bit and listening to feedback from your subscribers can help you figure out the right posting rhythm for you.

#5: Consider blocking social media apps from syncing with your contacts

Promoting yourself on social media is key, but when you sync your contacts, social media apps can use this information to recommend your account to people you know.

This means your profile might pop up as a suggestion for your friends, family members, colleagues, or acquaintances who have your phone number saved in their contacts.

This recommendation feature is designed to help users connect with people they already know in real life, but it also means that your social media presence could become more visible to people in your personal network.

Most social media apps provide options to control whether or not you sync contacts and how your information is used for recommendations. You can usually find these settings in the app’s privacy or account settings.

This video quickly explains how to turn off contact syncing on Instagram:

You can also use a VPN and make sure that people who live near you don’t come across your account. 

#6: Get familiar with the Terms of Service

Before you start posting on OnlyFans, make sure you understand the platform’s Terms of Service. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about accepted forms of content, intellectual property rights, taxes, and payments.

Knowing these rules can help ensure that your content complies with the platform’s standards and reduce the risk of your account being suspended or banned.

The Terms of Service are periodically updated to adapt to industry changes, legal requirements, and user feedback. Keeping abreast of these updates helps you stay informed about platform developments so that you can plan your future content accordingly.

Spicy Creator Sophie Ladder put together a great summary of the restrictions across various platforms, including OnlyFans: Site Restrictions

#7: Build up your media library ASAP

Imagine having a media library full of photos and videos so you can offer spicy content to new fans right from the start. 

New followers are more likely to subscribe and stay if they see a variety of content available right away. It sets a positive first impression and shows that you’re committed to regularly providing value.

Peachy Queen Amelia’s message for new subscribers.

Building a diverse media library gives you flexibility in catering to different subscriber preferences. You can offer a mix of photos, videos, live streams, and other content formats, appealing to a broader audience and keeping your content fresh and engaging.

Joining OnlyFans: Weighing the pros and cons

Becoming an OnlyFans Creator can be life-changing if you put your mind to it. Many Creators are living their dream lives thanks to the platform.

But before you dive in, there are a few things to think about: your friends and family might find out, it takes a lot of time and hard work, and you need to create and post content regularly to stay relevant.

If this sounds manageable or even exciting, joining OnlyFans might be a decision you won’t regret.