Being an independent webcam model revolves around sourcing out clients on your own without any promotion or traffic from a camming site. When you choose to go the independent route, you have to be prepared to market your services on your own; you will not have the luxury of high traffic or multiple guests in a chat room like it happens on most of the big webcam sites.
Most truly independent models perform shows via Skype or Yahoo Messenger.
Most models start out on the big sites, but once they have a built a name and have a long list of loyal clients they opt to go indie. For someone who is green in the industry, it may be a bit hard to make it as an independent model because for starters, no one knows who you are.
Unless you are receiving help from an expert in the camming industry in terms of guidance on how to get clients, it is always advisable to start out your camming career working on the big sites so that you can build your brand and also gain experience.
However, this does not mean that you cannot start your career as an indie model straight away; there are plenty of listing directories which aspiring models can subscribe and in return, they will provide you with Skype usernames and emails which you can use to woo clients for live shows. Some of the listing directories even provide payment processing services for models, thus making your job much easier. The listing directories will only take a small cut, usually 10%-15% which is a lot cheaper compared to the 35-40% charged by most webcam sites.
If you are a popular Instagram model or pornstar, there are lots of opportunities if you choose to go independent. You will make a lot of money without much of a hassle, on your own terms. You will not even need a listing directory to propel you to success because you already have a ready market to sell your services.
Challenges of being an independent webcam model
Self-promotion is the biggest challenge because even the contacts you receive from listing directories will not automatically convert to paying clients. You will need to woo them via Skype chat to go live on cam with you for a fee and sometimes only one out of ten will convert.
If you do not have a third-party site to handle your payments, you will often get ripped off by clients who insist on paying after the show. This is because clients are afraid of being scammed and you also run the risk of being scammed. You will thus have to register with a third party company to ensure that clients have a safe way to make payments and take away the risk of either party ripping off each other.
Moreover, most of the credible money transfer companies such as PayPal have a strict policy against the transfer of funds earned through online sex activities and you risk your account being suspended and your earnings confiscated.
Advantages of going independent
- More intimate sessions with clients
- You are your own boss; you make all the rules
- You will earn more money from your work because no one is taking a big cut from your earnings.
- You get to retain your clients for a long time since you are not in a situation of neck-neck competition, like what happens in the big webcam sites.
- More privacy- since your profile is not exposed to millions of people worldwide; you are able to operate without the risk of exposure to friends and family.
- The Webcam Model Industry: Incline or Decline? - February 25, 2017
- Webcam Models Who Are Parents - October 24, 2016
- What Life is Like for a Webcam Model - October 24, 2016
