Originally, this interview was conducted under the premise that the OF creator I was talking to was anonymous. She had asked to remain as such, and I respected her right to privacy. Since the original publication of this interview back in July, the creator has since revealed her identity as the investment-savvy guest in this very interview.
This creator goes by the pseudonym Amouranth.
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘OnlyFans’?
If you were to venture onto the OnlyFans Twitter account, you would be met with marketing materials pertaining to yoga practitioners, health coaches, mindfulness gurus, celebrities, influencers, make-up artists, and a whole host of other creators who are sharing content behind a paywall on OnlyFans.
Not much sign of the creators that the general public mostly associates with OnlyFans. These creators are those who share a range of sexual content, ranging from the most mundane vanilla to the most erotic and fetishised.
The platform became synonymous with ‘sex workers’ after its launch in 2016 but appears to be making moves to pivot away from that association in pursuit of attracting more investor dollars. In the guest’s own words, they found this unsurprising, claiming that:
“creator crowdfunding/subscription platforms follow a sort of progression - start off by catering to sex workers or other risque niche content creators - then eventually pivot to try and burnish the brand”
The way this business operates is fairly simple, so let’s water it down to the basics. For the most part, a creator will sign-up to OnlyFans and can monetise their audience through pay-walled subscriptions, which provide access to a private “page” where creators interact with their fans. A feed if you will.
Within that feed, fans can tip creators within posts, messages, and so on. The third method of monetisation stems from paywalled messages (or DMs). A creator can send a locked DM to one, or all, of their subscribers, set their price, and the fan get to reveal the paywalled images, text, or video, upon paying for the content.
There is a lot more to it, but we are going to brush over this today, as it’s not the core part of this piece. A few weeks ago, there was a Bloomberg article that circulated suggesting that the company were looking to raise external funding.
Bloomberg reported, on June 16th, that the company “is in talks to raise new funding at a company valuation of more than $1 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter.”
It was reported that OnlyFans was profitable, had generated $2 billion in total platform sales during 2020 and, with their 20% cut (which they take on the average creator’s sales), took home $400 million in revenue.
During the lockdowns, the site exploded.
In 2019, it was reported that there were between 50,000 and 70,000 creators on the site. By the first third quarter of 2020, that number was closer to 700,000 and today it stands at well over 1 million.
Pre-pandemic, the site boasted ~20 million users, which now stands at closer to 130 million today. This London-based firm was apparently looking to raise funding at a valuation of just $1 billion. I find this hard to believe. To me, this seemed like insane value for a two-sided marketplace that is growing at such a fast clip, with such sticky users (no pun intended). It prompted me to tweet about it:
After this tweet gained in excess of 600K impressions, and a few RTs, it sparked a lot of discussions, which led me to an idea.
I had heard about creators on the site earning attractive incomes from their work and wanted to see how they felt about this valuation, as well as seeking an opportunity to pick someone’s brain on the industry as a whole.
I put it out there, that I was interested in interviewing someone.
A few days passed, and a few failed attempts of trying to source someone flew by.
Then, the perfect candidate entered my DMs and expressed a willingness to share their story. I had read a previous piece by Rex Woodbury over at Index Ventures, where he interviewed Jasmine Rice, a creator on OnlyFans. You can find that piece here. This was a good jumping point to a discussion.
But I wanted to do something bigger, and get into more intricate detail. The creator who came forward told me that she earns in excess of $1 million per month on OnlyFans, as well as several hundreds of thousands elsewhere on other platforms.
Within 5 minutes, I knew she would be the perfect person to interview. Highlighting an understanding of how the business of content creation works, the product funnels, and an interest in capital preservation and accumulation through high savings rates and investments, I felt this would be a great way to potentially reduce the stigma of this industry, and the creators who lie within it.
At first, I wanted to make this a deep dive into the business of OnlyFans, with an interview to spray around the body of that work. Instead, the interview stole the show, so I wanted that to be the centrepiece of this article today.
A Few Things to Note:
On the condition that we were to conduct and share this interview, the guest wished to remain anonymous, which I fully respect. She has never before shared her earnings and wishes to do so on her own accord, which is understandable. I can say she has millions of followers across various platforms, but until she wishes to reveal that she was the guest, I will respect her anonymity. The primary importance for this piece was the story, not any potential exposure that I might get for her sharing an interview. With that, let us now move on to the interview.
This piece is part of the regular guest interview segmenton the Investment Talk Newsletter.
The Interview
Investment Talk:
Good morning, and thank you for agreeing to answer some questions today.
So, usually in the interviews that I conduct I will ask the guest to share some of their backstories so that we can get some context into how and why they are in the position they currently are in.
I have interviewed anonymous guests several times before, so this could be vaguer if you wish, but I think it would be nice to learn a little about your history and then maybe lean into how you discovered OnlyFans and how long you have been involved with the platform?
AnonOF:
Hey!
I started off actually running a small local business (when I was 20 years old) where I kind of drove a clown car into a goldmine. At the time not many people were fully taking advantage of the low rates available via facebook's advertising products.
I started posting cosplay content (dressing up as other characters) on Instagram, Twitter, Twitch and Youtube soon after and signed up for a little known site at the time called "Patreon."
Over time the content became more risque and the earnings from Patreon eclipsed my fairly successful local biz. I was actually so successful on Patreon that OnlyFans offered me a sweetheart deal (better % split than the standard 20/80, a HUGE profit share for referrals, etc) when they were trying to get traction (one that I declined at the time, a big mistake).
Years later (in Jan of 2020, on the eve of the covid pandemic) I joined OnlyFans on my own without any additional incentives (and ran it in tandem with my Patreon).
It only took a mere couple of months before OnlyFans eclipsed everything else I had going on (Patreon, Instagram, Youtube, etc). I had a fairly large online presence and OnlyFans was just the most efficient way to monetize across my audience.
It was also sort of the "it" platform at the time. It just worked really well.
Investment Talk:
Thank you for that historical backdrop there. Okay, so now I think it would be great to dig a little deeper into what you are currently doing, with OnlyFans. We will get a bit more into the technical details shortly, but for the readers, could you maybe explain to us what it is you do on the OnlyFans platform, and then maybe walk us through the various forms of monetisation there?
There is also a subculture of fetish accounts on sites like OnlyFans. Would you say you are in that field, or more so in the ‘vanilla’ type of content?
AnonOF:
I am definitely in the vanilla content segment! I started off doing pretty tame stuff as it was a real balancing act trying not to cannibalize existing sites I was using at the time (Patreon). I have been experimenting with more risque and sexy stuff over time, I've gotten comfortable with being topless - I've made this transition extremely gradually -as I've grown on OnlyFans and to also help keep the novelty factor high. I'm not sure if I'm willing to do more, but I am currently experimenting with role play, collabs and solo stuff!
Investment Talk:
Thank you for that. Before we move on to discuss some other platforms, you will be aware that OnlyFans are seeking additional funding. Last year they processed ~$2 Billion on creator sales, of which OF took ~$400 million through their 20% cut. It’s a successful two sides marketplace, where the creators are essentially driving the business.
So, I guess a little more holistically, what are your views on OnlyFans as a platform/business? Do you see them as having a strong presence in the industry? What is the appeal of using OnlyFans, versus another, similar platform? It seems like there are a lot of other similar sites (AVN, Patreon, iWantClips, ManyVids) out there, what makes OnlyFans the most compelling?
AnonOF:
Patreon and OnlyFans are recurring revenue in a sense.
I know the fintwit/business crowd is absolutely obsessed with companies like Adobe (which we use to edit our content!) and Microsoft getting that "recurring revenue" multiple, and I've found that Patreon (previously) and OnlyFans now is EXTREMELY powerful due to that passive auto-renew/revenue reoccurrence!
Now, churn on any such personal content platform is much higher than in software, but there’s a pretty good chance that someone who joins once will join again, even if it's not consecutive. In a way, every time someone joins and puts in their payment info, it's building a book of business! I remember when I first started using OnlyFans and just felt totally elated that the people who made the site just "get it" in terms of functionality and creator comforts/user interface.
OnlyFans (in many people's opinion) is soooo much better than Patreon (at least for our segment of content - and not just because they are more liberal with sexuality). I just remember so many times thinking *I wish this feature existed* then discovering that it actually does on OnlyFans. I think there's some relation between a long-standing cam site and OnlyFans so that might be what is causing the learning curve to shorten.
I think myfreecams made an early investment in OF? Like I can think of maybe one improvement for OF if I really rack my brain - but it's kind of hard to grok if you're not in the trenches. I've also done work with a start-up OnlyFans-like site called fansly! This is more or less the same thing but they merge the idea of a free OnlyFans page with paid only fans page features... sorry if I'm getting in the weeds!
Investment Talk:
Obviously, there is a wide range of creators on OnlyFans. I have heard reports that the company are considering pivoting away from ‘pornography’ in the coming year. It is thought that with less of a focus on that variety of content, they can attract more advertising and investor dollars. The language is kind of vague, and appears to be more of a move to ‘tone down’ their reputation for porn, and shine a light on different creators that are perhaps more ‘mainstream friendly’.
What are your thoughts on that?
AnonOF:
It makes me a bit nervous, there is a sort of meme or maybe adage that creator crowdfunding/subscription platforms follow a sort of progression - start off by catering to sex workers or other risque niche content creators - then eventually pivot to try and burnish the brand! Luckily there are many many OnlyFans clones ready and waiting.
It would be a painful transition for a few months though... I don't think OnlyFans will ultimately move to push sexy creators off though, it's such a reliable and steady business. The take rates are also less likely to be put under pressure when you cater to sexy content. When you cater to celebrities or podcasts or more mainstream stuff there is always pressure with regards to the platform's fees. Really the biggest challenge is always: getting traditional banking and payment platforms to agree to work with you.
I've heard stories of girls who bank with Chase who are being told that their checking/savings account business is "unwelcome" because they get paid via OnlyFans (or one of the copycats)! There's probably a payments opportunity out there... but they also follow the same progression. Start out being ok with fringe/sexy stuff and eventually move to "more reputable" functions. As I understand it, it's ultimately always about pressure coming from the big banks or credit card rails.
Investment Talk:
Prior to this interview, you told me that it’s all about the product funnel. Now, you have several millions of followers across all of the platforms that you currently exist on. Clearly, you are well aware that funnels are important. I am wondering if you could maybe riff on that statement for a little bit?
Perhaps explain to readers what you mean by “it’s all about product funnel”?
AnonOF:
“Social media has basically given "regular people" the ability to create HUGE personal audiences and have a touchpoint/ability to create an impression on people.
It's a little like how the Hollywood marketing machine would create movie stars back in the day. I think it was Tim Wu that wrote about something like "before TikTok, once you built an audience it almost doesn't matter if your content isn't as good anymore, it'll still be pushed out to the audience who have already followed you on youtube/Twitter/Instagram etc."
It's the social media version of Buffett's "You only have to get rich once." You only have to go viral/build up a massive audience once. Then all you have to do is regularly post and update them and try and keep them engaged.
For me the funnel is something like, people follow you on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Youtube, and Twitter (I am a strong believer as a social media personality you should be on ALL the platforms -it diversifies some of the risks of one of the platforms banning you or losing relevancy and it's much easier to get you follower count up because you can cross-promote so easily).”
From there the vast majority of the people who follow you are fairly non-committal. They'll occasionally engage with your content if it shows up on their Feed. So some people push that audience to say a "private" Instagram or "Free" OnlyFans account.
You're making people jump through a hoop so to speak, but they get slightly more exclusive content. If they join the free onlyfans they still need to put their payment info on file (even though it's not charged) and there's tremendous value in that for the creator (and OnlyFans). It reduces friction and leads to purchase later on down the line!
From there you occasionally promote paid platforms like OnlyFans, Patreon, Fansly or say a merch brand or other affiliate marketing partnerships you might have!
It definitely makes sense to have a few different options/things at the bottom of the funnel that way you're not missing a potentially big part of the audience that are super committed/super fans. Like some people might not be interested in sexy content but they would love to support by buying merch or go with the energy drink brand you're sponsored by etc (or vice versa).
OnlyFans and the like are so powerful because it's digital content you create once, they basically then scales perfectly. With physical merch, there is a huge logistics issue to contend with etc (or you lose a lot of margin outsourcing it to a 3rd party who does everything - in comparison 20% going to OnlyFans is much more attractive).
Investment Talk:
Thank you again for that explanation.
So, moving on to the juicy stuff. You expressed a willingness to be quite candid about the numbers when we first conversed. I believe you mentioned that you earn in excess of $1 million per month on OnlyFans, which is insane, so kudos for that.
I was wondering if you could perhaps break down your monthly (or annual) earnings from OnlyFans. Like, what drives that primarily, is it new content, new subscribers, pay-to-view? Then maybe a broader overview on earnings across the entire range of your reach.
I know you are on several platforms, so what does the monetisation effort look like across each of those? Which do you find most equipped for the kind of content you create?
AnonOF:
I'll do you one better, here's the last full month:
Just a quick breakdown, I run sales to new people a lot, tips are usually when they are just showing appreciation for a post or trying to get an offer on a post that I'm providing for a tip. Messages is where I send Pay-per-view (basically they buy an additional supplemental video) after they have subscribed. OnlyFans is the biggest contributor, interestingly enough before I started OnlyFans I was basically making the money I described below (so starting OnlyFans didn't really cannibalize existing sexy stuff -which is really peculiar to me, now I did really carefully plan and shift around my content offerings to try to minimize canalization but ultimately I can't really say if my efforts were successful, or if I was just working/much ado about nothing).
I'll be putting a few categories together for the sake of anonymity but the rest of it breaks down like (for May):
OnlyFans: (maturing, mostly plateaued for the last 4 months) [As shown in screenshot, over $1M per month]
Patreon: $189,000 /month (mature, plateaued or slightly declining)
Fansly: $17,000/ month (newish, still growing)
Instagram: $10,000-25,000 / month (depends on the timing of sponsorships, I purposely am selective about this and it really depresses this number that I don't at all go out of my way to rep a product unless I know it won't hurt post engagement)
Twitter: $5,000-$15,000 Almost exclusively a funnel, maybe I should turn tipping on lolz
It's kind of hard to break down Twitter and Instagram since usually when I do a sponsor it's "do a story on Instagram and a post on Twitter" so the breakdown is somewhere between the two...
TikTok/youtube/twitch (across all channels): $133,000 /month (volatile, but still seems to be growing...)
Investment Talk:
I am not sure how closely you follow the product updates at Twitter, but over the last few quarters, the company have shared details of their new ‘Super Follow’ function, which will allow content creators to paywall tweets, access to Twitter Spaces, community groups, and things like that. (See image)
It should be a recurring monthly subscription cost set-up, somewhat similar to OnlyFans. Do you think this will be something you utilise? Then, as a follow-up, do you think this will be popular with the content creators who already exist on OnlyFans?
Notably, “Adult content” and “OnlyFans” are mentioned in the category and platform sections.
AnonOF:
I will definitely try it!
I am a big proponent of giving it all a chance (especially after leaving money on the table with respect to OnlyFans for so many years)! I have a friend at a big FANG company tho who once told me something like "when you see the press clipping about one of the big tech companies moving into a space, it's almost never the A-Team, and they are never really focused like a dedicated start-up/solely focused business is.” Obviously directly monetizing on Twitter would reduce some of the friction with respect to monetization!
I am happy that Twitter has been fairly friendly to more sexy content!
Investment Talk:
You mentioned that a lot of creators like to quote they are in the top 1% of OnlyFans earners. However, it would appear that maybe that is somewhat deceptive?
The top 1% would maybe be $8K to $10K per month. This is still obviously a nice amount, but it’s far from $1 million + that some creators earn. What, in your opinion, is the difference between earning $10K p/m and $1M p/m? What takes a creator across that bridge to earning hundreds of thousands instead of just thousands?
AnonOF:
It's a world of difference.
There is such an incredible sense of control and calm with the latter amount. You basically get to take control of your life in a way that's hard to describe. You make your own schedule, and time starts to take precedence over money. I am kind of a degenerate in that I work just as much as I do now as when I was trying to make ends meet, I just don't really know what to do with myself if I slow down.
The main difference tho is I have staff! I don't edit my own content (not that I did before, what even is photoshop *laughs nervously*).
People really underestimate and overstate how "easy" OnlyFans or being an influencer is. I get it, when you're not in the trenches it's easy to say the grass is greener, but to do it really well takes A LOT of time.
You have to take 100s of pics and choose the best few (because everyone else who's killing it is doing that and if you don't your pics won't do as well). You have to film an hours worth of youtube footage, then spend hours editing it down to a 10-minute video fit for posting. You have to stream for 8 hours a day on Twitch... or film 100s of takes and edit them down into a 15-second TikTok.
Everything I don't have to personally do is handled by staff - I have 3 full-time salaried people and 1 part-time. Laundry, Editing, getting groceries, booking/travel/photography, cleaning, pretty much everything that doesn't have to involve me is "outsourced" but unfortunately being an influencer, a lot of it has to involve me.
Some people enjoy a really nice work/life split doing that, but I just pour more time into doing other things that hopefully lead to growth! I know a HUGE Youtuber (8 digit follower/subscriber count) who only records a few hours one day a week and then enjoys their life, and segmenting and editing that footage and spreading it out for posting every other day on youtube is handled by her personal staff. Different strokes for different folks!
There are a lot of challenges plaguing the lower end tho.
Even at $10k/month on OnlyFans, life really bites into that amount.
You need your own health insurance, it's hard to get a mortgage or rent sometimes because it's not seen as a stable income source (and certain big banks won't even let you bank with them - I guess we can throw in a "crypto fixes this meme".
[Author: consider it done]
You can't really afford to outsource so you do EVERYTHING yourself and you're working a lot of hours potentially for that $10k (what a lot of people see as being a great income)!
Then you have to save a lot of it right? Cause you're only young/popular for so long... and likely at that level popularity is fleeting.
Investment Talk:
It was reported that the number of OnlyFans creators exploded during 2020. I imagine that number is much larger by this point in 2021.
You’ve been doing this for a respectable period of time now, I am sure you have witnessed waves of new creators come, from which some stay, some give up, and some just fade away. Two questions on that point.
First, what are the factors that contribute towards longevity in this field? Then secondly, what are your thoughts on the influx of new creators? Do you view that as competition, or do you see it as an expansion to the total addressable market?
AnonOF:
Some people just aren't cut out for it or it makes them feel bad about themselves.
I know a lot of people who could have had great success (some of who are already making this kind of content) who just feel weird monetizing it in such a direct way. Honestly, I think if someone is consistent and willing to grind (in the tedious way, not the sexy one per se) on social media day in and day out for months, then they will probably do ok.
The biggest issue is getting that initial bit of traction so that you can afford necessities, and then doing that long enough to create stability or even making some surplus money above one’s basic needs. At that point, the biggest challenge is managing oneself/staying motivated. A lot of people get to a point where their needs are met and then they discover that time management is hard and not having someone tell you what to do means you don't do anything... I bet it's a lot like starting a Substack in some ways?
[Author: Can Confirm]
The huge influx is definitely competition.
I hope the stigma around OnlyFans, and some of the shaming around OnlyFans users could diminish as it becomes more mainstream to hopefully balance that out? I'm actually not convinced that the "super creators" (the small number of people dominating at the extreme tails) is sustainable? Like it kind of makes sense for me that eventually, it might be just a lot of creators making a reasonable living as users sort of finds their "flavour" or preference.
Discovery and exposure is still the primary driver tho. Maybe if OnlyFans creates a discovery algo more like TikTok’s..
Investment Talk:
Do you view this self-personified brand that you have created as a business?
If so, why? / If not, why?
AnonOF:
I do see it as a business, but for a long time, I didn't.
At a certain size with employees, it's kind of hard to deny but I also have some cognitive dissonance around it all (i had extremely conservative parents). I see it as a transient phase in my life and I plan to move on to other things!
Investment Talk:
If you view this as a business, what would you say are some of the competitive forces at play in the industry?
Obviously, it’s not a winner-takes-all game. I would imagine the market is still growing, both from the creator and subscriber side.
AnonOF:
Other girls coming in ads competitive pressure to some degree, but the biggest competitive pressure probably comes from other girls or guys on social media with HUGE followings/ celebrities "finally throw in the towel on resisting making an OF".
That's where the real pressure comes from. I think the biggest thing is being nimble and open-minded and not resisting change.
I was pretty big on Patreon and I knew some girls on Patreon who resisted (to this day) not making an OnlyFans because they didn't want to cannibalize their Patreon numbers, that was a mistake I think...
Investment Talk:
When the idea for this interview was first being discussed, you mentioned that you do invest some of the proceeds that you earn, across public markets, and real estate.
This triggered two questions for me, so perhaps you could take a swing at both of them in tandem. I guess, firstly, what was the earning power like when you first started creating content versus today? Was it a slow and gradual incline, or did it come in sharp bursts?
$1 million per month is life-changing sums of cash to most people. Going from, say, a median rate salary, to those numbers, the typical consumer might struggle to know what to do with it.
I imagine a fair portion of that goes back into the content creation. As your reach grows, so too will the operating expenses to fund and maintain that growth. But, for lack of a better way of phrasing it, how do you typically spend or allocate your earnings, and what are your views on investing?
AnonOF:
I am sort of a grinder through and through so for me it started off meagre but grew fairly consistently and rapidly. I think for 2-3 years my Patreon was growing double-digit percent month over month (from a small base of course). I started OnlyFans in Jan of 2020, here were the first few months:
(Disclosure: OnlyFans has been running at $1m/month for only about 4 months and it's mostly plateaued!)
Actually, although I always think I should probably run this business like Netflix (reinvesting it all back into content) I struggle to actually part with the money, and I struggle to really figure out what I would even invest in that would really move the needle. It's easier for me to plug it into the financial system.
If you want to talk to someone who runs his youtube channel like Netflix, constantly reinvesting it all into more content check out MrBeast on youtube (good luck getting his attention tho!). I think it's not incorrect to say that I save about 90-95% of it at this point.
I find places to plug it all back in. I don't want to toot my own horn but I think my attitude towards investment is something of an anomaly in the influencer space. Everyone else I know who cares about money is really deep into bitcoin and shitcoins atm. Oh and AMC... Giving influencers money to invest is probably a really bad idea lol.
I have been tremendously lucky we'll say. I have only ever invested in 5 stocks and for a number of years I basically only kept cash on hand for business/living expenses investing the rest. The most recent was Facebook at $175-250 or so. I would sort of dox my identity to reveal some of the rest since I have bragged a little about it, but Facebook is by far the worst performer (none of the other's performance will be repeatable I realize).
I own another fang stock, which comprises half of my net worth and is up some 550% since 2016. And I invested in a certain eCommerce company in 2017 which is up 1,500%. It's kind of a funny story. In 2017 I wanted to start a merch store and I asked around and literally every single influencer I knew at the time was using the same company to sell merch. Then I stumbled upon a smaller fintwit account that made an insightful thread dissecting the company, I ended up just investing the money I set aside for the merch company into the stock.
I tend to invest when my view of a company is really different from what people are saying, and I have a unique insight due to being in this nascent space... But since the end of 2020/spring of 2021 I haven't really done much and just sat on a growing pile of cash.
I will probably start to slowly DCA into index funds since I think my momentary edge is about used up. I also started investing in a RE Pe Fund, and a PE fund (being purposely vague about the two, I kept seeing one of those guys on the podcast circuit and dug into the materials and I was really impressed by the price discipline and approach both of them use!)
I have always suspected that the space I am in is going to be competed away severely so I have largely kept lifestyle creep in check and focused on trying to create a sustainable residual to live off of later on... I drive a fairly economic, no-frills car, and live modestly. My biggest expense is probably meal delivery lol.
I mentioned cognitive dissonance earlier, I am planning a second act so to speak. Something charity related that I am passionate about!
If you have an in, I would love to put money into OnlyFans at a $1B valuation tho!
Investment Talk:
Moving on a little now, before we wrap this up, I wanted to ask a few important questions. The nature of the content that you create is going to rile some feathers, I think you know that. We are not talking about a lemonade stand here.
I am not sure if it’s a demographic thing, but for me, I just see someone who understands how to market themselves and earn a killer salary. You are clearly very switched on.
So, first, how do you reconcile with people who maybe can’t see past the nature of the content? Whether it be through an unwillingness, or maybe simply relying on a stereotype or stigma to guide their opinion?
AnonOF:
I try not to associate with them.
Like I don't mind if it's just not their cup of tea, many of my influencer friends are vloggers or streamers who don't make sexy content, but so long as they don't treat me like a lower class of citizen, I get along with everyone. Really the people who are more outspoken about it are anonymous trolls or maybe certain outrage personalities.
If I am around people I don't know as well I try not to bring it up/talk about it tho (say in a group podcast or back before covid at conventions/events)!
Investment Talk:
Then, the second question would be related to the frame of mind of having such a large audience.
Having millions of followers can be daunting for some. As with the nature of the beast, having a digital presence can create incredible highs and, at times, sour lows. Do you ever find that difficult, and how do you generally reconcile with that from a mindset point of view?
Do you do anything, in particular, to remain present or anything like that?
AnonOF:
Oh man, it is so tempting to just feel happy when "the numbers are high" and feel terrible when the numbers are low! I feel like influencers (sexy or not) need to write a sign like Bezos use to keep in his office "I am not my viewer/Subscriber count"!
It's tough and everyone copes with numbers being volatile in different ways. To be fully honest I never really could cope with it until I exceeded my own expectations and now I am more zen about it all. Some people meditate, others actually "hide" or find ways to not look at thier viewer count/views/subs! I can't do that because I think knowing is important (like do I need to change my approach, mix up the content, etc).
Even incredibly successful Youtubers I know get in a funk when their videos are doing "bad." Like it sounds almost silly but someone getting 7-10 mil views a video will get REALLY down if they suddenly only get 3-5 million views... it’s tough.
Investment Talk:
Do you ever have concerns about content theft?
People stealing videos, images, and re-sharing premium content on other platforms or websites for free. That kind of thing. Is there anything you do to prevent that?
AnonOF:
Very much so.
It is largely unavoidable to an extent, and I'm sure that if it was possible to "magically" eliminate content theft I would instantly get a 30-50% bump in earnings. A lot of places like Reddit or US-hosted sites abide by DMCA, but when it's a Russian or Panamanian site.. you're SOL.
I also hire a law firm in LA to scour the internet eliminating leaks but it's an uphill and ongoing battle. I think I pay them like $10,000 a month...
Investment Talk:
You don’t need me to tell you that you are doing an awesome job, I think that’s pretty clear. But let’s say in 5 years, 10 years, time.
Where do you want to be? Where do you see this going, and maybe what are some of the plans there?
AnonOF:
I want to be doing something totally unrelated! Running a charitable org that I've seeded hopefully!
I might still be on social media, but I plan to pivot... I'm ready to not be attached at the hip to my phone, maybe buy a nice big piece of acreage property and disappear
Investment Talk:
Lastly, I always conclude these interviews with some quotes. My favourite one stems from the investing world, but I feel it applies well across life too.
“In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run it is a weighing machine."
As if to say, in the short term life is volatile and messy, but in the long term, it looks a little smoother.
So, to finish this off, what are some of your favourite quotes, and why?
AnonOF:
That modified Bezos one from earlier I like! I am not my stock price (but substitute stock price with whatever metric or proxy you constantly measure/compare yourself to, subcount, income, investment returns, title at work...)
“Be kind to everyone on the way up; you’ll meet the same people on the way down.“
This one is always true.
Especially in my line of work, I try not to burn bridges!
The Follow Up
As an aside, a good friend over at Liberty’s Highlights reached out to write a follow-up piece with this creator. Through the power of the internet, we made this happen, and you can find that below:
Concluding Remarks
I just wanted to close out by saying thank you to today’s guest. There was really zero incentive for them to reach out to me with their story. I could not generate great exposure for them as my reach is far lower than theirs, and they wished to remain anonymous, which I can fully appreciate.
They reached out because they wanted to share their story, with excellent insight.
My mission with this piece was to;
A) Learn more about this industry, and the OnlyFans business and;
B) Make a crumb of impact on the reduction of the stigma that is directed towards these creators and the industry as a whole.
I feel like both myself, and the interviewee’s interests were aligned in that sense. If just one reader can walk away from this interview with a fresh new perspective, or perhaps a different point of view, then I believe the work is done. All else aside, you have likely learned something new today.
Conor,
Author of Investment Talk
Loved reading this! She's awesome :D
Great stuff, I love how different it is than most interviews in our FintTwit circles. That was a very good read. So many great minds fly under the radar, cool to hear from her.
If she ever wants to increase micro-fame in the fintwit niche, tell her to reach out to me for an interview, I also have some questions!