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How OnlyFans Became the Go-To Platform for Adult Creators
Bustle
For most of us, OnlyFans has been a part of our vocabulary for just two years—and an eventful couple of years it’s been.
Since entering our collective consciousness, OnlyFans has been name dropped in a Beyoncé lyric, news that Bhad Babie made $50 million on the platform tore up the internet, OnlyFans banned explicit content—and then made it OK again, and most recently Mia Khalifa, Pornhub’s top performer, left to work exclusively on OnlyFans.
Despite its meteoric rise in 2020, the platform actually launched four years prior. What made it explode over the last two years? How did it get entangled in so much controversy? And is it putting as much power in the hands of creators as it claims? We put together a timeline to help explain.
Pre-2020
The internet changed the adult entertainment industry but not much power went to the hands of the entertainers themselves. In the 2010s, a small handful of companies like Pornhub controlled all adult content on the web, and performers were being paid less than ever.
When Snapchat rolled out the Snapcash feature in 2014, adult entertainers flocked to the platform as it offered an opportunity to build a direct relationship with their fans. With no middleman, the entertainers could keep more of the income they generated.
The owner of two adult performance websites, GlamGirls and Customs4U, Tim Stokley, took notice of the trend, and that many performers were being penalized on the app for their content. So he launched OnlyFans in 2016.
Fans pay a monthly subscription fee for access to content from their favorite creators, and the creators can set their own prices for their work. The platform lets creators keep 80% of what they make, with OnlyFans keeping the other 20%.
2020
The pandemic hit and all adult entertainment was pushed online. The number of OnlyFans users grew from 8 million to 85 million, with over 1 million creators making original content. Revenue for the company rose 553%, with $2.4 billion being made that year alone.
Celebrities like Cardi B, Tyga, and Amber Rose started using the site, which brought momentum and controversy. When Bella Thorne reportedly earned $2 million in the first week on the platform, many criticized her and other celebrities for using OnlyFans as what they perceived to be a hobby. This caused an uproar from career sex workers who were relying on the platform to make a living during the pandemic, claiming the transaction rules OnlyFans added in response to Bella’s activity on the platform greatly harmed their income potential.
2021-present
In August 2021, OnlyFans announced a ban on what it had become most known for—explicit content—attributing the decision to pressure from banks and processors. Expectedly, that brought backlash. In a matter of days, the company repealed its plan, tweeting that it had “suspended” the ban following “assurances” from banks that adult content would not be penalized.
By the end of the year, Stokely stepped down as chief executive officer, handing the reins to their spokesperson and former lead of communications at Redbull, Ami Gan.
OnlyFans has since struggled with its image being associated with sex work, often marketing non-explicit creators on their blog, Twitter, and YouTube in an effort to appeal to a wider group of investors. Still, it seems adult creators are drawn to the platform. Ex-Pornhub performer Mia Khalifa recently told FastCompany that despite their willingness to abandon their core creators, she’s attracted to OnlyFans for the ability to shoot and distribute her own images safely and securely.
“It all comes back to consent. These women [on OnlyFans] are doing what they’re doing independently and not with predatory companies. That’s where my shift was,” Khalifa said. “Instead of hating anything that has to do with porn, I’ve come to realize that there’s a difference between ethical and unethical ways to consume porn.”
OnlyFans started seeking funding at a valuation of $1 billion last year and projected this year’s net revenue to be $2.5 billion.
Our Take
For most companies that saw a boom during the pandemic, 2022 is bringing a different societal and economic landscape. A natural tension exists between the traditionally image-conscious investors OnlyFans is seeking and the core creators that have brought their platform success.
OnlyFans created a stigma-free environment for adult performers of all kinds, including non-binary and trans creators, to take control of their content without fear of repercussions or exploitation. This initially developed the brand’s strong reputation with creators. While they are still the leading platform in adult entertainment, the slew of controversies coupled with its reluctance to embrace its predominant content genre may leave room for a competitor to enter the space—one that positions itself as staunchly adult entertainment creator-friendly and is excited to partner with and serve this sector of the creator economy.
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🤝 CREATOR SUPPORT
Publish Press readers share a problem they're facing and creators and Colin & Samir respond with their advice.
Q: As a small creator, looking at all the creators and aspiring creators is daunting and makes me wonder if there is room for me to grow and even get big. How do you overcome this thought/fear?
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YouTubers like Matthew Beem and Airrack got their start on the platform in the last couple years and have worked hard to grow substantially. They’ve studied videos that have millions of views, assessed their titles and thumbnails, and thought about how to apply them to the stories they want to tell and how they want to tell them. You have to take bigger swings to make it, but it’s possible.
Start studying the videos of creators whose careers you’d like to emulate. Whether that’s to get MrBeast-level views, or just build a solid niche community around your passion. To some extent, every creator along their path has to copy others and put their own flair on it to learn who they really are. Just by imitating other creators, you’ll end up finding what works for you, what you don’t want to do, and hopefully build those muscles to get you the type of channel you want.
Facing a creator problem you want help with? Share it here→
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