Deeper than the Tip: Choosing the Best Platform For You
Freemium or premium platforms? Which one is better to work on? Which one can you make more money on? Which one has more traffic or better traffic? Is one style of platform better than the other? This is a topic I often see a lot of debate about. Not just among cam models/ performers but industry people, studio owners and even members. I honestly believe neither is better than the other, they are just different in their business models. And each one can require different skills, approaches and personality traits by the performers to be successful. While one type of performer may excel on a freemium site, they may not do as well, or even totally fail on a premium site, and vice versa. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are a bad performer, or the site is the issue. Like clothes or shoes, you have to find the platform which fits you properly, makes you feel the most comfortable in and shows off you and your personality the best. This article is mostly for people new to the industry or those who may have not tried their hand on one type of site over the other and/or have misconceptions on the differences which existed since they started. And if you think you already know the differences, stick around anyway as you may see some things in a little different light than you did before. WHICH PLATFORMS TO CHOOSE FROM So what are the main types of platforms cam performers can choose from when working online? There are basically three types: Freemium, Premium and Hybrids. The standard business definition of the Freemium business model is typically a product or service which can be used free of charge. If the consumer wants to use additional features or gain more access to additional services or information, they need to pay for it. This model looks to get as many eyes on their product as possible with an expectation of a smaller percentage of customers to pay for the additional features. Some examples of the Freemium business models is most any phone app game like Candy Crush or Fortnite. They are games you can play for free, but to advance or get better gear or supplies you would have to pay for add-ons, lives or other items to make game play easier or less difficult. The Premium business model is the concept of offering higher end products and services, especially to a smaller demographic of clientele. The product and services are offered at a higher cost aiming at a smaller volume of buyers. An example of premium products of services would be luxury sports cars like a Lamborghini or high-end audio equipment like Krell or McIntosh. DEFINING WEBCAM PLATFORM TYPES So before we can move forward, we should make sure we have a definition for each type of camming platforms based on the above business models. It’s important so we know the differences in features, tools, diversity of traffic and the expectations, skills and approach one needs for each type of site. Keep in mind when choosing a site, each of the business models and platforms are unique, with different targeted traffic sources, marketing tools and how they promote/rank models on their main page. New performers should also be aware if the platform you choose offers any special initial promotions and rates when you start so you can make the most of your time during that period. This is usually a good time to work as much as you can to optimize your chances of greater visibility on the site right away. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN WORKING Another thing to be aware of between Freemium and Premium sites is the difference in how you can control your room and what you do and its pace. In Freemium sites, you set the tone and mood of what happens by your tip goals or games/contests. You can decide what you do or show and what you don’t do or show. If you don’t feel like using toys, you can just do teases or other types of shows. Here the flow is mostly continuous with a potential build up throughout your shift and are less likely to be interrupted by sudden private sessions. In Premium you usually socialize and tease in public area to then, often unexpectedly, be brought into a private session (one-on-one), where you have to be ready to deal with multiple different types of requests in a night. You can have one private that is a talk private which could be someone opening up about their personal life and various topics from casual to serious or be straight to a playful private with sexual requests. You have to expect your whole night being a mixture of entertaining the larger audience in free chat and bouncing back and forth from that space to the private sessions. These privates can also vary in length from a few minutes to several hours or more. Your mind and energy should be ready at all times for what your shift brings you and you don’t have much control over the variety of your day. This can keep things very busy, exciting and interesting, all while meeting lots of people in different ways on a more personal level, which can be fulfilling. But it could also be very demanding emotionally and physically if you aren’t properly prepared for it. So in short, Freemium is often a little easier for you to set your own pace and allows you to build up how your day goes so you have a better idea of what to expect. Premium can be a lot of bouncing around physically, socially, mentally and going from entertaining many people to just one and tends to be a little more unpredictable. YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF WHEN CHOOSING A SITE So now that we have explained the type of sites available you need to define what type of person you are and how you want to […]