On August 20th 2021 OnlyFans announced that they will no longer allow pornographic content on their platform as of October 1st 2021. All existing content that does not meet the new policy must be removed by December 1st 2021. They had hinted at this a couple times over the year but no one had took it seriously as sex workers are the people who utilized the platform most. Of course, that resulted in tons of backlash for the company and they ‘suspended’ the change in terms. But the damage had already been done.
This platform exploded in popularity last year over the course of the pandemic while people needed to work from home (and entertain themselves from home…) allowing adult content creators to earn their own independent income and make the platform as successful as it had become.
OnlyFans had been confusing about what the change meant for adult content creators because they claimed they would still allow nudity but nothing sexually-explicit. To clarify, the new terms of use included this statement: Do not upload, post, display, or publish content on OnlyFans that: […] shows, promotes, advertises, or refers to “sexually explicit conduct,” which means: actual or stimulated sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal between persons of any sex; actual or stimulated masturbation; any exhibition of the anus or genitals of any person which is extreme or offensive; actual or simulated material; depicting bodily fluids commonly secreted during sexual conduct[.]
With this news, many creators panicked, obviously worried about losing their income. Even though OnlyFans changed their mind, there is reason not to trust them any longer as they were ready to throw sex workers under the bus. Supporting a company like that who has no intention of caring about your well-being may be a risky move. There are many platforms to move to and ways to persuade your subscribers to follow you.
Platforms to move to: AVN Stars, Fansly, JustForFans, ManyVids, LoyalFans, FanCentro, NaftyFans, and more...
Ways to keep followers: Offer a free first month subscription, % off sales, promote your new platform like crazy, a reward system for fans who refer a new subscriber, ask other creators to do promo-for-promo posts, reply to all DM’s and send them to the new platform, send out a mass message to all subscribers on OnlyFans, Make posts on everything directing people to the new platform.
Other Options: Popular video platforms like Pornhub will need age/ID verification but will allow you to create anonymous videos afterwards and earn ad revenue, Live cam platforms will need age/ID verification but you can remain anonymous while live and they are an easier way to make new fans and earn immediate tips + do private show options.
If you make content on multiple platforms and cross promote yourself it is much easier to be exposed to new fans and if they enjoy your content they will be comfortable following you anywhere!
Why did the policy change in the first place?
“Due to the size and rapid growth of the OnlyFans platform, where creators have earned over $5 billion dollars since inception, we must increasingly rely on large banking institutions and payment processors to facilitate payments between fans and creators. The new rules are necessary to comply with the requirements of these financial institutions and are the only way to help ensure the long-term sustainability of OnlyFans.”
So unfortunately, OnlyFans did not have much of a choice in this matter. The banks and credit card companies are to blame as they have been attempting to remove the use of their cards for any sort of pornographic purchases. Earlier this year, Pornhub had to get rid of ‘Pornhub Premium’ and many more features because credit card companies banned their cards from being used on the site; That is what was supposedly going to happen to OnlyFans if they didn’t follow through with the ban of adult content. The card companies faced backlash and said that was never the case. There is a war on porn happening and all adult content creators must stay vigilant in keeping their careers alive through it. Continue to hold companies accountable for their actions.
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