30 million paying subscribers use OnlyFans, the digital content platform that was initially geared to sharing adult content, but is rapidly diversifying, now touching the fringes of journalism.
If Facebook started out as a tool to help friends hook up with each other and if Instagram’s algorithm appears to favour users showing off their skin and if Twitter is full of porn and that porn is popular and if TikTok is too, because 15 seconds is enough for some people… then OnlyFans does have a fighting chance of becoming a contender in mainstream social media.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even TikTok are all standard features of the journalist’s toolkit. Build your online presence, nurture your advocates and promote your revenue opportunities are common goals for all of us on these platforms and despite its smutty image, OnlyFans offers exactly this too. In fact, OnlyFans creators reportedly have made over £450 million from the platform since its 2016 debut.
“Whether your ambition is to become a celebrated novelist, write for the top news outlets as a freelance journalist or craft your own lifestyle blog from the ground up, OnlyFans may present the perfect step into your chosen career,” boasts the company’s official website.
The focus on ‘freelance journalists’ as opposed to ‘journalists’ could indeed be a sign OnlyFans accepts its reputation may not quite be there yet to attract those heading for the mainstream. It’s also a nod to the broadening horizons of journalism – a financial journalist at a comfortable household daily publication is by no means the target here, a social-first journalist big on content creation with an entrepreneurial streak more so.
When we pressed OnlyFans on their new-found use case, their PR spokesperson said: “I’m afraid we don’t have info on digital journalism for OF.” Perhaps they are missing something?
Perhaps their PR spokesperson was unaware of Lily Mercer and Melissa Todd: two very different journalists enjoying experimenting with the platform. Both use to platform as a side hustle to their journalistic work.
Their platform strategy is audience-centric, more so than what Joe Bloggs political journalist decides to angrily tweet at 1am on a Tuesday. Lily explains that as a music journalist specialising in male-dominated hip hop and rap, much of her audience is male. “Their girlfriends might have a problem,” she concedes but she affirms it’s “not my tits out.” So far there is not a leading male journalist visible on the platform, which is problematic for this use case, however this could change as its appeal grows.
“After 10 years of music journalism, I can offer my services.” Lily, founder and editor of Viper Magazine, has interviewed and worked with artists, producers, promoters – from Mary J Blige to Walé Adeyemi via Ed Sheeran.
“I prioritise my OnlyFans,” she says, outlining how she offers her music fans 1-2-1 consultation and feedback on their creative projects. Alongside her cookalongs, behind-the-scenes posts from her media and music work and exclusives from her radio show, she is genuinely happy to see her audience engaged. Discussing a recent DJ set she streamed live on her page, “all of my followers bar one tuned in,” she smiled, adding “I’m so grateful… It’s really like a modern day fan club.”
It is the case with OnlyFans that audience strategy can be somewhat unconventional, given the platform’s nature. “I’ve just been chatting to a girl who’s offering bondage, foot worship, splosh, inflatables and puppy play – it’s too much mixed messaging.” Melissa Todd points out.
“Words are what hook people in to your OnlyFans, rather than images,” Melissa, a literary and features journalist, theatre director and writer explains. “OnlyFans is smutty. Gloriously so. If that bothers you, go to Patreon.”
Melissa ventures into adult content unlike Lily and shares this in her recent contribution to The Blue Nib. “I’d always imagined I had to keep a strict division between my work in the sex industry and my vanilla literary career, but in fact when I combined them I started to achieve vastly more success in both.” Up for a Kent Columnist of the Year award and now in the top 8% of OF creators, her testimony assuredly stacks up.
“OnlyFans is clever. They show you how well you’re doing in the scale of creators… I post twice a day, every day.” The 80/20% revenue split OnlyFans offers its creators can be incentivising. A journalist must take into account whether or not OnlyFans facilitates what incentivises them.
“More people want my words than I have time to write them. By and large, however, they cannot pay me, or they pay me nominal sums.” Melissa evokes one of journalism’s biggest crises – traditionally, it pays awfully. OnlyFans may not be an industry-wide solution, even if the paywall element is attractive, it will serve as a remedy for the right type of journalist though.
“If your burning ambition is to be a political commentator or review prog rock albums, I can’t see it will help. It will, however, pay the bills while you pursue your dreams.” Melissa concludes.
Just like every platform, OnlyFans has its drawbacks. “It’s really hard to share other people’s content,” Lily admits as she reviews her own performance. Discussing the impact of OnlyFans and concurrent platforms’ impact on audience acquisition and the consumption of content, “Long-form is dead. Young people don’t care about it,” she argues, pointing to the growth of journalistic outlets on platforms like YouTube and the plethora of platforms offering personalised stories and messaging, a key function of OnlyFans.
Lily founded her magazine after completing her journalism degree at London College of Fashion. Her journalistic career has taken her through street culture titans Rinse FM and SB.TV. If anyone understands and cares about the survival of platforms facing new technologies and new generations, it’s her: “I can’t imagine it’s easy without being established… but OnlyFans is the next big thing.”
Regardless of one’s relationship with their sexuality, there is a clear case for effective online community building, generating revenue (a decent side hustle) and the opportunity for the most intimate audience strategy one could ever have.
Whether OnlyFans becomes a mainstream device for leading journalism brands and personalities is yet to be seen. It’s certainly more Vice than Politico. Lily, Melissa and probably more journalists around the world are certainly at the forefront of something very exciting.
As Melissa alluded to, there is Patreon and the concept of a paywall/subscription isn’t reinventing the wheel. The intimacy and community-orientation of OnlyFans is largely unique and effective though, regardless of whether the content is sexual in nature. The challenge for OnlyFans and its journalistic creators now is carving out the right product-market fit for themselves.