Whether you are new to camming or a veteran cam star, it’s always important to keep your shows fresh, new and exciting. Of course, viewers are excited to see you, but why not add in a little bonus that will make your show even more memorable. The goal is to have your viewers hit your subscribe button so they leave satisfied, but are always curious about what your next show will consist of. Performers can get creative in hundreds of different ways, whether it’s fun sets using a green screen, cosplay or games – the list goes on! In order to make sure your cam show is a hit, there is some preparation that needs to go into it.
I tend to procrastinate at times, and I know a lot of us are guilty of this, so I recommend making a pre-show schedule for yourself. Figure out how long it takes you to get yourself and your space ready and create a schedule accordingly. You need to make sure your cam space is well put together and aesthetically pleasing. If you have a messy, unappealing cam space it ultimately takes the focus off of you and motivates the viewer to go to a different room. Keeping your space neat and tidy is step one but adding creative elements give it a bonus.
Before broadcasting, use some relevant and popular tags so you gain more visibility to viewers, like those that want to see an #outdoor or #shower show.
There’s lots of creative ideas for cam rooms on Pinterest and for our newbies – take it step by step, but start with lighting, as that is the most important. Once you have a good quality webcam and a tidy cam space, a ring light would be the next best thing to purchase to ensure your viewers can see you clearly and you look your best in ideal lighting. Amazon has a great selection of ring lights and with boxing day around the corner – there should be tons of sales.
Another way to get creative with your background during a cam show is by using a green screen. I do not recommend doing this for every show, but it is a fun way to add a little spice to holiday shows or special themed shows every once in a while! If you do it too much, it tends to lose its spark. You can use a green screen in OBS Studio to help set up a themed background. There are tons of great YouTube tutorials that offer step by step guides on how to get this set up. I am definitely not a tech genius … nowhere close to it, but online tutorials helped me figure it out in just a few minutes.
Now that you’re ready and your set it is ready – it’s time to log in and get the show started. On cam platforms, you have some tools at your disposal to help increase the likelihood of making more in tips before you start broadcasting.
Every time you go online – you need to make sure you check off a couple things, beginning with setting a tip goal and making sure to update your tip goal every time you reach it in the show. Perhaps your tip goals can slowly get you stripped down, so every time a goal is reached, an item of clothing comes off or you can use your tip goal to let the room get you one step closer to a cum show at the finale.
You can play around with tip goals every show until you find out what works best for you and your viewers. I would recommend either setting one big tip goal or breaking up your big tip goal into five or six smaller goals which can help build even more anticipation. A big question many performers have is – how to know what your goal number should be. Here is a method to figure that number out:
- Add up all your monthly expenses (bills, food, rent, etc...), then double that number. That's a good monthly earnings goal to start. You can always aim for more.
- Divide that by the number of days you're going to cam. Now you have your daily goal.
- Break this number in two, three or four smaller show goals. Whatever feels right to you.
Tipping games are also a great element to set up when you start your show – my favorite, and I think one of the more popular broadcasting games is “roll-the-dice.” You can choose what the different dice faces represent and how much a roll is. 25 tokens per roll is a pretty standard price to keep it at! Sometimes newbies will offer 10 tokens per roll when you are first trying to build up your audience.
So, we have the tip goal checked and games checked off, but there’s still more – take advantage of trending and popular tags. Before broadcasting, use some relevant and popular tags so you gain more visibility to viewers, like those that want to see an #outdoor or #shower show. There is often a limit to the number of characters in your status and I recommend taking advantage of it. You will be able to see the 10 most popular tags on a list on the homepages of certain cam sites and if any of those are relevant to your show, make sure to utilize them.
Now that we have all the above checked off, the show can finally begin! The key to being successful on cam is staying positive while broadcasting and not saying negative things about the viewers or site. Viewers come on cam sites looking for a fun escape and a good vibe, so you want that to be your main priority. Create a space that is enjoyable, easy-going and makes people feel good when they enter, because that is how you will get them to stay … and even come back for more. It’s normal to get nervous; you may even get nervous before most shows for the first little while and that’s totally okay – tons of people even love the authenticity that comes with it. Play music that makes you feel comfortable, dance around, be confident and you will have a great time.
There will be nights when you find it very difficult to stay positive – some nights are slower than others and this goes for most jobs in any industry. The important thing is not let it get you down and don’t give in to it. If you set a room goal and only make it halfway by the end of the show – don’t give the goal away for free. Let your viewers know that the goal wasn’t reached, and you can either stay on for longer or consider a slightly lower room goal for next time but don’t give in to the freeloaders and make sure to stand your ground when necessary.
Viewers aren’t only looking for “porn” – they are on a camming site because they are hoping to experience a genuine connection with another human being, so be kind and stay friendly. Viewers will be more inclined to send tips to someone they like and someone they consider a friend rather than someone that they fear might just be using them. It is important to chat and get to know your viewers so even if you are trying to put on a production of a show, make sure you are taking breaks to get to know the people who are tipping you! Remembering your tippers’ usernames is a great way to build a genuine connection – I would recommend having a little notebook on hand and just make note of your tippers as you go!
You choose what your show consists of – pick different themes, play games and have fun! If something isn’t working for you – change it. If you experience some abusive users in your room – ban them. Your cam space is your safe space and don’t forget that you are always in control. While you are broadcasting, make sure to get viewers to favorite your page so they are notified of when you are online next and make sure to schedule upcoming show dates so that the viewers that want to see you again know when you will be online – doing this will also guarantee tippers for your next show before you even press broadcast!.
What you do after the show is almost as important as what happens during your show! The most successful performers are still working, even when they aren’t broadcasting. Promoting yourself when you’re not online is key to gaining traction in the industry and gaining more viewers. Creating a cam-related Snapchat and Twitter are both important to tell people when you’re going to be online, connect with members and to make friends with other cam models! Posting daily and even sending your favorite tippers messages here and there lets them know that they matter to you offline just as much as when you’re online. Make a list of guidelines and standards that are important to you and that you want to maintain before and after every show. As long as you stay disciplined and keep your goals in mind then you will be sure to succeed.
Vicki Gray is a CAM4 account manager who can be followed @VickiGrayxxx on Twitter and contacted by email at Vicki@CAM4.com.
