Cam Life Crisis: Restructuring Your Business As A Webcam Model
A short, helpful guide on how to avoid burnout, restructure your business & ensure happiness, & longevity in your webcam modeling career.
There comes a point in every webcam model's career where they hit the inevitable wall of burnout. Maybe you're feeling anxious before your scheduled cam show, or you have been neglecting to upload regularly to your subscription site. Maybe you find yourself getting snippy with well-meaning customers, or be turning down opportunities to make money for no good reason. Burnout presents itself in many different ways but affects our business in the worst way possible; it causes us to distance ourselves mentally & emotionally from our work.
Most models hit this wall relatively quickly; after all, the average tenure of a webcam model is 1-2 years due to high levels of emotional fatigue. However, if you are well into your camming career & have decided that completely throwing in the towel isn't an option (after all, most of us genuinely LOVE to cam; it's just hard work) then this article is for you.
As a webcam model of three years I have restructured, re-evaluated, & taken breaks from camming multiple times during my career & honestly feel as though it's a huge reason I have not quit completely at times. In this article we will discuss five ways to tackle burnout as a webcam model, so you'll be prepared whenever it decides to rear its ugly head in your direction.
Tip #1 -Reassess Your Boundaries
Ah, boundaries. As cam models we talking about them endlessly but when it comes to putting them into action it's often much easier said than done for a lot of us. If you have been camming for any amount of time then you have probably run across your fair share of client requests that made you squirm a little, and not in a good way. When you're a new model it's common to accept requests from clients & cater to fetishes that you may not be interested in personally because 1) You want to seem "cool" & open minded & 2) Money talks. This phase is essential for all models to go through as it allows them to figure out their niche, their sexual interests, & the type of atmosphere they want to cultivate in their room.
However, once that introductory period is over many models don't reassess their boundaries & continue to cater to customers that no longer align with their room structure or business model, leaving them feeling unhappy, drained, or ignoring certain fan's requests. I'll use myself as an example.
When I first began camming I catered to a lot of clients with CEI & femdom fetishes. I openly advertised catering to these fetishes & even made clips here & there to sell & expand my audience. Going into my second year of camming, I realized that my requests for CEI & femdom had decreased drastically, with the exception of a handful of clients. I kept providing these services to these clients per request, but only via private shows. I realized that I didn't enjoy having femdom related talk in my public chat room as a majority of my fan base was into more vanilla content. As I entered my third year camming, I only had two femdom clients. Things came to a head when after a few weeks of putting off a promised femdom show for one of my regulars, he confronted me about the fact that I was interacting with my non-femdom clients more than him. As if he'd broken my "emotional release valve", I exploded into a rant about how I didn't enjoy doing femdom content & told him that I no longer wished to do sessions with him as they didn't make me feel the best. The fallout from our relationship was tumultuous, but after the storm calmed it felt good to no longer feel obligated to cater to things that didn't also make me feel good in the process.
So what changed? Nothing other than the fact that I reassessed my boundaries at multiple points during my cam journey & made the necessary changes to ensure my own happiness. It took me 2.5 years to figure out that my niche is "Girl Next Door" & that femdom just doesn't fit into my branding, AND THAT'S OKAY. Just because I was happy doing something before doesn't mean it makes me happy or comfortable now. Getting rid of people or taking things off your menu that no longer serve you is key in retaining your happiness in this business.
Tip #2 - Raise Your Rates
Discussing rates can be a sensitive subject for some as many models feel as though they cannot charge above a certain rate due to market competition & demand. While this may or may not be true, if you take personal feelings out of it, at some point every business analyzes their pricing model & makes adjustments as necessary. Just because you started your cam career charging $3/min for a private show doesn't mean you have to keep it at that price a year or even six months from now. As your business & fan base grows, & your content quality improves, your pricing should reflect that. Just invested in a new camera to shoot clips in 4K with or a new editing software? Awesome. Charge a couple of dollars extra to reflect the effort you put into it & the quality of the content. Think about it, Netflix didn't come out the gate charging $13.99/month for subscriptions. As their business & catalog grew they raised their prices to reflect what they now offer.
Many cam models complain about feeling drained & taken for granted by their customers. Usually the number one complaint is that "customers want so much for so little". However, if you sit down & think about it, we as cam models directly dictate how much a customer gets from us & the cost of that labor. If a customer "wants a lot" then charge them whatever price you feel like would justify the labor for you. When I first began camming I very naively used to sell 5 minute custom content for as low as $20. Today, my base price for a 5 minute custom video is three times that. Raising my custom video pricing has not only reduced the amount of requests I receive (I can better focus on the requests I do receive & make them higher quality), but it's also reduced the number of time wasting customers & eliminated feeling as though I'm jumping through hoops only to receive pennies in the end.
"Think about it, Netflix didn't come out the gate charging $13.99/month for subscriptions. As their business model & catalog grew they raised their prices to reflect what they now offer."
Tip #3 - Change Your Routine/ Schedule
While we can all agree that we as humans love routine & stability sometimes in order to elevate we have to change things that have been stagnant in our lives. Changing your routine & schedule can put you in a different mindset & allow you to come into your cam space with new ideas & excitement. Over the years I have changed schedules multiple times due to my mood, my non-cam obligations, or even just to attempt to reach a new audience. Sometimes when you get locked into specific cam time slot you run into the same people day in & day out, making it feel as though your cam growth is stagnant & your room is dead. Dead rooms set you on the fast track to burnout as they make it harder for you to have fun, stay on cam, & make the money you need to make.
If Monday mornings have been a drag in recent weeks, consider switching to Tuesdays to see if it picks up a bit. If you normally cam in the morning try getting on later in the evening to put yourself in front of new faces & get that "new model rush" again without even switching sites. If your cam site as a whole feels stagnant trying camming on a new site for a couple of weeks under the "new model" tag to boost business & draw in new businesses. You don't even have to commit to working that new site full time if you don't want to; you could use that time to direct people to your other social media or main camming site.
Tip #4 - Take A Break
Taking a break is essential in any career field & at any job. Camming requires a great amount of both emotional & physical labor and the combination of long cam shifts, contorting ourselves into physically demanding positions, & constantly having to remain happy & positive during shifts can leave any model feeling like they're running on fumes.
I am a firm believer that models should carve out at least two days during the week where they don't do anything camming related. Posting to social media is optional, as some people use it to unplug & unwind, however actively promoting or working is a no-no. Use this time to pour into yourself & do things that bring you true happiness & relaxation. Go to the gym, get a massage, or just spend the entire day in your pjs binge watching TV. Whatever fills your happiness meter, DO IT. We spend so much of our time making other people feel good; don't forget to include yourself at the top of that list.
For models that are worried about experiencing a dip in income , or feel as though their financial situation does not allow for a break, I recommend planning your break like you would a vacation. For example, around every three months I plan to take a weeklong break from cam; I treat it as a "self care week" where I may treat myself to a nice dinner, get a massage, or go just spend time with my family. I will plan it out on my calendar & in the weeks leading up to it I will make sure to save enough money, pre-film, & schedule content so that I can enjoy my week without my conscience nagging me. Certain sites even give you the option to inform your audience that you will be on vacation & preserve your ranking on your cam site until your return.
In a society that glorifies grind culture & constantly being busy, we as cam models are even more prone to overworking ourselves due to the perceived copious amounts of "free time" we have. Any bit of free time we have is often spent camming, creating content, or at the very least brainstorming content/show ideas. But what if, instead of filling this free time we've manifested for ourselves with more work related tasks, we used that free time to pour into ourselves? We'd go into our work weeks feeling more emotionally fulfilled, happier, & less stressed. We cannot pour into our family, friends, or clients from a cup that is half full. We must fill ourselves up first.
Tip #5 - Find Your Passion
When money is no longer a true motivator one must take a step back & re-evaluate what in their current role what they are passionate about.
They say that motivation will only take you so far; discipline will keep you going. In the world of camming this statement couldn't ring any truer. The motivation to do well as a model is something that everyone that logs onto that site possesses. But what happens what that motivation runs dry? After a few months of camming many models find themselves going through the motions & using money as the sole motivator to continue on their cam journey. After all, not being able to pay your bills sure is a good reason to get some work done. While some people hear "just focus on the money" & are able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps & push through their work day, for most this mindset will set them on a fast track to burnout & emotional fatigue.
When money is no longer a true motivator one must take a step back & re-evaluate what in their current role what they are passionate about. Say you primarily work with femdom clients; what is your favorite things about working with this group of clients? What fills your happiness meter the most during a cam session? Maybe it's hearing your clients express gratitude for allowing them to express their kink in a safe, non-judgmental space.
Or maybe you're a clip creator & have realized that making people fantasies come to life via custom content makes you appreciated & sexy. Whatever that passion is, pinpoint & TAP INTO IT!
When you don't know what makes you truly happy in this industry it's easy to feel as though you're being pulled in a bunch of different directions or that you're doing a little bit of everything, hoping that something sticks. When I first began, I was camming full time, making clips/custom content, uploading to tube sites, & running a subscription-based fan club. I wore all of these hats & juggled all of the work that came with it, but about two years into my journey I began to see clip making & running my fan club as a source of stress & anxiety. I reassessed my boundaries (see Tip #1 *wink*) & very quickly realized that camming was my true passion; it's what made the happiest. So, I took a break from running my fan club (and switched to a platform I enjoyed working on more), stopped uploading to my tube sites, closed my custom video request form, & made the decision to only film & release clips when I truly felt like it. Now, I can focus on camming & whatever else I'm passionate about in the moment.
Understanding what you care about the most in this industry is what keeps you engaged & innovative. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to keep your cam shows fun for yourself; just listen to your heart.
Banish Burnout...For Good...
Burnout, it can creep up on us & derail everything that we've worked so hard for in a matter of weeks or months. As webcam models we are in a very unique situation that allows us to make others feel great physically & emotionally, but that can mean we neglect ourselves in the process. When you start to see the first signs of burnout, tackle them. Revisit this article if you need to. Bookmark it!
Maybe all you need is an extra day of rest to recharge your batteries. Or maybe you need a nice weekend getaway with your friends or significant other to ease your mind. Whatever works, do it! Trust me when I say, your fans will notice how much happier you are, your career/business will thank you for never giving up on it, & you will thank yourself for being more gracious & caring to both your mind & body.
"Life is tough my darling, but so are you." - Stephanie Bennet Henry