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These days, yes. They are what keep you afloat. Last year even, and previous years, my answer would have been no/maybe. Camming is reaching its peak, or maybe already has passed it.
I think it depends on your camming style. If you do tons of gold shows, probably not. If you specialize in one-on-one shows, then yes, certainly.
I kind of think yes and no but you girls have been around longer than me. I think there is always someone on who wants a show or to try you out. I also think this is a business that is inconsistent even if you have regulars or not.
That's got to be an individual thing...I have "loose" regulars, some that have shows every now and then since I first started over a year ago, some will be weekly and then stop but then replaced by another, and some less than weekly. I'm on AW and I enjoy building relationships, not because it's good for business (which it is) but simply because I enjoy camming with a regular/someone I have developed some form of relationship with...it gives me a platform to work from and makes me feel more comfortable too. I like camming to feel intimate, to have a connection with the customer, and I enjoy dressing up and being in character, inviting them to role play with me even if it's just on a light suggestive level.
Someone commented in free chat the other day that I was popular and said that it was because I was friendly. I can do free chat when I'm busy and my energy is high but it's easy to become drained when not busy by freeloaders (guys who have no intention of ever paying) and abusers.
Base on my own personal experience, I would say no but it doesn't hurt to have regulars. I work on SM under the Transgender category and I always have regulars and new custies that want to spend. I recently took a month off and when I got back, I'm making more money than ever. Maybe it has to do with being consider a fetish, a novelty?
For me I think of it like the pareto principle in any business. 80% of your income comes from 20% of your clients. I think being able to rely on some kind of money helps immensely in a business where no money is guaranteed
Of course we can still have those random days of meeting only new people and making loads of tips!
I have regulars... but I definitely would not say that they "keep me afloat". But that is just my personal experience.
I think that this answer could vary depending on a models placement and traffic. When I was working slower traffic sites, I wouldn't have made much without regulars - they DID keep me afloat back then. However, after being on SM and having good placement and traffic, I don't really need regulars anymore.
And at this point, I prefer not to have regulars. I find that stopping my flow of work for a long exclusive ends up slowing me down and making me tired... it sort of ruins my hustle. I much prefer Gold Shows or many shorter (5-20 min) privates. It keeps me moving and makes the time fly by!
Also, I've never really liked the... entitlement? Expectations? Of regulars.... they expect you to just LOOOOVE seeing them and remember every little detail about them, contact them off the cam site, etc. I'm just not into that. I see way too many guys and have way too much going on in my personal life to keep tabs on needy guys.
I don't have regulars and yet I survive on new blood only so do with that information what you will. ;)
Yes they are and yes they should be. You might get by on new guys just dropping into chat and taking you private, but it's the regs who will come by consistently, spend the most money and the most time x
I think it depends on your individual style. For me regulars are important because I like to chat and interact a lot. One time I did a gold show where there was a douchebag asking dumb questions like "Could you take a horse cock?". My regs started cracking jokes about horse cocks and had me rofl'ing through the whole show. It was a blast :D
I have regulars, loose regulars and newbies who then sometimes become regulars and loose regulars. The cam world is all about the hustle turning free viewers into paying viewers. For me the regulars are the basis of my daily/weekly target. Cos I know when they enter ££$$ are in my eyes.
I believe regulars are necessary. I didn't have set cam times and ended up losing the guys that were looking for me. And yes, some regulars can be a PIA but that's the nature of the biz...
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I don't think their necessary but they def help. There's been days when I probably would've made $0-$20 for 4hrs if my regulars didn't come through and whale it(lol). I definitely see a dip in $$ when my regulars don't come online. So, I wouldn't not want to have regulars.
Should it be a goal to obtain?... ummm I dunna how one would do that. Customers seem to become regulars because they like you and the type of shows that you do. They come back because they want to so they kinda become regulars on their own. I don't think "regulars" are something that I really have control of.
I think the best thing to do to survive is find your niche stick with it and put on good shows, be consistent with your schedule, upgrade your computer/cam/internet/wardrobe/etc when needed, stay on top of trends, brand yourself, and of course adapt or die.
Depending on your expenses, I don't think regulars are necessary to "survive" in camming. I'd be able to pay my basic bills and living expenses without them, but it's my regulars and a couple of whales who really make it worth it for me and allow me to put money towards my future and more than just the bare essentials.
I'm not sure that acquiring and maintaining regulars is a goal that I can set for myself, as when I think of "goal" I think of something that I can actively work towards but realistically, I cannot turn guys into regulars. All I can do is give my best performance each and every show but ultimately if they keep coming back for more it's their call, not much more I can do. Though I do *wish* for more regulars. I wish I had a regular for every freaking day of the week because it guarantees me an enjoyable (and profitable) shift on cam.
I find getting regulars easy - keeping them actively spending for months on end is far more difficult.
I actually confronted a couple of my regulars recently (as politely as I could) and said I was "curious" to know why they had stopped spending.
And I asked them why they were hanging around in my room for hours on end and what their intentions were.
They apologized and started spending again, taking me private/exclusive and contributing to my Gold Shows.
So I got my way }:D
^^^ So.... you mean you inquired politely as to what had caused the change in their spending habits? Instead of bitching their "cheap asses" out, and smacking down the banhammer? And, do you mean to tell us that when you did this, the viewers politely and sheepishly obliged and began spending again?
O.o
Funny how that works.
I had the same thing with a couple of my regulars...they didn't start spending regularly again but they did each have another paid show! Well if they want to continue talking to me, they need to continue having shows...
haha I did that recently with a few of my regs too! And just like you said they started going prvt again. You know what they say "a closed mouth doesn't get fed!" Sometimes they get too comfortable and we need to snap them back into reality! lol
Do you need regulars to succeed as a cam model? The regulars I do have usually don't tip very much and/or are they tip a lot and want to meet and get disappointed when I do not meet them..Do u need regulars to make camming sustainable in your experience?
nah. I hate regulars most of the time. There's 3 now that I actually like because I enjoy their fetish(es) a lot as well and they're very respecteful. another guy just wants to talk and he's really cool, we talk about so many different subjects :) but I have blocked a lot of regulars before and most of my money comes from new customers every time. i really dislike clingy, needy dudes and unfortunately that's what a lot of them turn into after a while.
That can depend on different things and which site you work on. On sites like SM, it seems to be better to have a balance of both regulars and new customers. Each new customer you gain improves your conversion rate, which helps placement.
Having repeat regulars who spend big amounts when they can, will help boost your paid chat percentage, and your income. The ones who spend very little and pressure you to meet up are more of a time waster than a reg. It is best to just block those types and save yourself the headache.
I love regulars but I used to get freaked out by them. I used think "how can they still be into me this much?" and it made me feel like my prvt. shows were all the same and boring. The truth is this thinking has gotten me to up my game and its made me a better cam girl.
I can hook customers much better now because I have a better grip on the art of seduction and my self confidence has gone through the roof but my end game is always to make them a regular and get every last cent they have! Its gotten so bad that I even have my friends husbands eating out of my hand. Its like I cannot find the off button to this shit I just automatically do it with every man I meet so I guess its a Pandora's box.