As a content creator, you have more creative freedom than you might enjoy if you worked for someone else. But in a way, that is an illusion. You’re really working for your fans, since they are the ones who pay you. If your content isn’t geared to a target audience willing to pay for it, you may just be creating art for yourself — which is fine if you’re already rich and don’t need a steady income! But if you’re creating content with the intent to bring in some revenue, the following pointers may help.

Getting to Know Your Audience

There are different ways to get to know your audience. One of the easiest ways will of course be through interaction in DMs or wall/feed posts on social media. Obviously, it would be a lot of work to know each of your fans personally, but interacting with them on a one-on-one basis gives you some insight into what they like about you. Remember, they’re interested in you as a content creator, but they also have their own kinks. Your fans will tell you if they like your solo content more than your GG or vice versa. Pay attention to any requests that they’re making to get an idea of areas your content isn’t hitting. If you’re getting the same request from multiple fans, you know that’s a type of content that they’re looking for. If you’re able and willing to provide it, do it!

If a new scene gets lots of comments, use that as an opportunity to upsell fans.

Another way to get to know what your audience wants is to run a poll. Polls are an easy way to get data and can be done on a variety of platforms, both premium and free. If you’re deciding between shooting two different niches, you can poll asking what kind of content they’d like to see more of, or you can ask if they’d like more daily updates vs. weekly. All kinds of information can be gathered in a poll. You don’t want to run polls too frequently, so make sure that the data you’re looking for is well thought-out when choosing this option.

Various platforms also provide you with data analytics, for those of you who are more into the “nerdy” side of the data. It’s not for everyone, but taking the time to look at the statistics, even at a glance, will give you an idea of what content your fans are enjoying. Content that is frequently purchased or viewed is your most valuable; this is the content that your audience wants most. When looking at that content, you should note any consistent characteristics. Is all of your most popular material in a similar niche or themed in a certain way? Are the titles clever? Did you post your biggest sellers at the same time and day of the week? Some of these things may seem insignificant, but it’s important data that you can use to maximize your revenue.

Knowledge Is Power

Have you noticed that certain stores have new items on Thursday, or that discounts start on Tuesdays? Those stores are doing market research to ascertain which days of the week are best for specific products and deals. That’s the kind of data you need to collect about your audience; knowing when your fans spend is key to earning your revenue. If your sales go up at the end of the month, that’s when you want to put out your highest-value items. Just like you, your fans likely have a budget, bills to pay and a time of month when they’re more likely to spend. That’s when you want to give them something to spend their money on.

If you notice that your fan interactions, from DMs to PPV purchases to wall posts, are all occurring around the same time each day, you’ll be better able to plan your posts. If your fans are night owls, you can plan to post new content in the evening so that they have something new to engage with as they log in to your profile; they won’t have to go searching for anything they might have missed during the day.

Applying Your Insights

The more engagement with your content, the more revenue potential there is. If a new scene gets lots of comments, use that as an opportunity to upsell fans. To keep them engaged, post similar content they may not have seen, and ask about their favorite part or what else they’d like to see. That could help you turn a standard PPV into a sexting session or even a custom order.

If you’re organized enough to know which specific fans like your fetish-oriented content, you could even send them a personalized message saying, “Hey (name), I know you love when I do ASMR, so I wanted to give you a sneak peak of my new scene before everyone else!” and share a brief SFW clip or photo. You could create a group of your fans who are into ASMR, for example, and whenever you release new content that features it heavily, offer it to them first as a way to show your appreciation for their support.

It’s not enough to simply post content and assume, “My fans like my girl/girl scenes.” Nowadays you need to know more specifics, like whether they especially enjoy those girl/girl scenes where you’re in charge and wearing athletic gear. Having this type of information will ensure you can keep delivering what they want — and that they will keep spending hard-earned cash on you. This is how you keep earning and making your fans happy.

Megan Stokes is co-founder of NMG Management, a content distribution and management firm. As a veteran of the adult industry, she shares knowledge and data insights with those who seek her help.