OnlyFans isn’t all NSFW! From food to fitness, see how different types of influencers are using the platform to grow their fanbase and monetize content.

For many, OnlyFans is synonymous with sex. The popular social subscription platform attracted many of its 150 million registered users because of its relaxed content guidelines, which allowed sex workers, strippers, and other adult content creators to earn an income.

It’s these progressive guidelines that make the platform so unique, and when OnlyFans announced it would be banning sexually explicit content in the following months, the community was up in arms. Luckily for the adult content creators who had built their living on the platform, the company swiftly reversed its decision.

It was around then that OnlyFans announced the launch of OFTV, a streaming service providing original content around fitness, cooking, comedy, music and more “PG” categories. In other words, no NSFW content. This content isn’t entirely new to OnlyFans, though, as the platform wasn’t intended to be just adult content. In fact, for years OnlyFans has been home to many genres of creators looking to get paid directly for their content online, from personal trainers to chefs.

Comedian and actress Jiaoying Summers has been using OnlyFans for just three months and says she has earned 63,000 followers for her comedic videos and other jokes.

“I have unexpected moderate income from OnlyFans,” she tells us.

While Ev, a holistic health coach who goes by the name @thebadasshealer and does not share her full name publicly, has earned just 150 subscribers on OnlyFans (in comparison to her 51,000 Instagram followers) she says she still earns more through OnlyFans than she does at her waitressing job. She credits this to the way OnlyFans allows its creators to monetize “everything.”

What makes OnlyFans particularly enticing is that creators don’t feel boxed into one genre. Ahead we explore some of the many ways different content creators can use OnlyFans to monetize and foster unique relationships with their audience.

Health and fitness on OnlyFans

While OnlyFans hasn’t released any data on how many creators it has in various genres, the site says it’s seen an increase in creators using the platform for fitness content since the 2020 lockdown. Features like livestreaming allow fitness gurus to conduct Q&As or even live workout routines for paying subscribers. They can also post diet and workout plans in addition to video and photo content.

Holistic health coach Ev posts fitness and mental health classes alongside body positive content, which includes no-makeup, unretouched footage of herself to show followers all her “beautiful imperfections.”

“On top of the monthly subscription I have the PPVs [pay per views] that allow me to make custom workouts and meditations, as well as choosing who I send my sensual content to,” she says. “Even if I don’t do adult content I love making art with my body and that’s an intimate type of content I can keep exclusive on OnlyFans.”

Ev uses Linktree to differentiate her different social media platforms so it’s “a lot less confusing” for her followers. Ev also shares content about her MMA training, nutrition, and digital art. She says she appreciates Linktree’s analytics features so she can see how many people are interested in her various types of content. Ev is just one of 272,000 Linktree users (and counting) with OnlyFans links on their page, according to September 2021 data.

Beauty on OnlyFans

Beauty is another genre that appears to be growing in popularity on OnlyFans, because gurus can share step-by-step makeup tutorials and other recommendations and receive money through subscriptions and one-off pay-per-view photos. Gabi Mrugala, whose username is GroovyGabs, has been on OnlyFans for almost a year, earning money through tips, direct-message gratuities, and her Amazon Wishlist. She tells Glossy that she’s earned 23,000 followers thanks to her beauty content.

She has since expanded to holistic healing, and allows OnlyFans followers to purchase private sessions with her for $50.

Entertainers on OnlyFans

While the world may be opening back up, many actors, musicians, and entertainers still find themselves in front of a screen when it comes to auditioning and landing gigs. OnlyFans allows actors and other performers to post video monologues and solicit feedback on their work using the poll feature. Musicians can similarly tease snippets of new music for paying subscribers, or give early access to upcoming releases. Additionally, the many monetization options allow creators to crowdfund their creative projects.

“It’s subscription based, so it’s a great place to build funds from to create content in the future,” Holiday Sidewinder, a musician with over 17,000 Instagram followers, says. She says fans are most interested in getting behind-the-scenes looks into her creative process. “You’re being paid for your content by a following who are literally invested in your work.”

To grow as an entertainer on OnlyFans, Summers recommends juggling other social media platforms to help direct followers. For instance, Summers has over one million followers on TikTok, many of whom have followed her to OnlyFans to form a community.

“It’s just so genuine and welcoming,” she says.

Chefs on OnlyFans

Cooking With Classie may have a successful Instagram and e-book, but the San Francisco-based chef chooses OnlyFans to monetize her step-by-step cooking videos.  With recipes for dishes like honey walnut prawns, steak and shrimp fajitas, and honey garlic wings, fans are able to cook with her on-demand.

Similarly, for $9.99 a month, Sneaky Eats promises two recipes or techniques a week for aspiring chefs, and accepts suggestions for content via DM. Other features like live streaming allows OnlyFans chefs to host their own live cooking show, while making money from paying subscribers.

Lifestyle on OnlyFans

If you’re not someone with a specific passion, like cooking or fitness, being a creator on OnlyFans doesn’t mean you have to stick to one niche. All kinds of creators can put their usual travel, lifestyle, or other content behind the subscription paywall, or offer behind-the-scenes content to supplement their YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok accounts. In a blog post, OnlyFans cited podcasters using the platform to share uncensored conversations, YouTubers using the platform to post videos without ads, as well as people from dancers to magicians finding unique ways of monetizing.

While OnlyFans may still have a reputation for primarily adult content, PG creators like Ev found that people have been “super respectful and understanding” of her desire to make money directly from followers on OnlyFans.

“I had a strong brand already and I set clear boundaries so I’m sure it helped,” Ev adds.

As for Summers, she says “life is too short to care about other opinions” and that her OnlyFans followers are “great people and they truly care about me and my career.”

By cultivating an OnlyFans community, creators are able to have a closer relationship with their audience and monetize all kinds of content outside of traditional social media brand deals. Monthly subscriptions, tips, pay-per-view options, and the intimate support of dedicated followers means even familiar kinds of content creators can find new ways to create, and make money doing it.

About the author: Kathryn Lindsay is a freelance writer and editor living in Brooklyn, New York. Find out more at kathrynfionalindsay.com