- OnlyFans stars may be looking to expand their reach by becoming mainstream influencers.
- Some adult-content creators have successfully made the transition, but others say brands are wary of them.
- It’s led some influencers to distance themselves from OnlyFans to be taken seriously by brands.
Some OnlyFans stars who want to expand their reach and make money on mainstream platforms are trying to distance themselves from OnlyFans to do it.
OnlyFans creator Jenna Foxx, who’s been in the adult-entertainment industry since 2017, created a new social-media identity to attract potential deals and partnerships. She set up profiles under a different name on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms, where she posts professional modeling, fashion, and lifestyle content. Foxx asked Insider not to reveal the names of her mainstream accounts to protect her identity.
“It’s my Hannah Montana lifestyle,” she said, referring to Miley Cyrus’ fictional Disney Channel character who lived a double life as a famous pop star.
For OnlyFans creators who want to break into the mainstream, brand deals are key. It’s how most influencers make a living and support their careers as full-time content creators.
OnlyFans is still Foxx’s main money maker. But, to be taken seriously by brands, she felt she needed a separate online persona.
“You in a way have to be two different people,” Foxx said. “Some creators can’t turn off the adult side, so that’s kind of sticky for mainstream brands.”
With about 354,000 followers on her mainstream Instagram account, Foxx has secured gifted deals with brands like perfume company Dossier and skincare brand Kiehl’s, which have sent her products in exchange for her posting about and tagging their brands. Though paid partnerships have been harder to come by, her deals include a recent paid campaign with Harper Wilde, an underwear brand.
Chloe Sasha, an OnlyFans creator who has about 165,000 followers on her main TikTok account and 238,000 on Instagram, got started on OnlyFans to support herself and her four kids after a divorce — and wanted the gig to be temporary.
To make the shift, she highlights her interests such as fitness, cooking, and teaching Spanish on her mainstream pages. She also leaves her name out of some of her social profiles or goes only by her first name.
But, while she pitches herself to brands from sex-positive companies to mainstream names, she’s still found it difficult to get their attention.
“A lot of companies don’t really want to mix with our industry,” Chloe said. “So it’s hard getting working with them because they don’t want to be seen as working with girls that do that.”
Chloe said even brands selling sex toys or lingerie can be reticent to work with OnlyFans creators. Many of those brands want to work with adult-entertainment stars who have millions of fans, or are trying to break out by working with influencers outside of the porn industry.
“They just don’t want to niche themselves,” Chloe said.
OnlyFans creators risk having their mainstream social accounts taken down, making it harder to get noticed by brands
Creators trying to break out beyond the adult-entertainment industry have the added challenges of navigating each platform’s content guidelines — and showing brands they don’t pose any risks.
Several creators Insider spoke with said they’d had their accounts taken down on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, or suspected they’d been shadowbanned. It makes it even harder for them to get the attention of mainstream brands.
“It’s a risk for the business to work with you, if all your accounts are constantly getting deleted,” said Taylor Gunner, an OnlyFans creator who also has about 135,000 Instagram followers.
The process can be also draining for some, like Chloe, who said she’s made at least 20 TikTok accounts over the years.
“I feel like I’ve been a little burnt out, just because I am having to start new ones and I’m working hard on them,” Chloe said. “When you have ten pages that you’re starting new, it’s very time consuming.”
Other adult creators want brands to accept them as they are
Still, other OnlyFans creators, like Justine Jakobs, say they shouldn’t have to hide who they are to work with brands.
Jakobs, who has around 641,000 Instagram followers on her main account, said her experience in adult content could even be an asset in some sectors, like health and wellness.
“As somebody who works in doing actual porn scenes, you have to be physically fit in order to do these things and not get winded,” said Jakobs. “You have to take care of your body and take care of your skin.”
Jakobs posts on social media about everything from health and wellness to fitness to beauty, and has landed affiliate and other deals with brands in the nutrition space. While many influencers pitch brands online, she’s also started networking with them in person — showing up at conventions to meet with companies that sell supplements and skincare products. She uses a media kit to pitch herself, as well.
Creator Rae Richmond, who recently started to navigate brand partnerships, also had success connecting with companies in the fitness and health industries, as well as some jewelry and pet brands. (She posts about her dog on social media.) She recently landed a deal with a nutrition-supplement company that offered her a stipend and a commission for product sales.
”It didn’t seem to bother them that I’m an adult-content creator,” Richmond said, who has about about 6,200 Instagram followers. “They approach me and it’s very clear what I do.”
Gunner, meanwhile, found a lane to collaborate with brands by working with smaller companies including local brands. Her background as a former US Marine has helped her partner with tactical gear companies and gun shops. And she dabbles in cosplay.
Though Gunner said the brands she’d worked with mostly reached out to her, she always does background research on them and points out what she likes about their social strategies. She also still pitches herself by highlighting what makes her stand out as a creator, from her military background to her OnlyFans.
“I found some companies that love working with OnlyFans creators because they do understand that it is a real job and it takes a lot of work,” Gunner said. “I don’t want to hide anything about myself or my brand just to get a paycheck.”
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