I want to start making content for ELM but I'm so overwhelmed

[Hyaena]

I'm a virgin seller on ELM. I have 20+ requests for customs in my inbox right now, some of which were made a month ago. I feel bad, but it's not as if they paid anything. I haven't logged in for a week. I'm afraid to. They just keep coming. I'm overwhelmed. I've never made a scripted video and a lot of my requests are fetish oriented and require a lot of acting on my part. I'm not an actor. My camming "persona" is really not much more than the real me with better posture. Being "real" is what I'm known for. It works great for camming. And I don't like the prices that are suggested by these guys but I can't really expect them to wanna pay what I consider to be a reasonable sum when there's a drop dead gorgeous redhead girl clicking the "I can do it" button for literally every request and charging 2 credits for watersport videos. So I have only one short clip on there but I'm proud of it, gosh darn it! I know it's just 2 minutes of booty shaking but you'd think all these guys that are filling my inbox with elaborate ideas would pay the 1 measly credit for the thing, ya know? As a morale boost to say "hey I like what you do, please make more!"

So I guess I have some questions:

Does anyone have a basic criteria for figuring out what to charge based on the length of the clip, time spent creating a clip, etc that they'd be willing to share with me?

Should I worry about the guys giving me bad reviews if/when they got the clip based on the fact that I've disappeared from the site and made them wait so long? It's not like I've received any payment beforehand from anyone. That would be super messed up if they pulled that...and wtf is an escrow exactly?

Any general tips for chilling out about acting? Seems like the only time I ever get embarrassed is in front of myself. I'm super cool and stuff and I don't want my cool self to make fun of my dorky self. Yes, I'm insane.

 

[Gen]

If I were you, I'd start with writing yourself some little scripts, and filming videos with those first. That way you can practice and get used to it.

On ELM, guys will spam their custom request to every model, so don't worry about why they're not buying your video. I would just send back a message saying "I'm not ready to do custom videos yet, but I'll post about it when I am!"

Members and models on ELM are notoriously cheap. Like, dirt prices. Even when I did offer customs, I rarely bother on ELM because the price was a lot higher than many models (not all, of course!). However you'll find that on most sites and you just need to stick it out. I'd rather make one video for $100 than ten videos for $10, so if nine guys pass on my price but one agrees, then great.

Girls on here usually charge between $3-10 per minute for a custom video. On the higher end are girls who are experienced, catering to specific fetishes, using good equipment. I think I started at $3 a minute when I was new, and was satisfied with the level of customs I was doing. Over time I increased my rates because my equipment and overall skills improved, and I was getting more requests than I wanted to do. Generally if a clip is elaborate it'll be more expensive (eg. a clip of just masturbation would be cheaper than a clip with multiple outfits, a shower scene, etc). Keep in mind that you're only making 60% of each credit on ELM, so a 20 credit clip nets you $12 (until you hit Super Seller or whatever, then you get 65%).

But I'd really, really recommend creating some more videos of your own before you take customs, just because customs can be pressure! If you practice with your own scripts and ideas you might be more comfortable behind the camera when you do make customs. Also once you have some videos, you can always branch out to other clip selling sites (Clips4Sale, ManyVids, etc).

Good luck!

 

[Hyaena]

Thank you so much!

 

[Hyaena]

It's looking like ELM isn't a good money maker, which I knew to a certain extent before signing up. But since I don't really care about it I'll probably just use it to practice making videos. Then I'll move onto clips4sale, which is looking like the best one right now.

 

[SaffronBurke]

As far as the profitability goes - I have a regular who buys panties from me on ELM about once or twice a year, and that's about the most money I make there, but I upload all my vids that I also have uploaded to C4S, and one will sell every once in a blue moon, usually when I put a couple on sale.

 

[Violet Dawn]

Elm is a pretty okay place if you're unexperienced. How I do my cost of video would be the type of video, quality, and number of minutes. An example is if someone wants straight up just masturbation it'd be say 2 credits a minute. If someone wanted something a bit more difficult it would be 4 credits a minute. It really depends on what you want. I haven't worked on elm in a while so I don't remember if those are quite accurate anymore. xD Also no one should give you a crappy rating for not responding to them before they sent an escrow. An escrow is them setting up a set payment for a specific job then finalizing it after it is completed and sent. By far the most safe way of sending and receiving payments. And as for the acting, just work up to what you're comfortable with. I never act or anything and I don't have much a problem getting requests. I hope you do well.

 

[KylieJacobs]

ELM isn't worth stressing over. I quit taking custom requests on there because most of the guys don't want to pay more than 30 credits for a custom video, and my rate for custom clips starts at $120 for up to 10 minutes on C4S.

Like the name says, it is just extra lunch money for me! I have better luck with Clips4Sale and ManyVids.

 

[camwithkitten]

It's looking like ELM isn't a good money maker, which I knew to a certain extent before signing up. But since I don't really care about it I'll probably just use it to practice making videos. Then I'll move onto clips4sale, which is looking like the best one right now.

It's easy to get discouraged by low prices. I'd say the majority of custom video requests offer approximately 25 credits per 10 minute video. The payout rate on ELM begins at 60% and reaches up to 65% compared to C4S at 60%. In order to be successful on ELM, you have to be really excited about making custom videos. My estimation is that only 5% of my profits on Extra Lunch Money are passive. This means 95% of profits rely on customer interaction. C4S profits on the other hand are 100% passive. Extra Lunch Money is great in my opinion because members are incredibly active. My inbox always has at least one message the next time I log-in.

My recommendation to you would be to use both. Focus on creating you Cips4Sale page. Set your prices, add descriptions, and personalise your page. Upload the same videos on your ELM page. This will allow you to advertise your content to multiple audiences. Use the same descriptions and list corresponding prices. Keep in mind 1 credit equals 60 cents and 65 cents for Seller Plus models. Once your digital products are finally uploaded and ready on both platforms, focus on mingling with customers on and negotiating custom video and product deals on ELM.

 

[camwithkitten]

Elm is a pretty okay place if you're unexperienced. How I do my cost of video would be the type of video, quality, and number of minutes. An example is if someone wants straight up just masturbation it'd be say 2 credits a minute. If someone wanted something a bit more difficult it would be 4 credits a minute. It really depends on what you want. I haven't worked on elm in a while so I don't remember if those are quite accurate anymore. xD Also no one should give you a crappy rating for not responding to them before they sent an escrow. An escrow is them setting up a set payment for a specific job then finalizing it after it is completed and sent. By far the most safe way of sending and receiving payments. And as for the acting, just work up to what you're comfortable with. I never act or anything and I don't have much a problem getting requests. I hope you do well.

Escrow is essentially a third-party holding take.

There are multiple ways sellers benefit using escrow.

• Peace of mind when purchasing work for both buyers and sellers
• Privacy of purchases (sellers don’t need to post a job)
• Ease of use. Buyers can fund directly from messages
• Flexibility in types of work that can be sold.

Source: http://extralunchmoney.com/blog/new-on-elm-escrow-payments-webcam-shows-physical-goods-oh-my/

I absolutely love that ELM uses escrow. It is a great way to build trust with new or skeptical customers. The only other website I know of that uses escrow is MyGirlFund.

 

[Violet Dawn]

ELM isn't worth stressing over. I quit taking custom requests on there because most of the guys don't want to pay more than 30 credits for a custom video, and my rate for custom clips starts at $120 for up to 10 minutes on C4S.

Like the name says, it is just extra lunch money for me! I have better luck with Clips4Sale and ManyVids.

This. This 100%

 

[Gen]

I agree with Luna and Kylie!

Also a tip: you get to "seller plus" status after getting a certain number of points, I can't remember but it's on their wiki. I didn't want to sell anything for less than 65% so I made an intro video where I just introduced myself and showed off my fully clothed self, then sold it for 0 credits, and made sure to leave feedback for all the buyers. I also had my camgirl friends download it so I got to seller plus quickly without selling my content for less.

 

[David_Lee_Loca]

Don't worry, buyers can't leave you a review unless they've actually bought something from you.
I made okay money on ELM before I started using a clip site, but buyers on there are stingy as hell, so I really only make a custom on there when I find that rare buyer looking to give me a proper payment. Today I got offered 5 whole credits to make a watersports vid (but I only want it 4 minutes long bb!!) . Most of my regs on there have switched to other sites or forms of payment for my work.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good site to get started on and escrow is great for avoiding scammers. It would be smart to open a Clips4Sale store soon though. Just don't sell yourself short for the sake of making a small amount of money.