The Industry Dictionary

The federal record-keeping law (18 U.S.C. §2257): you must keep ID records proving everyone in your content is an adult. Applies to solo creators, not just studios.

Earning a commission for referring fans or creators to a platform — usually a percentage of what they spend or earn, paid as long as they stay.

A company that runs your fan-platform accounts — posting, DMs, promo — for a cut, often 30–50%. Some are legit; many are chatter farms with a contract. Read every clause twice.

A licensed talent agent who books performers for studio shoots, typically for a 10–15% commission on booked work. A different job from an OnlyFans manager — real agents are licensed, don’t touch your accounts, and only earn when you shoot.

A separate account that keeps your work identity and your legal one from ever touching. Your vanilla socials should not follow your work ones.

"Boy/girl" — scenes with a partner. Usually the highest-priced tier on a menu, and always paperwork before the camera rolls.

A scene with one performer giving oral to several partners — a gangbang’s oral-only counterpart.

A phone, email, or card used only for work, so a leak or a nosy fan never reaches your real life.

A one-time flat fee for a shoot in exchange for signing away future royalties or ownership of the content. Price it knowing you won’t see another dollar from it.

Cam-to-cam — the fan turns their camera on too, usually as a paid upgrade in a private show. Set the price and the rules before you accept.

The day-of-shoot rundown: location, call time, scene partners, and schedule. Read it the night before — it’s how you know who and what you’re walking into.

A fan reverses a payment through their bank and the money comes back out of your balance — sometimes weeks later.

A hired person (or bot) answering DMs while pretending to be the creator. Against most platforms’ rules; common anyway.

Hindi slang for sex — a common tag and title word in desi (South Asian) content, and a useful keyword if that’s your niche or audience.

Someone outside the industry — a partner, friend, or job with no connection to sex work.

A marketplace for selling individual videos — Clips4Sale, ManyVids — instead of subscriptions. You price per clip, fans buy à la carte.

Consensual non-consent — a kink genre where a lack of consent is roleplayed by performers who negotiated everything beforehand. Heavily restricted or banned by many platforms’ TOS; check before you post.

Shooting with another creator. Both post it, both promote it, and both keep signed releases and ID records.

A performer who shoots on both the gay and straight sides of the industry.

A video made to one fan’s exact request, usually priced per minute. Payment first, limits in writing, no exceptions.

The flat fee a performer is paid for a day’s shoot. Varies by scene type and experience — know the going rates before you negotiate.

"Doing business as" — a registered trade name that lets you invoice and bank under your stage name instead of your legal one.

The US copyright law behind takedown notices — your main weapon when content gets stolen and reposted.

Publishing your legal name, address, or family connections without consent. Have a response plan before you need one.

Employer Identification Number — a free IRS tax ID for your business, so W-9s and platform paperwork don’t need your Social Security number.

A contract term restricting where content can be posted, who someone may work with, or what competing work they may accept.

A photo or clip holding a handwritten sign with a fan’s name or message — a cheap, popular custom that proves it was made just for them.

Female domination — content and dynamics where the woman is in charge. Spans everything from light instruction to full BDSM scenes.

Financial domination — a kink where sending money is the dynamic itself. The payment is called a tribute, not a purchase.

A free-to-subscribe page that earns through PPV and tips instead of the subscription price. High volume, more unlocking, more messaging.

Girl/girl — a scene with two female performers. Often a performer’s first partnered scene type.

A scene with one performer and multiple partners. Booked with higher day rates, stricter testing windows, and clear scene agreements up front.

Hiding your profile from chosen countries or regions. Most creators block their hometown first.

"Girlfriend experience" — messages and content styled as a relationship rather than a transaction. High emotional labor; price it that way.

A tip target the whole room fills together — the show happens when the counter lands. The workhorse of public cam earnings.

Porn shot without a plot or fourth wall — the camera operator is part of the scene. Faster, cheaper shoots than feature productions.

The acts someone will not do, at any price. Stated up front, listed in your profile or deal memo, and never negotiable mid-scene or mid-shoot.

Jerk-off instruction — a popular custom content and sexting category where the creator gives directions.

Which state or country’s laws — and courts — apply to you, a contract, or a platform. Obscenity, age-verification, and 2257 rules all change with it.

A cancellation payment owed when a booked shoot is canceled after an agreed deadline.

"Know Your Customer" — the ID-and-selfie verification every platform runs before you can post or get paid.

Paid content reposted somewhere free without consent. Watermark everything and send DMCA takedowns fast.

A limited liability company — the business entity many creators form to separate work income and legal exposure from their personal name, and to put a company name on paperwork instead of their own.

A viewer who watches but never tips or types. Some convert eventually. Most don’t. Don’t chase them.

One DM blasted to every fan (or a segment) at once — the main way PPV gets sold.

A one-page snapshot of your brand — stats, audience, rates, past work — sent when pitching collabs, sponsors, or bookings.

Moderator — someone given tools to manage your chat: muting or banning users, enforcing room rules, and answering repeat questions. Often a trusted regular, sometimes a hired assistant.

Creators who follow and promote each other — the informal network SFS, collabs, and safety warnings travel through.

Non-consensual intimate imagery — the legal term for content shared without consent. The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires platforms to remove it within 48 hours of a report.

Your private list of people you won’t work with — no reason required. Agents and studios are expected to respect it without pushback.

"Not safe for work" — the internet-wide label for adult content. The opposite is SFW, the version of your content that can live on mainstream socials.

Performer Availability Screening Services — the industry’s shared testing standard studios require before shoots.

Phat-ass white girl — a common tag and content category.

A findom fan whose role in the dynamic is to send money — the term is part of the kink, not an insult. Their tributes are the content.

The lag between earning money and being allowed to withdraw it — typically 7–30 days, longer after disputes or flags.

Point-of-view — shot as if the camera is the viewer’s eyes. One of the most-searched content styles, and shootable solo with a handheld or chest rig.

Pay-per-view: locked content sold in DMs or on the feed for a one-off price. The main earner on freemium pages.

A one-on-one paid show. A "spy" pays a lower rate to watch someone else’s private without controlling it.

Professional-amateur — produced scenes styled to look homemade, or a pro performer shooting with newcomers.

A subscription auto-renewing. Your rebill rate — how many fans stay on — is the real health metric of a page, not the follower count.

A fan who shows up consistently — in your room, your DMs, your renew list. The backbone of steady income, worth knowing by name.

The signed consent-and-ID paperwork for anyone who appears in your content. No release, no shoot — even with friends.

Arranging your own shoots directly with studios and creators instead of through an agent — you keep the commission but do your own vetting, negotiating, and paperwork.

Shoutout-for-shoutout — two creators promote each other to trade audiences. Free, and it works better than most paid promo.

When a social platform quietly hides you from search and hashtags without telling you. Reach dies; the account looks fine.

Fan-culture word for someone who over-gives money or attention. Affectionate or an insult, depending on who’s saying it.

Small penis humiliation — a verbal-humiliation kink and a common custom and sexting request.

Watching someone else’s private show at a lower rate — you see the show but don’t control it.

The name you work under. Pick one with no ties to your legal name, check it isn’t taken, and use it everywhere — consistency builds the brand, separation protects the person.

Industry slang for a boyfriend or husband who inserts himself into a performer’s career — hanging around sets, controlling bookings, living off her income. A red flag term, not a job title.

Sex worker — the umbrella term the community actually uses for itself, online usually abbreviated to dodge content filters.

A group show fans buy a ticket to attend — the room goes private and only ticket holders watch. A fixed price per head instead of one goal total.

A posted price list of what each tip or payment gets — pinned in a cam room, an OnlyFans feed, or DMs. Post it, repeat it, honor it.

Cam-site currency. What one is actually worth in dollars depends entirely on the site.

Terms of service. "Getting TOS’d" is how accounts die. Read them per platform — what’s fine on one is a ban on another.

A payment sent as an act of devotion rather than for something specific — findom’s basic unit.

Turning one purchase into a bigger one — a longer custom, an add-on, the next tier.

Non-kink — or the civilian world in general, as in "my vanilla job."

Video on demand — recorded shows sold after the live is over. A goal show that keeps earning.

Your username stamped visibly across content so stolen copies advertise you and takedowns are easier to prove.

The fan who spends dramatically more than everyone else. Take good care of them — but never build the business on one person.