#17 — Aella on being a top 0.08% OnlyFans creator and opportunities for tech in the adult content world

Aella is an OnlyFans creator who is in the top 0.08% of all creators on the platform. Founded in 2016, OnlyFans is a platform that is revolutionizing sex work, allowing creators to sell subscriptions for premium content, as well as earn tips from their fans and charge for pay-per-view messages.The website is mainly used for adult content, but also has a market with chefs, fitness creators, and musicians. In past months some well-known celebrities/influencers have joined the platform, including Cardi B and Bella Thorne. Per recent media reports, OnlyFans now has around 30 million registered users and around 450,000 content creators. Its growth is only accelerating during the pandemic; earlier this summer, the company said it was seeing a 75% month-on-month increase in signups since March. Aella started creating content on OnlyFans earlier this year but has been involved with various forms of sex work for over 8 years. She also runs a private telegram group for OnlyFans girls, and was previously a data analyst for a crypto startup.In this interview, we talk about:- Aella’s backstory and what led her to becoming a creator on OnlyFans- What creators in other fields can learn from OnlyFans- What people misunderstand about OnlyFans creators and subscribers- Shifts in societal attitudes towards sex work- How the rise of OnlyFans affects the broader social platform landscape- What new software products are needed for this segment of creators- And more!Brought to you by the Means of Creation newsletter: meansofcreation.substack.com