10 Common Mistakes To Avoid For New Webcam Models

The art of seduction is hard to master.

That’s why some cam girls make upwards of $50,000 per month and others take home $100 or so for an 8-hour stream. 

There are levels to becoming a successful cam model, but we’ll focus on the basics—the biggest mistakes to avoid.

Ten Mistakes To Avoid For New Webcam Models

Some of the mistakes you’ll want to avoid are fairly straightforward—most of the errors on this list can be avoided by using common sense. 

However, some mistakes are a bit less easy to spot without prior experience as a cam model.

1. Not Stating Your Boundaries Upfront

People-pleasers don’t tend to last in the cam industry, and you’ll need to grow thick skin fast if you want to make any real money. 

Men don’t always listen the first time you say no. Don’t be afraid to hurt feelings if the situation calls for it.

It’s an unfortunate part of joining the industry, but unemployed losers with way too much time on their hands will often target brand-new models. Like predators hunting down their prey, they will say & do almost anything to talk you into giving them free content or bending to their demands.

As crappy as the circumstances might be, the onus lies on you to set clear, firm boundaries. You have all the control over your chat room, and the only recourse is getting a potential flag on your account. 

However, cam site moderators understand that some viewers submit malicious reports.

One Discord user and Chaturbate/Streamate model who goes by the screen name 111mary had this to say: “I think this also happens when you’re a people [pleaser] irl. I am (or was, something I’m working on) and when I started I really tried to go that extra mile to make everyone happy.”

“I think that a lot of people start [to] think something like ‘Oh if I’m extra nice they will like me more and they will spend money’. Rookie mistake. They won’t, they will take advantage of you and your kindness and they will literally take everything they can from you. Some of these dudes that target smaller models or newer models are fucking vultures.”

This performer has been in the field for quite a while, and her analysis of the current landscape is pretty spot-on. Bending over backwards for your clients isn’t the best approach. 

Sometimes, you have to put your foot down until they get the message.

You know the old adage: when you give someone an inch, they take a mile.

2. Handing Out Your Personal Information

Remember stranger danger? 

Never give anyone your personal information. Ever.

Even if they offer to pay you for it. Even if they beg. Even if they promise that they’ll marry you and take you away from the world of being a camgirl (how many times have we heard that one?).

Unfortunately, some models fall victim to empty promises and sweet words from their clientele.

One cam girl on Discord named “Qwistie” came back to tell her horror story for the masses.

“Lord... Story below: Fuck some of these clients. We are the head bitches in charge. Never ever playing around with clients for free. I just had to deactivate a personal IG page for a week and change my usernames because of a mistake I made last year getting close FOR FREE to a client on IG. Naive and my first month of camming I give my @ to two people.”

“One of them is reasonable constant whale, and the other is the one who is a childish narc. I first had him on telegram too! Telegram is good, no personal details on there. I don't know why I let my guard down when I saw red flags. I got manipulated into thinking it was just innocent this whole past year... So I gave my Instagram to connect.”

Big mistake... Apparently, he was jerking off to my photos, probably. For freeeee omg. I also saw he liked on my cousins old reels. This was a sign from the universe to block the dude asap.”

It could have been a whole lot worse – we’ve heard stories of stalkers finding addresses, real names, places of employment, and other sensitive details with something as inane as an IG tag.

Another Discord user with the screen name “Emme Torx” expressed her own regrets. “I made the mistake when I started camming to give people my real first name when they pushed and asked. I didn't have proper boundaries. When they said it, it made my skin crawl.”

3. Wearing Your Heart On Your Sleeve

We mentioned the benefits of having thick skin already, but it’s so important that it needs to be said twice. 

Wearing your heart on your sleeve is the easiest way to send your audience running for the hills. 

Being outwardly depressed, showing symptoms of anxiety, or not being your usual, upbeat self inspires your viewers to move on and join another model’s chat room. Really, anything besides being cheerful will negatively impact your bottom line. 

Men can tell when you’re not enjoying it.

We know it’s easier said than done, but try to leave your personal issues at the door before you start camming. If this requires you to take one or two extra days per week away from camming, prioritize your mental health first. 

You’d rather bring your A-game three days per week than look miserable Monday through Sunday. In our estimation, you’ll make a whole lot more money, too.

One Discord user shared a less harrowing and more light-hearted story about her experiences.

“Exactly. I get hang ups when they ask how tall I am and I say 5’4” and they wanted someone under 5’. Dude it’s phone sex, if you care that much about height go browse the website. This takes a very thick skin. Take nothing personally.”

Another r/CamGirlProblems member took things a step further by offering the following advice: “Gotta have thick skin 🤷‍♂️ go anhedonic and become someone else. Something SW have done for thousands of years lol.” 

She’s right, but that coping skill takes years to learn and implement.

Teth-Eve shared her strategy for dealing with bad days.

"’I think I might just look miserable on camera’ is a common concern and we have somewhat established means to deal with that. You can only show from the mouth down, as a smile is easier to let slide without being fully honest than your entire face.”

“Wearing a mask is also common and accomplishes somewhat the same. Light some incense if you like that, drink your tea, wine or beer, put some music on that you enjoy, and focus the camera on your body instead of your face.”

4. Believing Your Clients At Face Value

This ties into the whole “don’t give anyone your Instagram handle” thing we explained up above, but the dumbest mistake you can make as a model is expecting honesty from your clients. 

You’ll need to be on the lookout for scammers, time-wasters, and creeps hitting you up on Chaturbate.

Believing your clients at face value is a great way to put yourself through needless pain. No, he won’t pay you once he gets the content (and he definitely won’t send you a gift card redemption code through email). He’s also 100% married, catfishing you, or leading you on for free stuff by dangling the possibility of a relationship above your head. Your customers are not your friends.

Here’s a prime example of a time-waster who tried his luck with (literally) hundreds of cam girls:

ThatBimboBunny shared a screenshot of her reply, in which this person claimed they were paid $100 per day. “How many of you believe this loser?” Apparently, he was sending the same copy-and-paste message to multiple webcam models in the r/CamGirlProblems Discord server.

The general consensus? There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell this guy is real. Be wary of men who offer sums of money that sound too good to be true, especially if they have a new account.

5. Not Taking Advantage of Your Tags

As a new model on Chaturbate (and several other cam sites), you’re given the opportunity to use the #new hashtag and boost your visibility for free. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill that also ensures you’ll stick around. In most cases, you’ll have access to the #new tag for up to 30 days.

Hit the ground running and stream as often as possible within that 30-day period. Taking a day or two off will not nuke your potential to earn money, but not taking advantage of the hashtag can hurt your bottom line.

You’re only a newbie once – after that, models have to pay for the equivalent exposure.

6. Automatically Accepting Password Shows In Chat

It’s nearly a right of passage for every cam model to encounter a scam attempt at one point, but that doesn’t mean you have to fall for it. Unfortunately, this one is another scheme aimed at new models. If you’re in the middle of a public show, don’t take a request to go private straight away.

Aside from the fact that he can wait unless he’s paying enough to compensate for the tips you’d lose out on, there’s a difference between doing a private show and a password-protected show. You’d think the password-protected show would be more secure, but it’s actually a huge scam.

Password shows automatically kick everyone out of your chat room unless they come back and insert the password. They’re also meant to be pre-negotiated, whereas a private show deducts tokens from your client by the minute. You’re paid to begin a password show, but not after that.

Unfortunately, this is a very common thing for new models to encounter. If you’re using the #new hashtag, forget about doing any private shows for your first month: you’re a prime target for this sort of scam.

7. Getting Scammed for Fake Tokens

Getting scammed for fake tokens on Chaturbate isn’t exactly new, and a quick search within the r/CamGirlProblems subreddit promptly revealed the story of a now-deleted Redditor who fell for the oldest trick in the book. 

Unfortunately, commenters presented them with a rude awakening.

“So during my first stream on Chaturbate I got scammed by someone sending me tokens through a password locked room with me (not a private show!). The tips didn’t credit my account and it wasn't until after that I noticed the text saying that a password locked room and a private show are different things.”

“So my question is, what is the purpose of locking the room if the tipped tokens don’t count during that locked room?”

Well, here’s the thing – tokens do count during a locked room, but whoever she was in a show with had actually sent her GIFs of the Chaturbate tokens. This made it look like she was getting paid the appropriate amount, but she wasn’t getting anything. It’s like using counterfeit money.

One Discord user lamented, “I feel like most of us have a story of getting scammed, and all of us have stories about these losers TRYING to scam us.”

“It fucking sucks, and I understand how hard on yourself you might be after it happens, but like Lily said: the important part is getting back up and realizing that this is a (really frustrating) learning experience.”

“Fake tokens in chat, fake gift cards over email, the ‘I'll pay you once I get the content’ bullshit... there are soooo many ways some of these customers are trying to pull shit. Just do your best to learn and catch them, and give yourself some grace if you don't.”

A word to the wise: unless tokens make a certain sound and reflect in your balance immediately, they’re most likely fake. If you fall victim to this scam, email Chaturbate with the person’s name. 

They’ll shut down his/her account so they can’t continue preying upon brand-new cam models.

8. Disclosing Your Location

Luckily, it’s almost impossible for clients to trace your IP address and find your location just from a stream on Chaturbate or Camsoda. In fact, cam platforms broadcast your stream on their own bandwidth to prevent this issue. If someone tries to track you down, they’ll only see Chaturbate.

That’s not to say clients won’t occasionally get creative or try to siphon personal information out of you discretely. One Discord user with the screen name “Sweetie_Bee” made the mistake of telling a client their state of residence. He then correctly guessed where she’d gone to college.

Another active Discord user with the screen name “Miss Selina” had an even unlikelier story.

“I had my location narrowed down by a bloody bird calling outside once. Luckily not to where I actually lived, and my cover story held up.” Funnily enough, she had to lie through her teeth about not knowing which bird it was even though she says she’s an experienced bird-watcher.

9. Blocking People Who Don’t Spend

There are two different schools of thought surrounding this particular issue: one group of models will tell you to rule your chat room with an iron fist, constantly watching your viewers like a hawk to see if any of them are freeloading. The other approach is to let freeloaders become spenders.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you’re obligated to waste your valuable time interacting with those people who aren’t paying. A Discord user with the screen name LalaHart offers her perspective:

“I kick guys out if they're talking too much without tipping. I tell them to come back when they're ready to do more than talk. Personal preference. I miss so many other comments when someone is monopolizing the chat. I also find it draining as an introvert. If someone tries to talk dirty I tell them to take me private, if they don't I block them. Guys who just lurk and watch I don't pay much attention to unless it's really slow.”

“Sometimes I have to kick them, but a lot of them do become spenders eventually. One of my biggest mistakes as a new cam model was blocking everyone who didn't spend right away. I learned about camming from forums that were full of angry cam models with bad, self-defeating behaviors.”

You don’t want to give too much away for free, but shooting yourself in the foot isn’t exactly the best alternative. Instead, take a balanced approach and let people watch so long as they aren’t being disruptive. Chances are likely that you’ll either get a new client or they’ll simply go AWOL.

10. Expecting Too Much Too Quickly

Last but not least, expecting too much too quickly is a great way to get discouraged and give up five minutes before the miracle happens. 

We might be overexaggerating a bit with that colloquial statement, but you get the gist – for the first month or so, don’t expect to be raking in tons of $$.

That’s why you have the “#new” hashtag and other tools at your disposal. At the beginning, you should focus solely on building a reliable fan base and discovering your preferred niches. If you were expecting to get rich quick, we’d sooner suggest playing the lottery or visiting the casino.

Libbie, an active user on r/CamGirlProblems, drove the point home: “I dunno man, are you gonna put in the time and effort it takes to make it worth it, or are you gonna not make a thousand dollars your first night and get pissy and give up LOL, because lemme tell ya a lot of people fall into the trap of the latter and don't bother to try for the former.”

Temper your expectations and wait for the good things to happen – you might be pleasantly surprised.

What Tips Do You Have For New Models?

What are some tips you’d recommend for aspiring cam models? 

Feel free to leave your suggestions, questions and comments in the section down below!