About Vanilla Audio

Tips for performers

It's hard to stand out and grow a following. Here are some tips and suggestions for how to make the most of your presence on Vanilla Audio and build up a loyal fan base.

Create your persona

1. Create a user name or persona that is a real name, or close to it, i.e Eve's Garden, Alexa YVO, Quincy Speaks, etc - it helps people identify with you as a person instead of a random user name you may have chosen for Reddit. It's hard to build a personal connection with someone named Throwaway69696969. Most successful audio performers end up being referred to by a name of some kind, and "Throw" or "Throwy" just doesn't foster intimacy.

If you've already started performing under a less-than-ideal name, it's okay to re-name yourself and just mention that you are Burner1111111 on Reddit.

2. Create a logo or choose a picture of yourself (it can be something that protects your anonymity, or shows off a great feature of yours, like deep cleavage or a stubbled jaw. The free service Canva has lots of options for designing your own logo.

3. Record a brief (under one minute) introduction audio to let people hear your voice, and know what yu're about. You can simply introduce yourself, say what kinds of audio you do, what kind of sexuality you love, how much you love to hear from your listeners, etc.

4. Start up some social media accounts under your persona, especially Twitter (which generally allows adult content) and Instagram (which usually doesn't). Pin your intro audio to your Twitter profile, make it into a short video and post it on Instagram, etc. It serves as a great introduction to who you are most importantly, what you sound like.

Engage with your fans

The number one thing you can and should do as an erotic audio performer is engage with your fans. Let them know you're a real person, reward them for following you and listening to you. You don't have to engage with them on a private or sexual level, but simply as a performer would with her fans.

1. Answer as many comments as you can. Even a simple "thank you for listening" can make the commenter feel appreciated.

2. Post random things from your personal life on your Twitter and Instagram, up to you comfort level and always keeping in mind your need to protect your anonymity (see safety concerns). So many online personalities use their social media just to sell - every tweet is a call to action, every Instagram post is an invitation to pay for access to something. Respect your listeners and don't always ask for their support.

A good rule is 3 "gives" for 1 "ask" - give them 3 posts that truly bring value to them, that entertain them or make them feel good about themselves, or are just funny or interesting insights into your, your hobbies, your likes and dislikes. Don't get political. These are great people who have chosen to spend some of their free time or extra money with you, and they deserve to be given value and respect back.

3. Get your fans involved in your creative process. People love to take part in polls and surveys, and to help you decide what audio to do next, etc. It's a fun way to involve them in your creativity, and get new ideas that you know your audience will like.

It's always important to remember that at the end of the day, no matter how many glowing emails or wonderful comments you receive, the emphasis has to be on your audience, not you. Too many social media celebrities believe that they can just post what they like, what suits them, what makes them feel good - but you'll have much more impact and truly help better the world if you make your work and your online persona about your listeners, not you.

Be consistent

Your fans follow you because they love what you do and how you do it. Let them count on you. Let them feel like they can trust you (because they can). Don't radically change the kinds of audio you do because you're feeling 'creative' or want to 'push the envelope'.

This usually isn't an issue for people who love Vanilla, but some performers still fall into the trap of thinking that anything they think or feel is going to be popular, just because they're thinking or feeling it. A male performer who has built his career on doing boyfriend-experience, loving audios simply can't come out with a tweet saying "I really want to explore my darker side, and so my next audio will be non-con #sorrynotsorry" - not without alienating and even upsetting a lot of his listeners.

People will understand that you're only human, and that you may want to do things that not everyone will love. But earning someone's trust is a real gift - so respect your listeners by only venturing into new areas (or for instance, taking an extended break, or deleting your accounts, etc) after you've been open about what's going on with you. Don't just 'ghost' your listeners and fans, and don't stop posting audios without letting them know what's happening. They'll understand if you need to take a break. They won't understand if you just disappear.

Don't feed the trolls

Anyone who posts anything publicly has to face the unpleasant reality that there are some very mean-spirited, very negative people out there - and this especially true for people involved in erotica. Attracting mean comments and disturbing messages is, sadly, a fact of life, and the temptation to seek comfort from your fans or to blast a troll can be absolutely overwhelming.

As a general rule, don't.

It's not that you're trying to hide your truth or your feelings from your fans, or that you're trying to put a positive, highlight-reel type spin on everything you do. It's primarily because of how responding to trolls will affect you, and how your fans will feel on your behalf.

Trolls delight in knowing they got a rise out of you, or upset you. That was their goal, and they achieved it. Some of them do it just because it's the only attention they ever get. So deny them their trophy and don't respond. Ignore them completely.

If you see a bad comment you'd like removed, you can always delete it, or contact us about it and we'll delete it for you.

safety

Most people are harmless, but there are certain things you can do just to make sure you stay safe.

Don't tell fans your real name, city, job, or anything that someone could use to put together a real life identity for you. You can be 'doxxed' with very little information by an motivated stalker or troll.
If you receive emails from fans, set your email to not open images automatically. Don't manually open any image in an email from someone you don't know. Images can contain ways for the sender to find your location just from you clicking on the image.
If you use PayPal for transactions for custom work, don't use your personal account, which will reveal your name and city to the customer. Set up a new account for your business name.
If you have an Amazon wish list, be extremely careful - they have been known to reveal your name and address to people sending you gifts.
Be wary of agreeing to meet anyone in real life, no matter how great they seem or how well you've gotten along up to now. If you do meet them, make the first meeting a public place and have a friend come along too (even if they just sit somewhere close by). Never go to someone's hotel or house by yourself.
Always take care of your own mental health first - a lot of people looking for comfort from erotic or non-erotic audios will turn to you for support, encouragement, and even love. Some of them may even become dependent on you, and put you in a position of being their lifeline, or their only friend, or their only reason for going on. Never feel that you are responsible for another person's happiness or reason for living; if someone is making you uncomfortable, disengage and don't feel bad about doing so.

Back to Timeline