To people who make and sell adult content online, the question “How do I pay for porn” may be an eye-roller. After all, everyone wants to get paid for what they do. But it’s an unfortunate truth that many consumers raised in the age of free streaming porn on the internet seem to be clueless that paying for their entertainment is even an option. And it goes without saying that this mentality is hurting the bottom line of many in the adult industry, especially during the pandemic, when paid production gigs are few and far between.

Oddly enough, Healthline is here to help! In an ongoing series called “Adult Entertainment & You,” the health website is tackling porn online. Previous installments have tackled how Instagram models aren’t the same as OnlyFans models, the merits of audio versus visual porn and ethical, feminist content, Their latest installment, “Does It Really Matter If You Use Free Erotic Content?,” written by Gabrielle Kassel, offers readers a plethora of ideas about how readers can—gasp!—pay for their porn.

The article starts by excoriating free content online and explaining that—shocker!—making porn is, in fact, labor. That not paying for it is like not paying someone who did any other kind of labor for you. “It really, truly does matter if you use free erotic content!” wrote Kassel. “Using X-rated content has real-life consequences for the performers…[and] for anyone involved in creating that piece of content.”

Seems like a simple concept, but as we know, not everyone has grasped it yet. So, thanks, Gabrielle Kassel, for laying it out for readers!

Kassel went on to  it goes into detail on how you can find ways to pay for your porn, starting with models you enjoy on nearly any social media platform. “Good news: Chances are that person also creates content you can pay for,” she wrote, breaking down the fact that, as she put it, “Honestly, performers make it as easy as possible to find the place you need to go to pay for their work.” Then she provided a hint: “If you already have a performer whose work you like to watch (for free), head to their Twitter or Instagram. Their content hub is often listed in their bio or Linktree.”

But what about folks who just browse free content on streaming sites and don’t even know the names of the performers they like, much less where to find them? Kassel had tips for them, too. “Subscribe to a platform that’ll showcase many performers,” she suggested, like PinkLabel.TV or Four Chambers for queer content, Bellesa for “women-focused erotica,” and Kink.com for the less vanilla. From there, consumers can find the performers they like and then support them independently, too.

“Yes, you should be subscribing to your favorite performers’ content hubs. But there are ways other ways to support them, too,” wrote Kassel. Tips on how to do that included: tip your favorite creators (but don’t expect anything in return besides more great content), pay for custom content (but not send any unwanted communications or nudes), send a thank-you message, Venmo them directly, buy stuff from their Amazon wishlists, engage with their social media, and boost their signals. All told, it’s a thorough list of ways to make your appreciation for your favorite content creators known. And, during the coronavirus pandemic when content creators can use all the extra help they can get, it’s particularly welcome.

Kessel has laid out a basic how-to for newbies to the paying-for-your-content game. And although it may seem like old news to many in the industry, I hope it will help to connect at least a few non-paying consumers with their wallets, and then get the money inside into content producers’ pockets.

Credit card photo by Pixabay from Pexels