Back to basics - what's in a Paysite?

An adult webmaster article...

Written by Tom from Tom's Newbie Booster

If you've never been a member of a Paysite before, I can't recommend joining one strongly enough. It will give you a valuable insight into what it is that you're selling out there to those horny surfers. I've signed up with a number of paysites in the past - and the majority of them blew me away with what they had to offer. If you're going to do this, pick an established one so that you'll be able to play with a large amount of content and see just what goes on behind those doors. Let's take a quick look at the common features that your surfers get when they sign-up.

Pictures - you can get them for free, right?

This is one of the main parts, and probably the most important part of the paysites out there. Though the interface, design, and specialist subject varies from Paysite to Paysite, the photos that they have generally follow a similar line. There will be around 50 - 100 pictures per 'shoot' - and these are usually broken down into a certain model, or a certain location. These pictures will all be from the same sequence so they can follow the model stripping and then doing whatever she's going to do - a progression from one pic to the next. (Something that's often lacking in free sites...)

There's a hell of a difference between Paysite pics and say free site or TGP gallery pics. On a Paysite, they're HUGE - in terms of quality, and the number that you get from each shoot. These might also be EXCLUSIVE pictures - where this Paysite has paid a photographer to shoot a couple, girl or scene and you can't get these pics on any other site. (This can be a MAJOR selling point for you to your surfers...) And the pics will usually be very hardcore too - not that you can't get that on a free site at the moment. But basically, Paysite photos are the big daddy of the smaller, uglier little versions you get for free on the web.

What are the movies / videos like?

There's two main movie types that you'll find in a Paysite. There's the MPEG and AVI movies, which can be downloaded and then there's STREAMING MOVIES, which can only be watched while the surfer is at the site. AVI / MPEG movies tend to be large in size - 3 megabytes and way beyond, whereas streaming moves start to play after a few frames of the movie have been downloaded. The first kind are, at the moment, better quality. The great thing about streaming movies is that they can't be downloaded! This is great for keeping your members as they can't watch these films anywhere else and they have to STAY on your site to enjoy 'em.

Streaming movies have been with us a while now, and there's a number of ways they can be shown in a Paysite. Recent technologies have meant that even a user on a slow connection of 33k can watch full-screen streaming movies of a reasonable quality - perhaps similar to that of a copied VHS movie. And these movies usually have sound too. The surfer is generally presented with an interface - perhaps some thumbs of what the movies are all about, and then they click their selection and sit back and enjoy it. Both types of movies that I've mentioned here are hard to get (in any great quality) on free sites - especially the streaming variety.

Live feeds and webcam shows...

Ever since the invention of the webcam, people have been taking their clothes off in front of them, and doing a lot more besides! Live feeds and webcam shows are something that's been around for some time now and it's something that you really can't get for free out there. Again, this is another MAJOR selling point for adult webmasters looking to promote a Paysite.

WEBCAM SHOWS, which are most common on amateur style sites, are just what they say. It's usually a scheduled broadcast featuring the star or stars of a site, performing for the world in front of their webcam. The quality is often not great, but that's not important in this case. What's important is that the surfers get to watch something LIVE - as it happens, and they can be very exciting.

LIVE FEEDS, which can be found on anything from an amateur site to a fetish dungeon, are slightly different to webcam shows. With a live feed, a video camera usually captures the action, and then it's compressed for the web and broadcast to the members. The quality is a lot better, with a decent frame rate and higher resolution. Live shows are immensely popular and one of the best things about paysites. If you've ever seen on on a fast connection - it's just out of this world!

Stories and audio

Another feature that's been kicking around in paysites since the dawn of porn is the erotic tales. You probably saw these in adult magazines long before the invention of this internet thingy, I know they formed the basis of most of my early sex education. Ooh Vicar! And you'll find them on most of the paysites out there. Some have a nice little java applet in place that will auto-scroll the story for you (a neat feature for 'hands-free' typing) and other sites will have audio stories. Again, these things are incredible - there's nothing like sitting back and having a girl read a story back to you. This is usually done with either Windows media player or, more commonly, the REAL player (which allows for audio files to be compressed way down...)

Community activities, games, and updates...

It could be something as simple as a small chat board, or the surfers in the Paysite might have a vast forum where they can swap ideas and fantasise - or find partners in their area, but building a community in the paysites out there is an important part of keeping members happy.

Another thing that I see on a lot more paysites these days are erotic games which are usually in either Flash or, more commonly Shockwave (as there's more that can be done in this format).

UPDATES are perhaps one of the most important features you'll find in any Paysite. If the owners are not updating enough, then the members will quickly get tired and leave. If you're on a partner program, earning a 50 / 50 split - then this is obviously bad news for you. A Paysite that's updated regularly has a far better chance of keeping it's existing members there longer...

So they are the main features you'll find out there in the major paysites. Check the tours and see what each site specifically offers before you start promoting them. Make sure you're selling to those surfers on every possible benefit you can offer.

TOM ^"^