Social Currency with Sammi Cohen The Naked Truth About OnlyFans’ Billion-Dollar Business
Jan 9, 2026
Dive into the fascinating world of OnlyFans and its unconventional approach to success. Discover how the platform bypassed app store restrictions to enhance creator earnings. Sammi reveals the secrets behind creator-driven growth on social media and innovative monetization methods beyond subscriptions. Learn about the controversial adult content ban and its implications for the platform's future. Plus, could OnlyFans successfully expand beyond its adult roots, or is it destined to remain niche? This exploration uncovers the multi-billion dollar industry's secrets.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Why OnlyFans Avoided The App Stores
- OnlyFans stayed off app stores to avoid the roughly 30% fee and preserve creator payouts.
- This choice gave OnlyFans control over payments, policy, and reduced exposure to App Store adult-content rule changes.
Creator-Led Growth Outsources Discovery
- OnlyFans outsources discovery to Instagram, TikTok, X and Reddit instead of building an internal algorithmic feed.
- This creator-led growth lets OnlyFans avoid costly user-acquisition and algorithm development expenses.
Deliberately Hard Search Raises The Bar
- OnlyFans' site search forces exact username lookup, limiting random discovery.
- This design raises the bar for creators and shifts success toward entrepreneurial audience-building off-platform.