Blog Post Written By: Melrose Michaels
Recently, we received a DM on Twitter asking what adult creators should know about rebranding themselves. While I answered the question in a Twitter thread, I believe this topic deserves a more in-depth discussion. Over the past 10 years, I've rebranded myself twice in the adult industry, and I know there are many other creators who are considering a rebrand.
There are several reasons why adult creators may need to rebrand themselves. The most common reason is a change in focus or direction. As content creators evolve, their interests and focus may shift, and they may want to create content that better reflects these changes. For instance, a domme content creator may want to pivot to focusing on cosplay if they're drawn to that type of artistic expression.
Another reason for rebranding is the expansion of content. As creators grow and evolve, they may want to produce more diverse content. For example, a primarily solo adult creator may want to start creating more partnered content, but this may require a rebrand because their audience is primarily interested in solo content. This could even justify launching an entirely new brand to serve a different market.
An additional reason to rebrand is to stay relevant and relatable to the audience. Creators may update their branding to be more modern or appealing to a new generation of followers. Sometimes, this involves a complete overhaul of their branding, including logos, profile images, color themes, and even a new stage name.
Rebranding can also be a personal growth opportunity. As individuals grow and change, they may want to rebrand to better reflect who they are now. This could involve changes in personal style or messaging.
Lastly, some creators may want to rebrand to separate their personal and professional identities. For instance, many influencers who came into the adult space during the height of Onlyfans used their real identities, but as they grew in the industry, they may have wanted to protect their privacy and safety by using a stage name or persona.
If you're considering a rebrand, I suggest following an outlined process. While you can rebrand through sheer force, changing your name overnight and telling your fans to call you by the new name can lead to fallout such as losing fans, subscribers, and segments of your audience. Instead, a planned, methodical, step-by-step approach is recommended. Keep reading to find out how to execute a rebrand from start to finish seamlessly.
Step 1: Let your fans know about your rebranding
Tell your fans on social, in mass messages on platforms, and via your email list that a rebrand will be happening and when. DO NOT blindside them with it. If you change names across platforms without telling them, they will just lose you among everyone else. If you change your usernames on platforms without warning, fans who seek out your profiles and pages won’t be able to find you. This can cause a drop in engagement, which none of us want. This is why announcing a rebrand makes so much sense. It helps set expectations with fans, informs them this process is coming, and primes them to more easily accept the change that’s about to take place.
ProTip: You can run polls on your socials/platforms and ASK for fan input (only listing options you like, of course) on your new name, brand colors, and vibe to make your fans feel included in the process. This will build rapport and help keep fans engaged throughout the rebranding process. When fans feel like they are a part of the changes coming, they’re more likely to stay throughout the process and see it through to the other side.
Step 2: Create a timeline for rebranding
For an effective rebrand, I worked on mine over a period of five workdays, and it proved to be a successful strategy. It is essential to be highly engaged throughout those five days, promptly responding to comments, questions, and messages. Engaging with your audience during this period is crucial because you want to ensure that you reach as many of your fans as possible, particularly your most active followers, and inform them about the rebrand.
Let me share with you what I did during those five days and the timeline I followed:
Monday
First, change your social media username to your new stage name. Then, write a post that reintroduces yourself to your fans under your new name. It's crucial to mention your old name in the post so that if anyone searches for it, they will find the post and be directed to your new brand identity. Additionally, include an image that uses your new brand colors, fonts, and other identifiers to make it clear that this post is part of your rebranding strategy. Pin this post for the next 30 days to ensure that anyone who visits your page during that period sees the post that lists your old brand identity as well as introduces them to your new one.
Tuesday
Change your usernames across all adult platforms like OnlyFans, ManyVids, and Pornhub. You should also send a mass message to all your fans and followers on each platform with messaging capabilities to reintroduce yourself. Make sure to include the same message you've posted on your social media, and if possible, include a direct link to your social post. As a cam performer, consider going live on the day of your rebrand and inform your fans about the changes. Use the live stream to have a live Q&A, discuss the rebrand, highlight fans who contributed ideas, and increase engagement. If you're primarily a live webcam model, it's recommended that you go live every day for the duration of the rebrand to ensure that your live community is informed about the changes.
Wednesday
When rebranding on social and adult platforms, it's important to update your bio links. Sometimes, changing your username can also change your physical links, so you should ensure that your Linktree or any other website landing page you're using reflects your new links so traffic can continue to flow. If you don't have proper campaign tracking links in place, it's recommended that you implement them now. If you're an OnlyFans creator, you should create a unique tracking link for your IG stories and another for your IG bio by clicking on "campaign tracking links" in your settings. This will help you track how many people click the link versus how many actually subscribe, and give you valuable data to know where your traffic is coming from.
If you're not an OF creator, you can still gather data using a free link shortener like bit.ly. You can create special links that redirect to your platforms and track how many clicks they receive in the bit.ly dashboard. Tracking links are crucial because they supercharge your data and help you focus your promotional efforts on the platforms that generate the most traffic.
Regardless of whether you're using tracking links or not, Wednesday in your rebrand timeline should be devoted to making sure that all your links still work after changing your usernames. Ensuring the flow of traffic from social media to your adult paywalls is active and not broken due to username changes is crucial. Broken links can lead to lost traffic and revenue, so it's essential to make sure your links are working correctly. Checking your links is an easy fix that has a significant impact on your earnings, so make sure to prioritize this step.
Thursday
If you have a personal website or blog that helps with SEO or email capture, it's crucial to update it to reflect your new stage name and brand. This is especially important for your email campaign flows if you have any. For example, if you have a link in your bio that offers a free trial in exchange for an email address, it's important to ensure that the subsequent email message refers to you by your new stage name and reflects your new brand colors, fonts, and style. By doing this, you'll maintain consistency across your entire brand. Unfortunately, email automations often get overlooked during a rebrand, so it's important to make sure they get updated as well.
ProTip: Create a new email for your new name and update all your socials, website emails, and adult platforms to be moved over to that new stage name email. I suggest Protonmail if security is your main priority or Gmail if convenience is your main priority.
Friday
If you plan to change your profile image on social media or adult platforms, it's recommended that you do this today. Your profile picture is an essential element that fans use to recognize and identify you across all platforms. Typically, fans identify us by our profile image before our username, making it crucial to get it right. We want to ensure that this change lasts and is fully adopted by your fans. To do this, it's best to change your profile image last after your fans have had adequate time to get informed about the rebrand and prepare for it. By doing this, you'll help ensure that your fans continue to recognize and engage with you even after your rebrand.
Step 3: Thank your fans for supporting you
After you've completed your 5-day rebrand timeline, make a gratitude post to thank your fans for their support, addressing you by your new brand name, & participating in it (if you did polls, etc). This will encourage fans to be as receptive as possible & adapt to the new.
TL;DR
Rebranding is a big decision for any creator, but it can be a necessary step toward growth and evolution. While it can be daunting to undertake a rebranding journey, following a general checklist can help get you started. It's important to remember that rebranding takes time, and fans will need time to adjust. However, based on the experience of many creators, fans tend to forget about the old branding within a few months. If you feel that rebranding is necessary, don't be afraid to take the leap, even if you've been in your career for a while. Just be mindful of doing it too frequently, as this could cause you to lose fans along the way.
If you enjoyed this blog, you'll really love the Twitter Space we did focusing on this topic. We had a TON of great Q&A at the end that is not mentioned above so make sure to check it out! Have a question of your own about rebranding not answered above? DM or tag @sexworkceo on Twitter and Instagram or send us an email. We're always here to help, it's what we love to do!