Nikki Night was a newbie cam performer when a friend secretly recorded one of her pornographic performances. When the friend opened up the recording on his computer and surprised Nikki with it, Nikki was embarrassed beyond belief — not because he’d seen her homemade erotica, but because her presentation was terrible.

“You could totally tell that I was faking it,” Night tells Rooster. “You could see all over my face that I was acting, that I was posing, and I looked ridiculous.”

This was the first time that Night had seen herself camming from a spectator’s point of view. That shift in perspective would become a central focus of her teaching when she became the world’s first “Cam Girl Coach.”  Today, she’s head of performer training and development at CAM4, and oversees more than a dozen other cam coaches in countries all over the world.

While the rest of the porn industry is being choked out by free tube sites, camming is still thriving. With its personalized performances and feeling of intimate connection, it’s one of the few things in porn that people are still willing to pay for.

It’s also one of the easiest ways to enter the adult industry. It’s open to anyone with a webcam or even a Snapchat login. However, adult performers who think they can dip their toes into camming and immediately make a killing are in for a rude awakening.

“I tell everyone right off the bat: you think you can get naked and instantly make tons of money? Don’t fool yourself, because its not gonna happen,” Boyhous, Cam4 performer coach and self-described ass magician, tells Rooster.

“You don’t make a lot of money quick because you’re new and nobody knows about you. It’s gonna take time. There is no consistency. No promise in this industry,” he says.

Becoming a cam star requires more than just huge knockers or a foot-long cock — it requires strategy. That’s where Night and Boyhous come in. And all of their lessons essentially boil down to one simple mantra: “don’t be a boner-killer.”

For example, what do we do when we want to make sure someone likes something? We ask them. But that is a boner killer.

“You’re a cam model! You’re super brave and sexy, but you’re asking a viewer what they want. That’s going to make them panic. Whatever they say could never be cool enough, could never be sexy enough. Nothing could be good enough for you,” Night explains. “But there’s a special language we can use.”

In a private show, a one-on-one Skype-like video call, asking what kind of show the customer wants would only remind them they’re involved in a fantasy. “Instead, ask them, ‘What can I call you now that we’re alone?’” Night says.

“If they give you a username, they want to stay anonymous and detached. Just do your thing and let them watch. If they give you a real name, they want something more personal. It’s gonna help to build a relationship and make it feel more intimate. Or maybe if they say slave, bitch, pussy, and then you know you have a BDSM on your hands. Usually, no matter how they respond, the model knows where to go from there.”

As another rule of thumb, don’t snap people out of their horny hypnosis by reminding them that you need to make a car payment. That is a boner killer.

“People know you have to pay the bills but don’t be so petty about it. Don’t mention financials on your show, telling everyone you have to pay your utility bills. The more you focus on money, the less you focus on your viewers,” Boyhous says.

In public shows, performers get all their income from customers who tip. But who will tip, and why they will tip, is far from predictable, Boyhous reminds his students. “One performer can tie his shoe and can get tipped 200 tokens. I can have 18-inch dildo up my ass and get 5 tipped tokens,” he says.

“You’re not gonna get the same paycheck every week. There will be good days and bad days with no rhyme or reason for that. The only thing we can do is be consistent. Have a schedule, be active, and set goals.”

Night always tells her performers: “do something for love and the money will follow.” Too many cam models try to turn their stream into a peepshow, demanding tips before they’ll reveal a little more.

“I’ve learned not to play that game cat and mouse, ‘show you my dick for 25 tokens,’” Boyhous says. “Now, I give it away all for free. I have more fun just doing my show, and the tips come in.”

Ultimately, successful cam models are much more than internet strippers — they’re internet personalities. Their strategies for making bank are entirely the same as the cyber-stars of Instagram, Twitch or YouTube.

If performers can recognize what makes them extraordinary, offer an honesty that people can connect with, acknowledge what their audience wants and dependably deliver it, they can achieve celebrity status on practically any online platform.