What do you do when you’re bored? You probably read a book, browse the internet, maybe even start a new show on Netflix. Me? Well, I began to dabble in the mysterious art of escorting.
This is not my first time so doing, but I do believe that this is my first time doing it “correctly.” Back in 2013, in the era of the infamous Backpage, I decided that I would take the chance and see what it was all about. Knowing what I know now, I was doing it ALL wrong. I advertised using photos that weren’t mine, I had low rates, and I copy and pasted another girl’s ad from another state. But it worked for me – I was rolling in what I thought was “the money.” I was seeing clients left and right, never screened, never had taken a deposit, and fortunately for me, I was never arrested. I stopped cold turkey, no real reason, but I stopped.
A couple of months ago, I decided to get back into the working world again. However, this time, I found out that Backpage no longer existed and I began to panic because that was all I knew. Google is powerful! I found a couple of Instagram pages, which lead me to a couple of websites, and I immediately had become overwhelmed. The girls whose pages I was looking at were all beautiful, their websites were immaculate, and their rates were at a price point which blew my mind!
Still continuing to research, I then found their advertising platforms and I began to feel even more out of place. Why? Because before I was only looking at maybe three to five providers' websites, Twitters, and Instagrams. I was now looking at hundreds of providers' profiles all on one platform. Overwhelmed, I closed my laptop and truly thought about "was this for me." I even reached out to some local providers just to see if I was in a market that was even worth my effort and all the girls gave me great feedback.
New to this new world, I put my best foot forward and jumped right on in. So for the ladies who are looking to start in this line of work or new girls who have just started, this blog post is specifically for you.
I was you and I am you now: I was scared, I was intimidated, but this community is amazing. So here’s a little bit of what I did to start up until where I am now.
- When you’re starting off money may be limited, so find yourself some free platforms and reasonably priced platforms.
Start you a Twitter and Instagram. Once you find your first couple of providers to follow, those platforms will immediately start suggesting others in the industry so just click “follow” away! This is free and great advertisement! There are a lot of supportive providers that will RT your post and get you seen.
Starting off new, money may be an issue for a while, so find you a budget friendly site to advertise on. No matter your rates, what pictures you chose and your wording in your ad will attract the clients you want. - Photos are important, but you do not need a high-end photo shoot.
Yes, you will see girls with these gorgeous photos that appear to be taken by world-renowned photographers. Please keep in mind these ladies may have been in business way longer than a week or two. If you can afford a great photo shoot coming into this business, go for it!
However, if you cannot, utilize the crap out of your phone and great lighting. Portrait Mode on your iPhone is your best friend, know your angles, and spruce them up with just a little retouching. Sometimes your personality is captured best when you capture it yourself. Just be sure your photos have clean backgrounds and great lighting and I think you’ll be great. - Get some rest.
It is so easy when you first begin to stay up all night, answer all the calls, and try to get everything you can out of 24 hours. Do not do it. Set yourself work hours and place your phone on Do Not Disturb when your workday is over. You do not want to tire yourself out, you need sleep and clients love a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed lady arriving on time for dinner dates. - Set boundaries
This is important. Set boundaries for yourself. "No" means no. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. Write down what you do not want to do in this business and stick to it. I, myself, I do not like excessive text messages whether a client has scheduled an appointment or is inquiring. After a few messages, I will tell the client that I do not carry out texting conversations, but I do offer a package that includes text messages and then I refer them to my website. You’ll find out as you go, if you don’t already know what you’re not willing to deal with. - Alternate numbers, emails, and even a website are very important.
Do not use your personal number for your ads. There are a lot of VOIP apps that you can utilize, so pick one. It’s important that you can distinguish between your personal calls and your business calls. If you’re able to get a second phone, that is great as well.
Create you an email address specifically for work. As you research you’ll see several different ones that different providers use. Just do your research and find the one you feel more comfortable with and if it comes as a subscription, just be sure you can afford the monthly or yearly price. Nothing worse than not being able to get business emails because of a missed payment.
A website will be your best friend. There are free platforms that you can start off with before fully committing to a monthly or yearly paid one. I feel like a website is important because it can be used to alleviate a lot of back and forth questioning and answering between you and a potential client.
Write a nice bio about yourself, state your rates, and even tell a bit about your booking process. So when a potential client either emails, calls, or text you and begin to ask questions, just simply direct them to your website to save you some breath. Your website can even include more photos just to give the potential client a bit more to look at. - Be yourself
If a client wants you, he or she wants you! Be you, don’t try to be another provider to whom you may look up to or like. Your personality and your uniqueness is what will make you successful in this business. Remember that.
Though I’m still new and learning, these are the things that I’ve found that have helped me to where I am today. No, I’m not booked and busy, but I have a clientele that has me okay with where I am with the three months that I’ve been active. I know I still have a lot more to learn and as I do, I will share it with you as my journey continues.
Until next time, you ladies and gentlemen, be safe and keep going! We all have to start somewhere!
