To improve its image among investors, OnlyFans is seeking to shake off its reputation as a platform for porn, shifting to the mainstream and opening up to a wider audience.**
Bloomberg recently reported that OnlyFans is hoping to lessen its reputation as a porn site among future investors. To attract advertisers, the platform dubbed the "Instagram of porn" has announced plans to sacrifice some of its NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content.
At its outset, the British startup wasn't intended to be an adult entertainment platform. Founded in 2016, the app described itself as a subscription site aimed at helping users monetize their influence. In other words, OnlyFans was intended to allow users to interact with their favorite personalities, in all kinds of sectors. But very quickly, the lack of censorship on the platform attracted stars from the world of pornography. And the experience even turned out to be quite profitable for some of them, like the actress Belle Delphine, who revealed that she earns $1.2 million per month thanks to her subscribers.
Nevertheless, the site has continued to spark debate due to its blurred borders with online prostitution. This is largely due to the business model pursued by the company, whereby "fans" subscribe to the paid-for accounts of their "idols" in order to access their exclusive photos and videos, as well as instant messaging.
Porn doesn't attract a lot of investors or advertisers. Many brands are still reluctant to appear on a platform known mainly for its adult content. Based on this idea, the start-up has decided to try to make potential investors look past its origins -- or rather, to go back to its original idea. According to Bloomberg, OnlyFans is in negotiations with new investors in order to raise funds for its transition from a NSFW platform to a mainstream site.
Moreover, it seems that this shift could already be underway. On Twitter, the app's official account is increasingly sharing OnlyFans accounts themed on fitness or wellbeing. As if pornography was already a distant memory...
