On Twitter, the coveted blue check mark symbolizes that amongst the ever-growing pool of online voices, enough people have deemed your voice worthy that you earn a blue badge. It says: This person has a thing or two to say about this and that, and that thing or two is ostensibly of “public interest” and is “authentic.”
Of course, said blue check mark isn’t relegated to Twitter. Instagrammers are also eligible for the coveted honor of being deemed worthy of creating content that is again of “public interest.” But the honor is growing in breadth, and so now, amateur pornstars on Pornhub are also eligible for blue-check-mark recognition.
Wait, wait. Before you ruin amateur porn for me, how does the blue checkmark on Twitter work?
According to Twitter, the point of verifying accounts is “to make it easier for users to find who they’re looking for,” reports TweetBrander.com. “We concentrate on highly sought users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, advertising, business and other key interest areas. We verify business partners from time to time and individuals at high risk of impersonation.” All of which is to say that anyone can get verified, so long as they tweet and enough people read those tweets.
Got it. Now what’s this about amateur porn stars getting verified?
You might have noticed whilst slaking your weekly — who are we kidding, daily — thirst for sex on the screen, that some amateur videos are accompanied by a blue check mark next to the username of the person who uploaded the video. This is because said blue check mark is meant to distinguish between an amateur video and a verified amateur video.
And what’s the difference between an amateur and a verified amateur? Sort of seems like we’re splitting hairs here.
First, it’s important to note that anybody can upload their homemade content to Pornhub as an amateur, provided they’ve signed up for an account, says Corey Price, VP of Pornhub. The difference, he says, is that verified amateurs are creators who participate in Pornhub’s Model Program. “In the Model Program, content creators get a share of ad revenue for self-made videos, sell their videos online, get recurring monthly income through fan club subscriptions and gain exposure to promote their other online activities,” says Price. “In order to get views, performers have to put in work to promote themselves and create compelling content, just like YouTubers and other social media influencers.”
Price adds that there are two types of models in the Model Program — professional and amateur. “Both Model types receive the same amount of visibility and earnings in the program,” he says. “The Professionals category is for industry professionals, whereas Verified Amateurs produce their own content.”
So how does someone become a verified amateur in the model program? (Asking for a friend.)
First, per the Pornhub blog, you have to sign up for a free Pornhub account and get verified by the Pornhub admins. To get verified, all you need to do is upload an image of yourself holding up a sign with your username and pornhub.com written on the sign. Or, “write it on your body,” per their website. Additionally, most of your face has to be visible in the image. In other words, no masks or sunglasses. “Digitally modified text or images will be rejected,” explains Porhub’s stipulations.
Seems a bit invasive. What are the benefits of becoming a verified amateur?
According to Price, their model program boasts some of the highest payouts for ad revenue across the entire adult industry, “paying out nearly all of the ad-revenue earned to the model content creators, and models can also sell videos directly on Pornhub and our promotional site Modelhub.com,” he says. “We also have one of the most visited sites in the world. With over 120 million visits a day, verified amateurs are bound to find an engaged audience no matter what kind of content they produce.”
It’s worth pointing out, though, that while the website advertises that “top models can make over $40,000 per month,” the reality is that, at 64 cents per 1,000 views (which was 2018’s ad revenue per thousand impressions), you’d have to garner 62,500,000 views per month to achieve that feat.
How many verified amateurs does Pornhub currently host?
Price says that Pornhub’s Model Program “boasts over 100,000 independent models.” Which means if you’re hoping to see all of them, it’s time to get cranking.
Andrew Fiouzi
Andrew Fiouzi is a staff writer at MEL.
