profile

Lifestyle Amateurs: Keeping it Real

Billing itself as "a portal to real people who live a sexual lifestyle," LifestyleAmateurs.com is a relatively new program that is seeking to offer something valuable and unique to adult consumers, performers and affiliates. Currently featuring 25 models, which in total present 628 albums, including 37,653 images and 209 videos, Lifestyle Amateurs highlights each of its models by marketing her own individual site. Surfers can choose to buy a membership to one model's site or purchase a network membership, which offers access to all Lifestyle Amateurs sites.

The benefits to consumers are clear, allowing them the option of paying for just what they want, or allowing them to get everything in one package — including exclusive and never-before-seen content from real amateur models. However, it is the program's appeal to both new and established performers, as well as to affiliates, that may hold the most interest for our readers.

According to Lifestyle Amateurs owner Shawn, aka nation-x, the concept behind the site came to him after watching an episode of Real Sex on HBO one night.

"The episode had couples that were running their own paysites and there was discussion about the investment that they had made to get the site started," Shawn said. "It occurred to me that there may be an opportunity for someone who could build a platform for real people to start their own paysites without having to have the technical knowledge or the money to invest in development."

While the initial project was not as innovative as he had hoped, with networks such as Southern Charms already established in this space, Shawn felt that there was enough room to differentiate Lifestyle Amateurs from its competitors; and so he set out to build a truly unique program. After the launch of his site this past August, Shawn had the opportunity to meet the founder of Southern Charms, and discussed the differences between the programs; including how Lifestyle Amateurs models manage their own content via their own site control panel and how the company pays for model and webmaster referrals while providing a complete CCBill-based affiliate program.

Two of the biggest differences however may be found in how Lifestyle Amateurs is committed to providing its members with an interactive experience that focuses on model/member communication and interaction — and the level of marketing and other expertise behind the program.

"We are experienced webmasters who have been successful at building our own traffic sites and know the complete ins and outs of marketing as an affiliate as well as the fact that we run one of the oldest review sites on the net, adultreviews.net," Shawn stated. "This provides us with a rare perspective about how to serve our members as well as our affiliates."

As with any amateur model network, attracting and retaining productive talent can be difficult; but the Lifestyle Amateurs program makes it easy for models to get started, and provides a professional way for new talent to get their own website up and running with no upfront investment — and a minimum requirement for consistent content updating and member interaction.

"A model only needs to sign a model agreement, '2257 compliance documents and submit a photo ID, once they have signed up for the program using our online registration," Shawn said. "Once they have completed these steps, we add a paysite to our network for them to start working on and they only need to upload content, make regular blog posts and be willing to communicate with any paid members that may comment or send them messages from that point forward."

"We require that they upload at least five updates before we set their paysite live and they must be willing to add updates on a regular basis," he added. "There are no costs to get started and we provide email or phone support in addition to working on building traffic to their site. We also handle all support for any members that they obtain and a lot more."

While models are required to communicate with their members as necessary, according to Shawn, the site does not currently offer live cam shows, but a free cam chat feature will be available in the future so that models who choose to do so can offer live cam shows to their paid members. Still, the personal touch is what sets Lifestyle Amateurs apart.

"Currently, we don't require that models post their email addresses and we are working on adding an internal email feature to facilitate secure messaging functionality within the members area," Shawn said. "Models are required to add blog posts on a frequent basis in addition to their content updates and this also requires that they reply to comments or requests."

"All comments within the members area are moderated by the model," he added, which alleviates one concern for performers with unruly "fans."

As to how much money a model can make with the program, Shawn pointed to the newness of Lifestyle Amateurs and the need for realistic expectations; including not expecting to see a huge amount of sales overnight.

"Currently, this is a ground floor opportunity and what we are providing is the opportunity to build a revenue stream just like any other site they may start," said Shawn. "I have no doubt that, over time, these initial models will earn a substantial return… but we are not guaranteeing anything. We are providing a service."

For more experienced models, viewing Lifestyle Amateurs as "a revenue stream just like any other site they may start," may be the key to profits for both parties, as it removes a model's concerns over revenue ceilings, while allowing Lifestyle Amateurs to attract performers that already have an existing site or that may shy away from an exclusive content deal.

This is because exclusive content is encouraged, but not required — allowing models to use their content on other sites and to advertise their own solo sites from within the Lifestyle Amateurs program.

"We allow those models who have other sites to have a static 468x60 banner in the members area," Shawn stated. "This upsell opportunity is completely a privilege and isn't something that we contractually provide as part of our service agreement. Basically, this privilege is subject to its abuse and is closely monitored."

For models — even those who might already have their own solo paysite — becoming a part of the Lifestyle Amateurs program may be a win-win situation with little to no downside.

But what about the affiliates — why should they want to promote a multi-model program like Lifestyle Amateurs? In addition to the 50/50 revenue sharing, plus 10 percent model and affiliate referral bonuses via CCBill with custom cookie management, the program offers a number of benefits:

"The models on Lifestyle Amateurs are real people who are invested in promoting member retention. That fact alone should make it a "no brainer," he opined. "They will communicate with the member and build a relationship of sorts. You cannot underestimate the value of this interaction… these models get to know their members and it makes a huge difference in retention."

"Additionally, we are experienced affiliates and we know how to build traffic and what issues concern affiliates," Shawn added. "Personally, I think that 8 out of 10 affiliate reps have no clue how to build a successful site portfolio and that is being generous."

"We DO know what it takes… how to run sites, how to build traffic, how to promote by niche and more," he emphasized. "We feel that this will make a big difference for our affiliates and ultimately put money in all of our pockets."

As for how the program can help its affiliates promote Lifestyle Amateurs, Shawn believes that the productive marketers the company wants to work with will be able to sell the site using tried-and-true methods, rather than relying on gimmicky tools.

"We believe that the content speaks for itself and that most of the fancy promotional tools that some programs invest in are mostly a waste," Shawn commented. "Some promotional materials are great and others are of little substance. We will concentrate on providing tools that we know will work."

Shawn says that while the program is not begging for affiliates, it will go the extra mile for an affiliate who has proven his worth and will even create custom tools for them if necessary — an attitude which reflects the reality of the times.

"One of the biggest issues that we see with the industry is that programs invest too much in catering to affiliates in general and that is why 90 percent of their affiliates do not perform," Shawn said. "We are not interested in using baubles to attract fools… we are looking for serious affiliates who are willing to earn their money by diligence."

As for what the future holds for Lifestyle Amateurs, Shawn is quick to point out that he does not have a crystal ball and that he prefers to stick to facts and analyze the data that the program collects, charting its progress week after week.

"No one can predict what will happen… but I can chart growth and use that data to forecast what will occur if we maintain the mean growth rate," Shawn offered. "We are in it for the long haul and know that slow and steady wins the race."

"We are committed to that," he concluded. "Long term thinking is what drives us and I strongly believe that this approach is what builds a solid foundation for any company."

With such a forward ranging vision, Lifestyle Amateurs should have a very bright future; attracting new performers as well as affiliates looking for something different to promote, with an eye on member retention and the recurring payouts it brings.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

WIA Profile: Reba Rocket

As chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of Takedown Piracy, long at the forefront of intellectual property protection in adult entertainment, Rocket is dedicated to safeguarding the livelihoods of content creators and producers while fostering a more ethical and sustainable industry.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Protecting Content Ownership Rights When Using AI

In today’s digital age, content producers have more tools at their disposal than ever before. Among these tools, artificial intelligence (AI) content generation has emerged as a game changer, enabling creators to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How Payment Orchestration Can Help Your Business

An emerging payment solution is making waves in the merchant world: the payment orchestration platform (POP). It’s quickly gaining traction as a powerful tool for managing online payments — but questions abound.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Fine-Tuning Refund and Cancellation Policies

For adult websites, managing refunds and cancellations isn’t just about customer service. It’s a crucial factor in maintaining compliance with the regulations of payment processors and payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Laurel Bencomo

Born in Cambridge, England but raised in Spain, Laurel Bencomo initially chose to study business at the University of Barcelona simply because it felt familiar — both of her parents are entrepreneurs. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sales and marketing management at the EADA Business School, while working in events for a group of restaurants in Barcelona.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Gregory Dorcel on Building Upon His Brand's Signature Legacy

“Whether reflected in the storyline or the cast or even the locations, the entertainment we deliver is based on fantasy,” he elaborates. “Our business is not, and never has been, reality. People who are buying our content aren’t expecting reality, or direct contact with stars like you can have with OnlyFans,” he says.

Jeff Dana ·
opinion

How to Turn Card Brand Compliance Into Effective Marketing

In the adult sector, compliance is often treated as a gauntlet of mandatory checkboxes. While it’s true that those boxes need to be ticked and regulations must be followed, sites that view compliance strictly as a chore risk missing out on a bigger opportunity.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

A Look at the Latest AI Tools for Online Safety

One of the defining challenges for adult businesses is helping to combat the proliferation of illegal or nonconsensual content, as well as preventing minors from accessing inappropriate or harmful material — all the more so because companies or sites unable or unwilling to do so may expose themselves to significant penalties and put their users at risk.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Know When to Drop Domains You Don't Need

Do you own too many domains? If so, you’re not alone. Like other things we accumulate, every registered domain means something to us. Sometimes a domain represents a dream project we have always wanted to do but have never quite gotten around to.

Juicy Jay ·
opinion

Understanding 'Indemnification' in Business Contracts

Clients frequently tell me that they didn’t understand — or sometimes, even read — certain portions of a contract because those sections appeared to be just “standard legalese.” They are referring, of course, to the specialized language used in legal documents, including contracts.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
Show More