Consistency, Authenticity + building a brand that slaps with Annie Knight 🖐🏻🤍

This week on the pod, Honeyy is chatting with top OF creator, Annie Knight. Annie shot to OF fame a little over a year ago when she completely let go of her fears around what others thought and started showing up online authentically as herself.

Episode Highlights 

🤍 Kicking off on OF

Listen as Annie reveals her journey into the world of OnlyFans and the ups and downs along the way

🤍 The Paid Page Pivot

Ever wondered why creators swap to a paid page? Annie has all the insights and secrets behind this strategic shift.

🤍 Dealing with online hate

Haters gonna hate, but Annie's got some epic tips on dealing with online trolls and negativity. 

🤍 Mastering the Art of Self-Marketing

Annie Knight is not just a creator; she's a marketing genius. Learn how she's set herself apart and her secrets for building her brand.

🤍 Podcast Adventures 

Stay tuned as Annie reveals her adventures in podcasting with her friend Taila. It's going to be a blast!
 

We absolutely loved this chat with Annie, and we're sure you will too! Share your love by taking a screenshot and spreading the word on your stories. Don't forget to tag us @honeysmakinmoney and Annie @anniekknight

If you haven't already, make sure you head to the Honeys' Makin' Money website to download your FREE e-book, Honeyy's Top 10 Only Fans Tips to make Bank! Download HERE

Transcript

Unknown: 1:00

Hello and welcome back to a another week of honeys making money. I am really excited this week because I have a special guest joining us today. And that is any night. Welcome, babe. Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. I'm so excited to have you here. You are just all over social media at the moment. You're doing all the things. And I'm just really excited to hear more about your journey and how you you know about you and how you come into early fans because I've never actually ever heard and I'm sure the listeners are dying to hear as well. So would you mind sharing a little bit about you and how you started Darnley fans? Yeah, sure. So I actually started only fans like three years ago. So it was 2020. And it was sort of in COVID. And I feel like people were starting to really hear about only fans, people were talking about it on Tik Tok. And like, I was seeing a lot of girls like posting about it, talking about how much money they're making, and all of that stuff. And obviously, that was very intriguing to me. But for a while, like it was just always in the back of my head. I never really had the guts to do it. I was really worried about like my job at the time, because I was a marketing coordinator. And I didn't love my job. So I didn't do it for a while. It wasn't really till the end of 2020 when I was like, What am I doing? Like I've been wanting to do this for so long. What am I so worried about? You know, people, I think I was just worried about people judging me. But I was like, Screw it. Like, let's just do it. So, yeah, I think it was like 23. So I started my page. And it was all very like, not PG, but like more M rated. And then yeah, I guess like over time, I sort of progressively started getting a little bit more branch er, it was a free page back then. So I wasn't posting very consistently and honestly, it was just like, meant to be a side hustle for me. So yeah, that's sort of how I got into it. And then yeah, over time, eventually, after about a year and a half, I decided that I wanted to do it full time. And here we are. Oh, I love that so much. So I'm intrigued into you starting a free page to start off with so are you now running a free and a paid? Or are you fully paid? Like have you made any changes? Are you still free? Yeah, no. So I'm now completely paid. I don't have any free pages. I made the switch over mid last year when I like I started doing full time. I think I've been doing it for like three months. And I was like, okay, now's the time to switch to a paid account. And it definitely was a transitional period. Like that was a bit difficult. But I'm really glad that I made the change. Yeah, amazing. I love that it's so interesting to see. Because obviously with only fans, you have so many different ways you can start right you can have one page, you can have two, you can have a free or paid you have two paid. So absolutely love hearing how people have started and how they've transitioned. So when you went to a Play page is that when you started to get more X rated is that was that your decision behind going into a PE page? No, I started going more X rated probably like six months into only fans, like when I started my decision to go to PE was just that, like, that's what most girls were doing. And I was like, there has to be a reason why they're doing this. And I guess like, you know, if you're getting the subscription fee, it is just extra money that you're getting. So that's kind of the why I made the decision. But when I did switch to paid my earnings did drop quite a bit for a while they're like for like three months. But I had to work really, really hard to sort of pick them back up again. And now they've far exceeded any expectations I had. Yeah, I love that. I mean, it's like any circumstance isn't it that people don't really love change. And it's a transition period. And you know, you are going to see fluctuations in your pay. So when you are doing all of that work, I think that's totally normal. But the fact that you've just nailed it in the long run was a great decision. So that's amazing. Could you share a little bit of your journey and what it's been like throughout for you running an early fan some ups and downs, like give us give us what it's been like over the last three years? Yeah, I think like in terms of downs, there was definitely a period there maybe like three months into starting only fans were, you know, my friends started to find out and like a lot of my like social circle found out and I know videos of me were getting shared around in my social circles. And that for me was really, really difficult. I ended up taking a break from only fans for a little while there because I was embarrassed. Now I'm not, but it was. And then yeah, i i Once I kind of got over that I picked myself back up again and decided like why do I care what people think. And then I guess another down would be obviously like I'm sharing so much on the internet on tick tock and Instagram and I get a lot of hate. And that can be really hard to deal with sometimes. And yeah, that's sort of that's something I struggle with still to this day. But of course the ups are, you know, I have so much freedom. I have a lot of financial freedom as well. I get to travel. I run on my own schedule. I've met so many amazing people in the industry. And yeah, it's just been it's honestly been the best decision I've ever made. Um so happy for you. It really is such an incredible lifestyle. Like when you can truly love what you do, you've nailed it. And it gives you that freedom. Like sometimes it's not always about earning a million dollars in three months, but it just gives you enough money to be able to have that freedom and travel and meet new people. So I love it a lot of creators that I asked, you know, What's the best part? Nobody really says money. It's really what it gives you like it gives you that time freedom back. So I really love that now you did touch on it a little bit. And I do want to dive into it a little bit more, because I know we all get it. And we all deal with it differently. And I'm sure there are new creators out there trying to juggle it now but that is dealing with the trolls and haters. Obviously being in the spotlight, especially on tick tock I know you've got a really big following on tick tock so how do you deal with the the constant negativity in the industry? So I've kind of evolved my strategy over time, I used to like, read all the comments and sort of laugh it off. And you know, sometimes I'd reply to the comments with the video being a little bit sassy. But recently, as of like, last three months, I was finding that it was really, really affecting me mentally, like negatively. I'm just jumping online every day and seeing so many people, point out your flaws or call you names or tell you that you're a horrible person or whatever it does affect you. It's hard not to let it affect you. So honestly, like my strategy now is I just don't read the comments. I do not read any comments. And I just make like a real effort to not even get tempted to. Yeah, I love that. And that's and that's so powerful. Because if you're really taking your time and energy away from that negativity and away from that heightened, you really focus on the things that you love, you're travelling, you know, doing all the things that you're doing, it's just, it's hard to get so caught up when you're not in that space when you're not pouring energy in there. So I've definitely been there been there where I'm like, I'm not looking at the fucking comments, everyone had chickenpox, and I'm gonna go do something that I absolutely love. So that's an amazing takeaway for anyone that is new in the industry, or maybe has been in for a while and they're really struggling, just step back and don't read it all block it out and go do what you enjoy. And remind yourself like how far you've come and that you can do the things you can enjoy because of how hard you worked. So I absolutely love that. So let's talk marketing. I know you love marketing, and you are just such an incredible brand. So you pop up everywhere from your Instagram to your Tik Tok and you just have a really, really strong brand throughout. So what's your strategy and what works really well for you? I think my strategy from day one has always been my personality like letting that shine through. I've from day one since the day I created my only fans, it's always been like, promoting myself on tick tock by telling stories and really getting my personality across. Because I think at the end of the day, you know, anyone can jump on PornHub and find like blonde girl with tits and see someone similar to me doing whatever. But I think what my point of difference is that like people come to my page because my personality like 99% of the subs that I have, they always say I love your personality on tick tock like I came here from tick tock, I had to get to know you more. And like I think that that is just like my biggest piece of advice for anyone, starting early fans or who's struggling doing early fans is like, let your personality shine through looks can only get you so far. And I think also, you know, just like taking opportunities, every opportunity I've gotten, whether it be like a news article, or to go on a TV show or whatever, I always take that opportunity. I think like I've really become a Yes, man. And I think yeah, I just think that's the best thing I've decided to do. I love that. And it's so powerful because I touch on that a lot in the industry. And I think there's a common theme, we're seeing the top 1% creators and girls that are really really winning in the business and it's that they are truly themselves and you know, it shines through, you can see that you are authentically you that you are turning off as you and that just shines through. You're not waking up every morning putting on a front or putting on a show. And people are drawn to that they're drawn to you and not everyone's gonna love the authentic you but there are so many that will and so many other take that extra step to subscribe to your profile because you're not just a photo or you're not just a blonde girl, you've got this wicked personality, you know how to laugh at yourself, you know, you just don't take anything seriously. And there's so many people out there, men and women that are attracted to that. So it's really so powerful, I think when you can tap into that. So I really love that you touched on that. Now you are running a mega business like congratulations over what I've seen. I feel like over the last six months you've just really like skyrocketed and you've done some incredible things with your business. How do you stay consistent with it? Or like I know you said you're a yes man and you're saying yes to things. How do you stay so motivated when you've got so much going on in the ball keeps rolling? I definitely think I'm one of those people where if I'm becoming successful or the success is like happening, I like to like roll with that and I'm like yeah, let's keep going. I'm like super, super motivated to like, you know, reach for the stars basically. But that being said, It's like impossible to stay motivated 100% of the time, and there have been times where I've like really struggled with my motivation. And whenever that happens, I honestly just take three days off, like, I'm just like, No, I'm not going to. And my for me, like, the biggest thing is like social media and trying to keep up with social media that really stresses me out sometimes. So just like taking three days off social media, and like resetting and taking time for myself, whether that be like reading, turning whatever. And then coming back after three days, rejuvenated and re motivated again, essentially. And that's sort of like how I stay on top of things. And yeah, but I think like when you see that success coming in, you just feel extra motivated, and you want to keep going. I'm jumping in here for a hot second to let you guys know, I am giving away free one on one coaching sessions every single month throughout my podcast, I'm really excited to be working with some more creators on a more personal level. So if you want in on this, make sure you go and hit follow, leave a star review, screenshot it and send it to our Instagram account. If you want extra points into the drawer, go and leave a review on your Instagram account and tag us in it. I am so excited to see who wins this month and who I get to work with. Okay, now back to the good stuff. Yeah, 100%. It is definitely like a snowball effect. And it is really nice when you start seeing that consistency pay off and it is starting to slow down. You're like well, wow, I've worked so hard. And now it's all starting to pay off. And I think it can be difficult in the start when you like everyone keeps telling me to stay consistent and stay consistent. And you don't like it doesn't actually click until you start compounding all of that. And the success does commoner. And it starts to come substantially because you've worked so hard over the last three years, like I'm sure over the last, you know, two and a half years or the first year in your business. You are hustling like you're getting in there like you were doing all the things. And now that's paying off, which is really exciting. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So obviously, like you mentioned, you have hit this success now. And it's really snowballing for you and compounding, which is really, really exciting. Was there like a pivotal moment in your business or something? You think that was a big contributing factor to this success? Yeah, I think it probably was, like mid May, for me just this year, like a few months ago, where I was like, you know, I'm still I'm still holding on to some concepts of like, caring what people think of me. And like, knew that if I could just like, you know, take that next step on my tick tock and really, like, let my personality shine through and tell my stories and you know, my crazy wild stories, that it probably would take me to that next level of success. But yeah, I was just holding on to that concept for for a while. And eventually I was like, What am I doing? Like I'm already doing only fans, people already know that I feel myself having sex. Like, what's the difference of me telling the stories on tick tock? So for me, yeah, I just took that step. And I didn't know that I was going to have the success that I have had. But I had a feeling because obviously I've been on tick tock for a while and people recognise my face, I think. But yeah, people just they love it. They love hearing my crazy story. Some people hate it. And then the Tick Tock started getting, you know, hundreds of 1000s of views. I started getting followers really quickly. And then that was converting to subscribers. So yeah, I think that was like the pivotal moment was just throwing all all my care and worry out the window and just going for it. Ah, this is just so good to hear. Like I absolutely love it. When I see women in the business, who obviously like saying, we don't give a fuck is not the right attitude. Because of course we do. Like of course we get, you know, times where things hit us. And you know, like, Oh, that's a bit shitty, but just turning up as authentically you and just having that moment in your business where you're like, you know what, fuck it like, I'm just going to do what makes me happy. I'm going to do what I think what works, and it just pays off so massively. And you are such a great example of that. So I'm so happy for you that you had just come to a time in your business where you are you you're happy to share your stories. You're proud of it and you're just like, I don't care what anyone says. And let's be honest, those hate comments on tick tock, right. Like they're probably driving most of those views through the roof. So love that for you. Yeah, so we'll we'll turn that a little bit of a negative into a positive and that's a win win. So talking about your stories, you've touched on how you love sharing your stories. You have just started a brand new podcast, which I am loving it is super cool. So tell us about the podcast. Why did you start it and what is it all about? Well, I've been tossing up the idea of selling a podcast for a while but I was always a little bit nervous to do one by myself. And I always definitely want to do it with a friend. But I never really knew who the right friend was. It wasn't until my friend Taylor went on radio. And she said oh my god, I loved that experience. So much like in the future, I would love to be like a radio host or something. And I said, why don't we start a podcast? Like, let's do it. And she was like, yes, I've been dying to start a podcast as well, like, I would love to. And it was so funny because it just came so naturally that we both had the exact same idea of what we wanted our podcast to be about, which is just basically girl stuff, anything to do with like becoming a woman or being a girl and going through, you know, periods on first time having sex and I don't know like relationships, friendships, all of that all of the stuff that's like, I don't know a little bit like like the sealed section of Dali magazine back in the day. I remember that it was so good. And it just gave you all that information that like you were too scared to ask your mom about. We really wanted the podcast to be that I suppose. And like help women go through life essentially like and give advice and be that sort of like being sister role model to younger women. Oh, that is so frickin epic. Like, I'm just absolutely frosting on that. I love it. Do you think only fans and the journey you've both had with that only fans has really brought you to the stage? Because you are so open now. And and you're used to be open and in the spotlight with all this? Yeah. 100%. And I think like, yeah, exactly. Like being so open and authentic with ourselves and our experiences. This is like second nature to us. But for a lot of girls, you know, they're scared to talk about things like sex or periods or whatever. And so we want them to feel comfortable to come to us and like ask us, or ask us to talk about things on our podcast and like, help them through whatever they're going through. So yeah, I love that. And it's really powerful, because it's really normalising a lot of these things that we're told when we're younger about, you know, periods and sex and first time, like there is such a mixed message out there for young women. And I think that you guys are stepping into a space of just, you know, talking about it like it's okay to talk about it. It's healthy to talk about it and you should have girlfriends that you can talk about and open up to so I love that you guys are setting that example because it is really powerful. Yeah. So who do you take inspiration from and why? Okay, so my number one inspiration from the start has been an I don't want to butcher her name here. But still a berry or still a berry. I don't know how to pronounce it. Have you heard of her? No, I haven't. She's She's also known as Angel princess. I love that. I might have to go and check her out now. I'm obsessed with her. She's just so intelligent and so smart. And her marketing concept from the start has been amazing. She she's like in like the top. I don't know. 0% I'm not sure exactly why. But she's yeah, I've just watched her skyrocket. But I first saw her on Tik Tok. She's an American creator. And I think first she was like a porn star in like, you know, commercial porn on PornHub, and all of that. And then she sort of transitioned through to only fans. And she really, she, I mean, she did a similar thing to me, I suppose, where she was just talking openly about her sexual experiences. And people obviously have a lot to say about that. And, yeah, she just sort of like grew and grew and grew. And she's amazing. And I think she's just so intelligent and so smart. And she's just like, my biggest inspo I love that I love that she was inspired right at the start, and you're still just like, you know, like cheering her on, I absolutely love that it's really powerful to have someone in the industry that you can look up to and relate to and take inspiration from. So I love that you've got your anal Queen for that. Oh, good. Okay, so moving on to our last question. And that would be what would be your biggest piece of advice for someone just starting out in the only finance industry. Um, I mean, I feel like I've already touched on it a little bit. But I would say, I mean, creating a brand for yourself, essentially, like, as we've both done, you know, creating that brand around your personality, letting your personality shine through finding what your niche is running with it. And I guess like consistency also across all your social medias. So I see a lot of creators and they've got a different tick tock name a different instagram name a different only friends, that can be very confusing. So just like remaining consistent across all your social medias and really letting your personality shine through and really building that brand up whatever it is. I think that that and just being consistent with your posting and like, don't give up. Because if you if you are inconsistent, you're just posting once a week, you're not going to get to that next level of success, you really have to put in 150% and just keep pushing, even if you're not seeing those numbers yet. Eventually they'll roll through and it'll happen. Yeah, I absolutely agree. Like the women in the industry who I can see that are successful. They've been hustling for years and years. And you know, they're constantly showing up on social media. They're constantly showing up on all platforms. If there's a new platform, they're getting in on it. So I think it's easy to come in and kind of go oh, well, you know, they're not posting as much now but they've had years of like compounding that and showing up every day even when they didn't want to. So I could not agree more. Thank you Where can we find you? Like where is the best place for the listeners to plug into you give us it all. Okay, so I feel like the best place to find everything. All my links and stuff are in my Instagram bio. And my Instagram is Annie K Knight and the knight is also with the K. So 2k ma amazing. Well, I'll put it all in the show notes as well. And I would love to link in your podcast as well because such an epic listen and yeah, I think the listeners will really, really love it. Thank you so much for jumping on Dave. I've had so much fun today. It's been really good. My God. I've loved it. I love your podcast. Thank you. You'll have to, you'll have to come back next season and we can dive into a little bit more of some stories of yours some juicy stories. I love it. Thank you so much, Dave and thank you so much for tuning in on a another episode and we will see you next week. Bye