Creating Exclusive Content

Dear member,

Good morning from Greece - I’m currently on the ferry to Naxos where I’ll be shooting with three models (details of the shoots scheduled for tomorrow and Tuesday are available behind the paywall). The trip is five and a half hours long, so I had time to think about a topic that seems of interest to many of you: exclusive content from the creator.

All of the new paid members who have filed the welcome survey this year have, in fact, chosen the option that they want to see “exclusive content from the creator”.

Quite a few others have also said the same thing to me in private messages.

So I wanted to share my latest thoughts on this topic with all my of my members, paid and free.

Exclusive content - definition

Let us first agree as to what constitutes exclusive content.

It seems to me to be content that one cannot find elsewhere.

In some sense all of my content is exclusive - my style of photography is unique to me. If another photographer shoots the same model as I do, it will be in their own style, not mine.

And as I’m a freelance photographer, who shoots unique combinations of location-outfit-model, you’re unlikely to find the same content elsewhere.

But I have a feeling that this definition doesn’t go far enough - I’d love to have more views on this.

I suspect that many of you by “exclusive content” have in mind a lot more than just my style of photography and/or locations/outfits/models.

I suspect - and indeed know from private conversations - that many of you want to see models going outside their comfort zones and revealing more.

The challenges of producing exclusive content

Taking models out of their comfort zones or indeed above their levels is a very risky business - photographers who are labelled “levels pushers” by models are frowned upon and risk losing their reputation among models.

This is a very serious risk. Without a good reputation among models, I cannot continue to line up shoots with so many models and I will find it difficult, if not impossible, to secure bookings with new models.

So, I am confident that you don’t want me to be perceived as a “levels pusher” by any model. Having said that, I have had some members suggest to me - often disrespectfully - what they would like to see some models do and making vague promises suggesting they’d be prepared to pay for it. That is not the way to go about it, guys, read on for the right way to do it.

Establishing trust

I find that establishing trust is what really helps to create exclusive content - often models who trust me are willing to reveal more without me saying anything, as they know I will always portray them in an artistic manner and that I will keep any content we create together exclusive - not least because I won’t share it for free all over the internet and I will do everything possible to minimise the risk of leaks.

[Over the years I have found out that low prices are a cause for leaks. Leaks are more likely to come from buyers who paid little to acquire the content than those who paid good money for it. That is the reason I no longer have a £5 per month tier - which I used to have when I started my Patreon nearly five years ago.

Cheap and exclusive don’t go together - so you won’t find me selling exclusive content cheaply.

I certainly do not ascribe to the view that one would make more money by selling more content more cheaply - that is not my style and, rest assured, I will never become a mass production creator. I work on my own so and I prefer it that way. Which of course means that, by definition, I cannot pursue large scale creation, even if I wanted to, which I don’t.

Large scale content cannot be exclusive by definition].

Other times, this regular contact means that I can discuss with models the requirements and wishes of individual clients. Often I am able to discretely offer what the client wants and to ensure that that content remains private. However, that usually costs a substantial amount of money and more often than not a signed non disclosure agreement by the client.

Cost of creating exclusive content

Inevitably creating exclusive content costs substantial amounts of money.

Regular photoshoots with the same model - which is what is required to establish trust - translate into recurring costs. It’s not just the model fees that can be substantial- it is also securing new outfits, locations, equipment and consumables such as memory cards (whose price has gone through the roof lately, does anyone know why).

Creating exclusive content for individual clients costs hundreds, if not thousands of pounds.

If I am to enter a discussion with any model about such content I need to be sure that the client who orders that content is able and willing to pay for it. Unfortunately I have had quite a few incidents of “cheap talk” lately - people reaching out to me and offering to pay for private content with unrealistic expectations about costs or indeed making promises that they couldn’t fulfill.

That is why my “Sponsor a Shoot” tiers offer a good way forward. By joining an appropriate tier, you secure a shoot with the model of your choice and you can receive the entire content from it, depending on tier.

Plus, in effect, you are putting your money where your mouth is - so I know you’re serious and that you’re in a position to pay - not just a cheap talker.

A sponsored shoot also enables me to discuss the possibility of creating private content that is exclusive to you alone.

Joining one of my Sponsor a shoot tiers is a great way forward if indeed you genuinely wish to support me to create exclusive content.

Annual membership offer

An alternative is annual memberships, which enable me to plan ahead and provide me with the financial support to plan regular shoots with the models that you’d like to see more of.

Because of this, I have come up with a more concrete offer that links annual memberships to the creation of exclusive content with the model you’d like to see more of.

Anyone buying an annual membership this month can request, in addition to their normal benefits, shoots with named models, depending on tier joined, as follows:

VIP Elite or All access 2026 patron - name ONE model

10000+ Digital Downloads tier - name TWO models

Sponsor a Shoot 250 tier - name THREE models

These benefits are additional to the normal benefits in these tiers. Sponsor a Shoot tiers include shoots with models you name, and the highest tier could get you one shoot per month with a model of your choice, as part of its normal benefits.

Please also note that for this month annual memberships come with a 40% discount compared to monthly memberships.

Concluding remarks

I hope this post clarifies both the meaning and the challenges of creating exclusive content.

I do feel that I’m in a privileged position to create such content for but I can only do that with your support, here on Patreon.

Patreon is all about supporting creators and benefiting from doing so in the process - so I hope that some of you will want to take advantage of the above offers.

There are many who prefer to buy my content after I create it - which is of course welcome. However, such content can rarely be as exclusive or indeed tailored to your wishes as what can be achieved through Patreon subscriptions in my highest tiers.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!