How to shoot your shot

How to link up with creators

Whether you’re submitting a link up on Letslinkup or DMing someone on Twitter, a good rule to follow is to keep your message clear, respectful and professional, not vague or flirty, especially if you never had interracted online or offline with the creator you are reaching to and even more especially if you are a male creator.

Start with a quick intro that specify your name and relevant informations like your industry experience, niche and following across platform – on Softly Linked, you'll have to select those in the Link Up Intent form. Mention what you have in common: same city, shared mutuals, similar niche, following count or aesthetics. Include your shoot availability, whether you can host if the other creator can't or suggested to split the hosting costs. A message like “I’m in [city] until Sept 14th and free the 10th or 11th and are happy to host in a nice Airbnb perfect to shoot content” shows you’re serious. Don’t double-message, wait. If they haven’t responded after a few weeks, then it’s okay to follow up respectfully.

If you are submitting a Link up opportunity form, you’re not writing a personal ad but professional offer that has to be mutually beneficial for your business and your brand as well as adult content creators that you will collaborate with. When posting a shoot your shot form, make sure to not forget to :

• Explain what do you want to shoot without being to specific in their descriptions to leave some room for creativity and for your collab partner to feel included in the creative process. You want people to feel inrigued, excited but have to remember that are you are not hiring !
• Build trust through social proof by showing your Twitter/Instagram page in the link card and mention previous collaborations if you already did ones.
• Offer a partnership : You have scenes idea(s), great ! But besides ideas, what can you bring on the table that would make collaborating with you a great opportunity. For example, hosting or swallowing the hosting costs, offering editing or to film social media promo content, swapping free trials to each others pages that your respective followers could redeem etc … There are many ways to show off as a good partner from the get go.
• Specify requirements : Be clear about what you will not compromise with, what could be a deal breaker for some collab partners or disqualify some. For example, if you only want to shoot content with people who already did collabs previously, who have a certain number of followers or if you don't want your image to be on x adult platform. Any racially or sexually discriminatory requirement will not be displayed on the link up card.
• Set a timeline : Indicate when do you want to shoot if you have a scheduling constraints. If you are traveling in x city and want to collaborate, make sure to post your link up card a few weeks in advance. If you are available all year in a specific city and travel for a few days/weeks throughout the year, you'll need to post a link up card for each city.

Safety, Boundaries, Vetting & Scene Agreement

STI Protocols

Swapping full-panel STI test results before confirming the shoot should not be optional. 14-day maximum is the standard in the mainstream adult entertainement world and a great baseline to follow for independent adult content collaborations. Include and request visible negative results test date and name.

Boundaries

You should both share clear limits, sexual, emotional, and production-related. Clarify what the scene(s) will be and don't think about improvising mid-shoot, especially with performers you didn't built rapport and filmed with in the past. A scene agreement outlining what happens in the scene : including a list of activities/words included and excluded, safety language (safe word, stoplight system) in the form of few bullet points in a doc or message thread is fine. The point is shared clarity before filming, not a polished contract.

Vetting

If you’re a male creator without an audience or lower-visibility performer, you should always provide references (names of creators who can vouch for you or links to collabs teasers) If you’re a female/femme creator, you should absolutely ask for references when approached by or seeking a male performer. Check by searching their name of Twitter. Ask mutuals.

Logistics

The shoot day should be boring in the best way: clean, smooth, and free of surprises. Define the time block clearly: setup, filming, breakdown. Avoid loose plans and spontaneity. The responsibility of each should be highlighted : who is booking the hotel/Airbnb if need, who brings tripod, lights, camera, stands, blankets, lube, wipes etc …

This Notion template will help plan and organize your collaborations with ease.

Prepare all your model releases. Somes sites (e.g Onlyfans) for example don’t require a formal model release by default, but they do require at least that all people appearing in your content are verified creators on the platform. Even in this case it's better to have a model release form on hand. Some sites are stricter and require to fill their own model release form (e.g Fansly, Pornhub), some accept templates (e.g Clips4Sale). All of that has to be taken into account if you plan to publish your content on multiple adult platforms.

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Consent

Just because you agreed on something before filming doesn’t mean it’s a forever yes. Consent is dynamic, and real professionalism means staying attuned not just to what’s allowed on paper (remember, the scene agreement ?) but to how it feels in a moment. Porn is so much better when performers are enjoying themselves and even better when you can feel the chemistry just by watching them. There is a part of chemistry that is organic, just two individuals connecting in a really easy and effortless way but chemistry can also be cultivated on screen through communication and openess.

Check in regularly. Not just verbally. Watch for non-verbal cues. If someone seems to get tired, distracted, seems to disconnect or gets triggered and pulls back subtly, pause. Even if they haven’t said “stop,” those are signals of discomfort and they will feel even safer if you don't ask how they feel in that situation to just give them the space they probably need. And do not just ask, tell how you feel as well.

Consider using a stoplight system, especially if one or both of you is filming emotionally, physically intense or kink-related content :

• Green = everything’s fine
• Yellow = slow down
• Red = stop now, no questions asked

Direction

In a good collab, both people are directors as much as performers. And even if one has a more experience, it should be as collaborative and non hierarchical as possible which is the responsibility of the person with the most power in the dynamic.

Start by preparing the space and setup together (lighting, props, background ...) suggesting changes and reviewing what you will be wearing, chosing where you will be filming first. Confirm the schedule and or one of you want to start to film first instead to keep some spontaneity that will make the content more natural. Then, you can map the scene shots by splitting a scene in multiple parts if possible and review the scenario if there is any by practicing and suggesting each other some sexy lines that would server and anchors points or signs for an action or new position for example.

Collaborate as you go. Encourage mid-scene feedbacks and suggestions to redo the last part of a scene or to try something completely different. Everything doesn't have to be filmed in one go even if you want to go for sex tape style content. Don’t rush to finish a scene. Respect pacing. Hold space. Don't put pressure on each others to film as much as possible.

Aftercare

Aftercare is a kink thing but should be a collaboration standard, really. Aftercare should defitively part shooting scenes (especially for first timers). Yes you are professionals, but you just did something vulnerable and intimate afterall. However, aftercare after shooting porn is not just the same. It can start with physical needs. Beverage, snacks, clean wipes or towels. You can let each others take a shower, have some time to rewind and have some quiet to then talk about the experience a little bit.

Everyone decompresses differently. Some people like to talk through the scene. Others want silence or space. Tell the other person what you need and be open to for them to tell them. Don’t assume post-scene conversation are always welcome. Offer but allow the other person to leave if they want to be alone. However, your needs are important so you should both be able to compromise except if the other is in an emotionally difficult states. If they want to leave and you would feel better talking about what felt off, or debrief face to face, ask them for a five more minutes.

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Asset Management

A standout profile is your gateway to premium collaborations. Use high-quality, professional photos that represent your brand accurately. Write compelling descriptions that highlight your unique selling points and collaboration style.

Before anyone starts posting, you need to decide who’s responsible for editing, what content will be shared on social media, which content will appear on which page or clip store, which content will you both upload and post it exclusively. Will one of you do a full edit, or will you both create your own versions ? If you’re splitting tasks, you should be specific. Set a realistic delivery deadline, ideally between 5–14 days to not kill the momemtum of this collaboration.

Every piece of content should be dumped and stored into a shared reliable platform and name your files clearly to avoid confusion something like: e.gCamille_Luca_GGScene_Berlin2025_MASTER.mp4

All the collab partners – if there are more than two - should have every file copies of the content filmed or recorded if their image is on it or voice, which can include :

• Full-length scene (uncut, platform-ready)
• SFW content for social media (pics, videos)
• Short teasers
• Photosets
• Vertical clips for Reels, TikTok, or Shorts

Both parties should be granted editing review rights and agreements to cut or edit, anything awkward, unflattering, too personal or things that could damage their brands.

Content Release Plan

Define each other your posting timeline. If you want the content to reach people, you need a promo plan, and it should be mutual. It's necessary to outline a mutual social media marketing strategy that will make this collab a real money maker for each of you. You can even define goals and KPI (key performance indicators) to reach too kepp each other accountable for the success of this collaboration. Cross-promotion should be detailed and paltform specific.

Agree on caption tone and hashtags, especially if your brands are different.You can also plan collab campaigns to attract each other subscribers and leverage this collaboration to grow each others audience.

Discuss paid content distribution beforehand and don't forget pricing if you plan to post the same content on each of your platforms.

Always tag your co-performer on any piece of content you might post, weither it is adult content or SFW content. And even if the performer is not on a specific platform, you should mention their username or handler so people can be redirected to them if they want. Also, don't delete social media content posted that was part of the marketing schedule without informing your collab partner just because you changed your mind. Don't post any content that was supposed to be posted by your collab partner without informing them if you don't want to burn bridges.

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