I logged onto my clunky Dell laptop and the ever present blue Craigslist tab lit up. My advertisement was posted under the "Personals" section in the "women 4 men" category. Long before Eros, Tryst and Slixa existed, Craigslist personals was the hub for those seeking paid companionship and kink. With a few mouse clicks, the writing of some cheesy copy about a natural redheaded college girl and the uploading of a handful of low quality selfies, my ad was posted. And money fell off of trees. Sadly I was way too young, wreckless and didn't have the business mind I do now so I spent my funds as quickly as they flowed into my palm.
It didn't matter how old she was or how worn her appearance, any woman could easily support herself from FSSW alone back then with almost no investment. There wasn't a vast array of ad sites to choose from: CL was it, and it was, miraculously, free.
Fast forward a... few years later and it's no longer remotely free to advertise. Of course Craigslist eventually got wise and started charging $5 per post, then $10 but for a good few years it was totally FREE to make bank with a handful of selfies and a laptop.
This was before the narcissistic lure of social media and the economic crisis (rich are getting richer, cost of living increases, COVID) caused an oversaturation of the FSSW market. So what's a companion to do in a market where it can cost thousands a month just to post one advertisement with no guaranteed ROI?
Let's go over the most popular advertising sites and my experience with them:
Private Delights: I paid approximately $110 a week (I forget the exact amount) a few times and didn't book any clients. I have, however, had quite a few clients find me on PD back when you could post every 24hrs in NYC/major cities. Then they started charging (the site was originally free) a ridiculous amount that's only worth it if you're touring or located near the West Coast. My advice is, if you're in Colorado or California, pay for PD.
Otherwise the free option is best.
Other providers will tell you the same thing (usually) that paying for PD is only beneficial on the West Coast.
P411: This site isn't very useful for those of us who are privileged enough to be able to screen our clients. Clients set up accounts and accumulate "OK's" from providers so many of the gents who utilize it believe these "OK"s" = verification of their identity. We verify identity because meeting with anonymous strangers can easily go wrong for a variety of reasons.
Sally marked "OK" on P411 but I still need to know who I'm going behind closed doors with. Many P411 clients won't tell us who they are and that simply doesn't work in an industry where workers are vulnerable. So personally I no longer use this site.
P411 has also been infiltrated by LE so please bear that in mind when advertising with them.
Eros: Ah, Eros. You owe me around 1,100, buddy.
I have used them three times, purchasing two two week NYC ads and one one week DC ad. I had heard very mixed things about Eros and the ads were ridiculously expensive at around $1500 for the most expensive "Platinum" and "Gold" tiers that were at the top of the page so received the most hits. So I didn't want to waste $1k and opted for a regular ad (around $550) each time I purchased with them.
Didn't book one client.
Eros oddly has the highest SEO when one searches for esc0rts in a variety of large cities like NYC. Eros inevitably is the first or second search result. So why didn't I book any clients?
It's partially because when in NYC I am not available for "now" incalls and every Eros text was requesting that specifically. But who knows if they would have screened or paid a deposit.
My Eros ad in DC attracted only Time Wasters.
Maybe purchasing a $1,500+ premium placement ad would have landed me bookings and a return on my investment. Maybe one day we'll find out.
Eros was raided by the Federal government during the FOSTA/SESTA kerfuffle and undoubtedly Eros worked with LE in order to mysteriously remain operational when BP and others were shut down. So it makes sense that they still work with LE and that, IMHO, explains their very odd photo approval process. Many providers won't use Eros due to their connection with LE.
In case you're unaware, Eros is notorious for randomly rejecting photos. They'll reject your sheer bra photo (even if nips are invisible) but accept Sally's sheer bra photo. I had this happen a few times and they give no explanation, they just reject your photo. It can be a frustrating experience when you're on a tight touring schedule and your ad isn't approved and they won't tell you why.
There are also a large number of obviously fake ads on Eros. Many of the photos are stolen from SW's who are no longer working or who don't do FSSW (based off of my own personal research) so the theory of many in our community is that Eros plants ads. Why? So you're more likely to pay for an expensive upgrade to be seen.
I have heard very mixed reviews from other providers. Eros seems to be worth it in smaller cities and for BDSM providers because there are less advertisers and costs are lower.
Be sure to follow my Threads (https://www.threads.net/@roseblazebby) and Twitter (https://www.x.com/roseblazebby) to be notified when Part 2 drops. I'll explore all the sites I haven't yet mentioned, giving my experience, along with the SW lore surrounding said sites.