The website, network, or agency you work for makes a huge difference in your success or failure. Pick the right one, and you have a blast making more money than you ever thought was possible. Pick the wrong one, and you will waste tons of time without making money, and worse, you will feel discouraged with webcam modeling altogether. Your self confidence will suffer because you will assume it was all your fault, and you are not cut out to be a webcam model. You won't even bother trying again, because everyone hates failure, especially more than once at doing the same thing!
Perhaps the most important factor when deciding which website or network to work for is the amount of traffic they get. It's not just the amount of traffic, but the type of trafic as well. Where is their traffic coming from? Are they just blindly buying text links on thousands of adult websites with low converting traffic, or is it a destination site itself with their own regular visitors and client base? Do they have U.S. traffic or if you are targeting another language or country, do they have your type of customers? These are the questions you need to ask, and don't take their word for it, research it yourself. Look up the Alexa rating of the site(s) you are considering. Remember, any site with an Alexa rating of under 1,000,000 should not even be considered unless it's a niche site like gay or shemale.
Even if you are on a very high traffic website, you may not see anyone in your room because you will be listed on a page noone sees. If you are not showcased on either page 1 or 2 under a popular category or the site's home page, you might as well be on a site with no visitors, because that's how you'll feel. When looking for a webcam job, always ask how the site decides placement, and where you will be featured when you first start.
There is a reason all successful Hollywood actors and actresses have agents. They have agents because they want to focus on doing what they know and do best, acting. They don't have the time or desire to scout for auditions, negotiate pay and contracts, promote their image, do press releases, pick out potential scripts, discuss roles, projects, movies, etc.. They let their agents handle it all, why? Because that is what their agents know and do best, it's their livelyhood. Agents have a direct incentive to find the best roles for their clients because the more money they get for their clients, the more money they will make for themselves, and the better their reputaion in the industry. If the agent does his/her job right, their clients will remain with them for their entire careers!
Well, guess what, in the world of webcam modeling it works pretty much the same way. Webcam site owners work with modeling agencies to recruit models for their sites, and pay the agents directly for their services. The larger the agency, the more influence they have with the sites for model placement and hiring decisions. If you are a gorgeous, picture perfect model who is also a tough negotiator with sharp business skills and management contacts at top webcam sites, then you should not work with an agency, and try to apply directly with the largest sites you can find. You will most likely get hired, and join thousands of other hungry models in line to make a fortune in the business. Once you start working, if you don't think you are making enough money or are not being promoted enough, tough luck! The site owners have no incentive to promote you because you're on your own, and they are too busy making lots of money to care.
Personally, I have always worked with an agency, and I have to say they were the key to my success from day one! I had a personal agent whom I could call on the phone day or night to ask for advice, report problems, or just share a few laughs about my day. Because of my agent, I was consistently showcased on the front page and the first page of my categories on the sites that I appeared on. I said sites because the agency I worked for, Internet Modeling, represents many popular sites which get tons of traffic! Their system allowed me to work and be seen on thousands of websites at the same time. The amount of traffic, advice, and customers that I got by working with a top agency made it a no brainer for me, and I never looked back!