You're in the right place.
This guide walks you through everything, setting up your profile, connecting payments, posting your first content, and actually making money. Work through each section at your own pace and check things off as you go.
Spotlightly is a creator platform where you control what fans see, and what they pay for. Your page is your Spotlight. You decide what is free for everyone and what is for paying subscribers.
- Free posts. Your public content. Anyone can see it. Think of it as your front door.
- Subscribers. Paying fans get deeper access. Behind the scenes, tutorials, exclusive drops.
- Backstage. A separate, adult only space on Backstagely.app for creators who want it. Verified, private, and kept apart from your main page.
You have one login, but two separate public profiles:
- Your Spotlight page. Your main presence, where your free posts and subscriber posts live.
- Your Backstage page (lives at Backstagely.app). Your separate, adult only space for your top supporters.
You control the name, bio, and photo on each independently. Your real identity only needs to be on one if you prefer to stay semi anonymous on the other.
Set up your profile.
Your profile is the first thing a potential fan sees. Spend 10 minutes here, it's worth it.
Go to Account → Edit Profile. Tap the photo circle to upload.
- Use a clear, well lit photo of your face or your brand logo.
- Square images work best. Minimum 400×400px.
- Avoid text heavy images. They don't scale well at small sizes.
Your bio appears on your public Spotlight page. Keep it to 2 to 3 sentences. Answer three questions:
- Who are you / what do you make?
- Why should someone follow you specifically?
- What do paying subscribers get that free followers don't?
Example: "I teach woodworking to people who've never touched a saw. Every week I post a beginner project video free, subscribers get full plans, cut lists, and live Q&A."
Your handle becomes part of your public URL: spotlightly.app/yourhandle
- Match it to your Instagram or TikTok handle if you have one. It makes cross promotion easier.
- Keep it short and lowercase. No spaces.
- You can use a pen name or brand name, it doesn't have to be your legal name.
Go to Account → Subscription Settings. Set your monthly price for the Spotlight tier.
- Most creators start between $3 and $10 a month.
- If you have a highly specialized skill (surveying, legal, medical, trading) you can charge $15 to $30 or more.
- You can always raise prices later. Subscribers on old plans are often grandfathered in.
Connect Stripe to get paid.
Stripe is how Spotlightly sends you money. It's free to set up and takes about 5 minutes. You won't receive payouts until this is complete.
From your creator dashboard, go to Payments → Connect Stripe. Tap the yellow "Connect with Stripe" button.
You'll be taken to Stripe's website to create or connect your account.
If you already have a Stripe account (from another business or platform), log in. Otherwise, create a new one.
Stripe will ask for:
- Your legal name and date of birth
- Your home address
- Your Social Security Number (last 4 digits, sometimes full)
- Your bank account or debit card for payouts
After entering your info, Stripe will ask if you want to authorize Spotlightly to process payments on your behalf. Tap Authorize.
You'll be redirected back to Spotlightly with a green confirmation.
If you plan to offer Backstage content (your highest tier premium content), that tier uses CCBill, a separate payment processor built for adult or mature content platforms.
- CCBill setup is done from your Backstagely.app dashboard, not Spotlightly.
- You'll need to submit a short application. Approval usually takes 1 to 3 business days.
- Backstage uses CCBill, which adds its own processing fee at checkout. You still keep 100% of your listed price.
Show your Instagram on your page.
Add your Instagram and your latest posts show up on your page automatically, so it never looks empty.
Go to your profile editor and add your Instagram handle under social links.
Your recent public posts then embed on your page. Spotlightly never posts to Instagram on your behalf.
Your embedded Instagram posts give visitors something to look at. To put work behind a subscription, post it directly in Spotlightly.
- Free posts are visible to everyone.
- Subscriber posts are visible only to paying fans.
- You choose the audience on every post you create.
To post a photo or carousel directly (without pulling from Instagram):
- Tap + New Post → Photo/Video
- Upload your image(s), up to 10 in a carousel
- Write your caption
- Choose your audience tier
- Tap Publish
You can also schedule posts, set a date and time and Spotlightly publishes automatically.
Show your TikTok on your page.
Vertical short form video is one of the fastest ways to grow. Here is how to feature your TikToks on Spotlightly.
Go to your profile editor and add your TikTok handle under social links.
Your recent public TikToks then embed on your page. Spotlightly never posts to TikTok on your behalf.
Post a teaser clip on TikTok publicly, then put the full length version on Spotlightly behind a subscription.
- Free posts are visible to everyone
- Subscriber posts are visible only to paying fans
- Videos play natively inside Spotlightly, so fans don't have to leave
To upload a video file from your phone or computer:
- Tap + New Post → Video
- Upload your .mp4 or .mov file (up to 500MB)
- Add a title, caption, and thumbnail
- Set the audience tier and publish
Vertical (9:16) video works best. Landscape (16:9) is also supported.
Sell follow-backs.
A follow-back is something fans can buy: you follow them back on Instagram, TikTok, or another platform. A real listing, not a DM favor.
You set a price for a follow-back on each platform you want to offer. A fan pays, then enters the handle they want followed.
- Set a price per platform (Instagram, TikTok, X, and more)
- The fan enters their handle at checkout
- You keep 100%. Fans cover the card fee at checkout
Go to Social in your dashboard, open Sell Follow-Backs, and add a listing.
- Pick the platform and set your price
- Add a short note about what fans get, if you like
- Save the listing. It appears on your page for fans to buy
- When an order comes in, open Orders to fulfill, follow them, and mark it done
You keep every dollar of the price. Spotlightly takes nothing on follow-backs.
Price follow-backs so they feel like a small treat, not a big ask. Many creators start at $3 to $10.
- Mention follow-backs in a post or on live, so fans know they exist
- Fulfil orders quickly. A fast follow back is what people are paying for
- Offer the platforms you actually use and check often
Spotlightly only posts.
This is your most powerful tool. Content that exists nowhere else is the reason fans pay you instead of just following you for free.
Any post you create directly in Spotlightly and set to subscribers only, without cross posting it to Instagram, TikTok, or anywhere else.
Examples:
- Full length tutorials that you only tease on TikTok
- Extended Q&A sessions with subscribers
- Downloadable files (PDFs, templates, guides, presets)
- Polls and subscriber only discussions
- Personal updates you don't share publicly
- Early access to new work before it goes public
Tap + New Post and choose your format:
- Text Post, Long form writing, announcements, opinion pieces
- Photo Post, Gallery or single image
- Video, Up to 500MB
- File Download, PDF, ZIP, any file type
- Poll, Ask your subscribers a question
Set the audience to subscribers only before publishing. Free followers see a blurred preview and a prompt to subscribe.
Not everything needs to be behind a subscription. You can also sell individual posts at a fixed price.
- Set a post to Paid Unlock and enter a price
- Fans pay once to unlock that specific post permanently
- Great for one off guides, templates, tutorial packs, or digital downloads
Here's how you earn.
Multiple ways to make money on Spotlightly. Pick the ones that fit how you create.
Let's figure out your angle.
Answer a few questions and we'll suggest the best way to structure your Spotlightly for what you actually do.
What do you make or do?
Pick the one that fits best, you can always mix later.
How often can you realistically post?
Be honest, consistency matters more than volume.
What's your main monetization goal?
Where do you want the money to actually come from?