A Provider's Guide to Skip The Games: Advertise Well, Screen Hard, Stay Safe

Your Listing Is Your First Screening Tool

The best providers I know treat their ad as a filter, not a billboard. A vague ad gets vague replies. A clear ad, with a clear tone, clear boundaries and clear instructions for how to contact you, does half your screening before anybody sends a message. The guys who can't follow "text first, include your name and preferred time" are telling you exactly how they'll behave in person.

What a strong listing usually includes

• Recent, honest photos. Clients who arrive expecting the person in the pictures are calmer, kinder, and more likely to rebook.
• Your contact rules. Text only, call only, hours you respond, what to include in the first message.
• Your screening requirement, stated plainly. It signals professionalism and scares off the people you don't want anyway.
• A voice that sounds like you. One or two personal lines attract clients who like you specifically, which tends to mean better clients.
• Clear limits. Things you don't do, stated without apology. You don't owe anyone a reason.

Screening: Hard Enough to Protect You, Smooth Enough to Book

Every experienced provider screens. The method differs, but the purpose is always the same: confirm the person is who they say they are before you're alone with them. Common approaches include asking for a first and last name with a workplace or LinkedIn profile you can check, references from other providers they've seen, or a short phone call so you can hear how they speak.

The trick is making screening feel routine rather than suspicious. Put it in your ad so nobody is surprised. Have a short, friendly template you send to everyone, so it never feels personal. Something like: "Thanks for reaching out. I screen everyone for safety. Please send your name, a work profile or two provider references, and the time you'd like. I'll confirm within a few hours." Good clients understand. The ones who argue about screening are the ones you most needed to screen out.

Keep Your Working Life and Real Life Apart

I'll be blunt: the biggest long-term risk for most independent providers isn't one bad booking, it's someone connecting your working name to your real one. The protections are boring and they work.

• A separate phone number for work, never your personal one.
• Location data turned off in your camera before every photo shoot.
• No photos taken in your home with recognisable windows, art or views.
• A working name that doesn't appear on any of your real social accounts.
• Reverse image search your own photos regularly to see where they're showing up.

Our privacy guide goes deeper on phones, messaging apps and devices, and almost all of it applies double to you.

Safety on the Day

Every provider I respect has some version of a safety call. A friend, a fellow provider or a paid driver knows where you are, who you're seeing and when you'll check in. If the check-in doesn't come, they call. If you don't answer, they have the details. It takes thirty seconds and it is the most important habit in this guide.

Beyond that, trust the small signals. The client who changes the address at the last minute. The one who pushes back on your screening, or tries to renegotiate before you've arrived. The one who wants to talk about things your ad explicitly says you don't do. You don't need proof to cancel. "I'm no longer available, take care" is a complete message.

Use the Community

Providers who last in this work almost always have other providers they talk to. Shared blacklists of dangerous or abusive clients, recommendations for drivers and photographers, warnings about new scams. You don't have to go it alone, and you shouldn't. If you're new and don't know anyone yet, local and online provider-led support organisations are a good place to start, and many offer free safety resources.

Why We Verify Providers

We ask every provider to verify before going live on Skip The Games. Some people see that as a hurdle. The providers who've been around longest tend to see it the other way: it keeps stolen-photo scam listings from flooding the city you work in and dragging down trust for everyone. A cleaner marketplace means clients arrive less suspicious and more respectful. You can read how the process works on our about page.

Know Where You Stand Legally

Laws differ enormously from place to place, and they change. What's legal in one country or state can be a serious offence in the next. Our law overview covers the US basics and we've written a separate piece on Canada. Neither is legal advice. If you're unsure about your situation, a local sex-worker-friendly legal clinic is worth a call.

If You're Not Here by Choice

If anyone is controlling your work, holding your ID, taking your money or threatening you or your family, that isn't work, it's exploitation, and help exists. In the US, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888 (text 233733). In Canada, call 1-833-900-1010. Both are confidential and available around the clock. Our red flags guide explains more.

Mistakes New Providers Make Most Often

When I ask experienced providers what they'd tell their younger selves, the same answers come up again and again.

• Relaxing screening for a "nice" client. The polite, charming message is not a substitute for verification. Screen everyone the same way, every time.
• Pricing too low to get started. Underpricing attracts the clients most likely to haggle, push limits and cancel. Price with your market, not under it.
• Answering at all hours. Set response hours and stick to them. Burnout is a safety risk too; tired people miss red flags.
• Reusing personal photos. A picture that's also on your private Instagram is a direct line from your work to your real identity.
• Going it alone. Without a safety contact or a peer network, every booking is a gamble. That's the one habit nobody should skip.