Hi! I've been on Epal for a while, and I wanted to make a guide for those looking to get orders / get started. All of this information comes from my experience and what has worked for me, I hope you will find it useful ^w^
I also wrote an article on the new Epal Levelling system, check it out here: https://www.epal.gg/community/topic/15624
Orders:
1) Entry method: To get orders, you need exposure. The methods that I use are posting in the discord's Introduction channel, checking "play calender" for matches, repeat orderers, and people finding my profile and messaging me - this is by far the rarest one. For the discord, write a cute and informative intro post with your name, age, games, and some fun facts. For the matching system, most people will be looking for matches starting from 8-9pm EST, make sure to regularly check for matches and send a message with the automated one. It also helps a lot to promote on your social media accounts, particularly Instagram and Twitter. Be proactive, friendly, and promote yourself well.
2) During orders: Be prepared with some conversation topics! I like to ask about common interests, usually what games they play, any anime they enjoy, and hobbies. Try to keep conversation natural, and figure out what they are looking for in a gaming partner. If they don't want to answer questions about themselves, you can talk about your own hobbies, games, etc.
3) Post order: Remind them to finish the order once you are done, and ask them to comment/reccomend if they had fun! Additionally, if they recommended any specific TV shows, anime, etc, that sound interesting, start watching and follow up with them later in the week. Remember a few facts about them in case they want to order again so you can show that you paid attention to what they said!
General Tips:
1) Turning down free games: Some people are also on the site looking for free games. If you want to play with them do so at your discretion, but if you don't, let them off gently. I usually say something along the lines of "I'm actually talking with someone who wants to order right now and I don't know exactly when I'll be free. If you want to play please make an order so I can save some time to play with you. If you want to just chat and be friends, I would be more than happy to do so as well :)"
2) Free games: If you have time, try to tack on a free game or extra chat time, especially for regulars or people who order multiple games. Build a good relationship so that when people want to play, they will remember and order from you again.
3) Profile: Create an infographic with some information about you and add it to your album. The site doesn't have a place for a bio, but you can make a photo with a quick bio and post it. I have some information about myself as well as my social accounts so people can contact me when I'm offline on epal. Also try to have a few selfies, or cute pictures from shows/anime you enjoyed - this gives people an opening topic to message you.
4) Pricing: Look at the top epals for your game to get an idea of price range. Note that when people use the match feature, they set price in $5 increments, i.e. $1-5, $5.01-$10, etc. So if you are just starting out, I would recommend pricing around $2 per game, then increasing slowly as you get more orders. I've heard other epals also fluctuate price around the hours with most traffic, but I personally like to keep it constant.
5) Recording: When applying for a game, make sure you have a good voice recording. The website is notorious for using the browser to record which makes the quality a little bad, so try to have a longer message for people to have an idea of your voice. Example format would be "Hi, my name is <name>, and I've been playing <game> for <amount of time>. I hope you will order me so we can have fun playing together!"
6) Terms of Service: Make sure you put in your description activities you will and will not do. For example, I can voice chat, video call, watch anime, or play games, and I ask people to DM me with requests before ordering so I can approve. There will be people asking you for feet pics, nude pictures, all sorts of stuff. Remember the site is 13+ and does not allow any 18+ content! If someone is making you uncomfortable, do not accept their order. People also must ask for consent before adding you to a group call, streaming, or recording for video content. If at any point during an order you are uncomfortable, you can leave and let the person know they can request a refund.
7) Cancelled Orders: When someone makes an order, you must accept it within 24 hours or it will time out. Once you accept, the orderer must start the order at the agreed time. Always remember to remind the buyer to finish the order from their end. However, once you accept and they start the order, you will receive the money within 24 hours.
8) Withdrawing money: The amount in your wallet is not equal to the amount you are earning! The site takes a 10% comission fee. Additionally, a $0.25 fee is charged per transaction. It is better to save up to $50 (the maximum the site will let you withdraw at once) and withdraw, otherwise you will lose more money through the transaction fee. As an example, if you withdraw in $50 in $10 increments, you earn $43.75, as opposed to withdrawing all $50 at once you earn $44.75.
9) Paypal issues: People can have issues ordering, and ask to pay you through paypal instead. Do this with caution, as they can chargeback, and you don't have the protection of the epal site's TOS. In these cases, I ask them to try ordering at a later date, and tell them I will play a free game when the order goes through.
10) Community: I would highly reccommend joining the discord and getting to know other epals through the "ebase" voice and text channels. They can offer a lot of insight, and the mods in the server can help you with any account issues. Additionally, chatting in the public channels can help you get orders! Another great way to get exposure is to post topics in the "community" section - you can post updates on your availability, discounts, etc. This will let customers get to know you a little better~
Thanks for reading! If you thought this article was helpful, or have any questions/concerns, please leave a comment! For the more experienced epals, let me know your perspective on the tips!
I will be writing more guides focused on how to succeed on epal, if you're interested follow me c: Good luck to everyone in getting orders ^w^