First clients are the hardest, and yet they arrive quickly once you know who to write to. In Argentina there is also a sequence that saves months, provided you follow it in the right order.
The two-stage sequence
An Argentine creator has two markets in front of them, and they do not serve the same purpose.
The local market is reachable. Shops reply, the decision is fast, the shoot happens within the week. Budgets are tight though, and one job will not pay your month.
The foreign market pays better, because a budget denominated in a strong currency meets a local production cost. But it does not open to someone with nothing to show, and it is not prospected the same way.
Hence the sequence: the first local clients exist to build the portfolio and to learn the craft on modest stakes, and that portfolio then opens the market that pays. Reversing the two means spending three months writing to foreign brands that do not answer, for want of examples.
Who to write to first
Small online retail brands. Cosmetics, clothing, accessories, supplements. They sell through social platforms and burn through content fast, so they buy again.
Neighbourhood food and drink. Specialty coffee shops, ice cream parlours, restaurants. Modest budget but immediate decision: the owner answers, not a committee, and decides in front of you.
Gyms, studios and salons. They buy content all year and value faces from the area, because their customers come from a ten street radius.
Businesses that have just launched. They have no content and need volume. They pay less, but they hand you a portfolio and a recommendation, which is exactly what you are after at the start.
Foreign brands wanting Latin American Spanish. Keep those for the second stage. They pay better and they ask for examples.
What to have before writing
Six pieces shot. They do not have to come from clients: products you already use will do. Without them any message collapses at the first reply, because the next question is always the same one.
And a price decided in advance. If someone asks your rate and you answer that it depends, the conversation is over. Decide it alone, calmly, before you need it.
The message that gets a reply
Short, concrete, no flattery. Four lines are enough:
- What you use of their product, and for how long.
- What you noticed in their communication, for example no vertical video on the product page.
- What you are offering exactly: three videos, the formats, the deadline.
- The price and your availability.
Attach two examples, or a link. Never send a message without examples: they are the only reason anyone replies.
How many to send
Between twenty and forty careful messages to land the first paid job. That is not failure, it is the normal rate of this trade, and it improves fast once you have references.
What genuinely fails is sending a hundred identical ones. Ten messages written for ten specific brands return more than a hundred copies of the same text, and cost less time than it looks.
The offer that unlocks the first yes
For a hesitant client a small trial package works: two videos at a fixed price, delivered within a short deadline. It lowers their risk and lets you prove yourself on a commitment they can carry.
What you must not do is work for free. Trading for product is worth discussing only if the product genuinely covers your time and if the brand is not planning to run the video as paid advertising, which is a use that gets invoiced.
What each first approach returns
| Approach | Effort | Chance of a reply |
|---|---|---|
| A shop on your own street | One visit | High |
| A brand that has just opened | A message with a sample | Medium |
| A large national brand | A full pitch | Low |
What you need before approaching anyone
One filmed sample, a price, a lead time and a sentence saying what you offer. Nothing more.
What turns a first client into a regular one
Delivering early, clearly named files and a proposal for the following month.
And meanwhile, be findable
Prospecting takes time and has gaps. A public profile showing your niche, your languages and your rates works while you are not prospecting, and gets you found by brands you would never have thought to contact.
