First videos, registration, invoicing, first paying clients: here is the order in which to take things, and what saves months.
Step 1: understand what you are selling
It is not audience, and that confusion wastes the most time.
A brand buys videos usable in its ads and on its product pages, shot by somebody who looks like its customers. Your follower count is not part of the equation; your ability to deliver cleanly is.
Three practical consequences. You do not need to publish these videos on your own accounts. You sell a file, not an audience. And your profile must show products, not your life.
Step 2: shoot your first pieces
Six videos are enough, and they are shot with what you already have at home.
Three formats to cover: the in-hand demonstration, the piece to camera, and the unboxing.
Three shooting rules: daylight from the side, stabilised phone, sound recorded as close as possible.
And a vertical, short edit with subtitles. That is the minimum a brand watches to the end.
Step 3: registering
That is the step blocking most people, and it is prepared in one conversation.
The self-employed regime involves registering with the tax administration and joining the corresponding social scheme, with a monthly contribution depending on your declared income.
The terms, thresholds and reductions applicable to new registrations change regularly: they are checked with the competent administration and with an accountant, before your first invoice, not after.
One rule that does not move: issue your invoices in order and with no gap in the numbering, and keep everything.
Step 4: setting your price
Three benchmarks, to adapt to your situation.
Count the real time: preparation, shooting, editing, revisions, exchanges. A simple video rarely takes less than half a day.
Add the rights: paid advertising use costs more than a simple organic post, and is invoiced separately.
And state clearly whether your price is before or after the applicable taxes and withholdings: that is the number one source of misunderstanding at payment time.
Step 5: landing the first clients
Four channels, from fastest to slowest.
The brands you are already a customer of: you have the products, the receipts and a reason to write.
Medium-sized local brands, which answer for themselves.
The matching platforms, which bring volume but no relationship.
And agencies, which pay less but order regularly.
The message that works fits in four lines: what you noticed about them, what you propose, a link to two videos, and a starting price.
The first four weeks
| Week | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two videos with products already at home | The start of a portfolio |
| 2 | A complete profile and a price | A page you can send |
| 3 | Ten messages to active brands | The first replies |
| 4 | One order, however small | A real sample |
What is decided before any message
A category, a city, two formats, a price. Without those four answers, every exchange costs one more round and the brand picks someone else.
What is useless in the first year
A personal website, a logo, expensive gear. Three sharp videos are worth more than all of it, and take one afternoon.
Step 6: from the isolated job to the recurring client
That is where the craft becomes an income.
Three moves. Always deliver one unrequested short variant that adds an idea. Propose a monthly rhythm at the second contract, not the first. And once the video is running, ask what figures it made: that is what lets you justify an increase on the next contract.
Sources
- Agencia Tributaria, Spanish tax authority
- Spanish Social Security, self-employed registration (RETA)
Checked on 26 August 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
