On a marketplace you are not judged on your best work. You are ranked by a system that cannot watch a video, and that counts something else.
Response time counts for more than the portfolio
It is the most underestimated criterion and the easiest to work on.
Most of these systems measure response speed and display it to the buyer. And a buyer posting a request writes to several people and often keeps the one who replies first with a relevant question.
So reply within the working hour, even with no price: a short reply asking the two right questions is worth more than a full quote sent the next day.
The settings almost nobody touches
Four, and they decide who sees you.
Categories: two at most, precise. A profile listed in eight categories appears at the top of none.
Language: state explicitly which ones you deliver in, because it is a filter used by foreign buyers.
The currency and payment methods accepted, which decide whether a client outside the country can work with you without calling to ask.
And availability, to be updated every week. A profile marked available rises, a profile that no longer moves falls.
The first month counts double
Because the system tests you before exposing you.
New profiles often receive an initial burst of visibility, then are ranked according to what they did with it. What happens in those first weeks therefore weighs far longer than the month itself.
Concentrate everything there: fast replies, simple scopes, early deliveries, and a systematic request for a review on the day of delivery, not three weeks later.
The typical pricing mistake
Lowering the price to gain visibility.
It works for a few weeks and then turns against you: buyers who arrive on price come back on price, and the ranking does not reward the discount, it rewards reliability. You end up with a full book and a business that funds nothing.
The right move is the opposite: a smaller scope at the same rate. One video instead of three, one round of revisions instead of two, a longer deadline. The unit price holds, and your rate card is not damaged for the months to come.
Three positionings and what they imply
| Positioning | What it attracts | What you must sustain |
|---|---|---|
| The cheapest | A volume of requests | A high output rate |
| The fastest | Rush jobs | Real availability |
| The most specialised | Few requests, better paid | Verifiable expertise |
What makes a positioning credible
Three samples of the same kind, one sentence naming the sector, a range consistent with that promise.
What destroys it
Taking everything that comes. A profile that films jewellery, construction and food no longer reads.
What counts for a foreign buyer
Three lines, and they are not in your portfolio.
How they can pay you, in what currency, and with what document. Your time zone and how quickly you reply. And the fact that you have already delivered outside the country.
The rules applicable to invoicing a client established abroad, the statements to include and the treatment of the tax depend on your situation and are checked with the competent administration and with an accountant, before the first job.
