All previous materials about social media ended with the same logic: you build an audience and sell advertisers access to it. Here, the model is different. You do not need an audience, there are no ads, and your earnings come from selling your services directly to specific people. This makes the platform suitable for those who sell their work rather than attention, which is exactly what makes it interesting for freelancers.

The main mistake that devalues your profile

It can be summed up in one sentence: most people build their profile as a résumé rather than a tool for attracting clients. A résumé lists where you have worked and what you were responsible for. It answers an employer's questions about your experience. A profile designed for clients answers a different question: can this person solve my problem? Potential clients are not interested in your employment history. They want to know what you can do for their business, whether you have solved similar tasks before, and why they should trust you. The practical implication is that the experience section should describe results rather than responsibilities. Not "was responsible for email campaigns," but "built an email campaign that generated a certain amount of revenue in one month."

Your profile headline matters more than anything else

This line beneath your name appears in search results, next to your comments, and in connection requests. In other words, people see it much more often than your actual profile. Typical headlines look like job titles, such as "graphic designer" or "copywriter." They describe who you are but do not explain why someone should hire you. An effective formula consists of three parts: what you do, whom you help, and what result you deliver. The difference between these two approaches determines whether people will open your profile at all.

Why search works here

The platform has an internal search feature used by recruiters and clients, and profiles are indexed by keywords. This leads to a specific task. Identify the words your potential client uses to describe their needs and use those exact terms rather than the internal terminology of your profession. Include these words in your headline, About section, and experience descriptions. Customize your profile URL by replacing the random string of characters with your name, as this makes the address easier to share. Add work samples to the relevant section, as this both builds trust and serves as a signal to the algorithm. The logic here is closer to website search engine optimization than to managing a social media account.

How to find clients yourself

The platform offers tools that other social networks do not have. Advanced Search allows you to filter people by industry, job title, location, and company size, meaning you can find exactly those who make decisions. Saved searches let you regularly check for new potential clients without having to configure the filters again. The section showing who has viewed your profile is an underrated source, because these people have already shown interest, and a short message to them is more likely to get a response than cold outreach. The section showing profiles similar to the one you are viewing displays a dozen people with similar characteristics, expanding the list of people worth contacting.

How to reach out first

The same rule applies here as with cover letters on freelance marketplaces. A generic message is immediately recognizable, and people close it before finishing. Before writing, gather information about the person and their company so that your opening sentence shows you understand their situation. Do not try to sell anything in your first message, as this is the most common reason such messages go unanswered. An effective sequence looks like this: leave a comment under their post, then send a connection request with a brief explanation, and only after that start a substantive conversation.

Content instead of advertising

There is no advertising in the traditional sense here, but there is a mechanism that replaces it. Posts with professional content appear in the feeds of your connections and their connections, meaning your reach grows without a budget. Comments under other people's posts sometimes work better than your own posts because everyone reading that post can see your headline. A recommendation repeated across all sources is to focus on useful content rather than promotional posts, because useful content is what attracts an audience in this environment. A practical minimum is a few meaningful comments per week and one post of your own. That is enough to remain visible in your niche.

Reviews and recommendations

This is an element that other social networks do not have and that carries significant weight here. Recommendations from former clients and colleagues appear on your profile and serve the same purpose as reviews on freelance marketplaces. The easiest way to get them is to write a recommendation first, as most people reciprocate. For a freelancer without a track record on freelance marketplaces, this is a way to demonstrate verified experience.

What to watch out for

Working outside the platform offers no protection. Unlike freelance marketplaces, there is no escrow agent, dispute resolution mechanism, or payment protection. The practical implication is that, for your first projects with a new client, insist on a partial upfront payment, agree on the scope of work in writing, and verify the company before starting work. Fake job offers also occur here, and the warning signs are the same as elsewhere: requests to pay for training or equipment, attempts to move communication to a private messenger immediately, and refusal to provide information about the legal entity. I wrote about this in a separate article. The platform's paid subscriptions only make sense when you already have a steady flow of inquiries and are running into the limitations of the free version, not when you are just starting out.

Who is this suitable for?

Those who sell services rather than products. Those who work with businesses rather than private individuals. Those who target international clients, since the platform's main audience is located there. Those who have English skills sufficient for business correspondence. It is not suitable for mass-market products, local services for private individuals, or those expecting quick results, because everything here is built on relationships and measured in months.

Summary

This platform differs from other social networks because you are not selling access to an audience but your own services directly to specific people. In other words, your follower count does not matter.

The main mistake is building your profile like a résumé, because clients are not interested in your employment history. They want to know whether you can solve their problem.

That is why the greatest impact comes not from publishing content but from rewriting your headline and experience section in terms of results, because these are the two elements people see in search results before they even open your profile.

Sources

Recommendations from Payoneer on setting up profiles for freelancers; materials on finding clients and using the platform's internal search; Ukrainian guides on selling services through this social network.