The main principle
A client does not need «AI services». They need marketplace sales, a video for an ad, nice photos for a profile. AI is a tool that delivers the result faster and cheaper than a shoot. So sell a result for a specific niche, not generation.
8 ways
1. Product cards for sellers
Product photos on a background and in an interior, infographics with Russian text, video for the product card.
- Cost price: a set of 6 images on Nano Banana Pro in 2K about 150 rubles, a 6-second video cover from 51 rubles.
- Clients: Wildberries and Ozon sellers, especially those with a large range.
- How to do it: product cards with AI, a marketplace product image, video for a product card.
2. Ad videos for small businesses
Short videos for social media and ads: cafés, salons, shops, services.
- Cost price: a 15-second video of three scenes from 150 to 1700 rubles depending on the model.
- Clients: local businesses without a budget for a film crew.
- How to do it: an AI product ad video.
3. AI photoshoots
Portraits for social media, CVs, an expert’s website, holiday photos.
- Cost price: a series of 10 portraits in 2K about 250 rubles.
- Clients: experts, specialists, private clients before holidays.
- How to do it: an AI photoshoot from your photo.
4. A month of social media content
Visuals for posts, covers, short videos for brands and experts.
- Clients: SMM specialists, experts, small brands.
- How to do it: social media content with AI.
5. Video greetings
Animated photos with speech and music for holidays, weddings, anniversaries. If the client has a recording of a voice or a song, OmniHuman 1.5 will make the person in the photo speak or sing to it.
- Cost price: from 84 to 417 rubles per greeting.
- Clients: private clients, companies greeting employees and partners.
- How to do it: an AI video greeting.
6. Virtual models and AI influencers for brands
A permanent face for a brand, a model for clothing without shoots.
- Cost price: a month of content (30 photos and 8 videos) about 2100 rubles.
- Clients: clothing and cosmetics brands, online stores.
- How to do it: how to create an AI influencer.
7. Visuals for real estate and other niches
Virtual furniture staging, video tours, listing covers. Narrow niches pay better than «everyone».
- How to do it: AI for real estate agents.
8. Your own content project
A blog, a Telegram channel, YouTube with AI visuals, monetised through ads. The longest path, but the asset stays yours.
How much to charge
The price is made up of the cost of generations including attempts, your time and the value of the result for the client. A detailed calculation with examples: how much to charge for AI video.
Where to find your first clients
- Build a portfolio on yourself. 5 to 10 works in the chosen niche. For product cards, take products from a marketplace and show «before and after».
- Go where the clients are: sellers’ chats, local business chats, professional communities.
- Offer a test. One free product card or photo for a potential client convinces better than a description.
- Ask for reviews and referrals. In a niche business everyone knows each other.
Typical mistakes
- Selling «AI services in general». Pick a niche.
- Generating the product instead of a real photo. The buyer gets something else, and the client gets returns.
- Other people’s faces, brands and music in client work. The risk is on you: AI video for commercial use.
- Working without a contract and documents. Business clients need closing documents, so register as self-employed or as a sole proprietor.
- Not counting attempts. The cost price is the price of a generation multiplied by 2 or 3.
In short
The people who make money with AI are those who sell a solution to a specific task: product cards for sellers, videos for small businesses, photoshoots, content, greetings, virtual models. The entry is cheap, an image costs from 3 rubles. Pick a niche, build a portfolio on yourself and go where the clients are.
