How do I get my first order in portrait illustration?

[rafsun]

Hi!

I have a gig for portrait illustration. As beginners, I believe most people get their first orders through buyer requests. However, I don’t see any buyer requests for my category of service. There aren’t any requests for portrait illustrations or anything! Well, then how am I supposed to get noticed? Generally, buyers don’t look further than the first page in this category, and out of all the already established sellers, how am I going to stand out? Has anyone been in this situation before? What did you do? Any tips? I do not really want to share my gig on social media due to personal reasons, any other effective marketing tips?

Thanks!