No, this is not a typo — the platform is really called Fiverr, with two r’s. The platform was created in 2010 and is an Israeli “internet marketplace” where so-called freelancers offer their services. Initially, Amazon feared the competition and sued Fiverr, claiming it offered low-quality services. But today it is one of the larger companies of its kind.
How does Fiverr work?
Example: Nika from Ljubljana is a graphic designer and offers a service on the platform for designing creatives for Instagram posts.
When an individual or company needs someone to design creatives for them, they simply visit the Fiverr platform and choose Nika as their new “worker,” who will create for them remotely.
Initially, you will only be a buyer on this platform, and setting up such a profile is not demanding. If you want to become a seller (“switch to seller”), however, a bit more work is required.
To help you create a profile more easily, here is a simple YouTube video tutorial showing how you can create a seller profile.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/cw8xYYuXBEc
So how do you get started?
To become a seller, you must first create your profile. From personal experience, I can say it is not exactly a one-minute job. The platform requires a lot of information from you, especially information related to your work and experience. You also need to attach images that show you have already performed your work and have proof of it. This is good so that buyers can see they are truly choosing the best and are not buying “poor quality goods.”
As part of the questionnaire, you will need to answer questions about your education, skills, certifications, personal website, etc.
The most interesting thing worth highlighting is that Fiverr requires you to take an English language test. Most buyers want services in English, and after all, communication itself takes place in English.
We took the test ourselves and achieved a 70% success rate. It is moderately challenging and covers general knowledge.
Once you create your profile, you can start looking for buyers. Fiverr allows you to create a new listing (gig) for each of your services, where you enter examples, etc. So if you are, say, Nika who offers graphic design, you can simultaneously create a listing offering fortune telling.
What exactly is a “gig”
A literal translation into Slovenian is not possible; if you were to enter the word into a translator, it would translate it as “concert” or “performance.” We would translate it as a “personal notice board,” except that it is virtual.
The basic information your gig must contain includes: more detailed information about the service, how much time you need to perform the service, additional activities you offer beyond the basic service, how many revisions you offer, and, of course, what the price is.
Then the hard work begins. The start is the hardest, as you have no references or buyer feedback. Buyers rely most heavily on ratings and comments. However, if you have set up your profile well and shown good examples, you need not be afraid of not receiving offers.
The platform notifies you immediately when someone is interested in your service and wants to get in touch with you.
Of course, you can also send your offer to people. This is certainly an excellent approach when you are just starting out. Perhaps even offer a lower price — what matters is that you get references.
If you want to stand out, one way to do so is certainly to make a video in which you introduce yourself and promote your service. This gives you credibility and buyers will be more likely to choose you.
As we know, a picture is worth a thousand words. An attractive and well-designed gig image can help attract more clicks compared to others. When a buyer searches for any service on Fiverr, they first see the images and service titles. So if your gig has an attractive image, your profile will certainly generate more clicks compared to your competitors.
Earnings
The moment a buyer makes a purchase from you, Fiverr already has your money. You need to make sure you complete the work on time. In doing so, you also upload a kind of summary of what you’ve done to the platform. Within 14 days you receive your earnings (80% of your price), as the company takes 20% of your earnings.
Prices for services start at $5 and can go up to $100,000. A great thing you can create is a gig package. So Nika offers graphic design and within that creates different packages for graphic design. Designing ten Instagram feed posts + a logo costs $200. This raises the level of professionalism and she can therefore set higher prices, as the buyer can clearly see exactly what she offers.
Just make sure that the time in which you can complete the service is realistic. It is certainly not realistic for Nika to design all the graphic creations and a logo in one day.
Things that make your Fiverr profile stronger
Your profile is one of the things that needs to look good. Grammatical errors are a big minus, so be careful when writing and creating your profile. Images should be high-quality, clear, and appropriate. It is also recommended that you highlight your hobbies and interests on your profile, as this will help buyers connect with you and feel closer to you.
Also optimize your description; it should not contain unnecessary information, but only the essential things that matter to the buyer. Your gig title generates a URL, which you cannot change. It is recommended that the title be optimized so that buyers can find it quickly.
Example: the title of Nika’s gig is “Most Influential Creations.” This generates into “Nika/most-influential-creations.”
Such a URL is not ideal for search, so the title needs to be changed to something that sounds better, for example: “I create creatives for your profile that reach a large audience.”
Keep in mind that when you arrive on the platform, you are listed as a New Seller. This limits the number of gigs you can offer, which of course limits your price range. New sellers can sell gig extras for $5, $10, or $20.
Let me mention once again that reviews are very important. Every buyer will first look at your reviews and how satisfied your customers were with you. This builds your reputation and increases your transparency, and people will simply find you more easily.
Be active
Active profiles receive more orders and responses than others. So try to stay online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or as much as possible. If you want to stay active all the time, download the Fiverr Mobile App on your mobile phone. The mobile app is the best and simplest place to stay active online, respond to buyers, and manage your profile.
Skills test
Fiverr has added a skills test, which is the best option for every user to increase the value of their profile. Take the test on Fiverr and receive a score out of 10, which will be reflected on your profile. A good result can increase the value of your profile and buyer trust. So prepare yourself and take the skills test for a good result.
The downside of Fiverr is that it takes as much as 20% of your earnings. At the same time, the flood of sellers on the platform presents a major problem for buyers, and there are many people who will simply take your money. It is possible to game Fiverr and create fake reviews and references, but this is not a good idea. By doing so, you risk your business and the possibility of having your profile banned.
So be open and promote your Fiverr elsewhere as well. Fiverr loves the “outside world” and visitors. It gives greater advantage to those profiles that generate “traffic” from outside, such as social media, blogs, and discussion communities. For acquiring buyers from outside, social media marketing is the best and simplest form. Simply share your “gig boards” regularly on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. It will create more traffic for your gigs and your ranking will increase day by day.
Higher-level seller
Fiverr has a tiered system. It starts with a new seller, level one seller, level two seller, and ends with the top-rated seller. The top-rated seller has many advantages compared to other sellers. A higher level means more benefits and trust. Buyers also give more preference to higher-level profiles. Fiverr rewards those profiles that always focus on high-quality work, deliver orders on time, and prioritize customer satisfaction.
Fiverr also offers a referral program.
With the Fiverr Referral program, you can earn rewards for yourself and your friends. Your friend signs up to Fiverr and receives a 10% discount on their first purchase, while you receive 10% of the amount of their first order up to $100.
What can we buy on Fiverr?
One of the more unusual things you can buy on Fiverr is having someone write a message for you, place it in a bottle, and throw it into the sea — specifically the Baltic Sea. Here are a few more unusual services you can order on Fiverr:
- If you feel lonely and have no one to chat with, you can hire a “friend” who will chat with you for days at a time.
- Through telepathy, you can even get your ex back on Fiverr — in just 24 hours!
- If that doesn’t work, you can pay someone to call you and tell you they love you.
- Want someone to shout your name into a little forest? No problem, that’s possible too — only on Fiverr!
- There are tons of services offering to paint you, Photoshop you, design your family tree, create a picture book — in short, anything you can imagine.
- Which listings are the most in demand?
- Logo designs are one of the most sought-after things; sellers earn anywhere from $10 to $1,500 for a single gig.
- Personalized WordPress sites are highly sought after ($10–$3,500).
- Whether it’s just designing a landing page, fixing bugs, or building an entire website.
- There is also a lot of interest in website optimization ($5–$1,500).
- Voice overs ($10–$350) are always a highly sought-after service, based on accent, language, gender, and purpose.
- Social media management and marketing ($10–$2,000) — creating social media content, running ads, monitoring analytics…
- Illustrations ($5–$500) — offering hand-drawn or digitally created artwork for various promotions, personal use, books, magazines…
We also have a few tips if you’ll be visiting Fiverr as a buyer:
It’s important to always message the seller directly before making a purchase and ask them additional questions about the service.
Some suggest that when posting a listing to search for a service, you add a secret word, such as “balloon.” The seller must then include this word in their response as part of their offer. This way, you can see that their profile is not fake and that there is a real person behind it who won’t simply take your money and run.
Fiverr offers the option to save your favorite sellers, which is certainly very useful, as it keeps all your favorite sellers in one place.
Avoid leaving negative feedback for sellers, as reviews really do matter a great deal. It’s better to simply write what you were unhappy with and arrange for revisions. If an order was delivered late but the final product is good, don’t be overly nitpicky.
Larger Projects
When a larger project is involved — worth over $10,000 — it’s best to run a test first. This means giving the seller a smaller task to see whether you can trust them and whether they do good work.
Best Offers
Often, after posting a request, Fiverr will send you some of the best offers for your needs. However, don’t rush and don’t buy blindly. These offers are selected automatically and are often not the smartest purchase.
Negotiation
When it comes to negotiation, you need to be careful. If the price is already very low, it’s unethical to negotiate at all. In the case of a higher price, be cautious — sellers on Fiverr receive many offers daily, and if you hesitate too much, they will simply choose another buyer. With higher prices, you can of course afford to negotiate for a lower price, but be rational about it.
Build a Relationship
If you have a longer-term collaboration in mind, don’t forget to be polite and friendly. Don’t be cold or act too “bossy.” Fiverr is a freelance platform where there’s nothing wrong with being more personable in business than you usually are, but never forget professionalism.
Contacting Outside of Fiverr
If you ever consider contacting someone elsewhere – on other social networks – thinking the price will be lower there, be careful! On Fiverr, it is forbidden to ask for sellers’ personal information, such as email address, home address, or phone number. In this case, Fiverr can suspend your account, and when that happens, it will be very difficult to get your account back.
Tip
Fiverr also has the option to leave a tip. If someone has done a very good job, it is polite to leave them a tip and acknowledge their hard and good work. This also helps build a good relationship and rewards their effort.
Be professional
Like any service, Fiverr should be treated professionally. Keep in mind that someone’s business may depend on you, so try to be patient in communication – you never know what might cause a delay in response.
Also fairly appreciate people’s work and remember that you can always make up for it with a tip.
Do not use bad language: “Communication on Fiverr must be friendly, constructive, and professional. Fiverr condemns intimidation, harassment, and hate speech toward others.”
Never threaten to cancel an order or leave a bad review.
Be reasonable about deadlines and give the seller enough time to revise and review the work.
A free webinar on earning money on Fiverr is available here. Experts in their field will teach you how to earn money on the Fiverr platform.
