You may have heard about freelancing, thought about starting, or even wondered “How do you start freelancing?”. But what you may not know is, the magnitude of the industry and how exactly to get in. The Freelancing industry is estimated to have contributed some USD 1.2 Trillion to the US economy in 2020 alone. The “work from home” culture has been touted on multiple occasions by experts as the future of work. Google has reportedly contracted freelancers to perform close to 50% of its executed work. Google is among the plethora of organizations that are slowly transitioning into a freelance workforce. Come to think of it, it is long overdue.
If you are a rookie in freelancing and you are wondering just how to get started, you have come to the right place. What is still lingering in your mind is, what at all is Fiverr?
What is Fiverr?
Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services. The platform allows anyone to buy and sell services in over 500 categories. It was first launched on 1 February 2010, 11 years ago, and has since risen to be one of the leaders in freelance services, next to Upwork and Freelancer.com. As a freelancer, Fiverr is a great way to launch your career as a freelancer. You may be wondering why Fiverr is a great choice to start with. Here’s a teaser: Fiverr has an estimated 3.42 million buyers which provides you with a freelancer-ready market for your services. There is no need to chase after clients who do not need your services. On Fiverr, you are wanted. But to succeed, you need to understand how the platform works.
Key Terms on Fiverr
Seller: A seller on Fiverr is a freelancer. Sellers have differentiated accounts in addition to their regular buyer accounts. When you sign up to Fiverr, you will have a buyer account and will have to register as a seller to set up your account.
Buyer: Buyers are the most important on the Fiverr platform. Fiverr has millions of buyers spending billions annually on the platform.
Gig: A gig is a service that has been “productized” and can be readily ordered without the buyer contacting you as the seller. Your gig should have details of what the buyer should expect in their delivery so that they can make an informed decision.
How Does Fiverr Work?
Fiverr gained popularity when everyone thought you could order any service for only $5. The name Fiverr is probably created along those lines. However, Fiverr is not where everything costs only $5.
Fiverr is a marketplace where buyers and sellers of services meet and transact in a safe and trusted environment. Two people who have never met can readily do business within the Fiverr platform but may hesitate in mistrust outside of the platform. Fiverr has about 500 categories of services and each one has thousands of Gigs that sellers have created.
As a buyer, you can search for your preferred service and you will have a variety of choices. Now the starting price for any service on the platform is $5. However, experts who have been validated on the platform usually charge more for their services.
Fiverr uses a ranking system ranging from a new seller to a top-rated seller. In between new seller and top-rated seller, there is level 1 seller and level 2 seller. To become a level 1 and level 2 seller, you need to meet some requirements after which you will be automatically promoted. To become a top-rated seller, you need to meet the Fiverr requirements after which a manual audit will be done before you can be promoted. Being promoted to a rank doesn’t mean you can never get back to a lower level. Fiverr can drop your level if you have some misconduct or consistently fail at certain benchmarks.
Once you have registered as a seller, you can create your gigs which can be visible when potential buyers search for your service area.
How to Get Started Freelancing on Fiverr
Fiverr is a free platform and there is no fee to sign up. You have a limit of 7 gigs as a new seller. Fiverr however charges a fee of 20% of your order price. For example, if a client orders service for $10, Fiverr takes $2 as fees and you get to take $8. With this in mind, let’s get to the first step.
1. Register on Fiverr
The first thing to do is visit fiverr.com and you may be promoted to sign up. If not, locate the “sign up” button which should be at the top right side of the home page. For an easier sign-up, you can use your Facebook or Google account and your account will be ready in a few seconds. This is your regular Fiverr account and is what you use by default to buy services from other freelancers. But you cannot use it to sell. To sell, you need a seller account.
2. Create Your Seller Account
Setup your Fiverr seller account. Visit the homepage and locate the “Become a Seller” button at the top right corner of the page. Click on it and proceed to click on the green button with “Become a Seller” on it. It will prompt you to register with either Google or Facebook or email. Since you already have an account, you can use your google account to avoid going through the process again. You will need to craft a professional bio, get a quality headshot and put together a list of your top skills to go through the process and come out with a stunning profile. Don’t worry if you don’t have it all. You can always learn new skills, take a better picture and write a perfect bio even after setting your account up.
3. Create Your First Gig
With a ready account, create a gig. Fiverr allows you to create up to 7 gigs as a new seller which is a good thing. You can stay focused on a few gigs and as you grow into a top-rated seller, you will continually get upgrades on the number of gigs you can have on your account.
4. Promote Your Gigs
There are quite a lot of ways to promote your Fiverr gigs. Social media is the number one platform. But in most cases, you can get better results with online forums where niche-based conversations are held. Another way to get initial traction on Fiverr is to send offers to buyers. Fiverr has a feature that allows buyers to request for sellers. With this feature, you can read a brief about the buyer’s project or task and send them an offer. If you stick with sending daily requests, you can easily get orders and reviews on your account which are important in growing your account and getting a better reputation on the platform.
Top Niches on Fiverr
- Website Development
- Graphic Design
- Copywriting
- Video Marketing
- Translation and Transcription
- Social Media Marketing
- Voice Overs
- Illustration
- Virtual Assistant
Strategies for Fiverr Success
Have a Complete Profile
Your profile is one of the things potential buyers will look at. If your gig looks good, they will want to check you out and see your level of experience, what kind of projects you work on and other information about you. Make sure they are not disappointed but instead, surprised by how much value you have to offer.
Upsell Your Services
Fiverr allows up to 7 gigs for new sellers. With these 7, you can set up a cluster of services that work with each other. But you make websites for new small businesses, you could have another gig for logo, yet another gig for writing the website. This is of course if you have such skills. Some clients prefer a one-stop shop for all their needs. And having related gigs can enable you to upsell your services without much effort.
Have a Portfolio
Fiverr is a platform where there are lots of sellers. This means, that everything that makes you stand out, should be done. One of these things is a portfolio. A simple website with your works, or a pdf with some of your best works can go a long way to convincing a potential buyer that you are the right person for the job.
Add A Gig Video
Fiverr allows you to add a gig image and a few attachments. You could put samples and other documents to show your competence. But one captivating way to get the buyer’s attention is through a video where you introduce yourself, explain your gig, and how you can help them. You may even explain your workflow and your process. Something as simple as this can give you great results.
Utilize Fiverr SEO
Fiverr is a mammoth of a platform and with such platforms with search, there are a few things you can optimize to get ranked at the top. Using tags and categories to properly assign your gig to the right place is more than important as such a mistake may mean not getting any orders.
Advantages of Freelancing on Fiverr
Lots of Services You Can Offer
Fiverr has almost any service you can want except hand skills. Any skill that can be delivered through the internet can be sold on Fiverr. Heck, you can even sell prayers and positive affirmations on Fiverr.
Easy to Get Started
You can set up your account, publish your gigs and start getting orders within a few days. Unlike traditional freelancing where you have to write proposals and chase after clients, Fiverr allows you the freedom and convenience to simply create a gig and buyers will find you.
Access To Ready Buyers
Fiverr has millions of buyers spending trillions of dollars on the platform. According to Fiverr, a gig is bought every 4 seconds on the platform. Right from a solo freelancer, you can build a business with employees on Fiverr.
Source of Extra Income
There are lots of ways to make money. But most of them require far more work than adding the load to your full-time job can be stressful. However, with Fiverr, you can easily combine full-time work with freelancing. You can choose to go on breaks, limit the number of orders so you can relax, do your work and make extra money
Payment Protect
Freelancing when your client is miles away can present issues like trust, especially with payments. You cannot readily do business with someone you just met on Facebook. But with Fiverr, you are assured of your payment whenever you deliver a service to a client. You don’t have to worry about getting scammed. With peace of mind, you can do quality work, get a positive review and build your Fiverr reputation to the very top-rated seller rank.
Disadvantages of Freelancing on Fiverr
20% Commission Cut
Fiverr takes 20% of each of your orders. Fiverr allows buyers to tip sellers, but this tip is also cut by 20% from Fiverr. This cut is to keep the platform functioning and the Fiverr business profitable.
Highly Competitive
You will quickly realize that there is a lot of competition on Fiverr especially when you do freelancing full-time and depend on your earnings to sustain yourself. There are lots of sellers, some good while others are well, not so good at all. But your goal should be to grow your account into a business you can be proud of and earn a decent amount every other month.
Your Account Can Be Blocked
Like every market, there are rules and you get penalized for breaking rules. This could be being demoted in your rank to an outright ban. Yes, you can be banned forever from Fiverr. As a new seller, it is advised to read the Fiverr terms and conditions for sellers and make yourself conversant with the rules so you can safely build your business without issues with Fiverr.
You Start at The Bottom
Fiverr is like a system where you have to prove yourself every time. To stay at the top, you must have no blemishes and do stellar work. You ultimately start at the bottom as a new seller with no credibility to a top-rated seller with lots of attention from buyers. You can also apply to become a Fiverr Pro seller which also comes with its benefits. However, not everyone can apply to join the Fiverr pro program.
The Customer is Always Right
One rule to never break, the customer is always right. Even after you have delivered an order, a buyer can still cancel the order and you get nothing from the sale. It is best to vet projects before you send an offer. A good strategy would be to ask potential buyers to contact you before ordering in your gig description.
Conclusion
Fiverr is a beginner-friendly freelancer platform. With its initial reputation for $5 jobs, it attracted buyers and today boasts of millions of active buyers. By signing up, you are exposed to all buyers and can actually get orders while you sleep.
