Fiverr has become the freelance marketplace of choice for many people who want to find freelancing opportunities and is an extremely popular marketplace for buyers and sellers. Considering its increasing popularity, it’s no surprise that there are more and more people using Fiverr to find freelance work.
Getting started using Fiverr to find freelance work
Signing up for Fiverr is an obvious step in your journey of using Fiverr to find freelance work. Once signed up, there are many opportunities waiting for the budding freelancers out there.
So fire up your browser and follow the steps below to get yourself a new, shiny Fiverr account:
- First, open a browser window and go to the Fiverr website.
- Click on the “Join” or “Sign Up” button in the upper right corner of the home page.
- Follow the instructions for creating an account. You can use your Facebook or Google credentials if you wish.
- Once you’ve signed up and joined, create a profile that briefly describes your skills and experience as well as how much you charge per task. Remember to include any certifications or recognitions you have earned. (Don’t forget about those sales gifts from your company’s annual recognition banquet!)
Now that you’re set up on Fiverr, it’s time to start looking at gigs to buy and post!
Upgrading your Fiverr account
Fiverr also offers an Upgraded and Pro subscription service. Upgraded Fiverr accounts offer a number of benefits, including:
- Statistics on your performance
- A free private domain (your “storefront”)
- The ability to offer additional services (gig extras)
- Free credits for promoting your gig on the platform
If you are serious about using Fiverr to find freelance work, it is worth upgrading your account. There is no difference in the commission charged by Fiverr, but there are several benefits that make it easier to run your business.
For $14.99 per month after a 14-day trial period, you can become a Fiverr Pro and gain access to more support from customer service as well as opportunities for promotions and being featured in the marketplace. This is perfect if you want your gigs to be noticed by more buyers!
Your profile and your profile video
Your Fiverr profile is the first thing prospective clients see, and it’s how they decide if they want to hire you. Think of it as a way to introduce yourself and your business. Your profile should be easy to read, clear and concise. Try not to get too carried away with words. Fiverr profiles are not your resume or autobiography—it’s an opportunity for you to highlight your unique skills and set yourself apart from other sellers.
When creating a video for your profile, make sure that you tell clients why they should work with you specifically — not just what service(s) you offer. Short videos are generally more effective than long ones, so keep it simple (less than 1 minute). You don’t have to go overboard with fancy editing software or fancy cameras—just tell potential customers who you are as a freelancer and what makes you different from everyone else out there!
Writing your first Fiverr gig
Now that you know what kind of gigs are available on Fiverr, you’ll want to create your own. As you start brainstorming, keep in mind a few do’s and don’ts:
- Don’t copy anyone else’s gig. It’s important for your gig to stand out from the others; make sure it doesn’t come off as plagiarism. When you’re writing your description, think about how it compares to other gigs out there and what sets yours apart.
- Do understand the requirements of the platform before publishing your gig. You may not be aware of all the rules right away—for example, that your gig must have a title under 50 characters or that it needs to include tags—so check out Fiverr’s guidelines.* Do focus on what you can offer the customers rather than inundating them with jargon only other writers will understand. The buyers may not know all the terms writers use in their circles, so they’re probably more interested in knowing what they’ll get out of it (i.e., improved sales) rather than how a seasoned writer will go about doing it (i.e., going through multiple drafts). If you know your intended audience well enough and cater to them appropriately, they’ll be impressed by how much attention and effort went into their project.
Now that we’ve covered some of these basics for setting up shop on Fiverr, let’s talk about how to make money once you’re there!
Upselling your gigs
After you’ve found success on Fiverr, you may want to expand your offerings to earn more money. The best way to do that is by upselling, and persuading your clients to purchase additional services.
There are many ways to upsell. You can include an upsell in your gig description, for example: “Buy my article writing gig and receive a professionally-designed infographic for $5 more.”
Upselling doesn’t have to be salesy. There are scripts you can follow when trying to convince your clients that they need more than what they initially ordered from you. For instance:
Client: I’d like one 1000-word blog post about…
Seller: Excellent! And did you know that adding an extra 500 words will give it the added punch it needs? It’s only $5 more!
Customer service, delivery, and reviews
As any freelancer knows, customer service is a key part of being successful. When your work depends on customers’ cooperation and approval, you must be sure that you have excellent communication skills and maintain positive relationships.
While the aforementioned steps for becoming successful on Fiverr are important, it’s also essential to consider Fiverr’s rating and review system. Every order made through the website comes with an option for sellers to rate their buyers in a variety of categories (including responsiveness, instruction clarity, and professionalism). Additionally, buyers can leave reviews for sellers after their order is complete. Both rating systems are public on Fiverr, so it is important that you generate good ratings by doing the following:
- Read instructions carefully before beginning work
- Deliver orders on time
- Ask buyers if they are happy with your work before closing out an order
- Ask buyers to leave a review after completing the project
- If something goes wrong or there’s an issue with the product or service you’re providing, apologize sincerely and offer to fix it immediately
Fiverr etiquette
The freelance community on Fiverr has its own culture. If you’re new to the site, it’s essential to learn the rules and best practices of that world before you get started with your first gig. Without further ado, here are some of the dos and don’ts when it comes to cultivating a successful profile on Fiverr:
- Do adhere to deadlines as much as possible. It’s unlikely that you will be able to deliver a complete project within five minutes; make sure your buyer understands this and agrees on a deadline for completion before taking payment or starting work.
- Do communicate clearly, often, and with kindness. Your clients aren’t mind readers; if you need more time on something or can’t finish what they asked for because the request is beyond your skillset or scope of practice, let them know promptly and professionally. Communicating these problems early can help avoid bad reviews and angry clients down the road!
- Don’t try to take advantage of people by lying about what services you offer or exaggerating your expertise in an area or field in order to get more business. This can result in poor reviews (which could damage future business) as well as legal issues if someone finds out later that you knowingly misrepresented yourself during a contract negotiation process.
Using Fiverr to find freelance work is a great way to build a freelancing business, but it can be tricky at first if you’re not familiar with it.
Fiverr is an amazing place to find freelance work. It’s a global marketplace for freelancers, and its reputation draws in a lot of buyers looking for talent. You can find jobs in many categories, including marketing, writing, voiceover work, and programming. The rates are reasonable, the payment system is easy and quick to use, and as long as you put out quality work in a timely manner, you should have no problem maintaining a stellar rating on this site.
Lastly, it’s also worth mentioning that obviously Fiverr isn’t the only way to find freelance work. If this is something you’d like to read more about, be sure to read our article on how to find your first freelance client which covers other ways of achieving this.
