In today’s “gig economy,” Fiverr has quickly become one of the most prominent opportunities for young people.
Its ease of use, massive audience, and large pool of highly talented providers have made it the perfect solution for entrepreneurs of all abilities, allowing people to earn everything from a decent living to huge full-time incomes.
With that said, if you’ve heard of Fiverr or are looking for ways it could help you make the most of your time and skills, it’s definitely an option worth considering. This tutorial will explain what Fiverr actually is, how it works, and what it means for job providers around the world.
Founded in 2012, Fiverr has grown to over 3 million listings and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. The company’s name comes from the starting price of each of its listings ($5) – although a common misconception is that this is the “only” price you can list your services at. The reality is that you can list services for up to $1500+. The $5 price is a nominal entry fee.
The system is to allow ‘providers’ to list their services as ‘gigs’. In these gigs, vendors promise to perform tasks ranging from digital marketing to creative writing for a nominal fee.
The client will pay the vendor, the money is held by Fiverr until the job is completed. The supplier then has a certain amount of time to provide the customer with their work. The customer can then request changes or simply give a star rating for the service they received.
The most important thing to remember about the Fiverr business model is that it is short and sharp. People go there for “simple” work and generally won’t pay for anything too ambitious. Although it started as a simple way to make quick money as a struggling student, it quickly grew into the huge platform we see today.
Some of the most popular services purchased on Fiverr are copywriting and creative/article writing. People want native English writers to produce “perfect” copy for their product listings, websites, and general business portfolios. Providing these services on the platform gives you a direct way to earn an extra couple of hundred dollars with relatively little cost.
If you’re wondering how it works, here are 3 tips you can use to advance on the platform.
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Be personal
The most important thing (for long-term growth) is to be personal. Using your face, credentials and a real portfolio is one of the most important ways to get ahead on the site. While you can make progress by staying anonymous – or hiding behind a company name – it’s a much better option to make sure you’re investing in yourself. Some of the most prolific sellers on the site are people who simply put up their credentials and offered a service.
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Sell what you know
Instead of trying to copy what other people are doing, sell what *you* know. It will take a few tries to get a gig that people will be actively looking for (for example, a friend of mine was a financier and I created a Fiverr gig for him to sell articles about “cryptocurrency” – the orders started coming in pretty quickly). The most important thing to say about this is that if you’re trying to “fit in” you’ll mostly be chasing work that isn’t really your forte. Instead, you really need to go all out creatively (to get people looking for you).
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Always experiment / test
Finally, you need to keep trying new gigs, new ways to promote your work, and new ways to showcase what you’ve done before. There’s no point in stalling because you’re just wasting time and getting nowhere.
The most important thing to remember is that you can either sell what everyone else is buying (which usually leads to short-term success). If you have real skills, you can take advantage of Fiverr to give yourself the opportunity to improve your core brand.