How to Get Started on Fiverr
Ladies and gentlemen, we are living in the age of the internet. Nowadays, the internet is many people’s library, grocery store, movie theatre, book club, and, yes, even their workplace. How exactly to so many people make so much money online? Well, one way is by selling your skills as a freelance contractor. If you’re an artist, programmer, writer, web developer, or have just about any other skill you can successfully market, then you are eligible to work as a freelance contractor online. Now it can be difficult to just straight-up market yourself or create your own website or brand but, fortunately for you, freelance conglomerates exist online to make things a little easier. One of the easiest to use and most popular is a website called Fiverr; here’s how to get started and make money!
Spend Time Creating Your Gigs
After you finish creating an account you start making money by creating ‘gigs’ which essentially serves as an online store for potential clients who come to Fiverr looking for freelancers just like you! This of this as the equivalent of walking into a convenience store or restaurant for the very first time; if it doesn’t look nice, you may just walk right back out. Make sure that everything is formatted nicely and your prices and services are easy to understand and add a picture, like a sign in a storefront, this can help draw people in and show you take pride in your work. Above all else though, for the love of all things holy, please double and triple check to make sure there are no spelling errors; especially if you’re a writer.
Request Gigs
Now that your gig or gigs are up and running, congratulations, you are now one of hundreds of stores that, unless you have an incredibly unique niche, are probably very like your own. This makes it very hard for startup freelancers to get the initial traffic they want. One of the best ways is to go to the ‘Buyer Requests’ section of Fiverr. Here you can browse specific requests individuals have and see if you can accommodate their needs. Even if what they’re requesting doesn’t 100% line up with the service you’re offering, take it. Leave each and every one a personal message and directly reference their requests in your message as well as list your qualifications. Oftentimes, people will simply copy and paste the same message onto multiple gigs and buyers are perceptive so, by leaving an individualized bid for their business, you will really stand out. From here you will start to garner orders and reviews which will help in making your gigs appear more reputable.
Communicate with Your Buyers
One of the easiest ways to protect against negative reviews and ensure that your customers return is to keep an open line of communication with whoever is purchasing your service. This will help to guarantee that all the work you are doing is to their liking as well as assist in circumventing any problems that may arise. Say, for example, a family emergency comes up and you will not be able to fulfill the order on time. If you don’t communicate this to whomever your buyer is, they will likely get upset as the deadline passes, cancel the gig, and leave a poor review negatively impacting your potential for future clients. However, if you create an open dialogue there is a much higher chance they will be empathetic to any delays that may revise.
Ask for Reviews
This is one of the easiest things to do to grow your brand on Fiverr and yet many still seem incredibly reluctant to do so. Obviously, be intelligent about it, if you didn’t have a positive experience with a buyer or they with you it is inadvisable to ask for a positive review afterwards, but, if it was a generally pleasant experience for both of you there is no harm in asking them to leave a positive note to attract more business. Typically, I phrase it along the following lines: “Thank you very much for your business! If you enjoyed the work I did and experience working together I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a positive review”. There is nothing against this in Fiverr’s terms of service and the majority of people will be more than happy to help you out if you provide them with an excellent product.
Getting started on Fiverr or any other freelance website can be intimidating but, in reality, it’s quite easy! Aside from all these tips though, the most important thing you can do to be successful online is to offer a good product. At the end of the day no amount of marketing, salesmanship, or even hard work can make up for a subpar service. Good luck and happy freelancing!