In today’s “gig economy,” Fiverr has quickly risen to 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 a solution for entrepreneurs of all abilities, allowing people to make everything from a decent living to a huge full-time income from it.
To that end, if you’ve heard of Fiverr or are looking for ways it can potentially help you make the most of your time and skills, it’s certainly an opportunity worth looking into. 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 at prices up to $1500+. The price of $5 is only a nominal initiation fee.
The way the system gives ‘vendors’ the ability to list their services as ‘gigs’. In these gigs, vendors promise to perform tasks ranging from the likes of digital marketing to creative writing for a nominal fee.
The client will pay the supplier, with the money held by Fiverr until the job is completed. The supplier then has a set period of time to provide the customer with their work. The customer can then request revisions 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 “regular” work and usually won’t pay for anything too ambitious. Although it started as an easy way to make some quick money as a struggling student, it quickly grew into the huge platform we see today.
Some of the most popular services that are purchased from Fiverr are copywriting and creative/article writing. People want English language writers to make “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 few hundred dollars with relatively little cost.
If you are interested in how it works, there 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 being anonymous — or hiding behind a company name — it’s a far better bet to make sure you’re investing in yourself. Some of the most productive 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 actively seek (for example, my friend was a financier and I created a gig for him on Fiverr to sell articles about “cryptocurrency” – orders started coming in pretty quickly). The most important thing to say with this is that if you’re trying to “fit in,” you’ll end up pursuing work that isn’t really your forte. Instead, you really need to put your best foot forward in a creative way (so people look for you).
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Always experiment / test
Finally, you should keep trying new gigs, new ways to promote your work, and new ways to portray what you’ve done before. There’s no point in stalling because you end up just wasting time and getting nowhere.
The most important thing to remember is that you can either sell what everyone is buying (which usually leads to short-term success). If you have an actual skill, you can use the Fiverr opportunity to provide yourself with the ability to improve your main brand.