Most ways to make money online are over-saturated and Fiverr is no exception. You will find tens of thousands of people selling any service which makes differentiation almost impossible.
But does that mean the freelancing days are over?
Of course not.
It doesn’t matter how hard selling your services is, there is always a market that requires those services, which means there’s no dearth of customers. But you know what’s a serious dearth for? Quality freelancers who do what they say and do it right.
And that’s the gap you can fill in. Because there could be many content writing or design experts, but there are few who can do the work that actually generates revenue. And those few see the success not just on Fiverr but also as a freelancer.
In this guide, we will cover top tips that will make you a successful Fiverr seller. Everything you read below has been tried by me. This guide is essentially an account of what worked for me and continues to work for hundreds of Fiverr sellers who follow this advice to the letter.
Let’s get started.
Here are the 12 tips that will make you a successful freelancer on Fiverr:
1. Identify in-demand services
Any seller on Fiverr also needs to be a marketer. That applies even after you outgrow Fiverr and venture into bigger gigs with bigger paychecks. And the first job that a marketer is supposed to do is find what people want.
Head over to Fiverr and figure out what kind of services are in demand. You can get that information even by signing up with the Fiverr newsletter where Fiverr frequently publishes industry research reports and information on the new gig categories.
Once you know what people want to buy, you can either map that service to your skillset or build that skillset.
For example, suppose you discovered that a new service is popular wherein the buyers want someone to edit their AI-written content. Also, assume that you are not equipped with the skill of AI writing but you are a fairly decent writer/editor who has proven experience in the field.
In that case, you can create a gig that speaks about your experience as an editor and sprinkle a line somewhere where you claim that you have edited AI content as well. While that may not be true, you might have very well edited content that a human wrote by using an AI tool! And that’s fine, you know the craft and you know how to sell it now.
Alternatively, if you have zero editing/writing experience as well, do a course on Fiverr or Udemy and promote the certification as proof of your expertise.
In summary, you need to figure out what is selling, align your skills with that, and market your proposition through the gig description.
2. Select a niche or skillset
Now that you’ve gained insights into what’s selling on Fiverr, it’s time to carve your niche. While theoretically you can sell on Fiverr without skills, that’s not the kind of freelancer I would encourage you to be. I would strongly recommend you to learn a skill and niche down.
Let’s dive into the specifics of selecting a niche or skillset that aligns with market demands.
Imagine you’ve discovered that crafting Midjourney prompts is the latest trend. These prompts enable Midjourney to generate AI images, and you happen to be a skilled designer. Capitalize on this trend by creating a gig that showcases your expertise in crafting prompts tailored for a platform like Midjourney.
Before you craft your gig, take the time to immerse yourself in the world of Midjourney or any specific platform you’re targeting, such as Microsoft Designer. Familiarize yourself with their requirements, style, and the expectations of their user base.
Now, let’s talk about niching down even further. Consider exploring opportunities in various industries. For instance, if you’re in the real estate niche, tailor your services to create visually appealing prompts for real estate marketing materials. The key is to tailor your skills to meet the specific needs of different sectors.
This approach allows you to become a go-to expert in your niche, catering to the unique demands of each industry. It not only sets you apart from general service providers but also positions you as a specialized freelancer with valuable expertise.
3. Build a strong portfolio in parallel
While your Fiverr reviews and testimonials are directly responsible for future orders, a presence outside Fiverr is equally important as it builds trust. It tells people that you are a real person with real experience. This in itself is a great differentiating factor.
That’s why, you must consider showcasing past work and achievements by creating a portfolio or writing a blog. Make sure you collect and display client testimonials to build social proof. The more people talk good about your services, the more your future clients trust you.
Finally, make sure you regularly update your portfolio with new projects, done within or outside Fiverr.
You might have noticed that we have not even logged into Fiverr in this guide so far and there’s a reason for that. I want you to create a whole ecosystem outside Fiverr because given how high the competition is, a wider presence is no longer a “good to have”, it’s an absolute necessity.
4. Craft a compelling profile
Now that you know what you want to sell and have made sure there is some presence outside of Fiverr, packed with customer testimonials, let’s get into the Fiverr profile setup process.
First things first, make sure you choose a professional username. You can use your name as the username or even append it with a keyword relevant to your services. For example, if you plan to sell SEO services for machine learning companies, you can set your name as John Doe or Jon Doe SEO Writer.
Next, write a compelling description that’s packed with all the information about your services and what makes you stand out from the crowd. In essence, this section should sell your unique selling proposition and tell the buyers why they should hire you.
5. Create seven gigs
Each Fiverr profile can have a maximum of seven gigs — I urge you to create the maximum number. I see so many Fiverr sellers rely only on a couple of gigs for all their sales, and in my opinion, it’s a wasted opportunity. They are leaving money on the table.
The more Fiverr gigs you create, the wider the net you cast. Let’s elaborate that with an example. Suppose you are a logo designer whose primary gig is generic, meaning you just sell logo design services instead of selling them to a specific audience base. You have an opportunity to get more specific through the other seven gigs. For instance, you can target customers across industries like real estate, T-shirt design, website owners, etc. You can also customize based on languages and buyer locations.
Every gig is an opportunity to be seen by more people but only when you optimize it correctly. Make sure you start by writing a compelling gig title. It should be concise yet contain all the important keywords to give the gig the best chance at appearing in the search results when a relevant buyer searches something.
While the title can help you appear in the search results, you need high-quality images to get people to click on your listing. You see, images occupy greate real estate on the screen than the title. Also, people have a natural proclivity to look at images. By listing your services within an image and adding your headshot, you can get far more clicks compared to an image-less gig. Adding images is now easy, as you can create them with Canva.
Alright, by now you have people flooding your gig page but what’s the use if they do not place an order. Your Fiverr gig description is supposed to convert the initial attention into a desire to reach out to you. In the description write everything the buyer needs to know before placing an order with you. Tell them your qualification, your USP, and how well you communicate.
Write the description with the goal of making it comprehensive. The more information you provide, the lesser the doubt in the buyer’s mind, and the faster the decision they make of reaching out to you.
6. Set a low pricing
The barrier for entry in Fiverr is so low, and there is such a barrage of services competing with what you offer, that differentiation through the offering often becomes impossible. In such cases, the only differentiation becomes the pricing.
This makes freelancing on Fiverr the perfect example for the phrase “race to the bottom”.
While I would ask freelancers to never work for cheap rates, you need to go super low on Fiverr, at least in the beginning. But if you are setting a gig priced at $5, do not go over and beyond the set price. People should get what they paid for, never more, never less. You will get the right clients if your pricing and principles are right.
Do not fall for clients who are on the platform for cheap services, they will neither pay you well, and in my experience, they won’t give a positive review, no matter how much you stretch it for them.
7. Capitalize on Fiverr SEO
There are many methods to promote your Fiverr gigs, as we will discuss in the next segment, but none comes close to Fiverr gig SEO in effectiveness and efficiency. Most buyers will find your profile right from Fiverr search.
You must include the right keywords, both long-tail and short-tail, hopefully within your gig title, description, URL, tags, and more. People might look up your name in Google, but they’ll do that only after they first discover you on Fiverr.
Getting on the first page of Fiverr is the best way to succeed on Fiverr.
8. Promote your Fiverr gigs
While Fiverr SEO is the go-to channel for promoting your gigs, you can still get some decent traction from other channels like paid Google Ads, getting into roundup listicles, promoting on social media etc.
This approach is similar to having a portfolio outside of Fiverr. Remember that you are always building your brand through these promotions. Someday, you will grow outside of Fiverr as a freelancer but for now, since you are probably new, Fiverr is your go-to source.
9. Respond to buyer requests
Buyer requests are the second best way to secure orders after Fiverr SEO. They work by allowing Fiverr buyers to showcase their specific needs on the platform. Fiverr’s algorithm then matches these requests with sellers possessing the relevant skillset. You, as a seller, in turn, can review these requests and choose to submit tailored proposals in the hopes of securing the project.
What makes this approach advantageous is that you can access multiple buyer requests simultaneously. This opens up the possibility to send personalized proposals for those requests that align with your expertise. On the buyer’s end, they get the opportunity to assess proposals from various sellers, considering factors such as skillset, pricing, and experience before making their selection.
10. Mastering communication
Communication is key to your success on Fiverr. While your skills and impressive Fiverr profile can get you visits and inbox messages, it’s sound client communication practices that keep them coming back for more and get you multiple client-recommendations.
In my experience, responding promptly to client inquiries isn’t just about being reliable, it’s about building that trust from the get-go. Try to be online as often as you can. I am not recommending being on Fiverr 24 x 7, it’s simply unsustainable, but download the Fiverr app and keep it open so that the sellers see the green light and you appear in the filter of “currently online.”
Furthermore, I strongly recommend eliminating any ambiguity from your gig and profile descriptions. Defining your project details removes any potential misunderstandings. It’s not just for your benefit, it’s about ensuring both you and your Fiverr client are on the same wavelength.
Also, make sure that you respond to the buyers with respect and courtesy. These small activities go a long way in getting you recurring income from your clients.
11. Peruse Fiverr analytics
Did you notice how much focus this article has on marketing your gigs? That’s because it’s half the battle – getting seen. As your marketing efforts start paying off, you get more orders and make more money. But you should never miss out on the chances to optimize your gigs. That’s because the industry is always changing, the competition is always growing, and your buyers are constantly evolving.
The best way to gauge if your gig still cuts it is checking out Fiverr analytics. This segment tells you how many impressions and clicks your gigs got over a period of time. If you see the numbers slipping down constantly, you know there is something to fix. It could be your message, pricing, images, etc., but you need to do something to stay relevant on the platform.
Try to draw as many insights as you can from the charts that Fiverr offers. For example, which day you get the most impressions, which countries see your gigs the most, etc. And then ask yourself — can you capitalize on that somehow?
12. Managing finances and time
While top-notch marketing and services is central to success on Fiverr, having a broader plan in terms of your growth trajectory and time dedication is an important cog in the wheel. You should have a plan on how fast you want to grow and how many hours you plan to work each week. That would determine the ticket value of clients that you pick.
For example, if you want to earn $1000 a month and are willing to dedicate 10 hours a week, then your total investment is about 40 hours. In this case, you would want to charge $25 an hour but considering the fact that 20% of your income goes to Fiverr and about 5% goes to Paypal, you might bump up your hourly rates to $37.
Further, having a plan means increasing the hourly charges as your portfolio grows, without impacting the business. For example, say after 6 months, you plan to increase the charges to $40 an hour, you need to consider your relationship with existing long-term clients who may not be too happy with a price increase but they might want to retain you because of habit and ease-of-work.
FAQs
Is freelancing on fiverr worth it?
Yes, it’s a decent platform for someone who has just started freelancing and does not have a solid portfolio. But it’s a waste of time and comes with a huge opportunity cost in the long-run.
Which skill is best for freelancing on Fiverr?
The hot skills are ever-evolving on Fiverr, but you might want to consider selling in the AI niche. Having said that, you can access the ever-green list of gigs here.
Is it hard to be successful on Fiverr?
The competition and race-to-the-bottom mindset of Fiverr sellers, combined with high platform charges make Fiverr a tough platform to succeed on as a freelancer. It has a low barrier to entry though, so get started there but move out quickly.
How much does fiverr take from freelancers?
Fiverr charges 20% of the Freelancer fee. Meaning, Fiverr cuts $1 for every $5 you earn.