How Make Money On Fiverr

I’m getting ready to order some graphic design work through Fiverr and thought it would be a great topic to share here at WAHS.

For a long time, I didn’t think it was a great idea to try an make money in $5 increments. First, it seemed like for many tasks, people had to under-price their value. Second, to make $1,000 a month, you have to sell 250 gigs (the name given to Fiverr tasks). That’s about 63 gigs a week or 12-13 a day (you earn $4 for each $5 gig… the $1 goes to Fiverr for its service). I wasn’t sure selling 12 gigs a day was feasible. Plus, depending on what you’re selling, 12 gigs could take the entire day to do.

However, I’ve come across several people who are making $1,200 or more on Fiverr. Others are supplementing what they already do with Fiverr gigs. So I thought it was about time to share information about Fiverr.

What Is Fiverr?

Fiverr is a freelance marketplace where people from all over the world can sell digital goods and services. What makes it unique from other freelance sites is that all sellers start with a $5 gig, hence the name Fiverr.

I’ve never sold through Fiverr, but I’ve purchased gigs, usually graphics and graphic editing. When it comes to gigs, they come in all types. The main categories are graphics/design, online marketing, writing and translation, video and animation, music and audio, programming and tech, gifts and more. Within those categories you can offer all sorts of gigs. Some examples of gigs include:

• Editing – writing, web sites, audio, video, graphics, etc.
• Voice recording – i.e. intro to your podcast or video, sing a birthday song, etc
• Marketing materials – brochures, business cards, ebook cover,s etc
• Music – lessons, jingles, sound effects, etc.
• Lifestyle – parenting, weight loss, cooking, astrology, pets,etc.
• Fun – pranks, stunts, etc.
• Gifts – cards, video greetings, jewelry etc.

This is just a short list. In fact, you should stop by Fiverr to see all the unique, bizarre and helpful gigs people are offering. I’m sure you’ll get ideas.

So how do you make money on Fiverr?

First, all gigs start at $5, but once you sell 10 and have good feedback, you can start working your way up the Fiverr ranks where you can offer additional services and charge more. For example, a graphic designer might create and give you the basic file for an image for $5, but for an extra $5 will give you multiple file versions (i.e. png, jpeg, pdf). Or maybe you can add additional graphics for $10. You can even charge $20 for faster service. I’ve read situations in which level 2 Fiverrs charge several hundred dollars for gigs.

Here are steps to get started:

1) Make a list of helpful, cool, or unusual talents. Can you talk in a British accent? Can you draw? Do you type fast? Do you have old eBoook or template of something you can sell? Can you dance, do sign language or speak Klingon?

2) Determine how you can turn this talent into a $5 gig. The key here is to create a gig that is worth $5 but not much more. You don’t to sell a talent that takes you 2 hours to do for $5. So you want to break your talent down into basics or limits. For example, you can sell a 30 second audio birthday wish in Klingon or transcribe 15 minutes of video.

3) Register at Fiverr. Be sure to read all the terms of service and policies. Let me say it again….READ THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND POLICIES. Why am I harping on this? Most people who get in trouble working at home, do so because they didn’t read the fine print. Read it and protect yourself.

4) Create a gig. There are tons of gigs on Fiverr and if you’re new, it may be hard to get exposure. But it can be done if you:

• Create something unique
• Use benefits oriented text to sell your gig. You can even use video to promote your offer
• Be clear on what you’re offering and what you’re not. Vague descriptions can lead to bad reviews if the buyer is expecting one thing and you deliver another
• Use appropriate tags (keywords) to help people find your gig
• Upsell added value. You can’t offer gig extras until you achieve the first level, but once you do, entice buyers with additional value to the original offer.

5) Promote your gig. Use social media to promote your gig. You can do that right though the Fiverr interface. Email people in your network. In every income model, making money goes faster if you spread the word yourself instead of waiting people to come to you.

6) Sell your gig. Once a sale is made, you want to respond to the buyer right way, letting him know you’ve received the order, get any additional info you and a time frame for delivery.

7) Deliver your gig as promised and on time. This is key to good reviews and earning greater status levels.

8) Ask for feedback if the buyer doesn’t provide it once the gig is over. After a few days, if you don’t get feedback, follow up and ask the buyer if he has any questions regarding the delivery of your service and if he’d be willing to leave feedback. Feedback is important to selling new gigs. Respond professionally to negative feedback (using comment feature on Fiverr). Accept criticism as a way to improve your service. If a buyer is unreasonable, don’t get into an argument. Calmly and professionally describe what you did and ask what buyer was looking for in addition to or instead of what you delivered.

9) Stay active. Fiverr doesn’t want dormant accounts. To retain your status you need to continue to sell gigs at that status level.

Initially, I think Fiverr will be a lot more work for a few bucks. But if you leverage the Fiverr system, it is possible to earn extra income, supplement your other home business income or even possibly make a living (depending on how much you need to live on and the service(s) you offer).

Have you sold a gig on Fiverr? What has been your experience?