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6 Ways to Master Fiverr Like a BOSS

Fiverr is an online marketplace for buying and selling miscellaneous services. Fiverr is known for selling silly tasks, as well as more typical freelance work (such as writing or design). Originally, gigs on Fiverr were listed for $5 per task — thus the name — but the company has since branched out, and as a seller on Fiverr, you have the option of naming your price. These days, you can set the price for a gig at anything between $5 and $995. This is a big deal for sellers because it means that Fiverr can now produce a legitimate source of income.

How Does it Work?

When you first log in to Fiverr, you will be asked to choose a username and password. Usernames cannot be changed unless you close your account and start over, so make sure you pick carefully.

After you’ve registered your account, you will be able to start customizing your profile and creating gigs. When you first sign up, you will be able to create up to 7 gigs as a basic seller. Fiverr works on a level system, and higher levels will allow you to create more gigs. You advance by fulfilling the requirements of each level — generally some combination of completing a set number of orders, maintaining a high star-rating, and providing buyers with good customer service.

On Fiverr, each gig you offer is like a product on the shelves of a store. Gigs are tagged under categories (like writing, design, or social media marketing). You can even offer different packages for your gigs (like basic, standard, and premium) and charge different prices for each.

After a buyer purchases a gig and you have supplied the service, you can cash out through PayPal, direct deposit, or a Fiverr Revenue Card (which is basically just a debit card that Fiverr adds your funds to).

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Fiverr Pros and Cons

As with any online marketplace, Fiverr has its pros on cons. Here are a few to pay attention to:

Pros

  • There are a LOT of gig categories on Fiverr. If you can think it up, you can probably do it. Fiverr is a great place for out-of-the-box thinking.
  • Fiverr now allows sellers to charge more than $5, which means that your earnings potential is significant. You can mix and match packages and add-ons and charge what you think your service is truly worth.
  • As with many freelance gigs, with Fiverr you have the freedom to work as little or as often as you want
  • Fiverr has a built-in audience, which means that you won’t have to go searching for buyers

Cons

  • While Fiverr has a built-in audience, it is also easy to become lost in the noise. With so many sellers offering gigs, it is sometimes difficult to stand out — especially in popular niches.
  • Fiverr takes 20% of what you earn (hey, they have to make money too), which means just 80% of each paycheck will stay in your pocket. On top of that, fees may be taken out when you withdraw your money, depending on what withdrawal option you choose.

1) Check Out Top Sellers in Your Niche

It isn’t a secret that we can learn a lot from the success of others. This principle applies nicely to Fiverr. One great way to give your profile and gigs a boost is to look at other successful sellers in your niche and apply the techniques they use to your own account.

To find other sellers, it will be helpful to first log out of your Fiverr account, that way your search isn’t influenced by past searches and/or purchases. Once you’ve logged out, put your thinking cap on, and imagine what keywords a buyer might type into the search bar if they were looking for a service like yours. Hit search, and then sort the results by “Best Selling” in the right-hand drop down menu, or refine your results by selecting “Top Rated Sellers” on the left, so that you know you are looking at the cream of the crop. Keep a pen and paper handy, and jot down notes on what makes these gigs (and their accompanying seller profiles) stand out from the rest.

2) Add a Gig Video

Not all sellers use the video feature when creating gigs, so taking the time to do so will instantly help you stand out. Your video doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be professional. Pay attention to the video and sound quality, wear something nice, and make sure there is nothing distracting in the background.

3) Use SEO Like a Pro

Fiverr works like a search engine, but, unlike Google, the people browsing the site are doing it with the intention of spending their hard-earned cash. Sounds like a sweet deal, right?

Because Fiverr works like a search engine, there are a lot of strategies you can apply to your gig to improve your chances of appearing in top pages of the search results — because let’s face it, most buyers won’t be scrolling past the first page or two. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve your gig’s chances is to improve your SEO.

SEO, for those unfamiliar with the term, stands for Search Engine Optimization. Basically, it is a fancy way of saying that you want to stuff your gig with as many keywords as possible — without being obnoxious or obvious about it.

A keyword is simply a word or phrase that buyers might type into the search bar when looking for gigs like yours. Do a quick brainstorm session to determine what yours might be, and then use them when describing your service, in the title, and any other place they naturally fit.

Natural is the important part here. Keyword spamming is a good way to get your gigs deleted or be banned from Fiverr completely, so when you use them you will want to do so in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from your gig description.

4) Focus on the Upsell (Would You Like Fries With That?)

Selling gig packages is great, but add-ons are where the money is. An add-on (called “extras”) is exactly what it sounds like — an additional service offered on top of the original gig. For example, you could add an extra for a faster turnaround, and charge $5 for it. Brainstorm as many of these as possible for each gig. It is helpful to put yourself in the buyer’s head while doing this. Ask yourself: “If I were buying this product, what else would I want? What other options would I be interested in?”

Here are a few extra ideas to consider:

  • Faster turnaround (24 hours, for example)
  • A higher resolution file
  • An additional file type 
  • Additional product (like two logos instead of one)

Really, the sky’s the limit here, and creativity is encouraged. Think of something unique to your gig and your talents, and offer it. What can it hurt?

5) Pay Attention to Your User Name

As we said earlier, good SEO is incredibly important to getting discovered on Fiverr. This goes beyond the text within your gig or profile. You can use SEO in your username as well. Try to be clever here: How can you include what you do inside your username?

It is important to remember, of course, that Fiverr doesn’t allow users to change their username once it has been created. This means you have one shot, so you will need to make it count. In other words, as anxious as you are to start creating gigs, don’t rush through the account creation process. Take some time to brainstorm so that you can pick the best username for you.

If you do end up needing to change your username, you can delete your account and start over. You will want to do this sooner rather than later, of course, since any reviews you receive on gigs will be deleted along with your account.

6) Offer Incentives for Referrals

One powerful strategy that isn’t often used, is to offer incentives to buyers who enjoyed your services, in exchange for a referral.  These buyers are already your fans, so it makes sense to use their network to bring in more work. For example, you could offer them one free product per referral they send your way, or a discount off of their next order. This is as simple as sending a quick message to any buyer who has given you a high rating, telling them thank you, and letting them know about your incentive program.

Conclusion

As with most things in life, Fiverr isn’t a “get-rich-quick” solution, nor is it the perfect answer for everyone. What it is, is an incredibly unique and innovation way to get your services out there, and make a little extra cash on the side. It might take a while for your Fiverr side hustle to really take off (or get any business at all), but with a little persistence and some good strategy, you can certainly make a decent amount through this platform.

Looking for more side hustle ideas? Be sure to check out our Master List of 92 Side Hustle Ideas to get your hustle juices flowing.

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