First Week On Fiverr ($500 Earned)

Fiverr is an Israeli-created freelance marketplace where people can buy services for as little as $5.

Since its inception in 2010, the platform’s popularity has skyrocketed as digital marketers of all stripes have taken advantage of its ability to outsource routine jobs to specialists. This includes everyone from search engine optimization specialists to Amazon FBA super sellers.

In 2015, reports surfaced of service providers generating significant money via the system, with one company, SPXMAC, claiming to make $40,000+ each month (a remarkable achievement).

This is why I, along with many others who have real expertise to share, have signed up to do so through the system.

For this reason, I figured it might be helpful to talk about some of my experiences thus far with the system. It’s not a ton, but it could help illustrate what does and doesn’t work to some degree.

The Fiverr Platform Online (How It Works)

One of the most essential aspects of Fiverr to understand is that the provider is responsible for developing the offer.

While there are plenty of different “freelancing” websites, they all work the same way: clients post projects or gigs, and providers respond with proposals. After reviewing the bids, the client will select one.

The inverse nature of the Fiverr system has given rise to a fresh take on the “freelancing” model.

Instead of soliciting business one-on-one, the service provider might provide a suite of “products” or “services” to customers, providing them with a more organized and methodical process.

If you run a logo design service, for instance, customers can come to you, ask questions, and make purchases in person for $150.

The point is that compared to the old model, this one has many advantages. It encourages the service provider to systematize the delivery process as far as feasible, which in turn leads to improved quality, lower costs, and more efficient service delivery.

The key to making successful (profitable) products and services to sell on the site is learning what customers need and providing it in the most efficient way possible. In this space, I first introduced my service.

What You Can Sell

Each marketplace or platform inevitably produces both successful and unsuccessful participants.

My primary takeaway from the site is that there are essentially “two” methods for posting advertisements:

Make a product or offer a service based on your skills; for example, a graphic designer may make eBook covers, logos, and website templates and charge a small price.
List goods and services in response to consumer demand; as previously said, many “digital marketers” turn to Fiverr as a source of low-cost, high-quality work for their expanding online enterprises.
Fruition from the former is more likely to require more time, while that of the later will occur much more rapidly at the expense of greater room for creative expression in the offering.
For the most part, I make an effort to combine the two, taking elements of both and putting my own spin on them.

I’ve discovered that listings offering “Amazon Product Listing Descriptions” writing services tend to do quite well. SPXMAC is the most profitable of these, bringing in $30,000 to $40,000 monthly.

There are now 3 vendors offering this service, with daily orders averaging between 15 and 30. In this industry, SPXMAC is far and away the frontrunner.

Reflections on Personal Experience

I should clarify that I did not do this under my own name, but rather assisted a friend in setting up shop and we split the proceeds equally.

To accomplish this, I utilized my friend’s real-world expertise to create listings for a variety of generic services on the Fiverr platform (he was involved with finance).

We started with article writing, with the thought that a number of high-end “finance” blogs (which relied on quality, accurate, and up-to-the-minute content) might be interested in employing someone with extensive experience in a wide variety of transactions, who also trades with a private consortium in London and is fluent in technology.

I prepared a profile listing that detailed his career, his experiences, and (most importantly) why he was offering his skills on Fiverr.

I concluded by saying that he wanted to build his reputation and thought that paid article writing would be the best way to accomplish it. That would eliminate the need for guest posting and set the buyer’s precedence immediately.

Seemed to go over well (several blog owners have bought his articles and are using him as a “author”) on their sites.

Our initial foray into providing services to our clientele involved providing a “Forex” article writing service. Given the saturation of the market and the cyclical nature of its benefits (e.g., when the USD/GBP currency pair falls, etc.), this didn’t do very well.

The “crypto” articles we wrote for $25 each proved to be very popular. While this was disappointingly low, it did allow us to make some headway in collecting user input and reviews of the system.

We started concentrating on expanding as much as possible because most people who bought the packages basically let us decide which articles to write (mainly on the latest market developments, the significance of blockchain, etc.).

Although the “crypto” articles first seemed profitable (we made $500 apiece in the first week), their low rates ultimately proved unsustainable. We were both exhausted, so we decided to raise prices a little, which greatly reduced interest and productivity.

Though sales volume decreased, both customer feedback and the caliber of customers who made purchases rose noticeably.

Recommendations

When it comes to making an impression online, I’ve discovered that nothing beats a genuine smile.

In the past, I’ve used a few different aliases for various projects. There were some legitimate reasons (like having the second most popular Webkinz site), but the main reason was that I didn’t want anyone to find out.

While it was understandable that I would hide my true identity for this reason, the fact remains that doing so slowed my development to a crawl. One of the things I’ve been trying to instill in my friend is the value of “owning your name”; that is, making your own experiences, ideas, and expertise the focal point of any pitch you make.

Consider joining Fiverr since it’s one of the few places online where you can “own” your name by contributing real content. Think of it as a way for the “online” community to interact with you beyond social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.