The world is rapidly moving into a digital era, with more millennials and Gen Z’s fully adapting to it. Due to the increasing popularity of online marketplaces, more people are turning to digital platforms to promote their works and services, be it content writing, graphic design, copywriting, or search engine optimization (SEO).
The need to work strictly at a specific location has become obsolete, thanks to the global village called the internet. Digital platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork provide freelancers with the opportunity to showcase their work and services to a larger audience and people all over the world.
WHAT IS FIVERR, AND HOW DOES FIVERR WORK?
Fiverr is a global online marketplace that allows people to purchase or offer services. Fiverr has steadily gained popularity due to its relatively cheap cost, as low as $5, and its global accessibility. Online marketplaces such as Fiverr allow freelancers to earn money online and potential buyers to easily find the needed service.
Freelancers and sellers offer Fiverr gigs at a cost to buyers and customers. A Fiverr gig is a task or service the seller is willing to perform in exchange for money. Fiverr gigs vary from logo designs, digital marketing services, programming, search engine optimization (SEO), graphic design, and content writing to audio and video edits.
Fiverr usually ranks sellers based on how many orders have been obtained and how well you can fulfil orders. Positive reviews and high favorite scores also help in better ranking.
HOW TO START EARNING ON FIVERR?
1. Register on Fiverr
To get started on Fiverr, you first have to create an account by signing up on their website, and then you will receive a confirmation link to confirm your account. When you create a Fiverr account, your account can serve for both buying and selling. Once you confirm your account, you can go ahead and create a seller profile.
2. Create a seller profile
You will now create your seller profile. Your profile serves to showcase your skills and experience to potential buyers. The way you present yourself on your profile determines whether buyers will order your gigs.
Therefore, use this chance to present yourself professionally. Every seller must complete four profile requirements before they start selling on the platform. The requirements are personal information, account security, professional information, and linked accounts.
Complete all the forms you are provided by entering all the required details in their appropriate fields and clicking on the continue button each time you’re done completing a form.
How to create a Gig on Fiverr
Once an account is created, on your Fiverr homepage, click on selling and then on the gig. Click on create a new gig and create a gig title (usually recommended to be short). Select the category and relevant tags. Set your gig pricing, describe your gig, and include FAQs if needed. Add necessary photos or videos to your gig (this helps boost sales) and publish your gig.
3. Send buyer requests
A buyer can also post a “buyer’s request” on Fiverr for sellers to bid on in hopes of winning. Sellers on Fiverr have ten chances to bid for a gig daily. When the buyers post their requests, they are sent to the Fiverr community.
A seller then submits an offer if he/she is interested in the request made by the buyer. After which, the buyer reviews and approves patronizing the seller if they meet the requirements.
How to Send a Buyer’s Request
1. Go to your Fiverr account as a seller.
2. Go to more
3. On the screen, you would see buyer requests.
4. Point the mouse to the buyer request option, a drop-down menu would appear, select the request you want to apply for.
5. Click on send an offer.
6. A new pop up window will open.
7. Select the gig you want to use to send the buyer request.
8. Choose the gig and fill in all the necessary details.
9. In the “describe your offer “box give reasons why you are the best fit for the job.
10. State the delivery time, Amount, Number of Revisions and other necessary details.
11. Submit your offer.
12. Congrats, you have successfully sent a buyer request.
4. Optimize your Gig to Rank High
Fiverr uses algorithms to rank every gig. The Fiverr ranking factor used to rank gigs is similar to that of Google. Keywords and descriptions are the major ranking factors taken into consideration.
New users should use low-competition keywords that would enable them to rank better even as newbies.
Gig title is also a consideration in ranking higher or lower. Persuasive and short gig titles can help you rank higher even as a new seller.
Fiverr also recommends short and straightforward titles. Use relevant keywords and avoid grammatical errors.
FIVERR GIGS AND SELLER LEVELS
Fiverr seller levels are usually ranked based on a seller’s performance for the last 60 days. Maintaining perfect statistics for 60 days can help you gain promotion to the next level.
Getting orders on Fiverr is heavily dependent on gig impressions and clicks. To get to the next level, you would have to complete at least several orders with a minimum star rating and order completion rate.
Seller Gig Categories
Fiverr has hundreds of seller categories. Below are just a few of the most profitable categories.
- Programming and Tech: Some of the gigs in this category include Web programming, E-commerce development, Game development, and website builders. Website development is another lucrative category on Fiverr. One of the highly sought-after web development services on Fiverr is in the e-commerce niche. A website development gig can earn you between $100 and $2,000.
- Copywriting: Copywriting is of Fiver lucrative gigs because they are in high demand. As a copywriter, you can review products, write blog posts and website landing pages, or author books. A copywriter can earn as high as $3,000.
- Social Media Marketing: As a Social Media Marketer, you’ll perform social media tasks such as audience research, monitoring social media platforms and posting content to them, replying to comments, and campaign creation. As a social media marketer, you can earn anywhere between $50 and $1,000.
- Graphics and Design: If you are a graphic designer, you can then consider creating a gig on Fiverr. The Graphics and Design category includes Logo Design, T-shirts, Book Design, Illustration, and Cards, just to mention a few. Graphic and Design gigs can sell from as low as $5 to as high as $1,000.
- Virtual Assistant: As a virtual assistant on Fiverr, you’re assigned several duties, including data entry, emailing potential customers, cold calling, or setting appointments with clients. A virtual assistant gig can earn you between $5 to $100.
Various Fiverr Sellers Levels
As mentioned earlier, the harder you work to sell gigs and provide high-quality services at a specific time (mostly 60 days), the higher seller levels you get.
There are 4 seller levels
1. New Seller
This level is usually for freelancers who have just set up a new Fiverr account. The badge new seller is displayed on the profile for buyers to see. It is most advisable as a new seller to send maximum custom offers to buyer requests to get orders.
New sellers can get the following offers from Fiverr:
- Sellers can make 7 active gigs
- Can add 2 gig extras in each gig out of all seven active gigs
- A buyer can buy the same gig
- New sellers can send custom offers of $5 to $5000
- Earning clearance takes 14 days for new sellers
2. Level 1 seller
At level one, the seller can get featured in promotional listings. To get to level one, the seller must have at least surpassed 60 days as an active seller. When the seller is able to meet all the necessary criteria, you would be promoted to the next level (level one seller). Requirements and evaluations are visible on the profile dashboard. Fiverr will review the seller’s profile for 60 days.
Level One Requirements
- The seller has to complete at least 60 days as an active seller.
- On-time delivery should be 90%.
- The seller has to complete at least 10 orders.
- The seller has to earn $400.
- Order completion should be 90%.
- The response rate should be 90%.
- Has to maintain a star rating of 4.5
- Must not get any warning from Fiverr for 30 days
Level One Seller can do the following
- Have 10 active gigs
- Eligible to be featured at promotional listings
3. Level 2 seller
The seller can reach level two through an automatic process after being an active seller for 120 days. Fiverr will evaluate the performance for 60 days, if it meets the requirements, then Fiverr promotes the seller to level two. The seller would have to spend 120 days as an active seller instead of 60 days as in the case of a level one seller.
To become a level, two sellers,
- The seller has to be active for 120 days
- A rating of 4.7 must be maintained over 60 days
- The seller has to complete at least 50 orders
- The seller has to earn $2000
- Order completion should be 90% over 60 days
- The response rate should be 90% over 60 days
Benefits of a level two seller
- Can have up to 20 gigs
- 5 extra gigs can be added or gig multiples in each gig
- Level 2 can send custom offers up to $10,000
- Your gigs can be featured on promotional listings.
- Eligible for VIP customer support
- Priority customer support
- Earning clearance takes up to 14 days for each gig sold
- Can get instant payment by paying some commission
4. Top-rated seller
Top-rated sellers have everything in perfection. Be it quality work or time. They can have at least 30 active gigs and priority customer support.
Requirements to be a top-rated seller
- Sellers have to complete at least 180 days as an active seller.
- At least 100 orders must be fulfilled
- Also sellers must have earned at least $20,000 on Fiverr.
- Order completion should be 90% over 60 days
- The response rate should be 90% over 60 days
- A rating of 4.7 must be maintained over 60 days.
- No warnings from Fiverr for at least 30 days
Benefits of a top-rated seller
- Can have 30 active gigs
- They can add 6 extra gigs or gig multiples in each gig
- Can send custom offers up to $10,000
- Eligible for promotional listings
- Earning clearance will take 7 days
- Priority customer support
- Eligible for customer success program
FIVERR PAID GIG PROMOTION
This is the new feature available to only a few sellers who meet the requirements. To be able to have that feature, the seller must meet the following requirements:
- Must be a level one, two or top-rated seller
- Gigs score must be 4.7 in the public ratings
- Gigs must have at least 20 reviews
- The seller must meet additional quality metrics
How to Set Up Promoted Gigs on Fiverr
Ads will appear at the top of Fiverr’s search results and category pages on both the Fiverr web and the mobile apps. Ads are usually optimized to suit a particular audience or relevant buyers of the services offered. This will ensure that the ads are profitable and will yield the best performance of the campaign. Below are the basic steps needed to run promoted gigs:
- Choose the gigs to promote on Fiverr
- Set your preferred bid cap and daily spend limit
- Limits can be changed at any time
How Paid Fiverr Ads are charged
Fiverr uses pay per click for the ads that are you are only charged when a customer clicks on the ads and how valuable your ad placement is, Cost per click varies for each gig. The number of clicks and average click cost shows on your dashboard when multiplied you get the amount spent.
When the ad payment is charged, a record of it shows on the earnings tab under a deduction for a promoted gig. A receipt with the breakdown of payment is sent to the seller’s inbox.
How the payment was collected is also shown. It could be through a Fiverr balance, a credit card, or PayPal. An invoice is also sent to the seller only if the ad creator sets it to be sent under the billing information section. Monthly ad costs are also deducted monthly from the Fiverr balance as per the terms of service.
FIVERR COSTS + GETTING PAID
Freelancers are usually paid in the range of $5 to thousands of dollars, depending on the services the seller has to offer and how good they are. Creating a Fiverr account is completely free unless the pro version is used. It doesn’t cost the buyer or seller any money to join Fiverr.
A buyer is required to pay the upfront cost of the gig as well as the administrative fees. Fiverr takes 5% of gigs above $40. So if an individual pays $20 for a gig, then Fiverr gets $4. The seller is paid after a gig has been completed successfully. The seller is paid only 80% of the total order value; hence, Fiverr takes 20% off the commission. For example, the seller gets only $8 when a customer pays a gig of $10.
FIVERR PRO
Fiverr Pro is an advanced Fiverr level. Sellers on Fiverr Pro are exceptional experts verified, manually vetted, and can offer top-notch services. As a buyer, you can get the highest expertise on Fiverr Pro. Fiverr Pro has limited categories compared to the Fiverr. They are the same platform; one is more advanced than the other.
Some of the services offered on Fiverr pro are;
- Graphic design
- Programming and Tech
- Writing and Translation
- Video and animation
- Digital marketing
- Music and audio
To be a pro seller you have to manually apply. The pro applicants are then taken through a vetting process. Questions normally asked are;
- State professional background (includes higher education, portfolio, and work experience) or work done for clients outside Fiverr.
- The Fiverr team will review the application and see if the applicant qualifies or not. The applicant would be notified whether he/she is accepted or not. When applying, it’s advisable to include pictures, videos, and links to the existing work portfolio.
- Buyers will identify a pro seller through the pro badge that is labelled on the gig.
It is entirely free to become a pro seller. No membership fee is required. Fiverr Pro is the same as that the standard Fiverr. Fiverr Pro is available to anyone, but applications have to be submitted, and the applicants must meet the requirements. A seller can have both pro and regular gigs. However, a standard Fiverr gig can’t be converted into a pro offer/gig.
IS FIVERR SAFE?
Fiverr rapidly gained popularity due to its unique features. The platform ensures high money security and buyers are also protected from scammers as compared to other freelancing platforms.
PROS AND CONS OF BECOMING A SELLER ON FIVERR
Just like any other online platform, Fiverr has advantages and disadvantages of selling on their platform.
PROS
- It is easy to set up and get started.
- There is a wide range of services you can take advantage of.
- Sellers can charge extra money for extra tasks.
- Potential long term relationship between buyers and sellers.
- No need to bid on your services.
- High security from scammers.
CONS
- Fiverr’s high commission can affect the seller’s income.
- It’s usually difficult for beginners to get sales/orders.
- Reviews can be falsely written by anyone hence some reviews are not trustworthy.
KEYS FOR BEGINNERS + MISTAKES TO AVOID
There are quite a few ways that you can be a successful seller, and here’s the ultimate beginner’s guide to getting those sales.
Top tips for a new seller on Fiverr
Here are some helpful tips to help you start enjoying your interactions with customers, and making money for your gigs, regardless of what category they’re in.
- Put time and effort into creating unique and helpful gigs: Don’t just spit out a few details on the gigs. You need to create unique, helpful gigs that help interested viewers know what you’re about and what you can sell them. Make sure you do all of this yourself, as this is one of the rules!
- Price carefully within your gigs: When pricing, you’ll be expected to work in $5 increments. In the beginning, be prepared to stick to the standard $5, $10, and $15. It will be lower than you want to earn, of course, but starting on the low end means that you’ll start to get a reputation on Fiverr and earn returning sales, reviews, etc. You can increase your prices in other ways, too (more on the in the next point). If you overcharge, you may “scare off” the interested viewers!
- Go all out on Extras: These are where you can quickly increase your order value. They don’t need to be intense additional services, either. For example, offering 24-hour delivery can earn you an extra $5. If they want an extra revision, you can charge for that, too. Offering PDF conversions or editable images (depending on what you’re selling) can each cost $5–$10. Bump up the word count of a blog post from 500 to 600 words for an extra $5, etc. The list goes on. Create these to match with what most people will ask for!
- Respond quickly to inbox queries: Everyone online these days is impatient. Respond quickly to those who ask questions on Fiverr and be ready to send orders or links to portfolios, other gigs, etc. It may be frustrating, but it can help a buyer make a snap decision.
- Be ready to create custom orders: Custom orders are different from traditional gigs. These have unique details to what the buyer specifies (and unique prices). Be ready to customize what you offer to match their needs. It often will earn you a lot of sales. Just make sure that you know your limits, too!
Mistakes to avoid as a new seller on Fiverr
- Lack of clear description of their gig with low-quality images displayed on your gig’s site. This makes you appear unprofessional to a potential buyer.
- Not following through with an order. Not delivering clients orders will hurt your account because you will get a negative review and/or a cancellation and slowly, potential buyers won’t trust your account anymore.
- Sharing your phone Number or email Address is prohibited and can cause a ban on your account.
- You cannot buy your GIGs as this will mess with your seller’s metrics. You cannot also review your GIGs to improve your rating.
- Creating multiple seller accounts is also not allowed on Fiverr.
- Not Reaching Out To Previous Buyers. One way to increase your orders is to reach out to those you know enjoyed your service and would buy from you again.
FIVERR vs. UPWORK: Quick Comparison
Another popular platform for freelancing is Upwork, which is also a great alternative to Fiverr. Let’s look at some of the differences between the two platforms.
| Feature | Fiverr | Upwork |
|---|---|---|
| Business Model | Gig-based (services listed by freelancers) | Project/job-based (clients post jobs) |
| Service Listings | Freelancers create “gigs” (starting at $5) | Clients post jobs; freelancers apply |
| Pricing | Set by freelancer (tiers/gig packages) | Hourly or fixed-price contracts |
| Fees | 20% commission (drops to 10% after $10k with a client) | 10% for all earnings (as of 2024) |
| Client Control | Less—clients browse and buy gigs | More—clients review bids, choose talent |
| Freelancer Control | High—freelancer sets up services/offers | Moderate—must bid/apply for jobs |
| Best For | Quick, defined tasks (e.g., logo design) | Long-term or complex projects |
| Communication | Limited until gig is ordered | Full communication before hiring |
| Payment Protection | Fiverr holds funds until delivery | Escrow system for milestones or hourly logs |
You can also Read about 10 Online Businesses You Can Start With Little or No Money
HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON FIVERR: FINAL THOUGHTS
Fiverr is a great place to earn extra cash, as long as you have the right skills and can deliver top-notch service. If you believe that you have what it takes to provide premium services, Fiverr can help you earn as much as you want by doing what you love from anywhere in the world.
There are many strategies to implement to get success with Fiverr. However, the most useful steps are not easy to find. In other words, you need to develop a professional profile on Fiverr. So that you can gain the trust of your buyers. I hope this article will help and encourage you to start selling on Fiverr.
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