Freelancing has become a big deal lately and for good reasons.
Lots of businesses look to outsource professionals at a convenient price.
Fiverr is one such platform that offers buyers and sellers the ability to connect from anywhere in the world.
Fiverr is for the most part seen as a cheap marketplace where for as low as 5$ you can pay someone for a service.
I have tried my luck with creating a gig providing my voice-over talent. A few completed orders later and my first 100$ cashout there are some lessons I’d like to share with you.
Setting Your Gig
It goes without saying before you are able to sell a service you need to create a catchy and engaging offer.
To do that you will go through a process of creating a personalized gig where you will describe your service.
You will want to include some samples of your work. I dismiss anyone that does not have a portfolio as I am sure you do too.
Analyze what others offer, how could you distinguish yourself?
Think through the lens of your potential client.
- What is special about your offer?
- Why should they work with you?
Write it down and highlight your strengths.
Come up with a catchy title for your gig as that line of text is the first thing that buyers come across.
Start Selling
Start low price-wise and build up.
The truth is that you will have to take some poorly paid offers in the beginning.
As you get started your primary focus is getting established on the platform first to be able to demand more later.
That means getting a positive rating and good reviews for your gig.
I know it sucks. I remember doing 1500 words of voice-over with editing included for way beneath what it was actually worth.
I did it because I wanted to get some positive feedback and in the meantime improve my skills.
I’ve noticed that I rarely got a gig directly from the offer page. Instead, I’d often receive private messages asking for rates and how much would I be willing to do a specific word count for.
I usually customized my offer after talking through it with the client. Once I’ve read their script, talked about delivery time and other details I was then capable to offer a quote.
A good way to increase your earnings that I believe you should use too is — upselling.
What does that mean?
Well, let’s take my example. I offer a rate of 5$ for a voice-over of 50 words. For 5$ more I can offer you additional revisions. For another 5$ I will proofread the script and make the appropriate changes.
Another useful tactic is to give out perks.
For instance, if you order 300 words or more I will give you a 10$ discount.
I think you get the point.
Work on your negotiation skills, it will help you to get and retain clients.
Communication
I’ve burned myself a few times with this one, and it only made me realize the importance of having a system in place.
Efficient communication can make a job 10x times easier.
When I started I didn’t know the right approach to take and how to interact with the client.
Your job is to communicate clearly, leaving little room for misunderstanding and confusion.
If there are any doubts or something is not clear. Write back and discuss it.
With my first orders, I was so clueless that once I’d received the script I’d get straight to recording as soon as possible.
Once I’d send the final recording the client would come back to me saying that they wanted a more upbeat sounding voice. Or that they needed the audio to be split into separate files.
To avoid any further issues I prepared a list of questions the client has to answer to before submitting the order. In that way, I get to understand the target audience, their desired delivery tone, and so on.
Optimize your workload and work smart not hard.
Communicate now so you don’t regret later the revisions you have to tackle.
Deliver
On Fiverr you will be rated on three things:
- Seller communication level
- Recommend to a friend
- Service as described
If you offer a nice experience to the buyer and the final product is as described there is no doubt you will get a 5-star review.
When you’re just getting started that is where the focus is.
Try to work on your delivery time and communication. I’ve actually had a lot of returning buyers from previous projects I’ve done.
Once they’ve seen the quality you provided and your professionalism they are more than likely to order from you again and use your services.
Earnings
Now the sad part about freelancing on the platform is that you do not get paid exactly the price you charge for. Fiverr charges a 20% commission from every order you completed.
It was a bit discouraging seeing that I was already working at a minimum rate and Fiverr would take a cut from my earnings.
It makes sense for it’s a platform that is free and offers a marketplace for buyers and sellers.
If you are in demand and have clients approaching you then it can be a profitable source of income. Not so much the case when you are just starting, it can still make for a small side income.
Closing Thoughts
Freelancing is not an easy job. There are some perks to it, but it also requires effort and time to get results coming in.
Getting started can be intimidating but if you are serious about it, there is a high chance you will receive visible returns as well.
I hope you’ve learned something useful for yourself and leave with a better understanding of the Fiverr marketplace and freelancing.
Best of luck!
