Find Freelance Freedom on Fiverr
An estimated 34% of the national workforce now freelances. Flexibility and earning potential are two of the biggest reasons workers decide to go solo.
But where are 53 million workers who freelances finding work? The short answer is, all over the place.
Some freelancers apply directly to contract positions found on places like Indeed and niche job boards. Others use social media marketing and referrals to build up a client roster. And still, many more use popular freelance marketplaces to find gigs and micro jobs.
The Rise of Freelance Marketplaces
With 1 in 3 workers now freelancing, marketplaces have soared in popularity in recent years. These websites act as middlemen helping connect clients with freelancers. Many of these platforms, like Upwork, Guru, and Freelancer, operate on a proposal system where freelancers bid against one another in order to land gigs posted by clients.
But in a sea of similar sites, where freelancers fight against each other for jobs, one stands out as a place for freelancers to showcase their talents and have clients come to them: Fiverr.
As the largest freelance marketplace with unbeatable value, Fiverr is the go-to place to get things done.
Freelance Success on Fiverr
Launched in February 2010, Fiverr hosts millions of gigs that start at just five bucks (hence the name). If you’ve been thinking of freelancing, Fiverr is the place to start.
With categories like Online Marketing, Writing & Translation, and even Fun & Bizarre, you can sell just about anything on Fiverr. The best part? Fiverr encourages sellers to share their passion with the world (and get paid for it!).
Set Up Shop
Getting started on Fiverr couldn’t be simpler. Sign up with your email address (you can also connect with Facebook or Google), choose a username, password, and activate your account. That’s it.You don’t have to pay to start selling on Fiverr and there’s never any hidden fees.
The kinds of gigs you sell are up to you, but you have to offer at least one basic gig. All basic gigs are priced at just $5.00 (Fiverr takes one dollar, or 20%, of a basic five-dollar gig). Sellers can make more when they offer add-ons to their basic gigs like super fast turnaround times or stock images.
Four Fiverr Top-Rated Sellers Share Their Success Stories
Think you can’t make a living on a site that offers unbeatably priced gigs starting at $5.00? Think again. Fiverr really is a marketplace for sellers to achieve financial independence doing the things they love.
Not only are sellers earning a living, they are finding truly amazing freelance success on Fiverr. Still not convinced? Read on. Four Top-Rated sellers share their stories of success and practical advice to help new sellers earn money on their own terms.
Redd Horrocks, Voiceover Artist, Fiverr Top Rated Seller
Redd lives in Las Vegas and makes a full-time living through Fiverr. She left her day job with the circus to pursue her passion: Voiceover work. Thanks to her work on Fiverr, she’s been able to pay off thousands in credit card debt and has even put a down payment on a house. If that wasn’t enough, she makes over six figures a year selling gigs on Fiverr and is the sole breadwinner for her family.
As a Top Rated Seller, it’s easy to see how Redd has achieved six-figure success: Her commitment to customers.
Providing amazing work paired with second-to-none customer service keeps her customers happy, gives her repeat business, referrals, and has earned her some of the best feedback on Fiverr. Her secret?
“A deadline for a project is a promise you’ve made to a client. Do your best to keep the promises you make. Be realistic about how much work you can handle and be sure to set your delivery time to correlate to that. Delivering early is better than delivering late!”
If you’re ready to pursue your passion, like Redd, Fiverr opens up your services to millions of clients around the world. You can choose from more than 100 categories to sell in and get started in less than five minutes. To help you achieve success, Redd offers this advice to new Fiverr sellers:
Remember to show people that you are a real person, as building a connection with clients is the best way to secure repeat business.
Brooke, Short Story Writer, Fiverr Top-Rated Seller
At 67 years old, Brooke is a great example of how freelancing can help you meet your financial needs. By selling on Fiverr, Brooke is able to supplement his Social Security income each and every month doing something he enjoys. He writes short stories and sells them for $30-40 each. Selling part-time on Fiverr gives him an extra income of $10,000 a year!
Linnea, Voiceover Artist, Fiverr Top-Rated Seller
Linnea moved to New York when she was just 14 years old to follow her dreams of becoming an actress. To help make ends meet while pursuing an acting career, she started selling full time on Fiverr. Her voice over gigs have netted her more than $200,000 since she started selling. Thanks to Fiverr’s flexibility, she gets to pursue her passion while earning a very good income.
One of the most effective ways to start selling gigs is to use your seller’s page to make yourself stand out. Fortunately, you don’t have to look very far to find an affordable way to showcase your services. To give yourself an initial boost, Linnea suggests:
Utilize other Fiverr sellers when you’re creating your gig, whether that be a video creator, a copywriter, or graphic designer. It can really spruce up your page and make it look more professional.”
Tracey Freese, SEO, Business Copywriting, Blog Mentions, Fiverr Top-Rated Seller
Tracy has been selling on Fiverr since March of 2014. The bulk of her Fiverr business comes through custom orders. She stays so busy selling on Fiverr that she frequently has to put herself on vacation in order to keep orders from pouring in!
With over 1200 positive reviews, Tracy knows what it takes to provide exceptional customer service along with amazing work. But that doesn’t mean it’s always been easy being a successful solopreneur. Tracy cites customer service as one of the difficulties of getting established on Fiverr:
I have built a book of clients that are professional and highly respectful today, but at the beginning of my Fiverr seller tenure, the stress of a gig gone bad was painful. I would remind myself that if I was running a flower shop locally, there would always been unhappy customers. Poor customer experiences are the cost of doing business.
Her ability to spot potentially difficult customer service situations and strategy of pricing her services above what spammers will pay, has gone a long way in avoiding negative feedback altogether. When it does happen, she takes it in stride and stands by her work.
Sometimes this means having to take negative feedback and respond appropriately. Fiverr’s feedback system allows sellers to respond to feedback left by buyers. When worded correctly, the seller’s response can often outweigh clearly unreasonable feedback by a buyer.
Tracy’s advice for anyone thinking of selling on Fiverr?
“Do it! There is no other freelancing platform like Fiverr. Fiverr.com is a zero-barrier-to-entry business model. I got started in an afternoon and closed 200 gigs in my first 30 days. I assure you, the demand is available if you are willing to put in the time and create an appealing seller profile. Buyers don’t want supermodels on the other end of the transaction, they just want to know you are real, so film a video and tell the world how awesome your talents are!”[divider]
Feeling inspired? Head on over to Fiverr to start selling today. With zero startup cost and a platform that puts sellers in charge of their services, Fiverr makes it easier than ever to enter the freelance scene doing the things you love on your own terms. You can also check out The Fiverr Master Class: The Fiverr Secrets Of Six Power Sellers That Enable You To Work From Home to get kick off your freelance career and get a head start on becoming a Top Rated Seller.
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Hi Ashlee,
Thanks for showing us how to get started on Fiverr. I haven’t signed up just yet but your post did motivate me to set some time aside and look into it.
It was good to read what others had to say about their success. Passing this along.
Hope you’re having a great week!
Cori
Thanks Corina! The Top Rated Sellers’ stories sure are inspiring. It’s great to see how so many from different walks of life can find success doing the things they love 🙂