How to Sell on Fiverr - the Definitive Guide for Anyone Wanting to Start a Gig Business

Our guide explains everything you need to know about listing services on Fiverr, how much you'll be paid and how to maximize income streams from the popular freelance platform

Updated 14 September 2020

​Ask any business owner what they need, and they’ll say ‘time and money.’ They don’t have enough of either these days so many turn to outsourcing. Fiverr is benefiting from this trend as business owners increasingly turn to freelancers in the gig economy while shying away from established companies with a larger cost base. They want experts offering services on their own terms that can work with business owners and deliver in a more efficient manner with less back and forth.

Fiverr is one of the largest freelancer platforms that brings together buyers and sellers. Originally named Fiverr because it only allowed sellers to charge $5 for a gig, it is a much different platform today that’s great for buyers and sellers. Sellers name the terms for their gigs, customizing them and offering add-ons charging as much as hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars for larger projects.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more companies are looking for ways to outsource some of their most important tasks. If you can offer those services, there’s an audience waiting for you. In this guide we outline everything you need to know about listing your services on the Fiverr platform. We cover:

• Is Fiverr Safe for Sellers?
• ​How to Become a Fiverr Seller in Four Steps
• Selling on Fiverr - Frequently Asked Questions
• How to Increase your Sales on Fiverr
• Concluding Comments

Disclaimer: MoneyHub frequently engages Fiverr professionals to deliver specific tasks that we cannot perform in-house. Our 'Fiverr Customer Guide', listed below, is published to help prospective Fiverr professionals to maximize their potential revenue from this paid-on-delivery service. We have no relationship with Fiverr.com other than being a customer of the marketplace.

Know This First: Is Fiverr Safe for Sellers?

Getting scammed is a threat for any freelancer, but there is next to zero chance of this occurring via Fiverr. In a nutshell, Fiverr protects both buyers and sellers. If you’re an honest seller (you deliver the work as promised, and have proof of your conversations and work delivered), Fiverr’s 'Trust and Safety' Team will always work with you and the buyer to achieve a resolution.

However, if you aren’t honest and Fiverr and/or the buyer can prove it, you won’t get scammed, but you will be responsible for paying the buyer back for any services not delivered.

The better service you provide, the higher you’ll rank as a seller on Fiverr. All sellers start with the ‘seller’ ranking, but with great service, you can work your way up through different levels:

Level 1 Seller Requirements:

• Be a seller for 60 days
• Have at least 10 completed orders
• Earn $400 or more
• Have at least a 4.7-star rating
• Have a 90% or higher response rating (how fast you respond to messages)
• Have at least a 90% completion rating (not cancelling orders)
• 90% on-time delivery 
• You didn’t receive any warnings from Fiverr in the last 30 days

 
Level 2 Seller Requirements:

• Be a seller for at least 120 days
• Have at least 50 completed orders
• Earn $2,000 or more
• Have at least a 4.7-star rating
• Have a 90% or higher response rating (how fast you respond to messages)
• Have at least a 90% completion rating (not cancelling orders)
• 90% on-time delivery 
• You didn’t receive any warnings from Fiverr in the last 30 days

​How to Become a Fiverr Seller in Four Steps

Signing up to Fiverr is easy, and anyone can become a seller with these steps:

​Create your profile

This is the first thing buyers will see about you. Make it professional and engaging. Remember, you’re likely competing with hundreds (or more) of sellers just like you. Figure out how to stand out. Look up keywords in your chosen industry and use them appropriately. Buyers use keywords to search for services, optimizing your profile helps you show up in their search.

Create your gig

Now it’s time to show off what you can do—creating a gig that offers value-added services. For example, if you’ll offer freelance writing services, what niche do you prefer? If you advertise yourself as a ‘writer’ you’re going to get less traffic than if you market yourself as a ‘health and beauty writer’ for example. 
 
Niche down as much as possible to get the attention of your target audience. New sellers may have up to 7 gigs, so you can have more than one gig in different niches available.

Create packages

​Give your audience choices by offering packages. Fiverr allows up to 3 packages per gig. This is a great way to increase sales. For example, if you offer freelance writing services, offer three packages, each with a different word count and/or the number of keywords. You can also offer the same word count for each package, but increase the services offered, such as posting to their blog or including keyword research.

Accelerate your appeal to potential clients

​Like anything else, it takes time to get your first gig on Fiverr, but there are a few ways you can speed things up:

1. Make an attractive listing.  You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Optimize your listing with the right keywords, images, and descriptions. Give buyers a reason to click on your gig and message you.
   
2. Price it right. Look around at your competition. What do they charge for the same services? Don’t undersell yourself, but don’t charge so much that buyers can go elsewhere. Offer value for the prices you charge.
   
3. Figure out how to stand out. If you’re offering a gig in a ‘hot’ industry, figure out how to stand out. What can you offer that others aren’t? Look for the pain points buyers have that others aren’t filling and fill it. Show the value in your description. 
   
4. Create a video introduction. Buyers love videos – it’s less for them to read and more for them to interact with. They feel like they know you better when they see the ‘real you’ in a video. Use your keywords throughout your video and show buyers what value you offer.
   
5. Respond to messages quickly. When buyers message you, they’re probably messaging other sellers too. The seller with the fastest (and best) response usually wins.

MoneyHub Founder Christopher Walsh comments:

• Our team uses Fiverr often, and it's incredible how many typos we see in gig descriptions. We never engage with any listing that lacks a grammar check, has limited descriptions, raises more questions than it answers, or lacks a depth of reviews. 
• The best way to get ahead is to have someone else look at your gig's sales copy and make sure it's clear. It's also important to have a FAQ section and chase up your first buyers for reviews. This helps build trust with your audience.

Selling on Fiverr - Frequently Asked Questions

How do Sellers get Paid on Fiverr?

• Fiverr collects funds from buyers when they place the order. Fiverr holds onto the funds until you deliver the order AND the buyer accepts it.
  
• Buyers have three days to accept the order otherwise Fiverr automatically completes the order, but funds remain in a pending status for 14 days after completion. This allows Fiverr enough processing time and the buyer enough time to ensure the work is satisfactory.
  
• At the end of 14 days, the funds are ‘clear’, and you may withdraw them. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fiverr does offer an ‘early payout’ option for some sellers too.

What Percentage Does Fiverr Take from Sellers?

• Fiverr handles all the administrative work between buyers and sellers. When someone buys your gig, they pay Fiverr, and Fiverr holds onto the funds until you deliver the promised goods or services.
  
• Once you complete the work, Fiverr gives buyers three days to review it and either accept it or request modifications. If you don’t deliver on time, the buyer can cancel the order, and Fiverr will refund the money.
  
• Fiverr also handles any disputes between buyers and sellers, as well as manages the 3 million gigs in hundreds of categories.
  
• In exchange for this administrative work, Fiverr charges a 20% fee. For example, if you charge $100 for a service, you’ll receive $80, and Fiverr keeps $20.

What Sells Best on Fiverr?

Any gig that business owners need often does well on Fiverr, but the most popular gigs include:

• Voiceovers
• Logo design
• Video explainers
• Social media management
• Freelance writing
• SEO
• Translation

If you have a skill, passion, or business idea, look around on Fiverr. See how many other sellers offer it. Go through each profile and see how many orders they have/had. You can see their activity levels and read through their reviews to see how often gigs are ordered and what buyers want.

How to Increase your Sales on Fiverr

Listing on Fiverr is easy, but having a constant stream of work takes skill and commitment. In this section we outline eight must-know ways to capitalise on your talent and build trust with prospective clients.

Make your profile professional

Buyers are often businesses looking for outsourcing. Keep your picture professional looking – not a picture of you snowboarding or hanging with friends. Take a business/professional picture. In the description, talk about your experience and why you’re a good fit for anyone looking for your services. This is your time to sell yourself, not your gigs.

Make your gig stand out

Don’t copy another seller’s description. Make your gig look worlds better than others. Let readers know exactly what they’ll get without asking you any questions. You’ll get more messages and/or orders this way. If your gig descriptions sound mundane, you’ll blend in with the crowd.

​Offer several levels (packages)

Fiverr offers the chance to set one price or three prices. If your service is one you can offer in ‘levels’ use the package setup. Start with a low package with basic services and add to it with the two higher packages. This is an easy way to upsell without doing any selling yourself – the packages do the work for you.

Offer add-ons

You may offer more services in each package. Faster delivery, more words (for writing services), more keywords (for SEO services), etc. Think about what you can add to your packages, and offer it for a price. Buyers see these options each time they order from your gig.

​Add photos if you can

If you have a gig that benefits from visuals, add more pictures to your gig. Give viewers something else to see. Logo design, web design, and art gigs are all great for this. Let buyers see an example of what you offer.

​Don’t skip the FAQ

When you create your gigs, Fiverr allows you to add an FAQ. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and answer any questions you think they’ll ask. If they have the answers they need, they’ll order. If you at least pique their interest, they’ll message you and ask more questions. Showing you are one step ahead and want to help them helps bring in more orders.

​Be as responsive as possible

Buyers looking to outsource usually want answers/work now. Answer messages quickly. This also helps your response rating, which buyers see. Try answering messages within an hour or two for the best rating.

​Offer a revision policy

You won't always be able to hit the nail on the head, and that’s okay. If you show buyers that you’re willing to work with them, fixing what didn’t meet their expectations, they’re more likely to order from you. This also helps your reviews. Each buyer may leave a review after accepting your work. If you do shoddy work, it will reflect in your reviews. Bad reviews lower your ratings on Fiverr (where you show up in search) and your potential to work on Fiverr.

MoneyHub Founder Christopher Walsh comments:

• The more you can do to reassure the prospective client, the higher chance of getting an order.
  
• Generally, clients order when they trust you can deliver. Having one or two revisions will protect the customer should the results differ to their expectation. As you grow your customer base, you can always limit the number of revisions once you've 'proved' yourself.
  
• Make sure you always communicate with buyers if you're running late or having issues - buyers depend on the timely delivery of your work. Delays happen and they're expected, so manage the buyer's expectations if that's likely to occur.

Conclusion: Is Fiverr a Good Way to Make Money?

• ​If you’re a serious seller, dedicated to your gigs and you deliver good work, our view is that Fiverr provides a sustainable and trusted way to make money.
  
• In most cases, it starts slow, but if you maximize SEO in your profile, gig descriptions, and title, you’ll show up on the important first page for each keyword.
  
• Once you get those first few orders, deliver exceptional service. Buyers may leave raving reviews, and then it snowballs from there, leaving you with a booming business without the overhead of a website and marketing, both of which take up a lot of time and money.

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