Fiverr is an online marketplace where writers, designers, video editors, and other creatives can find clients looking for specific — and sometimes out-of-the-ordinary — services. Sellers list everything from tarot card reading, spell casting, and online dating profile writing to app development, music transcription, logo design, blog writing, and beyond on the Fiverr platform. Perhaps there is a niche there for you, too?
Here’s how Fiverr works and how you can use this platform to grow your side hustle.
Fiverr pros and cons
- Easy to set up a seller profile
- Buyers come to you
- Set your own prices
- Lots of competition
- Can be tough for new sellers to break in
What is Fiverr?
Fiverr is an online marketplace where businesses and individuals can shop for services provided by freelancers in the same way you would browse a site like Amazon for products. It was founded in 2010 by a pair of entrepreneurs. Their aim was to create an e-commerce platform that provides buyers with information and tools to select freelancers (referred to as sellers) and handle payment quickly and easily.
Since its launch, Fiverr’s buyers and sellers have conducted more than 50 million transactions through the site. There are hundreds of categories of services offered, with more added regularly to meet demand. Sellers can offer their services to a global market, and buyers have a large variety of services to choose from.
How does Fiverr work?
As a Seller, Fiverr allows you to create a profile for the services, called gigs, that you currently offer. Your gigs are categorized and added to listings of available services for buyers to browse or search. If a buyer is interested in what you have to offer, they can contact you directly and you can close the sale.
Once you and a buyer agree on terms, you complete the work and provide the final product to the buyer. Payment is made directly through the platform, with Fiverr taking 20% of each sale you make as a service fee. You can transfer money from your Fiverr account to a special debit card, Paypal, bank transfer, or Payoneer account.
Who can use Fiverr?
So long as the services offered are legal and comply with site policies, anyone can use Fiverr to make money. There is a huge variety of service categories to choose from, and you control how much time and effort you want to put into selling your gigs. That makes this a great platform if you’re looking for a side gig. Many people who freelance full-time use Fiverr to grow their businesses.
Fiverr may give you a skills test before allowing you to post gigs in some categories. They do this to ensure that you can deliver a quality product to buyers.
How much can you earn with Fiverr?
As a seller, you can earn as much or as little as you want through Fiverr. It all depends on how much time you put into building a strong profile, crafting persuasive gig offers, and marketing yourself.
Finding the right price points for your services is also a key factor in finding ways to make money on the platform. As you close sales and get positive reviews, you can rise through Fiverr’s ranking system, which opens new opportunities for adding and promoting gigs.
Some people can make a full-time living through Fiverr, and there are many stories of sellers earning six figures a year from the gigs they offer. Though that income level isn’t the norm for most sellers, it demonstrates the potential to make some significant cash from selling your services.
How you’ll get paid
Getting paid through Fiverr is easy. The company places a hold on accessing funds in your account for about 14 days; when your money becomes available, you can collect through PayPal, direct deposit, bank transfer, or a special Mastercard issued by Fiverr that can be used for shopping or ATMs.
How to make money with Fiverr
There are a few tips to earn more from your Fiverr gigs.
Add extras: Fiverr recommends adding extra services to your gig whenever possible, such as including the raw file for a photo or offering a rush job. These are little upsells that can increase what you earn for a particular service.
Go Pro: Another thing you can do is apply to be a verified Fiverr Pro. Fiverr Pro freelancers are specially vetted by Fiverr to provide top-quality work. To be approved, Fiverr will ask for an in-depth application that is manually reviewed to assess how much professional experience you have in a given category and whether or not you can provide buyers a higher caliber of service.
If you are approved as a Fiverr Pro seller, you will be connected with a new category of buyers who are looking for high-quality, professional services. Usually, these services will call for a higher price tag than you might find operating with a standard Fiverr account. You also get more visibility on the platform, which can lead to more inquiries and job requests.
How to get good reviews on Fiverr
The best way to get great Fiverr reviews is to provide excellent customer service and communication. Having high customer ratings is important for attracting new customers on Fiverr, as well as for rising through the ranking system that gives you more opportunities to be seen and sell your services.
Responding quickly to customer messages and requests is a good way to start building a positive reputation on the platform. Working with your customers and delivering high-quality products that fit their needs is also essential. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to rate your profile after a project. The more positive ratings you get, the better.
How to sign up for Fiverr
Visit Fiverr to get started selling. From there, follow the prompts to establish a profile. Take some time to read through the information provided and write powerful, persuasive descriptions of your services and experience. Add a photo and any social network profiles you want to share professionally.
Once your profile is complete, you can move on to creating gigs. You can also take a variety of tests that show you know your stuff in a particular skill category. The tests you pass will be added to your profile.
Alternatives to Fiverr
If you’re interested in that freelance life, there are other places you can connect with potential clients.
- Upwork: Upwork is a popular alternative to Fiverr where freelancers can market their services and be paid securely. On Upwork, freelancers bid for gigs instead of setting one price.
- Toptal: Another freelancer platform connecting you to paying clients is Toptal. Toptal aims to connect companies with the top trusted freelancers in a particular industry, including developers, designers and marketing experts.
- LinkedIn: If you’re looking for clients in the corporate world, many of them are hanging out on LinkedIn. You can search for jobs and posts where people are looking to hire on a short-term, freelance or temporary basis.
Other side hustles to consider
If you’re not really feeling the creative and digital service side hustles, there are lots of other possibilities out there for earning extra cash. Here are a few of the best side hustles to think about:
- Hang out with pets and kids: There is a lot of demand for people who need someone to walk their dogs, feed pets while on vacation, and take care of kids on date night. Thanks to websites like Rover.com, Care.com, and Petsitter.com, you could be the one to provide those services.
- Make deliveries: The delivery side hustle is a very popular way to earn extra cash. You could use your car to make some bucks by delivering food for DoorDash, Postmates, GrubHub, UberEats, and other services.
- Take surveys: Survey Junkie will pay you to sit on your couch and answer questions on your laptop. You can collect cash or gift cards for your efforts and never have to change out of your pajamas!
FAQs
How do I succeed with Fiverr?
Check out Fiverr’s free online course to learn how to write descriptions that catch attention, choose the right images for your gigs, convert prospects into customers, manage projects, and deliver products that make buyers want to leave rave reviews about and come back to you for more jobs. The course also shows you how to use the platform’s tools to your advantage and use Fiverr to build a successful freelance business.
Does Fiverr pay well?
You set the prices you want to charge for each gig you list on Fiverr. Keeping in mind that Fiverr will only release 80% of a project payment to you, you can play around with pricing that results in the right balance between what buyers will pay and what you need to make a good profit.
Is Fiverr or Upwork better?
It really depends on how you like to work and which fees make more sense for the business you get. Upstart allows you to shop around for jobs, then submit a proposal for consideration by the buyer. With Fiverr, buyers search for people who can provide the services they need, so your customers come to you, rather than you going after them.
Both platforms offer payment and project management tools. Fiverr’s service fees are a flat 20% of what a buyer pays you for a completed gig. Upwork charges freelancers a 10% freelancer fee for completed jobs.
Is Fiverr good for freelancers?
Fiverr is designed for freelancers to connect with businesses looking for their services.
Bottom line
Whether you want to launch a new freelancing career or simply pick up a little extra cash now and then, Fiverr can connect you with clients who are ready to hire you. We think it’s a platform worth checking out, but you’ll need to put some effort into optimizing your profile and marketing yourself if you want to stand out among the competition.