what is fiver ?
The idea behind Fiverr is simple: buy individual services from freelancers for $5 (or at least from $5).
Thus, instead of hiring a freelancer, you are buying a service the freelancer provides. This essentially turns freelancing from a service into a product.
For example, if you wanted to get an article written without Fiverr, you’d first go to a freelancing platform and put up an ad. Freelancers would submit their proposals and you’d choose the best among them.
On Fiverr, the process is reversed. Freelancers tell you
It’s great if you don’t want to go through the trouble of putting up ads, trying out different freelancers, and finding the right one. We can’t recommend it enough for quick tasks that would normally take you hours through the DIY route.
There’s one more thing you should know about Fiverr, and that’s the upsell system and how they might get more than $5 out of you (Spoiler: I spent up to $200 on a single gig once).
The Fiverr Upsell System
When Fiverr was first introduced, it was a simple platform where people could sell their services for $5.
Over time, as Fiverr matured, freelancers and buyers started demanding more work and better pay.
To meet these demands while still maintaining the “$5 for anything” concept, Fiverr introduced an upsell system.
It works this way:
- Freelancers offer a simple service for $5 (example: logo design)
- Freelancers then offer additional services for higher prices. For example, a logo designer might offer faster delivery for an extra $5, or sell a bundle of social media covers + logos for another $20.
- Buyers can buy just the simple $5 gig, or they can buy the $5 gig + gig extras.
It’s a great system for freelancers to make more money, and for buyers to get better work from trusted providers.
That’s also one of the best examples of tripwire deployment out there. You can hire anyone for just $5 but there are immediate up sales that
Back when Fiverr was first launched, a number of businesses copied the model and built similar platforms for different price points (‘Tennerr’ for $10 gigs, ‘Fifteenerr’ for $15 gigs, etc.). Most of these were unsuccessful and are now out of business.
However, a number of alternatives continue to thrive. Some of these are:
How To Recognize A Great Gig On Fiverr?
As with every freelancing platform, there are plenty of scammers, spammers and low quality providers on Fiverr.
The key to finding good gigs is to take advantage of the tools Fiverr offers and to trust your instincts.
Star Ratings And Reviews
Fiverr gives buyers a chance to review and rate sellers after delivery. Ratings are out of 5 and reviews are generally short, one-sentence long.
It’s important to remember that this isn’t Amazon. Standards on Fiverr aren’t exactly high and people will often give 5-star ratings to low quality providers. After all, you can’t be too demanding when you’re just paying $5.
So take all ratings and reviews with a pinch of salt. If it’s anything below 4.5, you probably want to stay away from it.
Also pay attention to the most critical reviews (sort by ‘Negative Reviews’) as these usually provide a more accurate picture of the worst-case scenario.
Work Samples
Sellers can attach samples of their work with their gig ads. This gives you an idea of the provider’s skill-level and quality.
Once again, take these with a pinch of salt. Sellers will only include their best work in their samples, and it may not always be reflective of actual quality.
When you look at a sample, ask yourself: is this something that will look good on my site? Will it add value to my readers? Will it make my brand look better?
If the answer is ‘No’ (and it often is), you probably want to look elsewhere.
And as always, trust your guts
Keep these points in mind and you won’t burn yourself with poor quality gigs.
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