Earning money on the Internet: That sounds like a dream. You can do just that via the freelancer platform Fiverr - but the competition is fierce! In this article, you'll learn 7 tips from a successful Fiverr freelancer that you can use to assert yourself and become successful on the platform.

Earning money online is one of the many great things that digitalization and the 21st century have to offer. You don't need an office, a master's degree or a big budget. All you need to earn money online is passion, discipline and a creative streak.

Life as a freelancer is therefore becoming increasingly popular. Just open your laptop and off you go. In reality, however, it's not that easy to earn extra money online. Before it really gets going, you have to deal with issues such as acquisition, customer communication and order planning.

Many people give up early on if they burn their fingers during their first attempts at cold calling or completely lose track of things due to a lack of experience in the maze of orders and customers.

If you want to get started as a freelancer despite these obstacles, sooner or later you will come across service provider platforms. What is that? It's simple: imagine an online marketplace like Amazon. The only difference is that the providers here don't sell products for shipping, but their services such as logo design, video editing, website programming and much more.

Fiverr: Your entry into the freelancer:inside existence

One of the most popular of these platforms is Fiverr. Founded in Israel in 2010, Fiverr was primarily popular in North America and Asia for a long time. However, the freelancer exchange is now also becoming increasingly popular in Europe. More than 3.8 million active buyers worldwide can be found on Fiverr(as of March 31, 2021). 

The platform was initially known for its low prices. Even today, services of all kinds start at five dollars, hence the name "Five(rr)". However, there are now also much higher-priced offers and services that private individuals and companies can take advantage of.

If you want to be successful on Fiverr and earn extra money as a freelancer, there are a few things to keep in mind. After all, the competition is huge and, between you and me, it can be frustrating if you've set up your account full of anticipation and no jobs come in for days.

As a Fiverr copywriter, I've been active on the platform for a long time now and have had many valuable experiences (and mistakes) that you can learn from.

In this article, I would like to give you my 7 tips on how to get started on Fiverr.

Tip 1: The right profile

Your journey on Fiverr starts with your profile. When you register, you have to answer a few questions about yourself and your business. You also have the opportunity to define your appearance on Fiverr, i.e. what potential buyers will see of you later.

This includes profile picture, profile description and other useful information (we will come to this at the end of Tip 1).

Profile picture

An authentic profile picture is extremely important to radiate seriousness. It will be displayed on your profile page as well as on every offer page you have.

High-quality portrait photos and pictures that show you "in action" work particularly well. If you offer photography, for example, a photo where you can be seen with your camera is recommended.

In this way, you signal competence and authenticity. In addition, a real photo of you instead of a logo is ideal for establishing a personal and familiar basis with prospective customers right from the start.

Once you have taken the perfect photo or had it taken, make sure that the image is of high quality and not pixelated or blurred. You also need to pay attention to the correct format: Fiverr specifies a 1:1 format, so the photo must be square. In addition, the minimum width and height must be 250 pixels.

Profile description

Next comes the profile description. This is about emphasizing your expertise, but also telling something about yourself.

People like to work with interesting personalities. Try to answer the following questions as concisely as possible in your description text:

• What is your name?
• How did you get into what you do? (Design, photography, whatever applies to you)
• What do you enjoy most about your work?
• How can you help someone with your skills?
• What values and virtues are particularly important to you at work? (Perfectionism, precision, punctuality, etc.)

Spend more time on your profile description until you have succeeded in answering these questions in a fluent text. Don't underestimate the importance of the profile description. It is the equivalent of a product description on Amazon, except that on Fiverr you are not offering a product, but your work.

Once you've done that, you'll have an attractive description of yourself that attracts attention, exudes professionalism and highlights your skills.

Further useful information

Profile picture and description? Great! You've already taken the most important steps in creating a serious profile.

Fiverr also offers you other ways to share more about yourself on your profile:

• Languages: Here you specify which languages you speak and at what level. This is important because the majority of buyers on Fiverr are international. The more language skills you have, the better. English and German are a good start.
• Completed tests: Fiverr now offers tests that you can take free of charge. They are available for a wide range of specialist areas (graphic design, marketing, content writing). With a positive result, you can enhance your profile.
• Linked accounts: Are you active on Facebook, Github or Twitter and have a good reputation there? Linking your account here is an ideal reference.
• Skills: This is where you define your skills (Fiverr suggests ready-made titles) and your experience level (Beginner, Intermediate, Expert). This gives potential customers an impression of your skills.
• Education: Have you successfully completed a degree or apprenticeship? You can record this under this point.
• Certificates: The last piece of the puzzle is certificates. For example, if you have taken part in certified IHK courses or Google Future Workshop courses, you can list this in this column.

The more complete and detailed you work on these points, the more serious and professional your Fiverr profile will appear. As a result, your chances of actually generating orders from viewers of your profile also increase.

Tip 2: The perfect gig

You have now created your profile. The second step is to create the gigs, which is what Fiverr calls the service listings. When developing your gigs, it is important to pay attention to certain quality factors. The basic points here are the title, the description and the photo of the gig.

Gig title

Every gig title on Fiverr starts with the two words "I will". Time and again you see people who don't understand this. You come across titles like: "I will I will place your Facebook ads". You can imagine that this is dubious and no one will click on this gig, no matter how appealing the profile or the offer is.

Avoid this mistake at all costs and develop a title that forms a fluent English sentence with the initial words. Consider the following factors for a successful title:

• Concise (not too long)
• Hook (catchword that attracts attention)
• Addresses the need directly (What do you offer?)

If you work in marketing and Facebook Ads, your title could be something like this:

"I will create your gamechanging facebook ads strategy".

Gig photo

The title and the photo are the first things people will see of your gig. So make sure your gig photo is clean and has a modern design. Pay attention to the following factors for a successful image:

• Little and concise text
• Pattern Outbreak: Develop an eye-catching design that draws attention when scrolling
• Authenticity: Illustrate your connection with the offer (e.g. camera as a picture element for the photography section)
• Correct format: 1100 x 740 pixels
• No clickbait
• Avoid copying other users

Gig description

If you manage to convince people with your photo and title, you will also get people to click on your gig. Now it's essential that this stream of visitors doesn't come to nothing, but is actually converted into orders for you.

The most important factor here is the description of your gig. It gives you the opportunity to explain to interested parties exactly why you are the right person for the job.

Note the following factors for a successful description:

• No text deserts (write concisely and use paragraphs)
• Explain the problem (that you can solve) and address the pain point
• How can you solve the problem?
• What is your promise? (Professionalism, reliability, punctuality, diligence, etc.)

With these guidelines, you are guaranteed to create an irresistible description. If you have problems with this, don't despair! Take a few hours to do it. The description is so important that it will definitely be worth it.

Tip 3: Get your first orders

Optimizing your gig and profile are the foundation for your success on Fiverr. Unfortunately, this doesn't guarantee that you'll get lots of jobs quickly - the competition on the platform is simply far too great for that.

The Fiverr algorithm first has to get to know you, so to speak. The best way to do this is through positive customer experiences and good reviews. But how can you do this if you're not generating any orders yet?

There are a few "shortcuts" to your first orders and reviews that will help you get your Fiverr profile rolling. These include "buyer requests" and existing customers, as well as a little annoying thing that everyone has to go through at the beginning of the Fiverr journey: "selling below value".

Buyer Requests

Buyer Requests are a great way to get jobs on Fiverr, even if you're a blank slate. Here you can find people who have posted a specific, individual job.

Anyone who offers services in this area can apply for this job. The more convincing your application and your offer, the more likely it is that you will be accepted.

You can send out ten such applications every day. I strongly recommend that you make full use of these ten daily applications at the beginning! If you make an effort and keep at it consistently, you are guaranteed to get a job sooner or later.

Inventory customers 

If you already have customers outside of Fiverr, it's worth offering them the opportunity to place a one-off order via Fiverr. On the one hand, you will receive a rating for your profile and Fiverr will also register for the first time that you offer good services.

Sell yourself short

It may sound a bit strange, but on closer inspection it really is an important lesson that many Fiverrs have had to learn painfully.

You often see newcomers on the platform who have no reviews and hardly any references, but still offer services in the three-digit price segment. The likelihood of someone taking up such an offer is really negligible due to the huge range on Fiverr.

You will therefore have to forgo a high hourly wage at the beginning - even if you already have a wealth of experience in your field. It's advisable to have a few gigs where you start with the cheapest package at 5 dollars. This increases the potential that someone will click on your gig and buy.

The more reviews you have collected and reputation you have built up on Fiverr, the higher you can set your prices. If people see that you consistently offer high-quality services and numerous buyers have already had positive experiences with you, they will be willing to pay more.

Tip 4: Make your profile irresistible

You've already invested hours in creating your profile, gigs, description texts and photos and there are still no orders? Then don't despair, it may well take a few weeks before you get your act together.

The positive thing is that you can do something to make your profile truly irresistible. Fiverr still has a fairly new offering called "Learn from Fiverr". There are numerous courses in the areas of marketing, graphic design, programming, Photoshop, copywriting, business and photography.

The video courses were designed and conducted by extremely experienced personalities from the respective fields. The cool thing is that you earn badges by completing these courses, which are then placed very aesthetically on your profile and clearly indicate your expertise in a field.

The courses not only enhance your profile, they can also provide you with practical knowledge. All courses are produced to a high standard by experts and have a coherent content plan.

The only catch: the courses are subject to a fee. However, they are already available extremely cheaply. In some cases, you can purchase a one- or two-hour course for 30 dollars (25 euros). An investment that is guaranteed to pay off!

Tip 5: Returning customers thanks to 1A service

If the orders gradually trickle in, you must do everything you can to retain these customers in the long term. This will enable you to gradually build up a secure and predictable order volume.

The potential for this is huge: companies looking for freelancers on Fiverr don't want to find a new person every week. If they have had a good experience with you and there is a basis of trust, you can be sure that they will come back to you when they need something.

Good service on Fiverr is defined above all by communication, leniency and quality.

Communication

Good communication is not only a basic component of good service on Fiverr, but also outside of the platforms. Imagine you have a business and you work with service providers to bring your projects forward, which you work on with a lot of passion and dedication. Would you always want to be kept up to date and know what progress is being made?

From experience, I can assure you that the vast majority of buyers on Fiverr really appreciate receiving regular status updates. This lets your customers know that something is happening, that the order is being processed and that you are currently working on a solution to their problem.

If there are complications and you can't deliver on time, communication is key. Let them know in good time that it will take longer, ask for forgiveness and explain the delay. The best way to make amends is to offer a discount on the next order or an additional service free of charge.

In such cases, the right communication is the key to providing a positive customer experience after all and even getting a good rating. Honesty and sincerity are just as important as high quality.

Quality

Speaking of quality: Of course you also have to deliver according to the presentation of your profile and gig. Even the best communication won't keep customers coming back if the result isn't satisfactory.

Therefore, always work carefully and precisely and, if you are unsure, ask again and have a requirement explained to you. It is important that you really deliver what the customer has in mind.

It is better to ask too many questions than too few.

Indulgence

There are people who are inexperienced and are starting out as freelancers on Fiverr. There are also those who are buying on Fiverr for the first time and have no experience of the usual processes.

So be prepared for the following pitfalls:

• Requirements are incompletely filled in
• Requirements are not clearly formulated
• Unrealistic requirements that go beyond the offer

In such a case, it is very important to remain calm and show forbearance. Take the initiative and start communicating. Explain nicely and professionally what information you are still missing so that you can offer the best possible service.

This courteous manner is not a matter of course and is usually gratefully accepted and rewarded.

For example, if you try to work on the order somehow despite poor briefing, the result will most likely be something that the customer does not want. Disputes and discussions are then inevitable.

Therefore, always be lenient and patient when dealing with customers and gather all the information you need to get started with the work.

Tip 6: Go the extra mile!

Do you know what's really great? Getting something as a gift. We are all happy when we receive a gift from family or friends. In business, where all services are usually paid for, it is therefore even more extraordinary to receive an unexpected gift.

If you really want to be successful on Fiverr and are aiming for a long-term career there, this tip is extremely important. Because this is undoubtedly the best way to inspire people and get them to notice you.

In concrete terms, this means that you receive an order with a clear scope and requirements. Once you have done your duty, think about how you could help the customer even further and prepare a "treat" that exceeds expectations.

An example: You are a graphic designer and receive an order to create a logo. Once you have created the logo, you can research whether the client is represented on social networks, such as Instagram. Designing highlight icons that match the logo and massively enhance the Instagram profile is an ideal bonus, for example.

If you write texts and are commissioned to write a blog article, it's a good idea to proofread other website texts and correct spelling mistakes. No matter what domain you work in, there is always a way to give your customers a gift. Be creative! It will be rewarded.

Tip 7: Patience and discipline pay off

I would like to leave you with one final thought: Many people give up quickly on Fiverr because they don't get an order for a few weeks, have already invested a lot of time and the desired orders just don't come in anyway.

This first phase, in which you have to work hard for every order and every review, is the most important. The key here is to keep at it and be patient. If you do everything you can to reach your goals on Fiverr, sooner or later success will come and the knot will burst.

If you lose track of things in your dashboard at some point because the orders come flying in, you may even long for those "less complicated" times.

You now have the best conditions to start your Fiverr adventure with confidence and anticipation - you'll enjoy it!