Don't just improve my Gig... LAMBASTE it!

[legacine]

Fresh start, fresh perspective.

I’m looking for as much constructive criticism as possible.

Rather than simply drop a link to my Gig, I’m going to explain my thought process for its components.

Let’s begin. < < < <

Title: ‘I Will Proofread And Copy Edit Your Writing’
I believe that ‘proofread,’ ‘edit’ and ‘writing’ are strong keywords for the ‘Writing & Translation’ category.

Tags: ‘copy editor,’ ‘editing,’ ‘editor,’ ‘proofreader,’ ‘proofreading.’
I’ve been told that tags don’t matter, but these appear to be the best and most common for a Gig like this.

Pricing: $5 per 1,000.
Standard rate. I don’t want to price myself out of the market, and as a New Seller I must prove myself anyway.

Delivery time: 4 days.
To be clear: it doesn’t take me anywhere near 4 days to proofread and/or copy edit 1,000 words, but the 4 - day delivery time is a ‘safeguard’ (albeit not a particularly good one) against instances where a Buyer orders multiple Gigs (the delivery time doesn’t automatically adjust for the multiples, as I know from experience).

Revisions: 1 free revision.
I offer a free revision on the house in the event that I make a mistake (it happens!) with my work. Unlimited revisions inevitably lead to exploitation by unscrupulous buyers; too many free revisions give the impression that you don’t really know what you’re doing as a seller. Additional revisions cost $5, which is fair.

About this Gig:

• ‘Legacine’ is a business name registered in Barbados and is a portmanteau of ‘legal’ and ‘medicine.’

• I am an actual graduate from two universities in the U.K., though I won’t specify which here.

• Barbados is a Caribbean island country; it is not now, nor has it ever been, a part of Africa. Also, Barbados has parishes, not states or parts. (I’ve received questions about this often in the past.)

• I have extensive experience with proofreading and copy editing all manner of documents, and all matters stated in the second paragraph of this section of my Gig are true and accurate. I’m always willing to prove my skills to those who ask. English is not only my native language… it’s my only language!

• The remainder of this section is standard, professional fare.

Frequently Asked Questions:
I’m not even sure if people read these, but they are there for those who do.

Conclusion:
I’m open to all suggestions, but am concerned that if I were to make any changes to the Gig, it would adversely affect its impressions, views, visibility in general, etc. (I’ve done the research and read the stories!)

The Gig’s photo is courtesy of Pexels.

[miiila]

Looks great to me. Think one tiny thing escaped you, look at “featured” in your last paragraph; regarding editing your gig - after my last edit, I waited a solid week for it to emerge again, in vain, at which point I figured it would not come back on its own at all and contacted CS, so I´d definitely suggest not waiting too long before sending a ticket to them to check and to try and “collect” changes you might want to make and only edit when it´s either enough or important enough changes to warrant editing.

If it works well like this - I see you got a couple all 5* reviews already - I guess all´s well, though you may want to try splitting the gig and leaving the one you have for proofreading and make a new one for editing, the potential benefits being:

• you can have more, different tags
• different subcategory (I think, at least) > more Buyer Requests
• less possibility of customers who book proofreading expecting editing (I remember at least one forum post where someone had trouble with that)
• you have more freedom to handle and test things like different price points, different number of words, different delivery times etc.

You could try a video (opinions on that topic differ, I don´t have one myself, so I certainly won´t blame you if you don´t 😉 ) and perhaps I´d get a really unique gig image (made) instead of the stock one (it´s a nice one, though).

Talking about gig images, you have 3 slots for images (plus 2 or 3 additional ones you can use for PDFs) and proofreading/editing lends itself very much to using images of texts you´ve proofread/edited as gig images #2 and #3 (you could make up your own text, with things to proofread/edit and upload the screenshots; as I see, and agree with, in your FAQ that you care about confidentiality, I think that´s a good solution, especially as you could make the text personal enough that it would be evident you wrote/proofread/edited it yourself and didn´t copy it from somewhere. Might be a factor when one of the more observant potential customers compares your and others’ gigs.

Well, that´s all I got; I hope there´s something useful in there, and honestly, I could just have left it at “looks great”, as it does but as a (fellow) logophile (I assume), the “lambaste” drew me in and as I was there already… mainly, I wanted to say welcome and good luck, though, so here´s a 🍀.

P. S. $5 for 1000 words is too cheap, but you know that. Hope you´ll feel like raising is a valid option soon!

[legacine]

Looks great to me. Think one tiny thing escaped you, look at “featured” in your last paragraph; regarding editing your gig - after my last edit, I waited a solid week for it to emerge again, in vain, at which point I figured it would not come back on its own at all and contacted CS, so I´d definitely suggest not waiting too long before sending a ticket to them to check and to try and “collect” changes you might want to make and only edit when it´s either enough or important enough changes to warrant editing.

If it works well like this - I see you got a couple all 5* reviews already - I guess all´s well, though you may want to try splitting the gig and leaving the one you have for proofreading and make a new one for editing, the potential benefits being:

• you can have more, different tags
• different subcategory (I think, at least) > more Buyer Requests
• less possibility of customers who book proofreading expecting editing (I remember at least one forum post where someone had trouble with that)
• you have more freedom to handle and test things like different price points, different number of words, different delivery times etc.

You could try a video (opinions on that topic differ, I don´t have one myself, so I certainly won´t blame you if you don´t 😉 ) and perhaps I´d get a really unique gig image (made) instead of the stock one (it´s a nice one, though).

Talking about gig images, you have 3 slots for images (plus 2 or 3 additional ones you can use for PDFs) and proofreading/editing lends itself very much to using images of texts you´ve proofread/edited as gig images #2 and #3 (you could make up your own text, with things to proofread/edit and upload the screenshots; as I see, and agree with, in your FAQ that you care about confidentiality, I think that´s a good solution, especially as you could make the text personal enough that it would be evident you wrote/proofread/edited it yourself and didn´t copy it from somewhere. Might be a factor when one of the more observant potential customers compares your and others’ gigs.

Well, that´s all I got; I hope there´s something useful in there, and honestly, I could just have left it at “looks great”, as it does but as a (fellow) logophile (I assume), the “lambaste” drew me in and as I was there already… mainly, I wanted to say welcome and good luck, though, so here´s a 🍀.

P. S. $5 for 1000 words is too cheap, but you know that. Hope you´ll feel like raising is a valid option soon!

Think one tiny thing escaped you, look at “featured” in your last paragraph; regarding editing your gig - after my last edit, I waited a solid week for it to emerge again, in vain, at which point I figured it would not come back on its own at all and contacted CS, so I´d definitely suggest not waiting too long before sending a ticket to them to check and to try and “collect” changes you might want to make and only edit when it´s either enough or important enough changes to warrant editing.

Thanks for pointing out this error. It’ll remain for the time being, as I don’t want to make an edit just for that. I think it’ll be best to make several changes at once rather than a tiny one several times.

If it works well like this - I see you got a couple all 5* reviews already - I guess all´s well, though you may want to try splitting the gig and leaving the one you have for proofreading and make a new one for editing, the potential benefits being:

you can have more, different tags

different subcategory (I think, at least) > more Buyer Requests

less possibility of customers who book proofreading expecting editing (I remember at least one forum post where someone had trouble with that)

you have more freedom to handle and test things like different price points, different number of words, different delivery times etc.

I agree with your points, and will also say that I actually considered creating two Gigs (one for proofreading and editing, one for proofreading only, as many prospective buyers just want a ‘second pair of eyes’ to correct grammatical errors and the like,’ but I didn’t create two Gigs because:

a. I’ve read that creating multiple Gigs under the same category, or multiple Gigs which offer the same or similar services, are not permitted; or

b. I’m not sure what category other than ‘Proofreading & Editing’ such a Gig could be placed in. ‘Other,’ perhaps?

Talking about gig images, you have 3 slots for images (plus 2 or 3 additional ones you can use for PDFs) and proofreading/editing lends itself very much to using images of texts you´ve proofread/edited as gig images #2 and #3…

One of my FAQs states that I am prepared to offer a free sample of my work in a bid to establish trust. What I actually mean by this is that I will proofread and edit a small sample of the work the prospective buyer wants proofread and edited. That way, part of the work they want done is completed for free and with no obligation, and the prospective buyer can determine whether my services are commensurate with what they need/want in a practical way. With that being the case, I didn’t think .pdf files were necessary but I will reconsider them.

$5 for 1000 words is too cheap, but you know that. Hope you´ll feel like raising is a valid option soon!

It is, yes. It’ll change once I reach Level 1.

Thank you for taking the time to reply in such a detailed manner!

[sue_mcl]

Think one tiny thing escaped you, look at “featured” in your last paragraph; regarding editing your gig - after my last edit, I waited a solid week for it to emerge again, in vain, at which point I figured it would not come back on its own at all and contacted CS, so I´d definitely suggest not waiting too long before sending a ticket to them to check and to try and “collect” changes you might want to make and only edit when it´s either enough or important enough changes to warrant editing.

Thanks for pointing out this error. It’ll remain for the time being, as I don’t want to make an edit just for that. I think it’ll be best to make several changes at once rather than a tiny one several times.

If it works well like this - I see you got a couple all 5* reviews already - I guess all´s well, though you may want to try splitting the gig and leaving the one you have for proofreading and make a new one for editing, the potential benefits being:

you can have more, different tags

different subcategory (I think, at least) > more Buyer Requests

less possibility of customers who book proofreading expecting editing (I remember at least one forum post where someone had trouble with that)

you have more freedom to handle and test things like different price points, different number of words, different delivery times etc.

I agree with your points, and will also say that I actually considered creating two Gigs (one for proofreading and editing, one for proofreading only, as many prospective buyers just want a ‘second pair of eyes’ to correct grammatical errors and the like,’ but I didn’t create two Gigs because:

a. I’ve read that creating multiple Gigs under the same category, or multiple Gigs which offer the same or similar services, are not permitted; or

b. I’m not sure what category other than ‘Proofreading & Editing’ such a Gig could be placed in. ‘Other,’ perhaps?

Talking about gig images, you have 3 slots for images (plus 2 or 3 additional ones you can use for PDFs) and proofreading/editing lends itself very much to using images of texts you´ve proofread/edited as gig images #2 and #3…

One of my FAQs states that I am prepared to offer a free sample of my work in a bid to establish trust. What I actually mean by this is that I will proofread and edit a small sample of the work the prospective buyer wants proofread and edited. That way, part of the work they want done is completed for free and with no obligation, and the prospective buyer can determine whether my services are commensurate with what they need/want in a practical way. With that being the case, I didn’t think .pdf files were necessary but I will reconsider them.

$5 for 1000 words is too cheap, but you know that. Hope you´ll feel like raising is a valid option soon!

It is, yes. It’ll change once I reach Level 1.

Thank you for taking the time to reply in such a detailed manner!

One of my FAQs states that I am prepared to offer a free sample of my work in a bid to establish trust. What I actually mean by this is that I will proofread and edit a small sample of the work the prospective buyer wants proofread and edited. That way, part of the work they want done is completed for free and with no obligation, and the prospective buyer can determine whether my services are commensurate with what they need/want in a practical way.

I honestly don’t think you need to give away free work - you’re going with such a cheap rate to start with - a good client should be willing to spend $5 to try out your services, a $5 gig is nothing to give someone a go and you may find you get buyers taking advantage of your generosity 😄 (or look out for those who tell you that if you do a good job or give them better rates, they will have a lot more work for you - that very very rarely is actually the case)

I think your gig looks really great, nice to see you’re already getting good reviews, which I hope will give you confidence.

With splitting your gigs, I don’t think two separate gigs for proofreading and editing would be a problem, as they are different skills/tasks, it would more be an issue if you had two types of proofreading gigs I imagine. Multiple gigs under the same category is OK, as long as they are clearly different.

[legacine]

One of my FAQs states that I am prepared to offer a free sample of my work in a bid to establish trust. What I actually mean by this is that I will proofread and edit a small sample of the work the prospective buyer wants proofread and edited. That way, part of the work they want done is completed for free and with no obligation, and the prospective buyer can determine whether my services are commensurate with what they need/want in a practical way.

I honestly don’t think you need to give away free work - you’re going with such a cheap rate to start with - a good client should be willing to spend $5 to try out your services, a $5 gig is nothing to give someone a go and you may find you get buyers taking advantage of your generosity 😄 (or look out for those who tell you that if you do a good job or give them better rates, they will have a lot more work for you - that very very rarely is actually the case)

I think your gig looks really great, nice to see you’re already getting good reviews, which I hope will give you confidence.

With splitting your gigs, I don’t think two separate gigs for proofreading and editing would be a problem, as they are different skills/tasks, it would more be an issue if you had two types of proofreading gigs I imagine. Multiple gigs under the same category is OK, as long as they are clearly different.

I honestly don’t think you need to give away free work - you’re going with such a cheap rate to start with - a good client should be willing to spend $5 to try out your services, a $5 gig is nothing to give someone a go and you may find you get buyers taking advantage of your generosity 😄 (or look out for those who tell you that if you do a good job or give them better rates, they will have a lot more work for you - that very very rarely is actually the case)

You’re the second person to say that $5/1,000 words is too cheap. What would you recommend?

Ideally buyers would pay for a $5 sample, but in my experience this doesn’t really happen. I think it has to do with my few (albeit great) reviews more than anything else.

With splitting your gigs, I don’t think two separate gigs for proofreading and editing would be a problem, as they are different skills/tasks, it would more be an issue if you had two types of proofreading gigs I imagine. Multiple gigs under the same category is OK, as long as they are clearly different.

Based on your and @miiila’s response, I’m now planning a third Gig under ‘Proofreading & Editing’ where I proofread only. Is proofreading only separate and distinct from proofreading AND editing, in your opinion?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to the thread!

[miiila]

I honestly don’t think you need to give away free work - you’re going with such a cheap rate to start with - a good client should be willing to spend $5 to try out your services, a $5 gig is nothing to give someone a go and you may find you get buyers taking advantage of your generosity 😄 (or look out for those who tell you that if you do a good job or give them better rates, they will have a lot more work for you - that very very rarely is actually the case)

You’re the second person to say that $5/1,000 words is too cheap. What would you recommend?

Ideally buyers would pay for a $5 sample, but in my experience this doesn’t really happen. I think it has to do with my few (albeit great) reviews more than anything else.

With splitting your gigs, I don’t think two separate gigs for proofreading and editing would be a problem, as they are different skills/tasks, it would more be an issue if you had two types of proofreading gigs I imagine. Multiple gigs under the same category is OK, as long as they are clearly different.

Based on your and @miiila’s response, I’m now planning a third Gig under ‘Proofreading & Editing’ where I proofread only. Is proofreading only separate and distinct from proofreading AND editing, in your opinion?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to the thread!

Is proofreading only separate and distinct from proofreading AND editing, in your opinion?

I think so, but if you want to be on the safe side, you can always ask Customer Support for their okay. I think you could even set up a gig, keep it unpublished and ask them to take a look at both then to check if it´s okay.

Tip for all conversations with CS: make a point of being as precise and concise as possible in what exactly you´re asking them from the start, that can avoid misunderstandings and save time on both sides. (Not assuming you intend to be anything but precise and concise, but from own experience, I know I have to keep reminding myself of that, so it won´t hurt to check for that before sending a ticket. 🙂 )

[legacine]

Is proofreading only separate and distinct from proofreading AND editing, in your opinion?

I think so, but if you want to be on the safe side, you can always ask Customer Support for their okay. I think you could even set up a gig, keep it unpublished and ask them to take a look at both then to check if it´s okay.

Tip for all conversations with CS: make a point of being as precise and concise as possible in what exactly you´re asking them from the start, that can avoid misunderstandings and save time on both sides. (Not assuming you intend to be anything but precise and concise, but from own experience, I know I have to keep reminding myself of that, so it won´t hurt to check for that before sending a ticket. 🙂 )

I think so, but if you want to be on the safe side, you can always ask Customer Support for their okay. I think you could even set up a gig, keep it unpublished and ask them to take a look at both then to check if it´s okay.

Tip for all conversations with CS: make a point of being as precise and concise as possible in what exactly you´re asking them from the start, that can avoid misunderstandings and save time on both sides.

I’ll be sure to do that, thank you.

My research has yielded at least:

a. one seller with two Gigs under ‘Proofreading & Editing’ where one Gig offers proofreading and editing, and the other offers proofreading only; and

b. one Gig under ‘Writing & Translation / Other’ where proofreading and editing services were offered.

It therefore seems like it would be appropriate, but I’ll ask to be on the safe side.

[loganstover]

I think so, but if you want to be on the safe side, you can always ask Customer Support for their okay. I think you could even set up a gig, keep it unpublished and ask them to take a look at both then to check if it´s okay.

Tip for all conversations with CS: make a point of being as precise and concise as possible in what exactly you´re asking them from the start, that can avoid misunderstandings and save time on both sides.

I’ll be sure to do that, thank you.

My research has yielded at least:

a. one seller with two Gigs under ‘Proofreading & Editing’ where one Gig offers proofreading and editing, and the other offers proofreading only; and

b. one Gig under ‘Writing & Translation / Other’ where proofreading and editing services were offered.

It therefore seems like it would be appropriate, but I’ll ask to be on the safe side.

I think you are right on track for where you should be. I started about 2 1/2 months ago. I did A LOT of the same research I see you doing. It looks like you are pointed in the right direction. Here are a couple things I can offer that I have learned (Not gig specific):

1. Patience 2) Keep researching to fine tune your gigs (ps, you don’t have much of this to do) 3) I hope you are realistic in understanding that you are in a VERY crowded category and have a large amount of competition.

You are on the right path to do very well. It may sound bad, but having a great command of the English language will give you an edge here. Be patient, keep working hard, and understand that for you to succeed you will need to do so in a harder category than others. 🙂

[legacine]

I think you are right on track for where you should be. I started about 2 1/2 months ago. I did A LOT of the same research I see you doing. It looks like you are pointed in the right direction. Here are a couple things I can offer that I have learned (Not gig specific):

1. Patience 2) Keep researching to fine tune your gigs (ps, you don’t have much of this to do) 3) I hope you are realistic in understanding that you are in a VERY crowded category and have a large amount of competition.

You are on the right path to do very well. It may sound bad, but having a great command of the English language will give you an edge here. Be patient, keep working hard, and understand that for you to succeed you will need to do so in a harder category than others. 🙂

Thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate it.

I know the category is crowded… but I’m confident there’s room for me anyway, and that I will make my mark here.

[pdfhelper]

@legacine, looks like you’ve taken your fiverr business seriously 🙂 With that attitude and your ability, you are doing well (evident by the reviews/orders you received so far). Congrats!

[legacine]

@legacine, looks like you’ve taken your fiverr business seriously 🙂 With that attitude and your ability, you are doing well (evident by the reviews/orders you received so far). Congrats!

Thank you for your words.

Having taken all the feedback I’ve received into consideration, I’ve made some changes to the Gig. I doubled the price, changed the Gig Photo from a stock photo, removed the one error @miiila pointed out and included a PDF sample of my work.

I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to reply!