About Ranking Your Gig

[rachelbostwick]

Imagine Fiverr is not a website but a huge, colorful open air market in the heart of Dhaka. 

Everybody can make a table. And millions of people come through the market, so anybody can make money at this market. You don't even have to rent a space, you just have to bring a table and show up. 

Now because the market is sooo big, some people think that if you can manage to get a spot at the outside edges of the market, where people enter from, that this is the way to get buyers. So they are constantly moving their table around to try and get the outside spots. They go to the meetings and they complain that all the old people have the outside spots and it isn't fair.

So imagine a new seller comes to the market and he sets up his table. And because he is brand new, one of the old folks lets him have a spot right next to their table. Their table is very popular so he thinks he will surely get sales today. He sets up his table, just an old crappy card table. And he gets three ugly plastic milk crates and sits it on top of the table. One has moldy mangoes, one has dried figs that look pretty good, and the other one has counterfeit iPhones. They really look like iPhones, solid boxes and everything, but when you turn them on, they're actually 8gb zunes. 

And the old seller, he has a nice sturdy table, and he spreads out a beautiful table cloth, and he arranges fresh fruit and some lovely hand-embroidered napkins his mother made for him. And all throughout the day people stop by and they buy his fruit, which is pretty cheap, and a few of them buy his napkins.

Nobody buys the moldy mangoes for some reason. And the next day the old seller doesn't let the new seller have a spot next to him anymore, because he doesn't like how moldy mangoes smell.

The new seller, he gets very angry, and he wants to know why he can't have a good spot again. He heard that fruit was the best thing to sell, and he is 100% sure that people want to buy iphones. And he needs this money, it isn't fair. He stomps through the market and deep in the heart of the market he finds someone who isn't anywhere near the edges of the market, but they have a line around their table that leads all the way to the edges of the market. When he asks that seller how they got such a good line they don't know. So he asks one of the people in line. "Oh, the first time I came here I spent an hour wandering around trying to find this exact booth. I heard they had the best panipuri in New Market. And it's true.  It's so good I come here every time." 

Do you see the problem? Stop worrying about your place in the search engine. Ranking your gig is not going to get you money. Make your gigs beautiful, sell something you are very good at, make yourself unique. Don't think, "how can I jump to first in line?" Think "how can I be so unique that the line comes to me?"

[surajkartha]

I confess I didn't read the whole thing Rachel, but whatever you've said so far has been sensible so I am hitting that like button.. 

[smashradio]

6 minutes ago, rachelbostwick said:

Imagine Fiverr is not a website but a huge, colorful open air market in the heart of Dhaka. 

Everybody can make a table. And millions of people come through the market, so anybody can make money at this market. You don't even have to rent a space, you just have to bring a table and show up. 

Now because the market is sooo big, some people think that if you can manage to get a spot at the outside edges of the market, where people enter from, that this is the way to get buyers. So they are constantly moving their table around to try and get the outside spots. They go to the meetings and they complain that all the old people have the outside spots and it isn't fair.

So imagine a new seller comes to the market and he sets up his table. And because he is brand new, one of the old folks lets him have a spot right next to their table. Their table is very popular so he thinks he will surely get sales today. He sets up his table, just an old crappy card table. And he gets three ugly plastic milk crates and sits it on top of the table. One has moldy mangoes, one has dried figs that look pretty good, and the other one has counterfeit iPhones. They really look like iPhones, solid boxes and everything, but when you turn them on, they're actually 8gb zunes. 

And the old seller, he has a nice sturdy table, and he spreads out a beautiful table cloth, and he arranges fresh fruit and some lovely hand-embroidered napkins his mother made for him. And all throughout the day people stop by and they buy his fruit, which is pretty cheap, and a few of them buy his napkins.

Nobody buys the moldy mangoes for some reason. And the next day the old seller doesn't let the new seller have a spot next to him anymore, because he doesn't like how moldy mangoes smell.

The new seller, he gets very angry, and he wants to know why he can't have a good spot again. He heard that fruit was the best thing to sell, and he is 100% sure that people want to buy iphones. And he needs this money, it isn't fair. He stomps through the market and deep in the heart of the market he finds someone who isn't anywhere near the edges of the market, but they have a line around their table that leads all the way to the edges of the market. When he asks that seller how they got such a good line they don't know. So he asks one of the people in line. "Oh, the first time I came here I spent an hour wandering around trying to find this exact booth. I heard they had the best panipuri in New Market. And it's true.  It's so good I come here every time." 

Do you see the problem? Stop worrying about your place in the search engine. Ranking your gig is not going to get you money. Make your gigs beautiful, sell something you are very good at, make yourself unique. Don't think, "how can I jump to first in line?" Think "how can I be so unique that the line comes to me?"

You, Miss Rachel, are an impressive specimen in a sea of boring primates. You managed to say everything I've been trying to hammer out for years, but you did it in a way even our less marketable "bros" and "friends" should understand. I love it! I just ranted in another topic where some guy was asking buyers to help out new sellers, like it's something they just "deserve". I should have posted a link to this post instead. In fact, I'm going to, right now. This is my new go-to post for "how rank gig on fibberr" posts. 

*virtual bow*

[smparvez93]

Really outstanding advice With a nice example!  My mouse pointer hit the like button automatically. 🙂

[rachelbostwick]

Thanks @smashradio. I wasn't sure if i was being too pompous but if the Maestro approves it must be all right 😉 

[smashradio]

On 9/11/2021 at 4:53 PM, rachelbostwick said:

Thanks @smashradio. I wasn't sure if i was being too pompous but if the Maestro approves it must be all right 😉

The Maestro approves very much! I don't think it was pompous at all. You got down to a level they can understand, in a very elegant way. I'm sure some of the sellers on here feels the same way I do, when I try to understand the marketing jargon of 99% of service-related businesses out there, so clear and real-world examples they can understand might be just what they need. 

Don't sell crap and stop thinking you can cheat your way to the top. << a short, super-simplified version. 

But I like your story about the guy with the Zunes better. 😄

Edited September 11, 2021 by smashradio

[newsmike]

On 9/11/2021 at 4:57 PM, smashradio said:

The Maestro approves very much! I don't think it was pompous at all. You got down to a level they can understand, in a very elegant way. I'm sure some of the sellers on here feels the same way I do, when I try to understand the marketing jargon of 99% of service-related businesses out there, so clear and real-world examples they can understand might be just what they need. 

Don't sell crap and stop thinking you can cheat your way to the top. << a short, super-simplified version. 

But I like your story about the guy with the Zunes better. 😄

Thank you for sharing valuable advice.  Now how I rank my gig? 

[katakatica]

20 hours ago, rachelbostwick said:

Think "how can I be so unique that the line comes to me?"

What came to my mind was 'when everyone is selling mangoes, bring a durian to sell' (although I realise, wrong continent, but bear with me for a second!) Selling something that stands out (even if its the smell 😄) will make people curious. Curiosity might not get you thousands of dollars in the first few weeks - or even ever, but it's a good starting point. 

Of course on such a huge marketplace it's difficult - but it's still possible to offer up a talent that's different. Obviously this mostly works for artistic folks. but I'm sure other niches can find something different to offer up as well (...and also, make it attractive somehow.) 

[rachelbostwick]

53 minutes ago, katakatica said:

'when everyone is selling mangoes, bring a durian to sell'

I love that! I don't even know what a durian is for! XD

53 minutes ago, katakatica said:

Of course on such a huge marketplace it's difficult - but it's still possible to offer up a talent that's different. Obviously this mostly works for artistic folks. but I'm sure other niches can find something different to offer up as well (...and also, make it attractive somehow.) 

Of course you are totally right and even for artistic folks it's not so cut and dry as "offer something different," is it? When I first started with Fiverr I was trying things like "comic book style business cards" - they were very cool but very few people are looking for anything like that. I sold maybe two gigs of those.

But most of the people coming to the forum crying about not getting any orders have the same three crappy gigs of background removal, logo design, and selling things that aren't even allowed like mass email lists. 

There are still niches that can be broken into if you're ready to do excellent work. There are 32,000 video editing gigs - but only 615 book trailer gigs. (Book trailers was how I got started on Fiverr.) There are 21,000 "proofreading" gigs but only 2000 "beta reader" gigs and only 650 "novel editing" gigs.

And of course once you have reviews for things that aren't as popular, you can make gigs for really popular things and they still sell. I have a generic book cover gig that gets sales, I have no idea why. {I have it paused right now because it's kind of boring to me, but I have to unpause it for regular customers sometimes, and then I sometimes leave it up for a few weeks) There are 21,000 generic book cover gigs, no reason you should be able to find mine. 11,000 Fantasy book covers, mine's on page one, no idea why. But of course you have to build up to that by doing the harder things that less people want to do. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by rachelbostwick

[katakatica]

On 9/12/2021 at 1:11 PM, rachelbostwick said:

Of course you are totally right and even for artistic folks it's not so cut and dry as "offer something different," is it? When I first started with Fiverr I was trying things like "comic book style business cards" - they were very cool but very few people are looking for anything like that. I sold maybe two gigs of those.

Honestly, if I needed a business card I'd totally buy it (but I realise that IS rather specific!) 

Yeah, I think what we need is something that is NEEDED but still not many sellers do it. My two interactive(ish) gigs (one for game-writing, the other choose your own adventure) are definitely what bring in the most $$ for me - not many people have them (I'm sure there's more gigs around now than when I made them, but still!) I tried to do something new with offering scripts for city-tours (like those detective ones) -but as cool as it sounds, there was no luck with the gig! The point is, it is also trial and error, as you've implied, even for people who have some sort of a talent. 

I feel like the main issue is that logo/bg removal and so on - those gig look easy to make. You can make a logo in canva (or even in PS, really) in ten seconds. Will it be cool and unique? No - but it's finished quickly. These gigs seem to focus on quick delivery instead of actual artistic thought into things, which CAN fool people who are used to fast food (and just rushing, in general). I remember when I'd first moved to Paris (even though it's such a fast-paced city) I was SO confused why people would actually line up in front of bakeries (or other food shops, really!) Quality really matters, but not everyone understand it in this world - and of course, people are desperate, which is sad - but they need to realise that they need to think to make money. It leads to chaos (and while it's good for us in the sense that good gigs really 'shine' when surrounded by bad ones, it's probably still devastating to people who were relying on this to get extra $$ because someone online said they can do it. 

[rachelbostwick]

Just now, katakatica said:

My two interactive(ish) gigs (one for game-writing, the other choose your own adventure) are definitely what bring in the most $$ for me - not many people have them

Complete side note I meant to tell you the other day, I think having a gig for writing visual novels is a GENIUS level idea. I really want to build one someday. I'm totally going to learn how to use the building software and then find a good artist so we can BUILD A TEAM. 

[mionbasky]

You said what does happened when new seller enter but you didn't say anything about how to rank a gig.

[israt_ayesha]

On 9/12/2021 at 1:49 AM, rachelbostwick said:

Imagine Fiverr is not a website but a huge, colorful open air market in the heart of Dhaka. 

Everybody can make a table. And millions of people come through the market, so anybody can make money at this market. You don't even have to rent a space, you just have to bring a table and show up. 

Now because the market is sooo big, some people think that if you can manage to get a spot at the outside edges of the market, where people enter from, that this is the way to get buyers. So they are constantly moving their table around to try and get the outside spots. They go to the meetings and they complain that all the old people have the outside spots and it isn't fair.

So imagine a new seller comes to the market and he sets up his table. And because he is brand new, one of the old folks lets him have a spot right next to their table. Their table is very popular so he thinks he will surely get sales today. He sets up his table, just an old crappy card table. And he gets three ugly plastic milk crates and sits it on top of the table. One has moldy mangoes, one has dried figs that look pretty good, and the other one has counterfeit iPhones. They really look like iPhones, solid boxes and everything, but when you turn them on, they're actually 8gb zunes. 

And the old seller, he has a nice sturdy table, and he spreads out a beautiful table cloth, and he arranges fresh fruit and some lovely hand-embroidered napkins his mother made for him. And all throughout the day people stop by and they buy his fruit, which is pretty cheap, and a few of them buy his napkins.

Nobody buys the moldy mangoes for some reason. And the next day the old seller doesn't let the new seller have a spot next to him anymore, because he doesn't like how moldy mangoes smell.

The new seller, he gets very angry, and he wants to know why he can't have a good spot again. He heard that fruit was the best thing to sell, and he is 100% sure that people want to buy iphones. And he needs this money, it isn't fair. He stomps through the market and deep in the heart of the market he finds someone who isn't anywhere near the edges of the market, but they have a line around their table that leads all the way to the edges of the market. When he asks that seller how they got such a good line they don't know. So he asks one of the people in line. "Oh, the first time I came here I spent an hour wandering around trying to find this exact booth. I heard they had the best panipuri in New Market. And it's true.  It's so good I come here every time." 

Do you see the problem? Stop worrying about your place in the search engine. Ranking your gig is not going to get you money. Make your gigs beautiful, sell something you are very good at, make yourself unique. Don't think, "how can I jump to first in line?" Think "how can I be so unique that the line comes to me?"

First of all I want to give you a cordial thanks to share such a nice article. I go through your whole article. You are perfectly said, as a new seller we are trying to be  always in the first line not in improving our skills. And your last line is so impressive. Thanks a lot.

[rachelbostwick]

On 9/13/2021 at 3:21 AM, mionbasky said:

You said what does happened when new seller enter but you didn't say anything about how to rank a gig.

⬇️

On 9/11/2021 at 3:49 PM, rachelbostwick said:

Stop worrying about your place in the search engine. Ranking your gig is not going to get you money. Make your gigs beautiful, sell something you are very good at, make yourself unique. Don't think, "how can I jump to first in line?" Think "how can I be so unique that the line comes to me?"

🙃

What I am trying to say is this: you don't rank your gig. If you make your gigs appealing and unique, if you create them to meet the needs that customers have that no one else is meeting, if you treat your customers very well and deliver top quality services, your gig will rank itself for you. 

[samus_x]

I guess you are a copywriter here on Fiverr but if you still are not well, you should start doing it ASAP. This post explains something so difficult to understand for many in just a "few" lines, and it really is a pleasure to read. If I could put a thousand likes on it, then I'd do it immediately ❤️

[rachelbostwick]

1 hour ago, samus_x said:

I guess you are a copywriter here on Fiverr but if you still are not well, you should start doing it ASAP. This post explains something so difficult to understand for many in just a "few" lines, and it really is a pleasure to read. If I could put a thousand likes on it, then I'd do it immediately ❤️

That's very kind, thank you ❤️ I don't write for pay, I'm a graphic designer. But I do love to write. Your comment made my day 😁

[imagination7413]

I've equated Fiverr to both convention center and a farmer's market before, with all the booths and wandering crowds, but your post is a parable. Wonderfully written.

By the way: if the main platform is like a marketplace, then the forums are like a schoolhouse. Or, were. I wrote that right before the noticeable surge. Now the forums are more like the Old West. The Lawless Old West of the goldrush. Or maybe like the false dreams of Fievel's family in 'An American Tail'.

[sayed_hossain]

A winter afternoon in Bangladesh. Winter vacation was running. All ages people enjoy the winter afternoon and like to take some hot street food. There was a famous park called Victoria Park. A lot of people came here everyday to  enjoy the winter afternoon and take some snacks. 

One afternoon, there were 3 street food seller selling their items. But suddenly there were starting heavy raining and all the persons getting drenched. One street food seller contained an umbrella but it was not enough but other 2 sellers didn't have anything to protect themselves and their food. One seller suddenly gather some poly and very quickly he made a tent over his small food court and as a result many drenched people came under his tent and start buying more food. Whereas the other seller who just stand and see what's happening. And the seller who had an umbrella, can protect himself only from the rain but not gather any customer at the time of raining. 

In this short story, we can clearly understand about the seller who had nothing to save him at the time of raining, he tried to do something better instead of stand like others and as a result he could use the bad time by best way.. 

The story is for the Fiverr seller who are passing a bad time such as your GIG is not in rank or you couldn't get expected customers. You can develop your skill at the free time and after that you will see the magic. 

[vickieito]

Great story, @sayed_hossain! I like how the seller in the story was proactive, solutions-minded, and customer-focused.

Here are some key takeaways that I got from the story - 

It's so important for sellers to take action instead of just watching their gig go downhill (like the seller who took no action).

Sometimes the "me" mentality can hurt our business (like the seller with the umbrella).

And creating solutions that enhance the customer experience key to running a thriving business (like the seller with the tarp).