I get virtually no impressions per day across all my gigs combined - please advise!

[danjsmith]

I have 4 gigs where I offer a variety of screenwriting services

They have:

• The most professional videos I can produce
• The most professional images I can produce
• My face visible in the videos and image.
• Keyword research determined titles, descriptions and tags (which I've experimented with endlessly)
• Competitive, but not dirt cheap, prices (also experimented with)
• All of the little things I've been told help the algo: FAQs, 3 Packages, Documents etc.

I have made one sale ever and got a glowing 5* review, but that came from an off Fiverr source.

I'm online 15+ hours every day without fail. I check buyer requests daily, but have only ever seen one. My gigs are diversified to hit a number of niches within screenwriting.

I have no off Fiverr audience to market to.

What am I supposed to be doing better here? At this rate of impressions, I'll be lucky if I get a single order through Fiverr over the course of the entire year.

[jonbaas]

8 hours ago, danjsmith said:

I'm online 15+ hours every day without fail.

Being online does not guarantee orders.

8 hours ago, danjsmith said:

I check buyer requests daily, but have only ever seen one.

Then, if would seem that the buyer requests section is not where your target customers are located. Why do you keep relying upon something that doesn't work for you, and expecting it to provide something it clearly does not?

8 hours ago, danjsmith said:

My gigs are diversified to hit a number of niches within screenwriting.

Perhaps there are no target customers in those niches that are confident in hiring you. Just because you target a niche, does not mean you hit a gold mine of customers. You still need to provide a service that those people want. And, right now, that doesn't seem to be working for you. Research the people in those niches, and better understand their needs and wants. A niche means nothing, if you don't understand the potential customers within that niche.

9 hours ago, danjsmith said:

I have no off Fiverr audience to market to.

Perhaps it might he helpful then to build one. Create a website, manage a topical blog, create a community of followers who need screenwriting services. There are always audiences, you just need to find ways to connect to them. Richard and Maurice McDonald had a limited market for their San Bernadino, CA hamburger stand until they chose to innovate, and turn the burger stand into a franchise with iconic Golden Arches branding, and new locations all over the place. They understood what appealed to their target customers, and now, today, there are fast and convenient Quarter Pounder fast food locations all over the place.

The only limitations to your success, are those that you impose upon yourself.

9 hours ago, danjsmith said:

At this rate of impressions, I'll be lucky if I get a single order through Fiverr over the course of the entire year.

Like I said, stop limiting yourself. Understand your target market, and BUILD a business that appeals to the needs and interests of that market. That's how the McDonald brothers did it, and that's how you can do it too. Be creative. Stop limiting yourself!

 

[danjsmith]

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Then, if would seem that the buyer requests section is not where your target customers are located. Why do you keep relying upon something that doesn't work for you, and expecting it to provide something it clearly does not?

Thanks for the response. I'm not relying on buyer requests, in fact I don't like them generally as from what I hear they're mostly filled with people asking for things at a dehumanizing price, I just check them as that's advice I've heard a lot for newcomers to get initial business.

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Perhaps there are no target customers in those niches that are confident in hiring you. Just because you target a niche, does not mean you hit a gold mine of customers. You still need to provide a service that those people want. And, right now, that doesn't seem to be working for you. Research the people in those niches, and better understand their needs and wants. A niche means nothing, if you don't understand the potential customers within that niche.

The difficulty I'm having is that my gigs aren't being seen due to not ranking. I could be offering the best service in the space and it wouldn't make a difference as I can't convert impressions I never get. I believe I am fulling their wants, as I'm bringing a better offering than those ranking above me that get do get sales.

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Perhaps it might he helpful then to build one. Create a website, manage a topical blog, create a community of followers who need screenwriting services. There are always audiences, you just need to find ways to connect to them. Richard and Maurice McDonald had a limited market for their San Bernadino, CA hamburger stand until they chose to innovate, and turn the burger stand into a franchise with iconic Golden Arches branding, and new locations all over the place. They understood what appealed to their target customers, and now, today, there are fast and convenient Quarter Pounder fast food locations all over the place.

The only limitations to your success, are those that you impose upon yourself.

I've heard this a lot and I think it IS sound advice... but it does leave me slightly confused. Building an audience is a difficult, slow and requires commitment over a long period of time. So if someone has went through that process and built an audience of incredible value in their chosen field... why would they then direct them to Fiverr? If you've developed the relationship AND will deliver the service, why would you give up 20% of your fee to Fiverr? At that point you're effectively paying a 20% payment process fee. Fiverr's main value proposition to freelancers is in providing a marketplace that connects them to clients. That's where they earn the lionshare of their considerable cut. Would you really advise spending months, if not years, to cultivate an audience to then run your payments through Fiverr?

Genuine question!

Edited July 23, 2022 by danjsmith

[jonbaas]

58 minutes ago, danjsmith said:

The difficulty I'm having is that my gigs aren't being seen due to not ranking.

There is no such thing as gig ranking. That's not how the Fiverr algorithm works. The system exists to custom-match a gig to the best buyer candidates for that gig. As a result, every searcher sees completely different search results -- based upon internal metrics, and only the buyers the system thinks are a good match for your gig, will see your gig in the search results. Fiverr is not like a Google search engine, it is more like dating match app. Fiverr wants to find the best match for the searchers/buyers that are looking for a specific freelancer/seller service.

Your gig will never rank, because it is custom-matched to the buyer the Fiverr system thinks is most likely to hire you.

1 hour ago, danjsmith said:

I believe I am fulling their wants, as I'm bringing a better offering than those ranking above me that get do get sales.

If buyers aren't hiring you, then you are not offering a service that fulfills their needs.

1 hour ago, danjsmith said:

Fiverr's main value proposition to freelancers is in providing a marketplace that connects them to clients.

Of course, but they do not guarantee sales. They provide a great marketplace, but it is YOUR job to make the sale. It is YOUR job to convince buyers to hire you, instead of the tens of thousands of other sellers offering the same/similar service. Fiverr isn't going to do your work for you.

1 hour ago, danjsmith said:

Fiverr's main value proposition to freelancers is in providing a marketplace that connects them to clients. That's where they earn the lionshare of their considerable cut.

Fiverr earns 20% from every order that the seller successfully earned. Essentially, you are paying Fiverr 20% of your revenue, in order to be included within their marketplace/algorithm. If you don't earn any orders, you don't pay anything to Fiverr. You, therefore, have nothing to lose, and everything to gain if you're a great seller that out-competes your competition, and proves to be the best seller for your service. 

If you create gigs, and do nothing to treat them like a business, then you have nothing to lose -- and nothing to gain. If you create gigs, and treat them like a determined, well-marketed, creatively-connected freelance business, you could earn a nice living here. Fiverr doesn't want random gigs, they want successful, profitable sellers. 

1 hour ago, danjsmith said:

Would you really advise spending months, if not years, to cultivate an audience to then run your payments through Fiverr?

Yep. Absolutely. 100%.

[danjsmith]

1 hour ago, jonbaas said:

There is no such thing as gig ranking. That's not how the Fiverr algorithm works. The system exists to custom-match a gig to the best buyer candidates for that gig. As a result, every searcher sees completely different search results -- based upon internal metrics, and only the buyers the system thinks are a good match for your gig, will see your gig in the search results. Fiverr is not like a Google search engine, it is more like dating match app. Fiverr wants to find the best match for the searchers/buyers that are looking for a specific freelancer/seller service.

Your gig will never rank, because it is custom-matched to the buyer the Fiverr system thinks is most likely to hire you.

While there isn't a list that Fiverr creates that explicitly orders each gig in a given category... there absolutely is an algorithm that ranks when someone searches and that rank is very consistent across different users. When I was trying to troubleshoot why I wasn't placing well in well in search, I got a some other friends with their own Fiverr accounts to search a bunch of terms as well. Different accounts with different purchase histories in different countries... all the same results. Same gigs at the top, same gigs at the bottom. My gig occupied the same part the of same page for all of them.

Why would that be the case if it's personally matching gigs in a hyper specific client to freelancer way like you suggest?

It isn't Google page rank, but it is a ranking generated by a combination of keyword match and gig performance. That's obvious. I don't have a problem with this, there isn't another way to do it. (Short of being totally random, which would be a disaster.) I'm just seeking to understand it.

1 hour ago, jonbaas said:

If buyers aren't hiring you, then you are not offering a service that fulfills their needs.

I'm explicitly offering the same service as those ranked on first page when myself and my friends search.(Except I have a video and more detailed description) So it logically follows that the successful gigs aren't offering a service that fulfills their needs, either?

1 hour ago, jonbaas said:

Of course, but they do not guarantee sales. They provide a great marketplace, but it is YOUR job to make the sale. It is YOUR job to convince buyers to hire you, instead of the tens of thousands of other sellers offering the same/similar service. Fiverr isn't going to do your work for you.

Of course and that' great. If I make my case and they choose someone better... that's the market. But if I can't make my case because I'm four pages down and nobody ever sees it... I first have to convince the algorithm before I can convince customers. If Fiverr is the marketplace, then the algorithm is the gatekeeper to the section in which the customers actually browse.

The process for success seems to be:

1. Convince the algorithm you're great so you can...
2. Convince the customer you're great so you can...
3. Deliver great work and get great feedback so you can...
4. Get paid.

I'm currently stuck on number 1. All I'm really asking is how to get in front of the FIverr customers in the first place so I can do 2,3,4.

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Essentially, you are paying Fiverr 20% of your revenue, in order to be included within their marketplace/algorithm. If you don't earn any orders, you don't pay anything to Fiverr. You, therefore, have nothing to lose.

So if I don't get any sales through the marketplace/algorithm and I instead bring my own external clients to Fiverr I don't lose the 20%?

33 minutes ago, newsmike said:

Amazing how the "I have no orders and no hope" crowd is so arrogant in their disdain for the hand that feeds them.

Disdain? The hand that feeds me?  A slight dramatic stretch... I'm just asking questions about search placement and Fiverr hasn't fed me a thing 🤣

[newsmike]

1 hour ago, danjsmith said:

Fiverr hasn't fed me a thing 🤣

And who's fault is that? I drive a BMW 7 series courtesy of Fiverr. So please continue to school us how to do it.

Your profile says "I am Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award Nominated Writer and created the BAFTA award winning 'The Spectrum Retreat'." Yet I can't find you on iMDB. Must be a mistake. 😆

We're listening. 

Edited July 24, 2022 by newsmike

[newsmike]

31 minutes ago, mdabdullah14251 said:

Try to open 7 gigs according to those services that have demand on the market place.

If the seller doesn't have the ability open 1 successful gig, how useless is it to spread nonsense about opening 6 more?  Please pay attention to the thread and don't copy/paste nonsense. 

[jonbaas]

6 hours ago, danjsmith said:

there absolutely is an algorithm that ranks when someone searches and that rank is very consistent across different users.

Like I said, there is no rank, regardless of what YOU think you see. Gigs are invididually matched to prospective buyers, they are not ranked.

6 hours ago, danjsmith said:

But if I can't make my case because I'm four pages down and nobody ever sees it... I first have to convince the algorithm before I can convince customers.

Exactly. Improve your seller performance metrics, and the algorithm may see you as a better seller, worthy of more visibility in the marketplace. Fiverr can operate their marketplace however THEY want. They are under no obligation to feature YOU prominantly, just because YOU want it. They have metrics which determine your seller performance, your service profitability, and your best matches among buyers searching for services such as yours. If you choose to be seen in the marketplace (by hosting a gig on Fiverr), you are bound by the system Fiverr has in place. They will not be changing it to better suit your interests. 

Fiverr is a business, and as a business, they seek the sellers and gigs that will bring them the most revenue. To be one of these, you need to be the best gig match for buyers, and among the best performing sellers within the algorithm. 

If you don't like this format, you still have the power and control over your off-site marketing efforts, that bring in your own customers.

6 hours ago, danjsmith said:

All I'm really asking is how to get in front of the FIverr customers in the first place so I can do 2,3,4.

I already told you. Improve your seller performance. This includes things like: 100% Analytics metrics, quicker delivery, better reviews (public AND private), higher revenue, more efficient communication, as well as domination of the internal metrics Fiverr doesn't share with you (that can generally be mastered with common sense, and a determination to be a great, efficient seller).

6 hours ago, danjsmith said:

So if I don't get any sales through the marketplace/algorithm and I instead bring my own external clients to Fiverr I don't lose the 20%?

If you use Fiverr's platform to host your services, you share your revenue with Fiverr. If you don't want to share revenue with Fiverr, don't host your gigs on their site. I don't understand why this is so hard for certain sellers to understand. Fiverr does not exist to make you successful, they merely exist as a catalog of freelance services. Each freelancer is responsible for making themselves successful, by the actions each freelancer takes to earn their orders.

6 hours ago, danjsmith said:

I'm just asking questions about search placement

You're asking questions, but you do not appear willing to understand the answers. Like so many others before you -- here on the forum, you only seem determined to obtain the answers you want to hear. Fiverr is not going to change to match what you want; you need to be willing to change to match how Fiverr has chosen to operate their marketplace. If you choose to rely upon the marketplace, then improve your seller performance. 

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by jonbaas

[newsmike]

2 hours ago, danjsmith said:

Would you really advise spending months, if not years, to cultivate an audience to then run your payments through Fiverr?

@jonbaas Amazing how the "I have no orders and no hope" crowd is so arrogant in their disdain for the hand that feeds them. I'll bet they hate paying for electricity and internet as well.  Not an ounce of business sense.  The Rolling Stones still have a manager that takes 15%. 

Edited July 23, 2022 by newsmike

[mdabdullah14251]

Try to open 7 gigs according to those services that have demand on the market place. Thanks.