📈 Fiverr Simplified: Get Matched!

[vickieito]

It’s time for another installment of Fiverr Simplified!

If you missed the first installment, you can read it here: 📈Fiverr Simplified: Two Steps to Selling More & Earning More

This second post is in response to many questions on the forum right now: Where are buyer requests? Why don't I have any briefs? Why is my gig not ranking? Why am I not qualified for Promoted Gigs anymore? How can I get orders?!!

To quickly answer these questions:

• Fiverr got rid of Buyer Requests and replaced it with Buyer Briefs.
• If you don't have any Buyer Briefs, it's because there are no matches for you at the moment.
• Your gig isn't ranking because Fiverr's system doesn't see you as a relevant match when buyers look for your services.
• If you lose qualification for Promoted Gigs, it's because you didn't meet all the quality metrics required to participate in this program.
• If you want more orders, you'll have to understand how Fiverr works so that you can make the changes necessary to help your business thrive.

It all boils down to understanding how Fiverr operates. It's easy to feel hopeless when business isn't going well. However, things usually happen for a reason, and if you understand Fiverr's matching system, you don't have to "wait" on the sidelines for something good to happen. Waiting is the worst thing you can do. You can take decisive actions now to start moving your business in the right direction. 

1) Fiverr is a matchmaker.

Once you understand that Fiverr is a matchmaker, it’s easier to understand why Fiverr does what it does.  For example, the switch from Buyer Requests to Buyer Briefs was inspired from the idea that the search engine and Buyer Requests could be bypassed and a smart algorithm could be used to do the matches. Why have pages of search results or tons of offers on a single buyer request when an algorithm could possibly provide fewer, more perfect matches, and do this matchmaking more quickly?

2) When is Fiverr acting as a matchmaker?

All the time! Fiverr’s algorithm is constantly gathering information from each buyer and each seller to create a perfect match in:

• Its search engine on the marketplace
• The Brief & Match feature (when briefs are matched and when they are rejected)
• Qualifying sellers to use certain features such as Promoted Gigs
• Promoting sellers via badges and labels (such as Promoted Gigs, Fiverr’s Choice, Highly Responsive Badges, Repeat Buyer Badges, Quick Deliveries Badges, etc.).

Results in search are custom-tailored for each buyer based on their purchasing and browsing history, the relevancy of the seller’s gig, and the seller’s performance.

3) How does Fiverr match buyers to qualified sellers?

Insight into this is given in the Help Center. Sellers are given a Match Score to determine their gig's relevancy to each specific buyer. Fiverr's smart algorithm calculates how likely a buyer is to click on your gig. This is based on the following quality metrics:

Quote

Match Score

Your Match Score represents to what extent your service matches a specific buyer's needs. This has a consequential effect on how likely a buyer is to click on your Gig.  

Other factors that determine a Gig’s Match score include:

Gig appearance quality: The way you choose to present your Gig can make a substantial impact on buyers’ choices. Ensure that you use an attractive Gig title and that the videos/images used are of high-quality and in high resolution. See more in Creating your Gig. 

Gig delivery quality: Your overall performance within an order, communication, buyer satisfaction, and buyer potential to return to your Gig, are all taken into account within your Match Score.

This means if you want to start getting more briefs, improve your visibility in search, qualify for promoted gigs, and get more orders, you need to improve how your gig looks professionally as well as your overall seller performance. I thought it was interesting that one of the quality metrics was a "buyer's potential to return to your Gig." Although I don't know what that all entails, as long as I understand what Fiverr is looking for, I can stay focused on the things that are most important.

4) So, what is Fiverr really looking for?

As a matchmaker, Fiverr is focused on two things: 1) Quality Sellers and 2) Happy Buyers.

1. Quality Sellers – Fiverr is doing a lot to raise the bar and quality level of its sellers by prescreening out low quality sellers, banning existing accounts, and providing many new tools to help sellers improve their professionalism (e.g., seller intro videos, My Portfolio, Top Clients, etc.). Fiverr also loves sellers that can convert impressions to clicks and clicks to orders – in other words, sellers with a high conversion rate.
2. Happy Buyers – To Fiverr, quality isn’t just about amazing skill – it’s about how happy you can make your buyers. In fact, there are many talented sellers on the platform who are not considered “high quality” because they lack the communication, professionalism, and business skills needed to keep their customers happy.

Everything Fiverr does is to improve the caliber of its sellers and to match buyers to quality sellers who offer amazing experiences to their buyers over and over again.

5) How Can I Get Matched and Get More Orders?

Focus on those two things listed above. Become a quality seller and keep your buyers happy. Specifically, here are three things you can do to help you improve your seller quality and buyer satisfaction:

• Utilize the Help Center. Fiverr really does give its sellers amazing resources through the Help Center. I like to read through both the buyer and seller sections because sometimes the buyer articles will have information that can’t be found in the seller resources. The Help Center has all the tools and resources you need to get started, improve your gigs, and be successful in Fiverr’s marketplace.
• Use all features that Fiverr offers to you. Are you using all the tools and features that Fiverr gives you to improve your gigs and business? I find my business is always strongest (as in financially strong) when I’m using all of the features that Fiverr gives me. This includes My Portfolio, Live Gallery, Gallery Images, Top Clients, Gig Extras, and Subscriptions. I also benefit from using the features provided through the Seller Plus program.
• Use your data to improve!  It’s amazing how much information and data is at our fingertips just by using Fiverr’s platform. And the more features you use, the more data Fiverr can collect on you. This not only helps its algorithm but the features and tools are really handy to sellers. I especially like the Buyer Insights and Advanced Analytics tools available to Seller Plus members. It makes it easier to see the health of my business and pivot if necessary.

When you do these three things (with the focus of becoming a higher quality seller and keeping your buyers happy), you can become more visible in search and seen as a more relevant match for buyers searching for your services.

Now it's your turn! 😊

What are you doing to improve your seller quality and buyer satisfaction rate?

Is it helping you get matched on the platform?

What are your thoughts on Fiverr's matching system?

Edited November 20, 2022 by vickieito

[ahmed_faroquee]

@vickieitoThanks for your so informative & helpful post. 

Would you mind giving some suggestions how to get first "Get Matched" as a new seller? 

[uk1000]

One thing they're not being that clear about is this:

Quote

 

Other factors that determine a Gig’s Match score include:

Gig appearance quality: The way you choose to present your Gig can make a substantial impact on buyers’ choices. Ensure that you use an attractive Gig title and that the videos/images used are of high-quality and in high resolution.

 

And they say things like:

Quote

The higher your Match Score is, the less you’ll need to bid to win your ad placement.

So I assume they calculate the match score before showing the ad to a buyer. So they may or may not show the ad to the buyer depending on the match score (and I assume if the score is a bit lower the ad might show a bit lower).

So it says that "gig appearance quality" affects the match score. How are they determining that? Are they checking for things like errors in titles? Or maybe trained a system on what makes a good gig title? Or how would they determine the images/videos were high quality (other than just checking the image/video dimensions) - unless they trained a system on what images people think look high quality/which don't.

Or are they (I'm guessing they are) just basing that matching score on what other buyers (maybe similar types of buyers) did after they searched for the same/similar text (eg. just what gigs they clicked on/bought eg. click through rates). I assume it's more likely that they do that and calculate the matching score based on that. Maybe they should be clearer about how they calculate it (eg. if they're basing it on past buyer click through rates/purchases etc.).

Edited November 20, 2022 by uk1000

[vickieito]

5 hours ago, ahmed_faroquee said:

@vickieitoThanks for your so informative & helpful post. 

Would you mind giving some suggestions how to get first "Get Matched" as a new seller? 

Hi @ahmed_faroquee, the purpose of my article was to help you learn how to "Get Matched." Please read the article again, especially points 3-5.

Understanding how Fiverr matches its sellers to buyers (and studying how this system works) is the best way to getting match. This includes a continuous improvement cycle of PDCA (Plan, Do, Checking, & Adjusting) to see what is working for you and what gets you the best visibility/matches.

Are you utilizing all the features that Fiverr has given you and monitoring the data to see if it's working/not working? If not, it's time to get started!

[vickieito]

4 hours ago, uk1000 said:

One thing they're not being that clear about is this

A lot isn't clear. The Match Score is the likelihood of a buyer to click on your gig. Exactly how Fiverr calculates this "likelihood" is unknown. However, we know that Fiverr has a record of every gig that I've clicked on and can derive things like what is "gig appearance quality" to me based on my click history. This data would be specific to me, as a buyer, because what I click on and am attracted to, is very different from another buyer. I think there's a lot of user-specific data, and, as you suggest, there may be group-specific behaviors based on buyers who behave a certain way. I'm curious to see how they calculate my likelihood to buy a specific gig again.

4 hours ago, uk1000 said:

So I assume they calculate the match score before showing the ad to a buyer.

Yes, the highest match score is looked at first, then the bid amount, which is also calculated for the seller:

https://www.fiverr.com/support/articles/4405489899153-How-Promoted-Gigs-works-Ad-ranking-explained?segment=seller

Quote

Some of the factors that affect the bid amount’s calculation are:

• Conversion Rate (CR): The likelihood of receiving an order once the ad has been clicked.
• Revenue per click: How valuable a click is to the seller. For example, if, on average, 10 clicks generate one order of $50, that means that every click is worth $5.
• Competition: This refers to the level of competition in the specific service category at the time of the potential buyer’s search as the more sellers competing in a domain, the higher the bid will be.
• Return over ad spend (ROAS): The smart algorithm aims to optimize the seller's ROAS over time.

[strategist_ceo]

22 hours ago, vickieito said:

What are your thoughts on Fiverr's matching system?

I submitted a buyer's brief in search of a resume writer, but I was not matched with one. I think it is keyword sensitive because I included the term "management consultant" when I did a general search... there are few sellers within the resume writing category who specialize in writing for management consultants. 

So it makes sense for me to not get match because it is such a niche.

Edited November 21, 2022 by strategist_ceo

[strategist_ceo]

I have just learned that the gig classification has been further refined. I believe this may be why some of us are not getting briefs—because the briefs are now more specific in what they ask for.

[vickieito]

29 minutes ago, strategist_ceo said:

I have just learned that the gig classification has been further refined.

That's good news! I'm glad they did that. It seems like many buyers weren't finding matches to their briefs (or on the sellers' side, they only matched up with some of the buyers' criterion). I find it easier using search to find a seller to meet my specific needs. Let us know how the updated briefs work for you!

[junaed_a]

As a new seller on fiverr there is no chance to matching to buyer. So what should we do for getting order to prove ourself as a quality seller?

[vickieito]

6 hours ago, junaed_a said:

So what should we do for getting order to prove ourself as a quality seller?

When you have zero orders and zero reviews, the only thing that buyers can see will be your profile. So make sure your gig looks like a gig from a high quality seller. Put time and effort to set you gigs up right. I suggest you go through all the information on the Help Center on setting up a gig, because you can't go wrong by following it step by step. You can find all of this information here (click on each link that the Help Center provides):

https://www.fiverr.com/support/sections/360003012197-Creating-and-managing-your-Gig?segment=seller

[soufianejanna]

Fiverr new policy is not good at all, replacing buyer request by briefs would end up with the competition needed, and no welcomming new sellers at all. 

[vickieito]

19 minutes ago, soufianejanna said:

Fiverr new policy is not good at all, replacing buyer request by briefs would end up with the competition needed, and no welcomming new sellers at all. 

How were Buyer Requests working for you @soufianejanna, and how is Buyer Briefs doing so far?

[vickiespencer]

On 11/22/2022 at 5:16 PM, soufianejanna said:

no welcomming new sellers at all. 

Then it is good you have been a seller on Fiverr for 5 years. 

[s80alam]

Briefs working better for me. I did not send buyer request, but responding over 50% briefs.

[soufianejanna]

I don't get any brief for almost 2 months 😕 @vickieito - I used to get order by buyer request but now I am waiting for a buyer to come to me, and that is not motivational at all.

[alexfun]

Hello. I have been working on fiverr since 2016, but new feature of get brief has not gotten me a single match or brief since this feature is alive, on any of my gig. I do not understand that how would i not get a single brief match on any of my services although i used to get alot of buyer request on same services. I am worried on that. Please help. 

[vickieito]

1 hour ago, alexfun said:

I do not understand that how would i not get a single brief match on any of my services although i used to get alot of buyer request on same services.

Buyer Briefs are very different than Buyer Requests - you won't see as many briefs as you saw buyer requests (and there's no guarantee that you will even get a brief). Fiverr limits the number of sellers who can bid on each brief and some buyers are reporting that their briefs are coming back with "no matches." Because of this, Sellers won't be able to depend on briefs as a main source of orders. Instead, as mentioned above, sellers will have to learn and work within Fiverr's matching system so that they can start being found through organic searches, which is where a bulk of your orders should be coming in. This will be a learning process for many sellers who were dependent on buyer requests to sustain their business.

2 hours ago, soufianejanna said:

I don't get any brief for almost 2 months 😕 @vickieito

When I first turned on Buyer Briefs, I didn't get any briefs for 2 months (with the minimum set at $50). I currently have it set at $200 and I get many briefs a day. Other sellers found that they get more briefs at lower amounts (they started with a high minimum price, then lowered it and started getting briefs). Play around with the brief minimum amount and make sure your gigs and packages are optimized to be found in search and matched in the Brief & Match.

[olegkravets]

Hi! Im working on Fiverr last 6 years and completed more than 2000 orders. I dont have this new option called "Buyer Briefs". I still have "Buyer Requests" button but when i'm trying to click on it i see this. How can i turn on this function?

[ahesanurasun_]

13 minutes ago, olegkravets said:

Hi! Im working on Fiverr last 6 years and completed more than 2000 orders. I dont have this new option called "Buyer Briefs". I still have "Buyer Requests" button but when i'm trying to click on it i see this. How can i turn on this function?

First you need to turn on the Buyer Briefs

[fatemazaman833]

BeBefore the launch of Brief on Fibre, I used to get buyer requests/messages every day at my gig. But since the launch of the brief, I have only rBefore the launch of Brief on Fibre, I used to get buyer requests/messages every day at my gig. But since the launch of the brief, I have only received 2 messages. No more messages. So does my service brief not match? what can i do noweceived 2 messages. No more messages. So does my service brief not match? what can i do nowfore the launch of Brief on Fibre, I used to get buyer requests/messages every day at my gig. But since the launch of the brief, I have only received 2 messages. No more messages. So does my service brief not match? what can i do now

[vickieito]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:25 AM, fatemazaman833 said:

I used to get buyer requests/messages every day at my gig. But since the launch of the brief, I have only received 2 messages. No more messages. So does my service brief not match? what can i do now

As mentioned above, you shouldn't depend on briefs as your main source of orders. Work on improving your seller performance and buyer satisfaction so that you can be found in search (this will also help you to get matched to briefs). 

[fatemazaman833]

4 hours ago, vickieito said:

As mentioned above, you shouldn't depend on briefs as your main source of orders. Work on improving your seller performance and buyer satisfaction so that you can be found in search (this will also help you to get matched to briefs).

How can I work to achieve seller and buyer satisfaction???

[steve_graff]

Well, The brief works well but it seems your category are not set the right way

[vickieito]

On 11/25/2022 at 7:02 AM, fatemazaman833 said:

How can I work to achieve seller and buyer satisfaction???

It's actually "seller performance" and buyer satisfaction. You can still work on this, even though you don't have any orders. Here are three things you can do to get started:

1. Make sure that your gigs are clear and look professional. Tailor your gigs to a specific audience.
2. Including samples of your work can also boost your credibility with your buyers - utilize your 3 pictures and 2 PDFs to show off what you can do.
3. When buyers contact you in your inbox, listen to them! What the buyers say can give you ideas on new gigs you can create (catered to them), as well as how you can modify your existing services so that they are more appealing to your buyers.

[fatemazaman833]

6 hours ago, vickieito said:

It's actually "seller performance" and buyer satisfaction. You can still work on this, even though you don't have any orders. Here are three things you can do to get started:

1. Make sure that your gigs are clear and look professional. Tailor your gigs to a specific audience.
2. Including samples of your work can also boost your credibility with your buyers - utilize your 3 pictures and 2 PDFs to show off what you can do.
3. When buyers contact you in your inbox, listen to them! What the buyers say can give you ideas on new gigs you can create (catered to them), as well as how you can modify your existing services so that they are more appealing to your buyers.

Thanks for suggestion