How is everybody doing?

[frank_d]

Hey gang!

Judging by the replies my recent post got, a lot of us are experiencing a slow-down.

I'm not sure what's happening and if Fiverr is actually trying anything different, but I also felt like this may be happening to way too many sellers for it to be just a Fiverr issue.

So I started digging around for information and I noticed that there are a lot of things happening at the same time.

 

 

Multiple sources -from my industry- are sharing that there might be a general slow-down it seems, across many industries, throughout the globe.

 

Others are getting mixed results:

 

Here's a very interesting thread:

 

So the bad news is: seems like a lot of big companies are preparing themselves to go through a recession. Mainly by cutting down on staff and by ceasing certain marketing efforts.

The positive outlook is that the companies that are firing employees, will no longer be able to create stuff like marketing materials, promo videos, branding social media management and so on, so they will once again turn to freelancers to get the job done.

 

So it's a question of timing: will we be able to wait it out until demand for services rises again to "regular" levels?

 

What can we do until that happens, IF this is the case?

 

Well here's what I plan on doing:

 

1) I am re-positioning 

I will tweak my position to capture a different segment of my target audience, at a lower entry point.

2) Re-examining products

There are some products that need to be re-evaluated in terms of the value I offer clients

3) I am doubling down on regulars

I will do everything in my power to strengthen my relationships and offer more opportunitites to regulars and recent past clients, to continue our collaboration on an on-going basis where applicable.

4) Portfolio refresh

If ever there was a time to do it, this lull seems like the perfect opportunity to update my show reel and what I showcase on each one of my gigs.

 

So, how is everyone doing?

What's your plan?

[leannelrivers]

Thanks for posting, Frank!

I'm feeling it, and the number of potential factors is overwhelming. 

I raised my fee by $15. A  few months ago, I was advised to lower my fee to attract more buyers and get more orders, and I didn't see any increase, so whatever. I can create one or two more niche gigs, but that's all the effort I'm putting into my Fiverr profile for now. The constant tinkering trying to find the one tag or keyword that might make the difference feels like a waste of time right now. 

I'm refreshing my profiles elsewhere and applying to join other voice-over specific platforms with much tighter vetting processes and good terms. A membership fee for freelancers, but 100% take home, for example. 

I've also completely revamped my Vimeo page and restarted my plus membership, so that's now acting as a portfolio page, as I have permission to use some videos to promote myself. Vimeo now has a marketplace so people can contact you to hire you. I also use Linkedin, but I don't find it particularly attractive. So I'm doing what I can from where I am with what I've got.

The other important thing is taking good care of my health and mental well-being. A strong mind is a freelancer's best friend, especially when the S hits the fan.  

[katakatica]

I'm one of the few who seem to be doing fine, but if I'm being honest, I likely am not making anything close to people based in the US (or just more-seasoned freelancers in general.) My March was great on Fiverr but awful health and mental health-wise, partially because of all that's going on. I had some rough clients in Feb-March who really triggered me (even if some of it wasn't their fault), and I'm definitely on edge because I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I've decided to make some new gigs (...I might start writing (sort of) non-fiction, though still heavily tied to games) and some other things, and I'm also working on getting a visual aid for my process and portfolio. Just in general, I'm trying to revamp things and see how that works, but also not ruin everything by tinkering with the wrong thing, which is honestly a bit scary. 

It's funny how I'm doing well but constantly anxious and paranoid, but I'm also trying to work on it, I guess? I'll be opening up on other sites and starting my business (I think I can say as much - I hope to make and host custom mini-escape rooms and treasure hunts/etc, here in Stockholm) potentially towards the end of the year/next year as well so I'll need to start thinking about that as well! 

In the end, I just hope that things will get better slowly for everyone! 

[leannelrivers]

14 minutes ago, katakatica said:

I hope to make and host custom mini-escape rooms

This is a great idea. I love escape rooms, and the escape games. I've often thought about how fun it would be to create them!

[melanielm]

My plan echoes Frank's quite closely. I'm overhauling my gigs, considering a price reduction, and working on all the gig-adjacent stuff I've -- to be honest -- neglected a bit (portfolio, etc.) I'll probably bug my seller plus manager, too. That's what they're there for, right?

 

[liubov_rudenko]

My recent month on Fiverr has been the worst. Though I’m not so skeptical about whole thing, considering that fact. My plan is pretty much the same. Doing some work on portfolio update, considering and refreshing the prices, creating new gigs with new products. I’ll try to be adapt to the situation in general.

[donnovan86]

Agreed, some adjustments might be needed across the board. It's hard to know if there will be any long term impact from this, so at this point all we can do is adapt and see how it all evolves. Needless to say, I'll do the same, but I am a bit worried about this trend Frank pointed out. Hopefully it's just a short term issue and nothing major. 

[danno1950]

First, I'm a bit overwhelmed by how fast all of these various factors are hitting us - thanks for asking, Frank! So what I'm trying to do is give myself some calm time to reflect and think through how I want to move forward, and move in a rational manner, rather than making hasty decisions.

The things I can control - I'm doing much like others have discussed here. I updated and refreshed my profile recently, so that's in solid shape. I'll go back and review my gigs, and see what I can tweak and improve. I'm looking at prices, but not making drastic changes just yet. I'm still receiving contacts from potential buyers, but they just seem hesitant to pull the trigger and place an order.

Because of the AI explosion right now, I've added a gig for "Editing AI Generated Content For Business." I specified business to separate the gig from general editing. I think a lot of people in the business world may be trying to figure out how to use the AI content generators, but they'll soon realize it still needs a human to clean it up and edit. The impressions and clicks I have gotten from this gig were incredible - 3 times higher than my current best selling gig to "Edit Business Content."  No orders yet, but I think that will change as people figure out how to work the AI world more effectively.

9 hours ago, frank_d said:

The positive outlook is that the companies that are firing employees, will no longer be able to create stuff like marketing materials, promo videos, branding social media management and so on, so they will once again turn to freelancers to get the job done.

I agree with this positive uptick for the freelance world, but it may take a bit for it to filter through to us. I mentioned on the forum that the last time I saw a slump this severe was when Covid first hit, and it felt like people just froze in their tracks. In a month or two, it leveled off, and things picked back up. I think that will happen again in this current environment.

 

[miiila]

I'm not sure, actually.

February was bad, March was good, but, as so often, there are too many factors between all the things you and others list, having had to cancel substantial orders due to buyer errors and a "buyer" (was a seller, who thought they need to buy my Gig for me to then give them an order, apparently) error, having been sick, having turned on Request to order (hadn't even wanted to, but that "buyer" order and the subsequent hassle and whining on the order page, as they weren't able to follow my repeated instructions on how to get their refund from Balance to payment source), it's hard to tell what's caused by what.

Then, there are also always those potential "mystery factors", like one bad private feedback that nobody tells you about and that you really can't even guess, and which may even be from some sneaky competitor, complimenting you in your face and complaining in your back, and that hampers your account for weeks or months.

Or having actually used "Unavailable" mode, because you were sick, or wanted a few days respite from the incredible spam messages.

Also, due to some customers asking for revisions because they can't or don't feel like checking the delivery within the allotted three days, and the clearance period, you csn even end up having, for example, a great February that looks bad in terms of $, and a bad March that looks great in terms of $.

If I'd add up February and March, and divide it by two, it would be okay-ish. But one really bad and one really good month still isn't good. 

It's a complex and complicated game. 

Edited April 4 by miiila

[donnovan86]

8 minutes ago, miiila said:

It's a complex and complicated game. 

I am in the same boat. I had issues with a few first time buyers, and also a couple cancellations from scammers. For me February was okish, but March was a disaster. April seems to be more like March, but hopefully things turn out great..

[guillermospada]

I haven't received orders for 2 months (seller level 2) it never happened to me even when I started on the platform

[zubairtopu]

I'm doing fine. I always try to make give good services to my client. This year I work lots of projects.

[startabitz]

Start of this year, I felt like no one can stop me from being a top-rated seller, but... these days, I guess I will achieve that status in the next couple of years hopefully. 😄

[chelsigoulart]

I’m a TRS and have experienced a huge and sudden slowdown recently. I’m usually so swamped with orders that I need to carefully manage my time and go out of office once a week to catch up. Things have been slowing for the last 3 weeks and now I haven’t received a single order in almost a week. It’s quite discouraging, as I just got my TRS badge and was excited for this next chapter in my Fiverr journey. My amazing returning clients have been keeping my business afloat, but that will only hold for so long.

[pmedinua]

On 4/24/2023 at 1:51 PM, chelsigoulart said:

I’m a TRS and have experienced a huge and sudden slowdown recently. I’m usually so swamped with orders that I need to carefully manage my time and go out of office once a week to catch up. Things have been slowing for the last 3 weeks and now I haven’t received a single order in almost a week. It’s quite discouraging, as I just got my TRS badge and was excited for this next chapter in my Fiverr journey. My amazing returning clients have been keeping my business afloat, but that will only hold for so long.

I am experiencing exactly the same. March was really good, my best month ever. I finished the last orders with happy customers, extraordinary and unusual high tips so I guess my service was quite good, but in April nothing. Not even messages. I dropped seller plus as it became annoying and stopped all promoted gigs as they are just wasting my budget with dark clicks. With dark click I mean those analytics you don't have any idea if they are real or a fiverr´s fiction. 

Wish you all a good May!