Finally achieved Level One status as a Sensitivity Reader - Was it worth it?

[omnilegentangel]

Hello All: I achieved a new level on Fiverr (Level One) and wanted to share my experience. 

I started on Fiverr in July 2022 as a Sensitivity Reader and Beta Reader. After receiving more clicks on my Sensitivity Reader gig, I quickly put all of my energy into that gig and started receiving inquiries about two months later. I got my first sale almost three months into being on Fiverr. I removed the Beta gig so that I could refine it as I had refined the Sensitivity gig but became so busy with personal things, I never found the time to go back to it so I've had only the Sensitivity gig up since about October 2022. My Sensitivity gig is not among the cheapest and this may be why I don't receive that many requests. However, for the work I give the client, I know I am underpriced compared to Sensitivity Readers outside of Fiverr (about 3x less for what I provide).

In the year since becoming a Sensitivity Reader, I've received nine orders and one order for being a Beta Reader (with the Beta Reading being the cheapest order). Each month, I had to wait until my "review" date to show that I had achieved whatever milestone I was trying to achieve to move to Level One (because even when you achieve the milestone, i.e., you get ten sales, or you earn whatever amount of money you need to earn to move to the next level, it doesn't show until after your review date). I achieved my Level One Seller status toward the latter part of July 2023, however, I did not see the status reflected on my account until August 15th (one day after my normal monthly review date of Aug 14th).

During the year of selling my gigs, I received a total of $1657 (after all fees were deducted). Dividing that by 12 months gives me a total of making $138/month. That may seem small for most, and you certainly can't make a full-time job with this amount of money. However, I'm only looking to make about $500/month to help with expenses as I have other income. $500/month would pay for my business expenses and provide me with about an extra $250-$300/month in profit (after all federal and state tax considerations). I've found I get about ONE sale/month (again, I believe this is due to my prices being on the higher end of the Fiverr price spectrum for my gig, but again, my prices are very low compared to Sensitivity readers outside of Fiverr and I know I'm worth it!). Plus, the emotional strain of this gig is priceless but I love helping others to improve our world. My reviews prove this point. 

I've never taken advantage of the offers suggested by Fiverr (i.e., to pay to have my gigs "pushed up to the top," or to have my money sent to me early). I'm already paying 20% of my earnings on each sale and to me, that's enough. But I believe we all have to do what we think is best for our business. 

I wrote this article to give folks who are wondering what the path may be to becoming a Level One Seller and to provide encouragement. I enjoy doing Sensitivity Readings because I know it will make a difference in the world. At least I hope it does if the writers take my suggestions. That to me is worth more than money (although I also want to earn more). I believe I can earn more once I add more gigs, but I don't want to overwhelm myself either. I have a better handle on how Fiverr works (especially features such as messaging, extensions, reviews, customer support, etc). Those are all learning curves and I'm still learning - never stop learning or staying up to date on Fiverr Forums (they're great). 

I don't know how long I might stay on Fiverr since I'm a writer myself and have a few projects going on that are very time-consuming. I also know that I could make much more for the work I do by going private. I do like that I don't have to search for clients by using Fiverr but again, I'm not trying to become a millionaire on here (although I've heard you can!); I'm just trying to have a decent wage for the work I do. 

I hope this gives another seller out there some inspiration and some encouragement. If your gigs aren't making what you want, go back to the drawing board and either revise them or exchange them for new gigs. I whole-heartedly believe you can make a living wage on here but you have to commit to changing hats once in a while and/or changing your prices until people trust you enough to pay you more. 

If anyone has any questions for me on my journey or my gig (remember, I'll be changing that to more than one in the future), I would be happy to answer. I wish you all continued success! 

Angela

Edited August 17, 2023 by omnilegentangel
Word usage