I don't feel like I have to write for peanuts

[holisticwriter]

I looked at a lot of gigs before I started here. I know that most writers start at 500 words for $5 to get their numbers up, but I didn’t, for three reasons.

1. A friend told me that she started at 500 words, picked up a few good buyers, but as soon as she leveled up and dropped it to 400 words, she lost all her jobs. I would rather build slowly and get buyers who appreciate quality work.
   
2. This is just one egg in my basket. I’d love to build up a decent income here, but I still have to pay my bills while I’m doing that. I can’t afford to get swamped with orders for less than a penny a word and not be able to perform my better-paying gigs.
   
3. I don’t write on just any old topic. I’m a niche writer. All of my gigs are and will be very specific. I know that it takes longer to build up a buyer base that way, but I feel like in the long run, it will be worth it, because word will spread for the niche I am in, and bring in more buyers interested in those niches.
   
   
   
   Maybe it’s a stupid philosophy, and maybe I’ll fail, but I’m banking on quality, not quantity, bringing in the better buyers.
   
   
   

[wrknbuzz]

I think you have the right idea.



When I first started I absolutely worked for nothing. Once I had more work coming in than I could handle, I adjusted my gigs to so I was making a little more per hour and it made up for the gigs lost to those looking for the cheapest deal. I’ve followed that plan and it’s been working out well.



Every time I feel overwhelmed I adjust my gigs and I end up making the same amount of money, but working less. Interestingly, as I continue along this path, the quality of my customers increases too.



Keep it up, and good luck!

[happyspace]

Hi holisticwriter,



I think that you and wrknbuzz are right.



If I were a serious buyer I would first search for gigs that sell quality over quantity. In the end, to pay $20 for something good instead of $5 is not such a big difference.



I’ve been on Fiverr for more than one year, and I am not the quantity-type. I have noticed that most buyers coming here are thrilled by the idea that they will get someones’ work for ‘nothing’. Most people love to get something for ‘free’. Also, I think that the less you - as a seller - value your own work, the more buyers will think you are somehow no-good.



I believe that if you rely on Fiverr search only for this kind of niche, it will be very difficult for you to get buyers soon.



I suggest that you work hard for a few months to make your (really interesting and unique!) gigs known to the large public outside Fiverr. Through social media, relevant forums, your blog, comments on other blogs in this niche, your own free website etc. Showing what you know and what you are able to do, with photos, a video. To bring potential buyers to your gigs here.



By the way it would be very good if you make videos for your Fiverr gigs showing what you know to do! This way your gigs will have a better position in search too. And your potential buyers will be very impressed seen you doing that kind of things.



hope that helps 🙂



welcome to the community and best wishes for sales!



happyspace

[mcuadra88]

I went with the same strategy as many other fiverr sellers - doing a lot for very little at first (1000 word translations per gig) and then lowered it to 700 words, then 500 (I’ll probably stay there). And while I’m sure some customers were put off by that, I’d had quite a few people who’d already contacted me for long projects and, because they had seen the quality of the work, were more than ok paying the new price! And they are definitely better customers than those who are looking to pay for nothing for a lot of work. So, I don’t think it’s all that bad to aim for those type of customers who look for quality over quantity 🙂 Hope you get a lot of sales!

[edwriter]

Pretty much agree lockstep with everyone in this topic. I practically gave away the store when I started here simply to level. After that, I offered more reasonable rates. And I have wonderful clients who realize good writing takes some time.



But writers who undercut other writers, as a long-term business strategy, do the profession as a whole a disservice. They’re just contributing to the the race to the bottom that all writers are fighting against. I just wish writers understood how powerful we are–especially here on Fiverr. The internet doesn’t work with out us. The demand for content is insatiable. That means we are in a position to bargain, and we should expect a fair rate for quality work.



When I see people offering thousands of words for little of nothing, they’re not only disrespecting themselves, they are also disrespecting the craft, their own time, talent and expertise.

[gingerwriter]

@holisticwriter:



I think you have an excellent strategy. Starting where you are most comfortable is the way to go if you don’t want to tick off your loyal customers or sell yourself short. Some of us who have successfully leveled up by consistently writing quality content will tell you, as long as you are on-time with your delivery and your content is worth reading, buyers will always choose you over the other guys.



I also agree that niche writing can be difficult to generate income off of, especially on Fiverr. If you can expand the topics you write about you’ll stand a better chance of success through the site.



Just my two cents:)

[kornilov]

I’m only a buyer here, so my perspective is:



It is all about supply and demand! When demand for your services is high you can set any desired price to achieve a manageable amount of orders! When there is no demand, or it is very low, it will be very challenging to price above others. You may simply end up having less orders and smaller revenue. It is a very competitive market, there are many seller with reputation and a lot of feedback, why would someone choose you - the newcomer?

[holisticwriter]

@gingerwriter I fully intend to have dozens of niche gigs, so there will be something for everyone. I think that even though the search does not work well, once I start promoting my gigs through a blog showcasing my work and on social media, I will do well overall. I’m not in a hurry, because I have some pretty good eggs that pay my bills. This is an experiment, if you will, to see just how much people are willing to pay for great content. I see that some people who have been here awhile and have great reviews and ratings are doing much less than me, so my goal is to get there.



@kornilov That would be my strategy if I was not already an established writer with other clients who pay well. Fiverr is an experiment, and I think in the long run, believing in myself is going to pay off. Also, the reason they would choose me is because I don’t give them 300 words of content with 200 words of fluff and filler, and because I write on the the specific topics they need. I found out once when I had one of my own articles plagiarized that many of the buyers don’t care about plagiarism at all. One guy actually told me he had hundreds of blogs and did not edit or plag check anything his writers gave him. He was buying articles here and on other cheap sites. Paying a bit more means you get quality, original, well-researched material instead of plagiarized content that can get you in trouble. If you are a serious website or blog owner, that is important. That guy ended up having all of his blogs taken down by Google during Panda because most of his articles were plagiarized or so poorly written. They were just adsense and affiliate blogs, which is what a lot of buyers here have. They slap them up, make as much as possible as quickly as possible so they can take the hit when they are taken down. I’d prefer not to contribute to that scenario.

[gingerwriter]

Reply to @holisticwriter: Wonderful. Seems like you have it all figured out then. Good luck.

[mrproofreading]

Reply to @kornilov: I didn’t know you browse forums you Mike. Nice to see you around here.

[mrproofreading]

To add another angle, a friend of mine who came with me to the fiverr London event recently signed up to fiverr. He began by offering 300 words for $5. After a week of no sales, he upped this to 1,000 words for $5 (after I advised him to do so).



Since then, he’s received around 15 orders and a much better search ranking. He’d now be able to comfortably reduce his word count and still receive orders.



I think for a new seller in such a saturated marker, offering more than others is key.



Edit: However, of course, if you can achieve success by self-promoting then go for it. You simply have to weigh up the pros and cons of both options.



Self-promotion may generate additional sales, but in order to self-promote, you need to spend time, energy, effort, and potentially money out of your own pocket.



Wouldn’t that time be better spent generating new leads and long-term customers?

[holisticwriter]

@mrproofreading I always give the buyer more than they paid for – early delivery, extra words, excellent communication, etc. I already have one buyer who gave me a trial and is now going to order regularly.



If this doesn’t work out, like I said, I already have other money making options. I just thought I’d give it a try and see how it worked out. So far, so good.



Plus, the writing gigs are not the only gigs I have or will have. I’m just moving slowly, because I want to get my website up so people can see my work and see what I’m about. I’d rather promote a website than a Fiverr profile.

[kornilov]

Reply to @mrproofreading: It is a working headhunting tactic 🙂 If I find some interesting post, I always check gigs offered by that person.

But I prefer to read what others post, and not so often I press CONNECT to write something on my own.

[emeraldawnn]

Going along the lines of working for peanuts - I had a prospective buyer insult me iwith the idea that I rewrite 2,500 words for $5. Did I want to Confirm YES or NO? UM… how about a big fat resounding ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR D…N MIND!



You just know I had to say yes to that… NOT!



how insulting! I work hard for the money I do make here and I refuse to be subjected to that type of pay for that amount work. Nope! Won’t happen… ugh… I hope he doesn’t end up ordering anyway… I just have this feeling…