Five things you can do to keep good talent happy on fiverr

[gracebjarnson]

So, I’m sitting at my laptop one morning and notice I have another voice over job waiting for me. It’s from a repeat client of mine who does DJ work on the other side of the world. They are fun, short jobs, where I provide several different reads of a few phrases and send off the raw material. I notice two sound files were sent. One with the pronunciation of a name (critical when dealing with different languages), and another. I click and listen. I think “Wow! Sounds cool! They do great DJ work. Wait! I know those words, I recorded those…That’s my voice! Holly ***** . That’s my voice and it sounds AWESOME! I’m a mother of 4 kids, and people halfway around the world are listening to this in some club or on the radio, and don’t have a clue! They think I’m cool and with it! Whoa…” The epiphany is huge. I’m charged, exhilarated, FREAKING OUT. I post it on facebook, and I never post on facebook. I email it to my husband. When I pick up my daughter from high school I MAKE her listen to it. I’m not usually like this. I’m an introvert, very much in my head. But here’s the deal, I’M AN ARTIST, SPECIFICALLY A VOICE ARTIST. AND ARTISTS NEED FEEDBACK. THEY NEED TO FEEL A PART OF A CREATIVE PROCESS THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE, THAT EFFECTS OTHERS. When we do feel this, we are content, exhilarated, and are willing to put an awful lot of work into getting those kinds of results.

I’ve also been a buyer on fiverr, and understand how nerve racking it can be on that end. You want to find people who do quality work, who can communicate well, who are willing to put in the work to get it right and make your project better than when you started. You want to work in a forum where your money gives you a great return, where your concerns are listened to, where your time is not wasted. And some of you may be very creative as well, and are actively searching for partnerships where working together takes your project to the next level (synergistic relationships). But here’s the thing, there is a temptation for those voice over actors who consistently provide great work to get off of fiverr. Fiverr is not considered a reputable site for voice over work because the pay is so low. I’m not sure about other types of work on fiverr. Many voice over artists are hoping that that stigma will change as fiverr matures. Until then, we stay for the experience of working with great clients who treat us well, and share their results with us.

HERE ARE FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE GOOD TALENT TO STAY ON FIVERR. I’m being specific to voice over talent, but it applies to other areas as well. These items help the artist perform their job better, and also help you receive what you are looking for. As artists, we really do want you to succeed.

1- Let us in to your process by providing pertinent information. Who is the audience, what is the purpose of the project or end goal? What type of project is it? Is there background music to help understand the pacing and tone? What feel should the read be: mature, younger, energetic, fun, nerdy, sophisticated, credible, friendly, warm, intelligent, conversational. If this is a character piece: Who is the character, who is she/he talking to? What is the situation?
I can read the sentence “ A marshmallow is nummy in the mouth.” a million different ways, depending on all of the factors listed above. We can’t read minds, even though some have gotten better at doing so than others. You know your project, we do not.
Things to send if applicable:
a) Entire script or at least chapters in book, if a character piece.
b) Character description if character piece.
b) Background music ( it helps us understand pacing and mood)
c) The video with scratch voice over, or video without voice over ( even if we are not syncing, it helps us understand mood, feel, timing, etc.)
d) Example of other voice over with characteristics you are looking for.
e) Pronunciation of names (businesses, and personal). There are many ways to say names. Please don’t make us re-record because we didn’t pick the right one.

2- Provide feedback as soon as possible. This is especially important on large orders, and on orders where you expect a quick turnaround. If an artist has questions, and you do not respond, they hesitate to move forward. Or if it is time sensitive they may record, but it may not be what you really wanted. When I get a job like this I want to cancel it, because I would rather not waste my time providing something to my customer they do not want, and have them angry because they have run out of time to make changes. $5 or even $15 isn’t worth the stress. This is a cooperative, creative effort, that requires communication from you.
Sometimes on larger orders (e-learning) I like to send out a minute or two of recording to get feed back before recording hours of work. I want to understand my clients needs, and don’t want to waste my time, as well as theirs. When placing an order please be aware of communication from the artist. We want to do it right the first time.

3- When the artist gets it right, and the project pulls through, let the artist be a part of the success, let them enjoy the part they played in the final product. Doing work on fiverr can be lonely in a way. We are not part of the creative/writing process. We get an email from who knows where, make a recording, and send it off into the unknown. We enjoy knowing that our efforts succeeded. We want to see how the final video, or e-learning, advertisement, or e-book turned out. This is why we do this for such a low price. We want to be a part of something bigger than just the recording, we want to see awesome results!

4- When you have a good experience on fiverr, please leave a comment so that others know who to trust. We love it when someone leaves us a great review! And the more specific the better.
Example: “My e-learning project turned out great! Fast service, Reliable quality! We’ve used her many times.”
Like most artist, we doubt ourselves, no matter how good we are at this. In fact many of the best voice over artists who have been doing this for decades and make hundreds of thousands a year still wonder if they are good enough. It is a part of the artists experience. Please be willing to encourage us when we do a good job for you.

5- Tip us! The amount of money you are saving using fiverr versus so many other sights is simply astounding. Be conscious of the fact that when you find someone who does well for you, you normally would be paying 4 to 10 times more somewhere else. When you are generous it makes us want to stay on this site.

Thanks, and may your experience on fiverr be awesome!!!