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The Pro badge's value isn't diminished by a handful of negative reviews or less than 5000 ratings. It's the unchecked influx of new people receiving it that's concerning, especially if there's no vetting process behind it. I believe there is some form of internal vetting, though, much like for TRS sellers. That said, I suspect this could be a part of a larger rebranding and restructuring strategy that won't affect just Pro. I'm not going to bash their effort before we know what's going on, but I'm sure as hell not going to celebrate it either. From what we've seen on-site since yesterday, they're shifting to a "Pro first" model. This will devalue the Pro brand, no doubt about it. Fiverr used to be really top-heavy when TRS was a more automated process. I hope they won't make the same mistake again. While this change will devalue the Pro badge, it might boost the overall Fiverr brand if they're going to be a Pro-first platform. I'm just not very comfortable with Fiverr's ability to separate the wheat from the chaff on this one, going by some of the latest developments. Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if that's the route they're taking. Yes, it's a bit worrying to see random sellers flaunting Pro badges without apparently going through the rigorous application process we're used to. But Fiverr has gone down that road for a while now. When I applied for Pro, they didn't require a social media presence, nor did they require a video. They had already lowered the bar then, and I'm not surprised that they're doing it again. I think this is just a shift in Fiverr's strategy. We've gotten through the shift to using BSR as a main ranking factor, we've gotten through one algorithm change after the other, and we've seen Fiverr go from a five-dollar platform to one with an average spend way above that. We've seen it go from weird people singing folk songs with their goat for five dollars to a professional business platform (partially). On the upside, this might enhance the overall Fiverr brand and potentially drive more clients with bigger budgets to the platform. On the downside, the system in place has worked out well for a lot of us, so we're probably not going to love change. Let's give it some time to see how it pans out. We can't expect Fiverr to stay in one place. They need to test, learn, and adjust to find the sweet spot. I still believe that being an actual professional, serving our clients well, and staying up to date with changes like this, is what will give us an advantage. At the end of the day, badges didn't get us here. We got ourselves here.

It's just a theory, but I believe the vetting process for Pro is changing to be more like the TRS vetting, which is also a manual process. So I'm not too worried about Pro sellers not being vetted. Will Pro become less exclusive? Sure. If more sellers become pro, that makes the value of the pro badge itself less valuable. But if Fiverr also starts pushing TRS/Pro exclusively to a lot of buyers, it's a step in the direction we've spoken about before and part of "the purge" of low-quality gigs we've asked for. I'm merely speculating, of course, but Fiverr wants to attract more complex projects and higher budgets, so rebranding sellers into the "Pro" category might be a part of that. It would raise the Fiverr bar but lower the Pro bar.

I find this statement curious. I was here long before the Pro system, but that hasn't kept me from taking pro sellers seriously. Given that you're also a Pro seller yourself, I'm wondering if you phrased it like that for a reason, if you meant something different (like not taking a Pro seller seriously just because they're a Pro seller), or if you meant what you wrote word for word.

I saw the same thing when searching for VOs. TRS and Pro for the most part. Very interesting.

I meant that Pro can't be both; there's a reason why Pro has had a minimum price tag from the get-go. I'm not talking about Fiverr as a whole. Expecting Fiverr to only cater to a premium segment is unrealistic. But one would expect that from a "Pro" brand clearly made to differentiate the two segments.

It all depends on who you want to impress, I guess. If your target market is premium, you want to convey a premium brand. I don't think you achieve that by promoting services that don't fit within that strategy. You don't go on Amazon to buy a tailored Tom Ford suit. And you dont visit one of his stores for a cup of Darjeeling tea and a 10.000 dollar suit if all you have is enough to shop at Walmart during Black Friday. Both shoddy and premium can work well as a business model. The question is: which is it? Because you can't be both.

Interesting. Thanks!

But building a high-value, up-market brand is, in many ways, language based. Did you know the Norwegian government has official advice out not to take e-mails or websites with typos seriously, because the likelihood of you getting scammed increases tenfold? Just a thought. But like I said, I dont take issue with non-native speaking individuals not being fluent. I take issue with it when they lie about it.

You'd expect the seller to have at least a conversational level of English skills and the ability to proofread their business profile before they get promoted to Pro. I'd expect that of any company or freelancer who takes themselves and their business seriously in an online environment on an international website. Now, if they aren't 100% fluent in messages (but able to communicate effectively enough to get the job done,) fine. Will Pro sellers with poor English hurt the "Pro brand"? I believe it will.

Personally, I have no problem with sellers with poor English skills. I only have a problem when they lie about it. I live in Spain. If I wanted to be surrounded by people with English skills, this would hardly be my country of choice.

"ChatGPT Verified" will be tier 1. "Bing Verified" will be tier 2.

Curious. I like to think that I'm fairly successful, working with major international brands. So is @newsmike, and we're probably some of the most active forum members. But perhaps you're right, and we need to redefine success based on forum posts. 🙂

I agree. I don't think it would be a good thing to sell pro gigs for five bucks, though, but I expect they won't let it come to that. This would actually open up the door for me to go Pro in the VO category. I have avoided it for this exact reason.

I became a Pro without social media. I just told them that I dont use it, and that it is a deliberate choice. They were fine with that, obviously. I became a Pro a good while ago.

I just spoke to a VO seller (TRS) who got Pro oted to Pro without applying. He said he didnt have to charge a minimum of 100. So they're clearly lowering (or removing) that requirement.

It really comes down to your specific situation. A subscription model might boost your visibility and reel in new buyers. It could also help you get more regular buyers, and that's great for your conversion rates. The "This seller has lots of repeat buyers" badge on your profile can be nice! But at the end of the day, you're the best judge. It all depends on whether you've got a steady stream of repeat buyers. If you've got clients coming back over and over for more projects, then yeah, a subscription model could be a big help. If most of your clients are one-off buyers or they don't purchase very frequently, or they're after completely different projects each time, it might not make a big difference. That said, I really don't think there's any harm in trying it! I've had it on some of my gigs for a long time, and never received a subscription order, so it didn't make a huge difference for me, but my clients (even though I have a lot of regular ones) usually have different projects every time, so it doesn't make sense for them to subscribe.

It depends on your performance going forward. There's no set time it will take until you "re-rank", as your visibility is based on your performance and that of your competitors. If you keep getting orders and complete them on time, your order completion rate should rise. It's based on your completion rate in the last 60 days, so it will reset itself if you get new orders. Losing access to promoted gigs is part of the consequences when stats drop.

I checked out the site and it does use wording like ""One hub for all your non-payroll workers" and I'm not seeing anything about it being exclusive to programmers? There's case studies about marketing projects, too, so I'm not so sure.

I haven't received it yet, and was informed through the confirmation email about the acceptance into another subcategory. It was a different email. Another thing I'm now speculating on... Could this have something to do with Fiverr aquiring Stoke Talent, rebranding it into "Fiverr Enterprise"? It was in the shareholder letter for Q1.

By the way, my SM had this to say: You'll likely be receiving a notification to join an onboarding session where they'll be able to answer all of your questions. Naturally, she couldn't share more beyond that.

It's important to remember that Pro sellers often have higher rates than "regular" sellers, so a small job queue doesn't necessarily indicate slow business. For instance, I currently have two Pro projects, each expected to span 50 to 60 days, with corresponding budgets. I'm speculating, of course, but I believe the Fiverr Business will be an important part of this move. Given Fiverr's long-standing efforts to go up-market, the focus on Pro services isn't surprising. That's why I applied for Pro status in the writing category when the shareholder letters began mentioning this strategy. It's a decision I don't regret, especially now as AI begins to dominate the lower end of the market. As a Pro seller, my higher rates appeal to premium clients - so aligning myself with Fiverr’s strategy made sense. That's why I believe dropping rates is a misguided approach. As a human writer, you can’t compete with AI on speed or cost. The differentiator that matters now is being true professionals with an actual passion for the craft. I believe these are the qualities that will set us apart in the coming months and years. And to be honest, how much time can one dedicate to each client when charging less than the price of a bagel and coffee at Starbucks? Thanks! 😄 And I do love the reference to one of my favorite movie franchises.

I'm guessing Fiverr is taking some of their best sellers, verifying them manually at will, opening up for lower prices, in the hopes of growing the number of pro sellers on the platform.

It looks like I got a different e-mail, probably 'cause I just put in my application for Pro in another subcategory, and it just got accepted. The email mentioned they're about to launch the biggest update to Pro ever. The link in the email took me straight to my Fiverr Business profile. I'm thinking this update might have something to do with that. Perhaps they're combining the two? The email even said I don't have to change my gig pricing, so maybe we're about to see a bunch of Pro gigs with lower pricing. That, or the e-mail was tailored to me because my gig in that subcategory automatically turned pro and already had a Pro price on it.

The first half of 2023 has been quite hectic. I've been busting my chops growing both my newspaper business and my Fiverr profile. I've landed some stellar clients, who've turned into regulars. They're the dream type of buyer who jumps on your custom offers without haggling over prices or asking for "group discounts" because they need more than 10 words in their VO or article. June turned out to be a record month in terms of revenue, although a chunk of it was spillover from May and April projects. June's shaping up to be pretty solid too. I've been getting some big, long-term projects, along with a steady stream of orders from new buyers. Spring and early summer have been great, at least where the cash flow's concerned. But I haven't managed to save as much as I'd hoped and that's frustrating. I'm always on about building your buffer and investments. It's high time I practice what I preach and rein in my reckless spending. For the rest of 2023, my goal is to consolidate my new rates and long-term clients, weeding out the not-so-great projects, and making sure to save and invest at least 30% of my Fiverr earnings. Percentage-wise, my earnings growth compared to the last half of 2022 was a mere 3,9%, so I'm not entirely happy with that, given the inflation is at 6% in the past year. When comparing the number of orders, I managed to have that growth while decreasing the number of orders by 14%, so that means I'm making more on each order, which is a constant goal of mine, so that's positive.

You'd be surprised how much you can say without sounding rude. I just told a client (outside of Fiverr) the following: "I appreciate our past collaborations. However, it appears our professional expectations differ significantly. As a result, I recommend that we explore alternative avenues that may be better suited to our individual business goals. I value your contributions and wish you every success in your future endeavors." That's my business translation for "You're a horrible client". 🤣