sabinespoems

Another well-written and very true post @smashradio! I'm tired so I don't have the mental capacity to respond thoroughly (or coherently for that matter) but I wanted to emphasize the importance of #5 (for me at least). I've experienced both the stress and anxiety that comes with working someone who set off my gut feeling where I didn't listen to it, and the relief after turning a project down. Sometimes I didn't realize how much I was dreading to work on a project after saying no. Because, indeed, it can be difficult to say no to money (like hello that's what keeps our gears going) but it's so so so true it's not always worth it. Whether they have a book of demands, don't quite fit what you offer, or are just allover bad vibes just walk away and be better for it. P.s. I do know Surströmming but I can't say I've ever tried it, nor have a desire to tbh 😅 do you enjoy this delicacy?

Your calendar is on point @Kesha, I didn't know this 😅 there's really a day for everything haha. Here's my contribution though! One is for the bonus points 😉 plus a reference to my new Fiverr reality, the other is a reference to my current living reality here in Holland (rain is necessary but I'm over it now sigh). I wanted to write The client said nevermind I have a robot It has rained all week But I will keep on dancing Hoping the sun joins

I'm definitely experiencing the same problem. I went from having to work my buttocks off every week, to about 2 to 3 orders a month. I believe the main reason for me as a writer is the use of AI as @donnovan86 mentioned. The frustrating thing is not knowing how to change things around due to so many factors being at play. I'm privileged in the sense it's not my main source of income so it doesn't increase my stress levels. However, I really love what I do and hope I'll be able to turn the tables back to how they once were!

I've never had buyers tell me I ask too many questions either. If anything, they told me they liked it because it showed a commitment to thoroughly understand their project before working on it. Besides asking questions, whenever they share a lot of information I summarize by saying 'so if I understand correctly you want X and Y'. This helps by getting on the same page plus I can refer to it whenever they decide to do a 180 😅

Sweet and kind Vickie, for the past few days my thoughts have often drifted towards you and your family's direction. I wish you all so much strength and love. Like everybody else I was at a loss for words when reading your news. I think @mae_creativitysummed it up perfectly, both about reading your name and the positive vibes that come with it, as well as us being here to hear all of your memories of Jun and the 'lessons' you learned from him whenever you're ready. Grief has no handbook or timetable. I hope you can find your way through the forest with your children close by your side ❤️

That's so adorable haha, but I am too! Especially since I gave up on the idea but with your perspective & angle I think it might actually work. This will have my priority in setting things up. Let's see how it will go! 🥳

No worries! So if it's in that category it would be okay? I'll look into it, thank you again so much for your valuable insights Vickie 🤗

It's so disheartening to read/see things about it indeed, also the fact so much of the history that Lahaina holds has been destroyed (if I read it correctly). My thoughts go out to your friends & family, and of course everybody there 🙏

My thoughts exactly! But I might be biased haha. I did have one client who had 3 different AI's write a poem and came to me & ended up liking my piece much more. It gave me a little hope 💪 I understand that definitely makes you way more conscious about your Fiverr approach! A bit deviating from the topic but are you close to the fires that are happening? Hawaii is of course quite big, so I hope you and your family are safe 😕 Thank you so much for your kindness and the time you've spent sharing these ideas with me, that means a lot! I've been a bit tunnel-visioned and couldn't see the forest for the trees (this is a Dutch saying so I googled it and apparently it exists in English too? 🤓). I'm definitely going to make a game plan with these ideas, specifically the ones focusing on business clients! I already had many clients for the jewelry insert cards, so you're spot on with that angle. I actually did think about going into this area, but wasn't sure if it was allowed. I remember messaging CS about the 'friend' angle and I remember them saying because I'm not a professional I couldn't give advice etc. Although that wouldn't have been the angle (unfortunately I can't find the email). I'll dive a bit deeper into it!

This is basically what I'm doing 🙈 It's not because I'm lazy or think that I'm so amazing things will turn around on their own, I just don't know how to turn it around. I think I lack the entrepreneurial 'spidey senses' to actually run my account as a business. The only reason I'm not stressing about it is because it's not my main source of income. 📈 So I've definitely felt the need to change! The basics included some gallery images I altered and I've lowered my prices (with only $5 but still). I ponder a lot about what I can do in order to fix this drought. Nothing groundbreaking has come to mind unfortunately though. 🏃 This I haven't done, because I feel like the new announcements weren't things I could play into with my niche. Others will probably say there's always an angle, my brain just can't think of it 😅 💗 Like everybody, I hope I'll be able to help people again by writing poems for them and making some money during the process!

I haven't posted in a long time on the forum, but this topic ignited my forum flame (and my self-reflecting one at that). Thank you @looseink, it's good to have you back! And it's also good to read you're stronger than before 💪 1) I still have 4 of my baby teeth, because no 'adult' teeth are below them. So if they fall out, I'll be toothless there. 2) When I flare my nostrils I get a dimple in my chin (do I get points for this pointless fact?). 3) I love doing my nails and, albeit amateurish, painting nail art on them. These canvasses are very tiny, so it can get quite challenging to succeed 😅

I have 5 questions in my requirements of which 4 are obligatory to fill in. I'll break it down for clarity: 1. Which language they want the poem to be in (Dutch or English). 99% of my clients want it to be in English, but it's still necessary for me to know in case a Dutch client happens to want the poem to be in English. 2. What or who they want the poem to be about. This is quite a lengthy question, including reasons why I need to know it as well as a few examples for them in case they have no idea what to write. 3. If they have a preferred rhyme scheme. 4. Why they want this poem to be about this person/thing. Although this can be answered in question #2, I noticed this prompts buyers to provide me with additional information I otherwise wouldn't have received. It also provides me with a better idea of their thoughts/intentions for the poem. 5. If there's anything else they'd want me to know before I get started. This question is not obligatory. But I find including this question makes buyers feel secure that they've truly provided me with all I need. I can imagine some buyers find it annoying 😅 However, I noticed that some who can't be bothered just fill in N/A. I've never had any cancellations based on the amount of requirements. Even with all my questions I sometimes still have to ask a bit more on the order page to make sure I understand their wishes/ask them to elaborate on some details. But by separating my requirements into 5 questions I think buyers have a sort of overview because it goes step by step. My buyers find it annoying (at least none of them have told me haha) but instead comforting in a way that they feel heard. However, this might be the case due to the niche I'm working in which involves a lot of processing of feelings & emotions. Also because it's often for special occasions they want it to be perfect so they prefer my 'the more the better' approach when it comes to sharing info. In short: Based on my experience, it's perfectly fine to have multiple requirements!

I certainly hope not! I understand Fiverr wants sellers to turn customers into repeat buyers. But if this would actually affect the success rate of sellers, I'd be doomed. This is the case for me. I basically never have repeat buyers, because I mainly write for special 'one-time' occasions. Giving a poem for every birthday or anniversary would get old quickly!

I saw someone having a gig in my niche offering to 'write AI generated poetry'. The 'write' is already hilarious in that context. But what amused me more, for a lack of a better word, was that this person doesn't offer revisions or editing. I wonder why. This person doesn't have any sales yet. What a surprise! Sadly, it's something I do think some people could fall for.

This turn of discussion about promoted gigs really intrigues me, because I always felt it did make an impact for me. For example, my March receipt was $24 spend which resulted in $143 sales. In case it's relevant, my daily budget is $15. But my conversion rate is pretty low (70 clicks and 3 orders). However, especially since my 'organic' sales have basically came to a stop I feel the promoted gigs are the only way for me to generate at least some revenue. I'm curious what April will bring though. After reading this entire thread I'm not all that positive!

I'm really grateful for all the information on this thread. It was a lot of information to take in but I finally had the time to read and process it all. Thanks @frank_d for creating it and others who contributed! I created a post in early January referring to my own sales draught. So that's when the orders have basically stopped for me. From consistently getting orders every few days, I'm now hardly getting inquiries and the stream of income has been reduced to a third of my usual revenue. Out of desperation I even thought of lowering my prices, but I'll wait with that measure. Compared to all of you I feel I'm only a small fish in this pond, so I thought it was just me. Although it was out of the ordinary, I assumed it was due to the algorithm rotation/negative private feedback/competition. Which can still be the case of course. Or ChatGPT is writing all the poems now, who knows! I know not having a steady income is the 'risk' of freelancing, but I must admit it frustrates me a bit not knowing where the draught is coming from. If I did, I could approach it more effectively (but I'm aware that's part of it all). But I'll keep a close eye to this thread to see how everybody else fares! In the meantime I'll try find ways to:

This is a much more coherent and well-worded rant than I could put together when being annoyed 😂 But I completely agree. I hate it when they phrase it as if you owe them a piece of your cake. That's not how business works.

I wholeheartedly agree. Like I mentioned before, instead of becoming excited when seeing there's a brief match it started to feel like spam to me. And when I did get them regularly, I became annoyed too when I heard the notification (and received an email, why both?!) because I knew it would be nonsense anyway. I guess all their efforts are now going toward AI... @vickiespencerwe don't know their story indeed! 😂

Briefs summed up in a gif Disclaimer: only based on my experience and the only time Trump came in handy to sum up the experience

I took a look at how buyers have to submit their briefs and it says: "Our smart algorithm calculates the most suitable category for your requirements. For example: If you request a logo to be designed for your business, an additional field will appear (based on the details you provide). This information is unique to each service. When prompted, complete the additional fields to ensure the best and most accurate match." I guess the algorithm is only as smart as the person who submits their brief 👀 If I get a relevant brief plus somebody actually responding to my offer I'll definitely make it known on the forum 💃 I never get replies either so congrats @leannelriversfor actually succeeding! Or rather, the 'briefs buyers' being smart enough to recognize your talents 😊

@rahulkajla1is correct! Here is what Fiverr says about it so you have a source for it as well; When purchasing a Gig, Buyers are granted all rights for the delivered work, unless otherwise specified by the Seller on their Gig page. Note: some Gigs charge additional payments (through Gig Extras) for Commercial Use License. See our “Ownership” and “Commercial Use License” sections below for more information. And here is a link to the Terms of Service so you can have a look at the green sections for additional information: Fiverr's Terms of Service

Definitely true. Perhaps I was a bit too hopeful about it 😅 Hurray! I feel like you've had a unique experience haha. And I was thinking that the absence of it meant they were perhaps monitored more closely indeed, but as I said above that was most likely wishful thinking...

I had mine turned off for a while as well (because it started to feel more like spam to me), but curiosity got the better of me here too and I wanted to see what the briefs consisted of. Let's wait and see what it does for you! Maybe Fiverr is becoming a bit more strict as to which briefs can be posted?

First of all, let me make it clear I'm not a fan of briefs at all. But I noticed something and I wanted to know if it's the same for others. I used to get briefs all the time. Many of them are irrelevant to my gig or they were from sellers trying to promote their services. However, it's been 3 weeks since I received my last brief. I can't say I miss it since I've never counted on them for my orders. But I'm still interested in why that is! Has it been the same for you guys too? Or is it just that nobody posts briefs that Fiverr considers relevant to my gig? It's just interesting to me since, as I mentioned, hardly any of them were relevant before either so I'm curious as to why they stopped. So by all means, enlighten me with your experiences!

Mine is even lower..... since I don't have enough orders to calculate my score 😅 But normally I do have a score that is also low because most people only need 1 poem for a special occasion. I'd consider it a big deal and something to be proud of, congratulations! 🥳