[Customer submitted an order outside the scope of my gig, will I now be punished for cancelling?]

30 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

That doesn't seem it falls out of your scope, if you agreed to work on it. 

You could go to customer support, but most likely they will not remove any cancellation penalty, since you agreed to scheduling next week, so it's not like the order arrived without agreement.

I did not agree to work on it. I said I'd get back to him next week and that'd we'd need to agree something separate from the gig in question.

He was asking for something not even remotely in the bounds of the gig. ( I do screenplay feedback, they want me to watch a documentary)

 

Just now, catwriter said:

Fiverr was designed so that customers could place orders even without contacting sellers first. Sellers have tools to prevent that (for example, setting themselves as unavailable if they'd be unable to work on new orders until the next week). If you have a gig with 24 hours delivery time, and haven't made yourself unavailable, the buyer was within their right to click on that "order now" button.

As @donnovan86said, you can try asking customer support for help, and see what happens.

Or, you can request (on the order page) to extend the delivery date. The buyer would have to agree to it before the deadline expires, though, or your order would get marked as late.

Yep, I understand - although I assume that the customers 'ask' still has to align with what it is your gig offers? If you offered to play a song on guitar within 24 hours, but they ordered and asked for it on piano... surely you're not beholden to that as that isn't what your gig is about?

In this instance, I said it would be possible I could do what he's asking, but that I'd have to get back to him about it as that's not currently what I offer.

[Customer submitted an order outside the scope of my gig, will I now be punished for cancelling?]

A customer contacted me asking if I could complete an order that would fall outside of my gig offering.

 

I asked them to wait until next week, as I needed to check my schedule and we'd need to a agree something separate. 

I've now woken up to an order from them that must be delivered in 24 hours, that doesn't fully align with my offering.

This is the only order I've had in a while, does this mean my cancellation rate will skyrocket and that I'll be punished - despite not being at fault? What are the alternatives I can take?

[I get virtually no impressions per day across all my gigs combined - please advise!]

1 hour ago, jonbaas said:

There is no such thing as gig ranking. That's not how the Fiverr algorithm works. The system exists to custom-match a gig to the best buyer candidates for that gig. As a result, every searcher sees completely different search results -- based upon internal metrics, and only the buyers the system thinks are a good match for your gig, will see your gig in the search results. Fiverr is not like a Google search engine, it is more like dating match app. Fiverr wants to find the best match for the searchers/buyers that are looking for a specific freelancer/seller service.

Your gig will never rank, because it is custom-matched to the buyer the Fiverr system thinks is most likely to hire you.

While there isn't a list that Fiverr creates that explicitly orders each gig in a given category... there absolutely is an algorithm that ranks when someone searches and that rank is very consistent across different users. When I was trying to troubleshoot why I wasn't placing well in well in search, I got a some other friends with their own Fiverr accounts to search a bunch of terms as well. Different accounts with different purchase histories in different countries... all the same results. Same gigs at the top, same gigs at the bottom. My gig occupied the same part the of same page for all of them.

Why would that be the case if it's personally matching gigs in a hyper specific client to freelancer way like you suggest?

It isn't Google page rank, but it is a ranking generated by a combination of keyword match and gig performance. That's obvious. I don't have a problem with this, there isn't another way to do it. (Short of being totally random, which would be a disaster.) I'm just seeking to understand it.

1 hour ago, jonbaas said:

If buyers aren't hiring you, then you are not offering a service that fulfills their needs.

I'm explicitly offering the same service as those ranked on first page when myself and my friends search.(Except I have a video and more detailed description) So it logically follows that the successful gigs aren't offering a service that fulfills their needs, either?

1 hour ago, jonbaas said:

Of course, but they do not guarantee sales. They provide a great marketplace, but it is YOUR job to make the sale. It is YOUR job to convince buyers to hire you, instead of the tens of thousands of other sellers offering the same/similar service. Fiverr isn't going to do your work for you.

Of course and that' great. If I make my case and they choose someone better... that's the market. But if I can't make my case because I'm four pages down and nobody ever sees it... I first have to convince the algorithm before I can convince customers. If Fiverr is the marketplace, then the algorithm is the gatekeeper to the section in which the customers actually browse.

The process for success seems to be:

1. Convince the algorithm you're great so you can...
2. Convince the customer you're great so you can...
3. Deliver great work and get great feedback so you can...
4. Get paid.

I'm currently stuck on number 1. All I'm really asking is how to get in front of the FIverr customers in the first place so I can do 2,3,4.

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Essentially, you are paying Fiverr 20% of your revenue, in order to be included within their marketplace/algorithm. If you don't earn any orders, you don't pay anything to Fiverr. You, therefore, have nothing to lose.

So if I don't get any sales through the marketplace/algorithm and I instead bring my own external clients to Fiverr I don't lose the 20%?

33 minutes ago, newsmike said:

Amazing how the "I have no orders and no hope" crowd is so arrogant in their disdain for the hand that feeds them.

Disdain? The hand that feeds me?  A slight dramatic stretch... I'm just asking questions about search placement and Fiverr hasn't fed me a thing 🤣

[I get virtually no impressions per day across all my gigs combined - please advise!]

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Then, if would seem that the buyer requests section is not where your target customers are located. Why do you keep relying upon something that doesn't work for you, and expecting it to provide something it clearly does not?

Thanks for the response. I'm not relying on buyer requests, in fact I don't like them generally as from what I hear they're mostly filled with people asking for things at a dehumanizing price, I just check them as that's advice I've heard a lot for newcomers to get initial business.

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Perhaps there are no target customers in those niches that are confident in hiring you. Just because you target a niche, does not mean you hit a gold mine of customers. You still need to provide a service that those people want. And, right now, that doesn't seem to be working for you. Research the people in those niches, and better understand their needs and wants. A niche means nothing, if you don't understand the potential customers within that niche.

The difficulty I'm having is that my gigs aren't being seen due to not ranking. I could be offering the best service in the space and it wouldn't make a difference as I can't convert impressions I never get. I believe I am fulling their wants, as I'm bringing a better offering than those ranking above me that get do get sales.

2 hours ago, jonbaas said:

Perhaps it might he helpful then to build one. Create a website, manage a topical blog, create a community of followers who need screenwriting services. There are always audiences, you just need to find ways to connect to them. Richard and Maurice McDonald had a limited market for their San Bernadino, CA hamburger stand until they chose to innovate, and turn the burger stand into a franchise with iconic Golden Arches branding, and new locations all over the place. They understood what appealed to their target customers, and now, today, there are fast and convenient Quarter Pounder fast food locations all over the place.

The only limitations to your success, are those that you impose upon yourself.

I've heard this a lot and I think it IS sound advice... but it does leave me slightly confused. Building an audience is a difficult, slow and requires commitment over a long period of time. So if someone has went through that process and built an audience of incredible value in their chosen field... why would they then direct them to Fiverr? If you've developed the relationship AND will deliver the service, why would you give up 20% of your fee to Fiverr? At that point you're effectively paying a 20% payment process fee. Fiverr's main value proposition to freelancers is in providing a marketplace that connects them to clients. That's where they earn the lionshare of their considerable cut. Would you really advise spending months, if not years, to cultivate an audience to then run your payments through Fiverr?

Genuine question!

[I get virtually no impressions per day across all my gigs combined - please advise!]

I have 4 gigs where I offer a variety of screenwriting services

They have:

• The most professional videos I can produce
• The most professional images I can produce
• My face visible in the videos and image.
• Keyword research determined titles, descriptions and tags (which I've experimented with endlessly)
• Competitive, but not dirt cheap, prices (also experimented with)
• All of the little things I've been told help the algo: FAQs, 3 Packages, Documents etc.

I have made one sale ever and got a glowing 5* review, but that came from an off Fiverr source.

I'm online 15+ hours every day without fail. I check buyer requests daily, but have only ever seen one. My gigs are diversified to hit a number of niches within screenwriting.

I have no off Fiverr audience to market to.

What am I supposed to be doing better here? At this rate of impressions, I'll be lucky if I get a single order through Fiverr over the course of the entire year.

[Extremely low impressions after endless research and tweaks - what am I doing wrong]

1 hour ago, smashradio said:

It's difficult to say for sure. This is just a guess, but I would think it has something to do with supply and demand. You're limiting yourself to very narrow areas of work. If I search for script coverage, most of the gigs have a few, but not many reviews. With roughly 120 competing gigs in a niche with little demand, it could be one of the reasons why you don't get much exposure. 

I found your gig on page 2 when searching for "script coverage". Most buyers don't go beyond page 1. 

You do have room for more gigs. Maybe you can research other areas in writing where there's a higher demand? The thing about Fiverr is that you need sales to be visible, and you need to be visible to land sales. 

I see that your gig is well optimized, so I'm inclined to believe this is an Occam's razor type of situation. You're in a low-demand category, decreasing your exposure, thereby not landing you sales. I don't think it's about your gig optimization. 

I hope this helps! 🙂 

Thanks for the advise. It's a shame that what I'm looking to offer is maybe too niche for Fiverr, especially as it slots into an existing Fiverr category with no further narrowing down. Screenwriting is my main skill, so I'm not sure what do in terms of picking something more popular... especially as the prevailing advice seems to go niche. 

[Extremely low impressions after endless research and tweaks - what am I doing wrong]

My gig: https://www.fiverr.com/danjsmith/provide-top-tier-coverage-for-your-tv-or-film-screenplay

 

I haven't gotten a single sale or message - the only exception being one sale that actually came from my own social media post - so nothing to do with Fiverr.

I am regularly appearing on the last page in search (have gotten various friends to search loads of keywords to make sure it's not just personalised search results for me). I don't see how it's possible to leave obscurity, I'm not even in a super crowded market.

The people always appearing above me don't seem to have done any of the things that Fiverr recommends (tags, high quality images, video etc.) ... and many don't have any reviews. 

 

Things I've Done: 

-Experimented with endless combination of keywords, titles and images

-Tried various price points

-Uploaded the most professional video I'm capable of producing

-Used every feature there is (multiple packages, FAQS, Documents, Portfolio, Gig Extras etc.)

-Got a 5* from only sale

 

So (preferably without linking me to more reading material repeating the basics that I've already done) - what am I specifically doing wrong here?

Thanks!

 

[IMO I have a more appealing gig than majority of others - and my first rating was 5* - but poor search placement and no sales]

My Gig: https://www.fiverr.com/share/9jrLrD

I've utilised virtually every Fiverr feature (packages, video, FAQ etc.) - yet I see people above me in search with no reviews, no video and in some cases almost empty descriptions.

Any advice on what to improve appreciated 🙂

[Is there a way to find out how much of a market there actually is for a given service?]

EDIT: Think I posted in wrong section but idk how to delete.

 

For example, I'm offering script coverage.

If I search that, I can see a 1 or 2 pages of gigs, most with little to no reviews. However, I can't see if even the most successful sellers are getting any kind of regular business. The number of reviews may be over many years and the 'Last Delivery' seems to show their last delivery across all of their gigs, so it could well be in something completely unrelated.

So how do you know if a niche is dead or thriving without access to any analytics other than your own, if you're a new seller who gets no impressions due to poor rank (or because nobody is searching for this in the first place).

Looking to arrive at some kind of benchmark what I could expect if I were to start ranking near the top.

Thanks