How I Earned 100s of $ on Fiverr in a Year: 6 Tips to Kickstarting Your Career as a Freelancer

In2019, I saw a youtube video by Lyn Allure in my recommendations tab listing 14 easy side hustles. I clicked it and thought to myself “a little disposable money never hurt anyone”. That same day, I used my bursts of inspiration and created my Fiverr account, starting my journey as a writer, photographer, and editor.

Since then, I have earned hundreds of dollars and almost 20 5 stars reviews on my profile. As a 5 star seller, I have a lot to share about my experience on Fiverr. Plus, I will write the 6 best tips that helped me be successful on Fiverr.

As soon as I made my Fiverr account, I was blasted with all of the competition I had, specifically as a writer. With Fiverr, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of sellers doing the same work as you; probably for cheaper too. The market is heavily saturated and it shows.

The key to getting successful on Fiverr is to stand out.

I didn’t let myself get discouraged, however. Instead, I mimicked what the top writers did. I noticed that most top sellers had their photos on their gig photo. If the full gig picture wasn’t just their face, they were at least visible somewhere.

1. Add a picture of yourself on your gig’s picture

This is a key step to getting buyers to click on your gig. Adding a headshot of you will help buyers trust you and attach a face to your name. They will be much more likely to buy a service from someone who they feel isn't a total mystery.

In the age of anonymity and blank profile pictures, adding your face can be a key step in attracting more customers.

Once I made my gig photo with my headshot on it (I recommend using Canva for your gig photo; it’s what I have always used), I focused on writing the description for my gig.

When writing the description for my gig, I made sure to use words that are appealing and catch the buyer’s eye. You need to make sure that whatever the buyer is looking for is mentioned clearly in both the gig title and description.

2. Use Keywords

Because I was offering mainly writing services on my account, I made sure to add lots of keywords like “writing”, “articles”, “essays”, “edit”, “proofread”, and more. As a new seller, no one cared how good of a writer I proclaimed myself to be. It is good to boast about your excellence in your skill, but without keywords, your seller won’t even be able to see your gig when they search for it.

Keywords increase the chances that your gig is picked up and promoted by the Fiverr algorithm.

When someone searches for a writing service (or any service) on Fiverr, they won’t see someone in the search results with no previous customers going on and on about how amazing they are and why buyers should choose them. Instead, Fiverr is going to present them with the buyers that best match their search query. The more relevant keywords and tags you use, the more your visibility!

In my descriptions, I included some of the positive praise I have received as a writer, the skills I would include in the gig, the things that made me stand out as a seller (fast communication, fast delivery, and affordable pricing for quality work), and positive parting words for the seller. It is important to end your gig description with an enthusiastic and friendly message such as: “I hope to work with you soon. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a lovely day!”

Once I edited my gigs to have simple, straight-to-the-point, and keyword-relevant descriptions, I had to think about the most difficult part: pricing.

I struggled with this part of my Fiverr career the most. On the one hand, I wanted to offer the cheapest pricing I could since I had no credibility or experience with the website. I wanted my pricing to reflect that the buyer should choose me even though I had no reviews since they had nothing to lose; just $5. However, I also didn’t want to sell myself short or seem like a sketchy seller.

I did lots of digging around on Reddit, freelancer blogs, and Fiverr forums. Eventually, I came to the decision to price my gigs at the minimum price Fiverr offered: $5. As a new seller, I had the option of 5, 10,15, and so on. I felt $5 was too little for the work I was doing, but I felt I had no choice.

3. Price your gigs cheap at the start and then slowly raise your prices as you grow

Once I created my gig, I had to wait. I started to doubt myself and wonder if my $5 gigs were a bad idea. Thankfully, in between a couple of months that I waited for my writing gigs to pick up, I dabbled in some photography work and got work rather quickly because of my location in Paris. About a couple of months after I created my writing gigs, I got my first customer. I was stoked! After this customer, I raised my prices and continued to increase them as I got more clients. If there were particularly dry spells where I wasn’t getting any new buyers or clients, I lowered my prices again and then raised them again when I was getting more buyers.

Essentially, start out with low prices and raise your prices as you gain more credibility and customers. Adjust as needed.

4. As a new seller, you have to go above and beyond to satisfy your customers.

5-star reviews are imperative for new sellers, and you need to do everything you can to get them. My biggest piece of advice for those who are starting out is to add in a little something extra. I liked to send in my progress often to keep communication active and to ensure the buyer is happy. I don’t want to keep my buyer in the dark and deliver a product they hate. Your first customer is arguably the most important and will set the tone for how other buyers see you.

Anything you can do that goes over the top to make sure you get that 5-star review on your first order is very important. It will help make sure you get a second customer and more in the future.

Over time, I started gaining momentum and getting more and more new buyers. However, some of the most money I have made is from repeat clients, or repeat buyers.

It is crucial that you build relationships and trust with your buyers to ensure they keep coming back to you.

Repeat buyers are usually willing to pay more, leave positive reviews, and overall support you as a freelancer. Keeping them happy means they keep coming back; perfect for you as a freelancer.

5. Gaining and maintaining repeat buyers

Most of the money I have earned on Fiverr is from repeat buyers who are satisfied with the work I have done and would like some more. A repeat buyer is the greatest compliment as a freelancer and something to feel proud of. In order to gain a repeat buyer, you don’t need luck; you need to cultivate a relationship with your client and make sure they are 100% satisfied. This means communication at all stages of the process (no matter how simple), pricing your buyer can afford, and communicating with them as a person.

While it is extremely important to always remain professional, I also made sure my clients felt as if they were talking to a real human being who truly had a passion for the work that they were doing. It is important to show your passion for the work that you do for your buyers so they feel important. Establishing this passion and establishing those client relationships is super important. I have earned hundreds just from repeat clients and I truly cherish them.

If you aren't getting any repeat customers, reach out to your old buyers that we're satisfied with your work!

Send your old buyers a message similar to this one: “Hello (Client Name), I hope you are doing well. I really enjoyed working on your last delivery and it was very pleasant. I would love to work with you again and create another memorable experience. Please let me know if you need something done and it would be my pleasure to do that for you! Thank you and have a great day!”

6. Don’t give up!

To be transparent with you, I didn’t hit the $400 mark until 2021. That said, I poured a lot of time and effort, and while it took me longer to get to the point I am at, I am glad I persevered. My Fiverr career started off slow and not as fruitful as it is today. However, if I had given up then, I wouldn’t have met some amazing buyers and written things I was truly passionate about.

From the comfort of my home, I was able to jumpstart my career as a freelancer, and for me, that makes Fiverr absolutely worth it.

Every one of us has a unique skill that we can share with the world. Fiverr makes it possible to do that. It may be tough and frustrating, but it can also be a source of success and a great place to hone your skills. I encourage everyone to give Fiverr a try; you never know what could happen!