The Beginner Freelancer: Is Fiverr Still Worth It?
And how to move beyond content mill websites.
I was broke. Well, it was worse than that. I was £1500 into my student overdraft and barely able to afford pasta for meals.
The years 18–21 were difficult. Money was hard to come by. Even with a part-time job, I had to struggle for months. As a young student I frequently battled with whether to eat for the week or go to an event with friends.
So, what did I do as a twenty-year-old to make money?
I turned to Fiverr.com.
We often search Google for ways to make money online. In fact, my internet search history was flooded with Pinterest Boards dedicated to side hustles and money-making schemes.
But what I found is that many of the ‘influencers’ who ‘got rich quick’ using these platforms were much older than myself. They were utilizing skills from their full-time job and pulling contacts from their network to help them.
What if you have nothing?
I turned to Fiverr.com in 2020. I remember telling a careers advisor during a meeting about how I thought I had ‘made it’ because I’d just completed a $20 order.
How wrong I was.
Starting Out on Fiverr.com
In the beginning, it was a great way to earn a couple of hundred quid a month. I was doing what I loved — writing — and making money doing it.
It served as a high-competition, low-income content mill website that I could get started on. But as I developed a client list and continued working, many were unable to accept an increase in prices.
Search ‘Content Writer’ or ‘Blog Writer’ on Fiverr and see how many results come up. That is how many writers you are competing with — what’s more, they’re happy to have low prices to be attractive.
The problem is when you know your worth. I developed my skillset and began to charge higher and higher, but I noticed less business coming my way.
Fiverr could only take me so far.
Benefits and Challenges of Fiverr.com
That’s not to say that there were no benefits. In fact, there were plenty:
- Worked on many different projects and niches
- I saved some extra cash
- The website was easy to use
- Built my portfolio
- Honed my skills
But there were many challenges:
- The platform will always prioritise the client in disputes
- A lot of waiting for someone to order from you (internal marketing)
- Many clients weren’t able to communicate exactly what they needed — just that they needed a writer.
- Spam
- Fluctuating Prices — to keep up with the site you often had to lower your prices
- Intellectual Property Theft — many users would cancel the order as soon as work was delivered to get away with free work.
Overall Review of Fiverr.
Overall, for a beginner, it was worth it. You were getting writing experience and some extra cash.
The problem is: how far can it truly take you?
I’ll link here an article by Shelley Wenger on the benefits of content mill sites like Fiverr.
Developing Beyond the Content Mill
I’d call myself an advanced writer. I’ve turned away from content mill sites and am actively sourcing clients through email pitching and marketing. My website also allows me to attract new clients.
I’ve noticed, especially through content mill sites, that alot of the work is poor. Because individuals are competing at ultra-low prices, what you see is what you get.
Pay $20 for a 2000 word article and what can you expect?
If you’re a business that is serious about developing, I wouldn’t hire a freelancer from Fiverr. Upwork.com certainly holds more reputable freelancers at a higher cost — but some of the challenges are very similar for a seller.
How to Make More Money as a Freelancer in 2023
In 2023, the content game is going to change.
According to Hubsot, 82% of marketers invested in content marketing in 2021. That figure then rose the next year by 6%.
The content marketing institute recorded that 81% of marketers view content as a core business strategy.
So what does that mean for freelancers?
You will be in demand. So, it’s time to stop waiting around on Fiverr.com and start spreading the word. Tell anyone. Whether they listen or not who cares — because at least one person may know someone on the hunt for a freelancer.
With content becoming such a lucrative asset, those heading to Fiverr.com will quickly turn away when they’re delivered low-cost production content.
Now that we’re out of the pandemic, businesses are able to spend more money. That means spending it on quality content that will sell. Rather than producing content for the sake of it. Funnily enough, Google’s new SEO update requires content to be educational and put the customer first — low-quality content will be penalised.
Top Websites for 2023
With all of this said, where should you go to promote yourself as a freelancer? I’ve compiled a short list of websites for you to get started:
- LinkedIn (writers are being paid hundreds of thousands to write for CEOs and Businesses)
- Personal Website on Wordpress (for SEO purposes)
- Medium.com
- YouTube (link back to your own website)
- TikTok (link back to your own website)
- Twitter.com (network for writers. See this article for how to use best)
- Upwork (a content mill site, but much higher quality)
How to promote yourself offline
Paid advertisement linking to your services is great. But when you’re starting out, you don’t have the money.
Here’s what I did.
- Reached out to local sports clubs and wrote for free
- I used their community and connected with small business owners
- Participated in network events
- Wrote (alot) for free (for clients and personal)
Promoting Yourself Online
- Started to develop my own branding
- Cold-emailed websites I thought could be done better
- Developed a website
- Wrote on my website
Conclusion
If you’re a beginner looking to gain some writing experience and don’t mind low costs and high competition. Nor do you care about waiting around for your next gig. Then Fiverr is a great place to start.
But don’t limit yourself to one content mill site. Join them all. That way, you’ll be sitting around a lot less.
Ensure that you eventually leave the platform. Take some worthwhile client information with you (some websites ban you from doing this but there are way around it).
Don’t be afraid to get out there.
