It’s October 2008. I’m about to turn 26 and I’m unemployed.

When I went to university, I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life. After leaving with a pretty worthless degree in politics, I worked a string of part-time jobs. But I had no real clue what I wanted to do career-wise.

At that time, I was writing a sports betting blog with a bunch of like-minded friends from uni. I was also about to start a job with William Hill as a level 1 cashier, earning slightly above minimum wage. But right now, I’m sat in Dublin having a pint with an old friend from university.

A group of us have travelled over for the Irish Poker Open, which doubled up as a 21st birthday party for another old mate of mine. I won’t mention what happened with him and the gold-coloured thong.

I don’t remember exactly what we were discussing. It must have been something to do with my lack of career direction. Cammy had been living in London and working with Betfair for the past couple of years, but had just moved to Ireland to join Full Tilt Poker. He asked me why I hadn’t been writing for money. I didn’t know what he was talking about.

Advice

He told me that loads of people in the gambling industry were looking for content writers. They would even pay me reasonably well to do it, apparently. I just had to ask them.

I didn’t really know where to begin, but I took that advice back to Blighty and had a look around. There were no platforms like Upwork or Fiverr back then, but I took to randomly searching for things on Google. By chance, I stumbled across a few internet forums, such as Digital Point, and landed a small job.

My first ever writing gig was preparing 300 word Premier League match reviews, for which I would receive the princely sum of $5 each. I loved that job, it was like getting paid to participate in my hobby.

Soon after, I ended up stumbling onto a long-term partnership with an affiliate site. I worked part-time for those guys for around four years, in what was my first job as an iGaming writer.

Rounders Palace, as it was then, later rebranded to BetPal.com and I really enjoyed working for them. I would provide casino, sports betting and poker content in return for good beer money, topping up my meagre income from William Hill. In parallel, I was building my own little career in the gambling industry.

After my promotion to Head of Online for EDITEC in 2014, I had to stop moonlighting as a gambling writer. It was just too much. I was constantly exhausted trying to do both.

I was at a crossroads and I chose to focus on my career with EDITEC. With hindsight, I regret that decision.

Today

Fast forward to August 2021. I’m now done with full-time, stressful jobs in the gambling industry. I’ve thrown it all in in favour of a return to getting paid for pursuing my hobby.

Naturally, most of what I write about is still related to sports, betting and gambling, for they are my main interests, after all.

It’s funny though. I successfully bid on a sports betting project on Upwork, and it turned out to be for BetPal.com, which is now under new ownership. What a neat little turn of events.

In addition to writing weekly football content for BetPal, I also reconnected with the chap I used to write for when he co-owned the site, before they sold it . I’m now giving him a helping hand curating the content on Casino.zone, his latest venture. I had a lot of fun reviewing Play’n GO’s ZZ Top slot last week, what a banging soundtrack that game has!

Full Circle

Where am I going with this? I don’t really know, I just find it amusing how I’ve come full circle and wanted to scribble something down.

A simple conversation over a pint with a mate led to me realising what I should be doing with my life. I started out on that path, the right one, but became distracted by climbing the corporate ladder. That’s just what you are supposed to do, isn’t it?

Only now do I realise I’ve been living life wrong for many years. Perhaps if I’d stuck to the content creation, I could have spent the last few years as an iGaming writer, producing content from the beach. Not to worry though, I got there in the end. And in fairness, I had an amazing time of it, travelling around Africa and Southeast Asia for work, meeting some awesome people.

Now, I just try to remember that I’m lucky enough to live in a place where other people go on holiday, and I’m working for myself, doing what I love. But it all started on a lads weekend away, between trips to the bar and Abrakebabra.

Cheers Cammy, I think I owe you a pint.

Fiverr and Upwork are arguably the biggest freelancing websites in 2021, but which is the better platform for a freelance writer? I’ll share my opinions on the debate about Fiverr vs Upwork for writers, as well as my own experiences around commission, customer services and finding new clients.

Brief History of Fiverr and Upwork

Fiverr is an Israeli operation, set up in February 2010 by Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger. Initially, all services cost $5, hence the name of the company. This was a gimmick, and in fact, most of the services sold on the platform to begin were also novelties. It was the place to be if you wanted someone to record a funny video or sing a silly song. But these days, Fiverr is serious business. It generates $189.5 million in revenue.

Upwork was born out of a merger between earlier freelancing websites oDesk and Elance. In 2013, the platforms joined forces to create the imaginatively titled Elance-oDesk. Unsurprisingly, the new company eventually rebranded in May 2015, bringing us Upwork. They generated $373.6 million in revenue during 2020.

But which of the platforms should freelancers choose?

Fiverr vs Upwork For Writers

Since I’m a freelance gambling writer, I can’t really comment on the difference between the platforms from any other perspective. I feel like other freelancers, such as designers or digital marketing professionals, should still get some use out of my article, but it’s very much written with writers in mind. 

You can learn more about my own freelancing story, as well as how to start on Fiverr, elsewhere on my blog.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Pricing

The service fee is 20% for both Upwork and Fiverr. However, Upwork offers freelance sellers a greater advantage over Fiverr. As you do more business with a client, the fees decrease.

While Fiverr’s rates remain permanently fixed at 20% of sales, Upwork adopts a sliding scale, which is advantageous for freelancers:

Total Business	Freelancer Commission
$0.00 to $500.00	20%
$500.01 to $10,000.00	10%
$10,000.01 and above	5%

NB: Both Upwork and Fiverr also impose these fees on any tips provided to the freelancer by clients.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Finding New Clients

Both Upwork and Fiverr take a totally different approach when it comes to matching up freelancers with a potential project. But the burning question is this: Fiverr vs Upwork for writers, which is better?

Upwork

The main idea with Upwork, is that you as a writer must reach out to possible clients with an offer. A client will post a job first, then the freelancers will bid for that job or project. Although clients who are actively seeking to hire freelancers may occasionally contact you directly, most of your Upwork business will come as a result of you bidding on a job contract.

As a freelancer, you will need to search for a project or job based on keywords and phrases. You can filter out more relevant jobs based on the amount you will be paid, or the client’s own reputation. I’ve found this to be a great way to secure long-term business. Often, an Upwork project can last for months. Since the client has already chosen you from a list of applicants, you are more likely to be approached for further work.

Upwork also allows you to create a specialised freelancer profile, separate to your main profile. This new profile can be customised to give potential clients a more specific look into your skills and achievements when applying for a job. You can apply for work in different areas using your different profiles, to keep things more relevant.

Connects

Upwork is free to use as a seller, but freelancers are only allowed to make an application for a limited number of jobs per month. The platform manages these applications using a virtual token called Connects. 

Freelancers use their tokens to bid on a job, but when they run out, they have to pay for more. They don’t come cheap, either. It’s $1.50 for 10 but if you want to buy in bulk, you’ll be billed les per connect. The most you can request to purchase is 150, which costs $22.50.

Each month, freelancers are given 10 free Connects, so they should be used wisely. This is the one limitation that Upwork has, compared to Fiverr.

Fiverr Gigs

Finding business on the Fiverr platform is completely different to Upwork. Here, the freelancer is the one specifying the terms of work, not the client. 

When you set up a gig, you can specify how much you will be paid, how long you have in which to deliver the work and other key factors. A client who wishes to hire a freelancer will then browse through services offered by every seller, selecting the most appropriate one. This is the main difference with Fiverr vs Upwork, where the freelancer scrolls through adverts, before settling on a relevant job.

I find that maintaining my own Fiverr gigs is one of the hardest aspects of being on Fiverr. One week I will see thousands of impressions. But a week later, the analytics graph falls off the proverbial cliff, with no explanation as to why. 

I’m sure that Fiverr does it on purpose, to share the love around all of the other freelancers, but I’ve never seen anything to prove this other than internet forum conjecture. The only solution is to go back into the market and spy on the competition. Tweak your description keywords, adjust the pricing and add-ons, and hope for the best.

Buyer Requests

Although just a small section of the Fiverr website, these projects within this miniature marketplace are crucial when you are getting started on Fiverr. The hiring process here is different to the usual Fiverr model and actually works more like Upwork. Anyone looking to hire a freelancer can post a job request and then the freelancers can scroll through and bid on a suitable project.

However, the difference is that you will only be shown certain projects, based on your gig characteristics. For example, if you only offer services relating to blog posts on music, you will never see a job writing press releases for a sports clothing company. There is no way for a freelancer to search the entire database.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Customer Support

I have contacted Fiverr support on no fewer than seven different occasions. Only once have they provided any worthwhile help. The first five times, my actual concern was never addressed. It was as if the agent couldn’t be bothered to read my query and tried to give me some cut-and-paste, scripted answer.

After finally getting them to read and understand my problem, they were able to assist me satisfactorily less than half of the time. In fairness, they handled my last query swiftly, successfully and professionally. One out seven is not a great look, though.

I’ve also heard, through Freelancing various groups and forums, many tales of completely unreasonable clients complaining about Fiverr freelancers, only for Fiverr to side with the customer. I’ve actually heard lots of stories about buyers acting absolutely wild on there, generally. At times, it seems like as soon as they see that Fiverr logo, they have a license to abusive to you. I haven’t really heard of anything bad like that with Upwork, personally.

I haven’t had to deal with Upwork’s customer service team as often, on account of the site seemingly having fewer crazy buyers than Fiverr. On the two occasions I’ve been forced to deal with them, I’ve found them to be knowledgeable, helpful and more importantly to me, a lot quicker at replying than the Fiverr support team.

Fiverr Pro vs Upwork Plus

So far, we have only discussed the free-to-use elements of Fiverr vs Upwork. But both Fiver and Upwork offer a freelancer the chance to upgrade their profiles. Let’s take a look at these services now.

Upwork Plus

I talked before about Connects, the “currency” of Upwork. Well, the main benefit of a subscription, which costs $14.99 per month, is a monthly supply of 80 Connects. This allows Upwork Plus freelancers to bid for more work.

The other benefits I find to be negligible. One of them allows you to see information relating to the bids of other freelancers, to help you gauge whether or not it might be worth applying. I don’t think this offers $14.99 worth of value, personally.

You also have access to improved reporting tools, but I find it quite easy to report on my own sales just by pulling the data from my regular Upwork account and copying into Excel. That way I can track sales data from multiple other freelancing platforms in one place, rendering Upwork’s reporting fairly redundant. 

Fiverr Pro

It is free to make an application for Pro status on Fiverr, but if you do decide to apply, it can be very difficult to get through the vetting process. I recently applied and was turned down. Although I was not given a reason why, I was expecting this result since my portfolio is not big enough as I only just quit my full-time job.

I ghost write almost all of my work, meaning that I do not have by-line or any way to demonstrate that it really was written by me. This is on my list of problems to rectify in the coming months, before I decide to reapply for Pro. I’m sure this will help me to pass through the vetting process next time around.

The main benefit of being a Pro freelancer is that your services will appear in a separate section of the website, away from the novelty jobs and the lower quality freelancers. In this section, you’ll find high-end business owners and other clients seeking sales copy, or other content for their websites. 

Additionally, Pro users can browse for projects in a manner similar to that of Upwork and the rates are a lot higher.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Which is the Best Platform For Freelancer Writers?

In my experience, Upwork is the best platform of the two for freelance writers.

When I first quit my job to go freelance, I had no choice with Fiverr but to offer insultingly low prices, in order to attract business from potential clients. I had to go with lower prices than I would have liked when starting out on Upwork too, but nowhere near as low as on Fiverr.

Not only did I find that clients were willing to pay more reasonable rates to beginners on Upwork vs Fiverr, but now that I am more established as a freelancer, I find that Upwork is better for long-term project collaboration. Since the commission fees drop over time with Upwork, you get to keep more money for yourself. That can only be a good thing.

The one positive that the Fiverr platform has over Upwork, is that clients bring their business to you. Although a freelancer can put in offers on the Buyer Requests section, that’s just a minor part of Fiverr’s website. 

The Fiverr model of creating a gig and selling that specific package to a client is great for creating lots of one-off or short term collaborations. Personally, I find this particularly useful when business is slow, as it keeps things ticking over between longer-term projects.

In my experience, Upwork is the better of the two freelancing platforms for writers. 

Dominic Field – Freelance writer and editor

Fiverr vs Upwork – FAQs

Is Fiverr better than Upwork for freelance writers?

Generally, no. Upwork is a better platform for long-term partnerships, as the commissions decrease over time. It’s usually easier for new freelance writers to get started on Upwork too. But Fiverr is good for keeping work ticking over, with lots of short-term projects.

Which has lower commission, Fiverr or Upwork?

Both freelance platforms charge freelancers a 20% service fee. The key difference with Upwork, which is an advantage for freelancers, is that their prices drop the more you work with a client. Once you sell more than $500 to the same client, commission falls to 10%. If you do business together for a total of $10,000 in sales, the rate falls even further, to 5%. Fiverr’s service fee remains 20% indefinitely. 

Is Upwork better for beginners than Fiverr?

From my own experience as a freelancer, Upwork is preferable to Fiverr for beginners. To get started on the Fiverr platform, you have to offer incredibly low prices. You must also work extremely hard for little money and be very patient. It took me more than 6 weeks to book my first project on the Fiverr platform, and it was editing a 1,500 word blog post for just $5. Upwork clients seem willing to pay more reasonable rates to new freelance sellers than those found on Fiverr. I am yet to use sites like Contra and Freelancer, so I have no opinion on those as yet.

Which has more sellers, Fiverr or Upwork?

If you’re looking to hire talent to work for your business, you might prefer to start with Fiverr. It’s hard to find exact statistics for the number of freelancers on either platform. Upwork certainly used to have more registered freelancers, but a recent change of business plan, coupled with a purge of millions of inactive accounts, has seen the number of freelancers fall. Fiverr on the other hand, has more than 3 million active buyers annually and continues to grow at 80% year on year (compared to Upwork’s 18%).

Upwork vs Fiverr vs Freelancer

There are now dozens of freelancing platforms and sites, including People Per Hour, Contra and Freelancer. I haven’t really spoken about any of them in this article. Perhaps that’s a future article. But away from Upwork, Fiverr and the rest, Freelancer is undoubtedly the biggest platform. Established in 2009, the job posting model is closer to Upwork than Fiverr, with clients posting requirements and freelancers bidding on jobs.

I am yet to use Freelancer myself, hence not going into any detail. But from my experience of Fiverr & Upwork, it seems like Fiverr freelancers work for far less money than the others to begin with, due to the nature of the platform.

How hard is it to get Pro status on Fiverr?

The main thing you need to know about achieving Pro status as a freelancer is that, although it is free to apply, it is very hard to obtain. No matter what type of work you do, you are free to apply, but only the best freelancers will be selected. In order to apply, you must complete some basic paperwork, submit a portfolio of work and record a 60 second video explaining exactly why you think you deserve it ahead of other freelancers. It is worth the effort though, as you will be able to charge much higher rates and reach out to elite business owners and other VIP clients.

How do I know I will get paid on sites like Fiverr?

Freelancing sites act as an escrow between the seller and the client. The fact that a site like Freelancer, Contra, Fiverr or Upwork provides payment protection for freelancers is undoubtedly one of the best features. Getting paid is just so much easier with these platforms than without. It takes the pain out of chasing up clients for payments and is one of the main justifications that Fiverr offers for having such a high processing fee.

Does Upwork Plus have a free trial?

At the moment, there is no free trial available for Upwork Plus. A month’s subscription costs $14.99.

How can I win more Fiverr Buyer Requests?

Getting your first Fiverr jobs is hard. You need to obtain social proof, in the form of positive reviews, but getting reviews without already having reviews is extremely difficult. It’s a Catch-22 situation. So the key is to make extremely competitive bids. Offer unlimited revisions, the cheapest possible rate and super-fast delivery. You usually only need a couple of 5-star reviews on your gigs before you start to gain momentum, so offer to work extremely hard on a couple of early projects and take the short term hit for the longer term gain.

At first, I didn’t know how to start on Fiverr. But this week, I quit my job to work as a full-time freelancer. Getting set up on Fiverr played a huge part in that. Are you also looking to get started on Fiverr, but don’t know how? Maybe you already know how to begin, but are scared to commence your freelancing journey? Either way, you’re in the right place.

How I Got Set Up on Fiverr and Quit My Job

In July 2021, I quit my “proper” job to work full-time as a freelance iGaming writer and editor. If I hadn’t decided to set up my Fiverr profile, I could never have done that. It was the platform that landed me my first regular jobs and gave me the confidence to try freelancing permanently.

If you want to read the full story of how I got set up on Fiverr, you can do so later in this post. But for now, let’s talk about the advantages of the platform, before I actually show you how to start up.

Advantages of Fiverr

Getting started on Fiverr, as opposed to any other freelancing platform, has several advantages.

• You control your own gigs. You have full control over the services you offer, so you can be as broad or as niche as you want to be.
• Buyers will come to you. You don’t need to make an offer in order to secure work, like with other platforms such as UpWork.
• Dealing with your payments. In the freelancing world, constantly chasing up payments can be exhausting. But with freelancing platforms, you don’t need to stress.
• The website is intuitive. It’s very easy to get set up and start creating gigs. You don’t need much technical know-how.
• The Level system is rewarding. The better you perform against your competitors, the more you will be rewarded by progressing through the levels. 

Read my opinions on the Fiverr vs Upwork debate here.

How to Start: Step-by-Step 

The most important thing to realise when it comes to setting up a Fiverr profile, is that there is no right time to do it. Don’t wait. Don’t put it off. Just do it!

You can tinker with your profile and your gigs along the way, as you learn. Worry less about how to start and just register. If you never even start, then you can’t ever make money on Fiverr! So let’s learn how to make an account.

Step 1: Create a Fiverr Account

Setting up a Fiverr seller account is super easy. To begin with, visit Fiverr.com and hit the join button in the top right. You’ll see the following screen:

You can register using your existing Facebook, Google or Apple accounts. But if you wish to create one the old-fashioned way, enter your email and proceed to this screen:

I would advise you to pick a sensible username, as you will not be able to change this at a later date. Once you choose your username and password, that’s it. You are now ready to go!

The first thing you’ll see in your account is a note asking you to verify your email address, which you should do as soon as possible. Once verified, head on over to the Profile section, to fill in your personal information.

Step 2: Complete Your Profile

Filling in your Fiverr seller profile is very important. Access it from the menu in the top right corner, like so:

Not only is it an opportunity to sell yourself to potential clients, but you can also add a list of skills. These help the algorithm to understand what you do and connect the right people with your gigs.

In addition, your profile allows you to set the languages that you speak, display any qualifications you may have, as well as listing the results of any Fiverr tests you may have taken. 

Step 3: Research Competitor Gigs

Before you think about setting up a gig of your own, you need to know what your competitors are doing. Spying on people offering the same type of gigs as you allows you to set a benchmark for your own gig’s prices and delivery times.

Think about it like this: if there are two equally talented writers, offering the exact same service, but one offers their gig at $10 with a 1 day delivery time, while the other gig is available for $30 and a 5 day delivery, which one are you going to choose?

Remember: keep your friends close and your enemies closer!

Step 4: Set Up Your First Fiverr Gig

Now that you understand what your competitors are doing, you can set an appropriate price, number of revisions and delivery time for your first Fiverr gig. To set up a new gig, choose “Gigs” from the top menu, then hit “Create A New Gig” in the top right corner of the screen.

You need to complete five steps in order to start your first Fiverr gig.

1. Overview. Here you must write a snappy title, such as “I will show you how to start on Fiverr” and choose the gig category. Use the search tags to pick relevant keywords and phrases to allow potential customers to find your gig.
2. Pricing. You can set the cost of your gig, or gig packages, should you opt to offer three different tiers. You can also determine the delivery time, number of revisions offered and other gig extras.
3. Description & FAQ. Possibly the most important section of your gig. Not only is this the chance to write a sales pitch about what you can offer a potential client with your gig, but it also needs to be carefully optimised for the algorithm. Make sure you repeat lots of keywords and phrases.
4. Requirements. This is so important. Requirements are a vital weapon in dealing with problematic buyers. You will want to add at least six requirements. Make the client commit in writing to what this gig is about. This may avoid arguments in future.
5. Gallery. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to knock up a good gallery image. You can use free tools such as Canva that make it super easy. Or you could even pay a fellow freelance seller to make something for you! 

That’s it, your first Fiverr gig is ready to go! 

Tips For Setting Up a Gig

• Pictures. You simply must include a real photograph of you when you create a gig. And smile! People need to see that you are real and, ideally, friendly. There is so much fake stuff online, no potential buyers want to get scammed when purchasing services.
• Packages. Feel free to use all three packages, even if you hadn’t intended to. It’s almost like offering three gigs in one. You can also use it to create bulk discounts that seem more attractive to your customers.
• Pricing. Start out cheap! It sucks, but swallow any pride you may have and destroy any nonsense ideas of what you are “worth” as a seller. Your work is only worth what someone is going to pay. You can’t start making money on Fiverr until you have some reviews.

NB: You will not be able to create certain types of gigs until you complete the corresponding test. For instance, anyone wishing to set up a gig relating to writing must complete the Fiverr English Test.

Step 5: User Buyer Requests

When you are first setting out as a seller on Fiverr, jobs are going to be hard to come by. You need to build up some social proof, in the form of positive feedback on your gigs. But how can you obtain social proof if you can’t land any work from clients? Simple. Use the Buyer Requests section!

This part of the website is a kind of marketplace where you can put in custom bids for very specific jobs. You will not see many of these to begin with, perhaps just a few per day. But they are crucial to building up your portfolio. They help you practice the services that you are offering, as well as building up positive feedback.

Tips For Winning Buyer Requests

• Be Quick. Often these buyer requests are made out of desperation. When someone is in a hurry, the fastest offer will land the gig. As a seller, you give yourself the best chance by acting quickly.
• Unlimited Revisions. Offering whatever you can to give yourself an edge is key as a seller. You have to be ready to work really hard to earn your first gig.
• Lowball Offers. Again, buyer requests are all about trying to get an edge. If you want it, you have to make as attractive an offer as possible. Go low!

Step 6: Be Patient

Starting up on Fiverr takes time. You have to put in a lot of work. You should constantly be reviewing your gigs, fine tuning the keywords, monitoring the gigs of your closest competition and hammering the Buyer Requests section.

Without the reviews, without the social proof, you could be anyone. If a potential client sees two identical gigs, but one has more reviews, guess what? They are always going to pick the gig with more reviews. It’s frustrating, but it’s obvious. 

Be patient. Almost every new seller gets started slowly on Fiverr. It will come in time. I didn’t even know how to start on Fiverr, but it eventually clicked for me. It has done for many others too. Keep at it! 

How to Start: Responding to Clients

Now that you understand how to start on Fiverr, it’s important to address the bit that comes next. I cannot stress the importance of this strongly enough. You must respond quickly to potential Fiverr customers. Why?

• Fiverr is extremely competitive. If you don’t respond pretty much immediately, some other seller will. And they’ll get the gig.
• Your average response time is tracked. Fiverr displays this on your profile. A quicker response time makes a client more likely to accept your offer.
• Fiverr punishes you for failing to respond to a client inside 24 hours. This can cause you to drop down a level, impacting your gig performances and ultimately, affecting sales.

The Customer is Always Right

In addition to your response time, it’s important to remember to work on your customer service skills. You are going to encounter rude customers. In fact, let’s be honest, we’re all adults here. You’re going to encounter some complete fucking assholes.

They will game the system, angling for extra revisions for free. They will bombard you with a million questions and stress the hell out of you. You will deliver exactly what they requested, but it will still be wrong. And they will leave you a 1 star review even though they were lovely during your chats and told you everything was great.

You cannot please every client. There is a small percentage of sad, miserable individuals who want to make your life difficult for no reason. They might be broke. They might just be having a bad day. But you cannot fall into the trap of arguing with them. Or being a wise ass. One bad review early on could destroy a gig, or even your entire Fiverr profile. Stay professional.

If you have a genuine dispute, let Fiverr support handle it. Walk away from your computer. Breathe. Smile with gritted teeth as you write “thank you for your comments” after their latest tirade. 

The customer is always right. We know they aren’t, but just go with it. It’s for your own good!

Getting Started on Fiverr: My Own Story 

In July 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I was on the brink of losing my job. By chance, I stumbled across a freelancing platform. I’d never even heard of it before, so I certainly didn’t know how to start on Fiverr.

I’d been a part-time gambling writer before, making extra money churning out poker, casino and sports betting content as a side hustle. Maybe I could try writing again? Could I even make money on Fiverr? I decided to give it a whirl and get started. 

Slow Start

But it did not start well. Given that I had absolutely no idea how to start on Fiverr, that is perhaps a tad unsurprising. It took me around six weeks to book a gig, a $5 job editing a page on a dental hygienist’s blog.

My first client was brilliant and gave me repeat business, which helped me earn a collection of 5-star reviews and get momentum on my editing gigs. But it was a long time before my writing gigs gained traction.

I finally got my break when a client wanted me to write some casino blog articles. Happily, I could write this stuff in my sleep as a gambling industry professional. So I decided to focus on this specific niche, gained more and more customers and steadily increased my prices. 

By now, I had started a new full-time job. Since I could work remotely, I left Manila for the paradise island of Boracay. Safe to say I’ve fallen in love with working from the beach and did not want to leave. With my Fiverr sales figures continuing to grow, I was gaining confidence that I could earn a living doing this. So I decided to call time on the “proper” job.

I left on July 10th 2021 to work as a freelance iGaming writer. I could never have done that, had I not got set up on Fiverr.

How To Make Money On Fiverr

This guide is more about getting set up than for you to learn how to make money on Fiverr, so I’ll keep this brief. But the best tip I have when it comes to making money on Fiverr as a new seller, is to choose your services wisely.

Don’t try to offer a gig that you don’t enjoy, just because you heard it made money for someone else. If you care about a service that you offer, you’re far more likely to work hard at it and reap the benefits later. I’m not saying don’t develop new skills, but to begin with, stick to what you love.

Top Gigs To Make Money On Fiverr

That said, some categories do perform better than others. Services like the following earn the most money:

• Copywriting. Good marketing copy is what ultimately sells a product. And there are so many websites out there today, someone needs to create all of that content!
• Graphic design. Much like copywriting, all of these sites online today need someone to create the design elements. Good design can make or a break or a website.
• Social Media Marketing. I see many buyer requests on Fiverr for social media managers. Many people are clueless at social media, but there are also plenty of people that are not, but simply don’t have the time to run all elements of their business.
• Video Content. Videos are a key part of marketing strategies for companies today. Videos are on every page you see. Think how many times a day you watch videos on your social media timeline, never mind every other site. There’s money to be made!
• Virtual Assistants. VAs are in high demand right now. Again, many people are just too busy doing other things and will happily pay good money for a professional to make their lives a bit easier.
• Web development. There are multiple elements to designing and building websites, as well as multiple platforms and languages. The more skills you have, the more money you can make out of building websites.

Get Started on Fiverr – Final Thoughts

So now you know exactly how to start on Fiverr. You’ve heard my story about quitting a job to become a full-time freelance gambling writer. You’ve even read my advice on how to get set up. So now there’s only one thing left to do. 

Go out there and start your own freelancing journey. No excuses. You can do it. It’s time to put your newfound knowledge to the test and get started with Fiverr. Good luck!

How to Start on Fiverr – FAQs

Can you tell me how to start on Fiverr?

Setting up a Fiverr account couldn’t be easier. Follow this link, find the join button in the top right corner and follow the simple on-screen instructions. Once you have an account created, you can set up your first gig as a new seller and hopefully, begin to make money on Fiverr!

How do I set up a Fiverr gig?

Log in to your account and choose “Gigs” from the menu at the top. You’ll need to fill in five different sections. Make sure that you have properly researched your competitors, benchmarking the cost, number of revisions and delivery time.

What are Fiverr Buyer Requests?

Buyer Requests is a section of the website which acts as a miniature marketplace. This is where clients can make very specific requests for jobs and wait for freelancers to make them an offer.

This marketplace is crucial when you are first getting set up. In fact, if you ever want to get started on Fiverr, you are going to have to master Buyer Requests quickly. You won’t necessarily make much money, but they are important for building social proof in the form of positive feedback, as well as good old fashioned practice!

How much should my gigs cost when I first get started on Fiverr?

When you first get started as a seller, don’t expect to make money on Fiverr. You absolutely have to go in low with the price of your services. If at all possible, start with $5 gigs. Until you have the first few reviews under your belt, nobody is going to take a risk on you. Scope out your competitors for information on where your pricing should be.

What should I put in my gig description?

Fiverr searches are just like Google searches. Think about the keywords people might use when searching for things online. Also make sure that you are thinking about potential questions that your customers may have. Try to address them in the description of your services. Feel free to experiment when you create a new gig. Try different things and check frequently to see what works and what doesn’t.

At the end of April 2021, I took the bold decision to quit my job in order to pursue my side hustle as a freelance iGaming writer on a full-time basis. I’ve always loved writing and have, at various points in my career, been lucky enough to provide written copy to clients as a paid hobby.

Having started a new job in January 2021, I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better company to work for in the LiveScore Group. The onboarding couldn’t have been any better. The people were extremely welcoming, professional and friendly. The company does everything it can to further your personal development and look after your mental health. The salary is as high as I’ve been paid in my career to date.

My decision to leave is, quite rightly I would say, being questioned by people. Am I mad?

2020 – A Difficult Year

Maybe I am mad. But after a difficult year with a huge amount of personal upheaval, I have begun to look at life in a different way. The end of a long term relationship, the loss of a retail-focussed job due to COVID-19, the move to living on the paradise island of Boracay. All of these things have contributed to reshaping my focus, and to making me question what I really want out of life.

I have fallen in love with working from the beach. I am fed up of working for bosses, with office hours and targets, living for the weekend. The time has come to put my effort into building something that is for me. I can monetise what I love doing. I can have the freedom to work the hours that I choose and from wherever I want. When the world starts to reopen, I really want a taste of the digital nomad lifestyle.

Thanks to freelancing platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, I am able to easily showcase my writing skills. I have been able to pick up several regular clients away from those platforms too, providing copy on a range of subjects.

The gambling industry remains my area of expertise, but I have written on a variety of topics already. Everything from website copy for a signage company, to the devastation of wild fires in the USA. I have been editing a dental hygiene blog. I have written about the best glue products to repair a broken fridge. Even immigration to Australia. No two jobs are the same!

Freelance: The Future?

I know that freelancing is not going to be easy. There will be dry spells. Copywriting is a competitive business, too. But I do think that COVID-19 has made people realise that they can have a much better work-life balance.

I believe that in the next few years, more and more people will start to freelance, and not just copywriters either. Freelancing allows you to work from home, see more of your family and utilise your skills to earn money for yourself, rather than someone else’s company.

And although Fiverr and Upwork are frequently discussed, there are plenty of other options too. LinkedIn is about to launch a new platform to help freelancers. Contra has recently launched. There’s plenty of these platforms around today that make it increasingly easy to be a freelance writer, designer or whatever you wish to do.

Whether my prediction turns out to be right or wrong, only time will tell. But freelance writing is certainly my immediate future, and I can’t wait to start my new adventure. If you know anyone who needs an iGaming writer, whether it’s for blog posts, casino review or anything at all to do with gambling, please get in touch!