Let me explain Fiverr.com like this. First, close your eyes. Then reach in to the bucket and grope around for a winning entry ticket. Got it? Great.
Of course Fiverr isn't quite a hit or miss lottery. Alright then, maybe a little. This is why it's always good to roll up prepared before you start throwing fivers every which way.
The concept of Fiverr is ingenious. In a nutshell the Fiverr website offers a whole plethora of projects, tasks, jobs etc that folks will do for you for 5 bucks. (Per project).
Personally, I couldn't handle designing graphics, playing SEO expert, sending postcards, creating videos or penning a simple song for $5 too well. (But for a lot of folks in other countries, earning $5 is party time).
Especially if they're knocking over a whole bunch of projects in one day!
Quick Irreverant tip: You could almost do something similar for $20 players. You might need to think up a better name though. Twenty-er doesn't sound quite right.
So Does Fiverr Deliver The Goods?
I've had mostly brilliant work, and the occasional thrown-together project from fiver folks. 90% of the time my five bucks was money well spent .
Check out the header of this small home business ideas blog as a quick example. I've paid Fiver's to do simple programming tasks, clear away eggs and ham, play graphic designer, get Facebook liked, and (fingers crossed) basic SEO.
It's heaven to have simple tasks outsourced while you kick back with some quality DVD time. Or whatever else you do.
For the header of my blog I handed the designer my own Photoshop PSD file of the original header. (You'll see how to do this on the Fiverr website). Of course, I thought my own design was ship-hot…
Until her design blew me away .
Instinctively she knew how the eye works… how the words should flow, read and look better. OK she was right.
Of course, I'm no graphic designer. That's why I use Fiverr. (And Odesk too, but that's another weird story).
But anyway, here's…
5 things to keep in mind before you start playing with fire, I mean Fiver:
- Look for Fivers that have strong reputations, a high rating and happy customers saying nice things about their work. (A long wait – i.e. 4 days – usually indicates the fiver is in "high demand" – and most likely produces good quality work).
- In the case of logo or graphic design, gather a few of your favourites (logos and illustrations) beforehand. This helps the fiver designer create something similar. It'll help if you can sketch out your ideas too, (Ie; what colours you want, font style etc). Take screen grabs of other website ideas you like and use them as a starting point for your own design.
- (If needed) send the Fiver a question before you commit to paying. Mention what sort of project you have in mind, your website URL etc, how the design or project will fit, are they comfortable about doing the job. You get the idea.
- If the work sucks, pony up to the Fiver and ask 'em for a revision. Be clear exactly what they will do for you and exactly what you want done. Get that all sorted before you commit. (Easier said than done when they're designing a logo or design for you! So be as specific as you can about what you want).
- Fiverr can be a powerful way to promote your website or product/services. Have a dig through the Fun & Bizarre section for starters. Want something specific done? Add your request in the Request Gigs section on the right hand side.
Re: number 3, I usually send a quick note like this:
Hi, I am keen to design a header (logo, SEO work, CSS modification, WordPress etc) for my site/blog at http://yoursite.com. It needs to look something like (reference site). I prefer a warm and friendly feel, and want to get the Photoshop PSD files too. Think you will be OK with this?
In a nutshell…
Be careful about overdoing it… Fiverr is a land of easy temptation. Do you think 33,000 back links will really help your site get noticed? Will 55,000 Twitter followers cough up to the link your Fiverr promised? Just be real.
BTW, one thing I like to use Fiverr for is infuriating little coding CSS/HTML jobs that I don't know how to do (most of the time). A knowledgeable coder will figure it out in minutes and you're on your way.
So go forth and empty your wallet of fivers. You'll discover artistic grace out there that'll help you along I'm sure of it. Just remember you're paying $5 for the job and not $50 (or $500), so keep that in mind as you walk the Fiverr path.
What say you? Got Fiver on your mind?
