Fiverr: Join the Growing Freelance Community and Earn Extra Cash

Travel is an expensive yet popular hobby. According to the U.S. Travel Association, direct spending on domestic and international leisure travel by Americans totaled more than $683 billion in 2016. These U.S. residents logged 1.7 billion person-trips for leisure purposes last year—at an average cost of $400 per person-trip. The U.S. Travel Association defines a person-trip as one-person travel away from home overnight in a paid accommodation or on a day or overnight trip to a destination 50 miles or more (one way) from home.

Whether you’re traveling alone or with your family, costs like those can really add up. And while RewardExpert’s technology can help you choose an airline loyalty program or credit card, as well as maximize your miles to reap substantial savings on airfare, you still have to find a way to cover your other vacation expenses.

A freelance side gig is one way to do so without putting undo pressure on your monthly budget or delving into your hard-earned savings. Fiverr is a popular place to find one. RewardExpert recently spoke with Whit Walker, Fiverr’s category manager, about the inspiration behind the freelance platform, recent growth and popular services, and how you can leverage the marketplace to earn extra cash.

Thousands of Services in one Convenient Place

Founded in 2010 by Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger, Walker said that Fiverr “was born out of the realization that we are at a special point of time with two very significant phenomena simultaneously happening.”

“The first is that for the new generation, the post-Internet revolution has provided unlimited access to knowledge,” he explained. “People now have the ability to gain knowledge and skills at a young age, which was not possible before. Second, the Internet gives you unlimited access to other people. That made us realize that everyone has a talent that someone else needs, and it would be cool to put those amazing talents together in one place.”

Since its inception, Fiverr has grown into one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world. “We see nearly 1 million transactions a month and have had over 30 million gigs purchased and 10 million gigs posted since our launch,” Walker continued. “Just in 2016 alone, the marketplace and its community facilitated the building of over one million brands and enhanced over five million websites.”

Nearly 6,000 New Services Added Daily

Walker noted that freelancers are adding nearly 6,000 services to the Fiverr marketplace daily. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in our digital marketing category, as services such as SEO, social media marketing, and content marketing have become more important for the growth and success of small businesses,” he said.

While the most in-demand services on the platform include logo design and branding, website design and development, resume help, voiceovers, and social media setup and management, the need for visual content among Fiverr’s buyers is also increasing.

“We’ve noticed an uptick in services related to content marketing, particularly visual content,” he added. “There has been an uptick in search terms for whiteboard videos and explainer videos, as well as social sites such as YouTube and Instagram.”

Everything from Graphic Design to Videos and Voiceovers

If your skills fit into a pre-defined category such as graphics and design, digital marketing, writing and translation, video and animation, music and audio, or programming and tech, it’s likely you’ll find a buyer who needs them. But don’t worry if your talents are a bit more difficult to pigeonhole: there are plenty of professionals on Fiverr offering services that are outside the business norm.

These include tutoring and online lessons, online dating and relationship advice, diet and workout planning, genealogy research, videos, and more. “A marketplace like Fiverr allows for creativity and differentiation for freelancers,” Walker said. “That absolutely results in a wide array of services.”

Signing up as a Fiverr seller is absolutely free. After you set up your account and your seller profile, you can begin creating gigs, which are basically the services you provide to buyers. You can offer any service you wish, as long as it’s legal and complies with Fiverr’s terms of service. You’ll set your own prices and keep 80 percent of what you earn.

“We suggest the sellers be super-detailed when it comes to their self-presentation,” Walker said. “Use an attention-grabbing, detailed title along with a well-constructed description of services and pricing. A self-employed freelancer only has one shot with each prospective client, so they must be meticulous and put their best foot forward with every opportunity.”

He also urges sellers to maximize their use of all the tools available on Fiverr to showcase their talents, including images, PDFs, videos and FAQs. “These show that you’ve given a lot of thought to the gig and are going to deliver on behalf of the buyer,” he added.