How Fiverr Can Launch Your Freelance Career

(UPDATE: Before you leave a comment, please read the entire post. Some of you are missing the point!)

If you’re not familiar with Fiverr, it’s basically a site that allows you to hire someone that is willing to perform a specific task for $5. Some people offer to do wacky things like record any script you’d like in a cartoon voice, or create a finger puppet show using your script. Craziness aside, Fiverr also has a serious side where you can get a logo for cheap, or have your video edited for next to nothing. Keep in mind, though, you’re only paying $5—don’t expect a masterpiece.

Fiverr is also a site that can help you get your foot in the door with potential clients. If you are currently doing freelance work on the side, or you’d like to start, you may want to consider it as a growth strategy.

For example, let’s say you’re a graphic designer who specializes in website design. You could offer a small service, such as a logo modification that gives a company’s site a seasonal vibe. Once you’ve started working with someone, you could review their site and casually suggest other things that would help their conversion rate. If you’re good at it, you can turn a $5 job into a $500 gig.

The key is to make sure the service you’re offering can be completed quickly. Keep in mind, you’re offering a small service for $5 initially, so you’ll want to think of something that can be done well in 10-20 minutes. This is just a tactic to get your foot in the door, and your ultimate goal is to introduce this person to your regular offerings, which will be quoted at your normal rates.

If you don’t get any other business out of it, at least you didn’t work for free, you created a potential source for referrals, and it didn’t take up too much time. Keep hustling and it will pay off!