There’s a website called Fiverr. This site is for freelancers who are looking for work. They charge people $5 for their work. The benefit for buyers is that they get something very inexpensive, the benefit for sellers is that they get business, but is it really all that it’s cracked up to be? Probably not.
The Problem with Fiverr
Fiverr is great for buyers, if they get lucky. While there are some professionals offering their services for $5, many of them do not have much experience. They are selling their services for such a low cost because they can’t get work anywhere else, and sometimes, that’s because their services aren’t worth a higher rate.
Some professionals who use the service argue that Fiverr is great for them because while they sell their services for much, much less than they should, the bulk of work they receive makes up for it. Sure, the bulk is great, but is it enough to compensate for such a low price? Again, probably not.
What happens is that people end up working endless hours trying to make as much as they would in half time if they were charging customers what they are actually worth. Many people end up burning out because of that reason, and that doesn’t help them in their career at all.
The other problem with Fiverr is that when professionals advertise themselves at such a low cost, they put their reputation on the line. Do you really want to be known for charging low rates when people’s first thought is that it’s going to be low quality? That’s not the image you want to portray in the voice over industry. You want an image that says, “Hello, I’m a professional who does great work, and if you want to work with me, you will have to pay what I’m worth.”
There are some people who say that they use Fiverr to find clients and then charge them more if they want to use them again. It’s never a good idea to start working with someone at a low rate and then increase it. Customers want prices to go down, not up. It’s always better to start at a high rate and then discount it to make customers happy, and Fiverr doesn’t allow for that to happen.
Consider It Carefully
Consider using Fiverr carefully. It may seem perfect for you because there’s a lot of people who want to use you, but when you think of the long term benefits, they just don’t outweigh the risks. Stick with charging people what you are worth, and soon enough, you’ll have just as much work as you would get off Fiverr and make more from it.