Friday, December 29, 2017
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
What Does the Fox... Err, What Do the Customers Say?
I could brag about my skills and experience and abilities, but then again, so could everyone else. The question is: what do the clients say? Do they like my video scripts, book blurbs, and book titles?
Without further ado, here are some of the 1,000+ reviews I've got during my time on Fiverr.
While I love writing book blurbs, that's not my main service. My clients like my video scripts, too, and they keep coming back when they need a new one.
And book titles?
Of course, since I offer creative writing, I can't make everyone happy; my style and my ideas are not, and can't be, a good match for everyone. However, since 99% of my clients believe that they have received a great service for their hard-earned cash, I guess I must be doing something right. And with over 1,000 positive reviews, I must have done it many times.
Without further ado, here are some of the 1,000+ reviews I've got during my time on Fiverr.
While I love writing book blurbs, that's not my main service. My clients like my video scripts, too, and they keep coming back when they need a new one.
And book titles?
Of course, since I offer creative writing, I can't make everyone happy; my style and my ideas are not, and can't be, a good match for everyone. However, since 99% of my clients believe that they have received a great service for their hard-earned cash, I guess I must be doing something right. And with over 1,000 positive reviews, I must have done it many times.
Monday, July 10, 2017
A Bit of News and a Friendly Reminder
Paid reviews are forbidden by most websites, and when a big website gets fed up with paid reviews, they start suing those who write and sell them.
There's the matter of ethics, too. Readers would like to see some real reviews before buying a book, and if they get deceived into buying something that's very much not what the review promised, they feel disappointed. They feel that somebody openly lied to them to get them to spend their money on something they ended up hating (and can you say that they're wrong to feel that way?). And then they return the goods and possibly complain to the website. Mass complaints and refunds are, of course, an incentive for the said website to strictly forbid paid reviews.
Several years ago, I wrote some paid reviews for a website, but they were purchased by them, and used for promotion (and I still refrained from claiming that the books were good or bad, I merely stated some easily verifiable facts about the topics, the plots, the characters...). On Fiverr, I don't offer book reviews, only book blurbs (the obvious promotional piece placed on the cover). Paid reviews are forbidden, anyway. There was even a big lawsuit because of paid reviews. And yet, someone wanted me to write a review of their book, so the bit of news that I mentioned in the title is that I've changed the FAQ of the book blurb gig to add that no, I do not write reviews. Why is it even necessary to state that I don't offer a forbidden service? I don't know, but it apparently is, and I can only hope that it will help. Another thing I've added to the FAQ is that I don't offer discounts; with the base price of $5 for a service that can't be automated, offering a discount doesn't make sense, no matter the size of the bulk.
And the friendly reminder? I've got a Facebook page, and I even post stuff there sometimes! If you wish, check it out and like it.
There's the matter of ethics, too. Readers would like to see some real reviews before buying a book, and if they get deceived into buying something that's very much not what the review promised, they feel disappointed. They feel that somebody openly lied to them to get them to spend their money on something they ended up hating (and can you say that they're wrong to feel that way?). And then they return the goods and possibly complain to the website. Mass complaints and refunds are, of course, an incentive for the said website to strictly forbid paid reviews.
Several years ago, I wrote some paid reviews for a website, but they were purchased by them, and used for promotion (and I still refrained from claiming that the books were good or bad, I merely stated some easily verifiable facts about the topics, the plots, the characters...). On Fiverr, I don't offer book reviews, only book blurbs (the obvious promotional piece placed on the cover). Paid reviews are forbidden, anyway. There was even a big lawsuit because of paid reviews. And yet, someone wanted me to write a review of their book, so the bit of news that I mentioned in the title is that I've changed the FAQ of the book blurb gig to add that no, I do not write reviews. Why is it even necessary to state that I don't offer a forbidden service? I don't know, but it apparently is, and I can only hope that it will help. Another thing I've added to the FAQ is that I don't offer discounts; with the base price of $5 for a service that can't be automated, offering a discount doesn't make sense, no matter the size of the bulk.
And the friendly reminder? I've got a Facebook page, and I even post stuff there sometimes! If you wish, check it out and like it.
Friday, July 7, 2017
Why I Don't Offer Advice/Consultations
Sometimes, buyers don't know what they want, and they ask for the seller's advice on the matter. Some sellers are happy to advise their buyers, while others offer consultations as a separate service, and suggest to the buyer to purchase it (some buyers do it, and some believe that they're entitled to free endless consultations).
Me, I state in the gig description or FAQ that I don't offer ideas/advice/consultations/suggestions.
Why?
Because it's a hassle, and the kind of hassle that often leads to unpaid work. In my experience, it's not that buyers don't like my advice; they love it, but because they'd entered the whole thing without knowing exactly what they want, they change their mind, and they usually do it after I have delivered the work. And then? Then they ask me to redo it from scratch, and refuse to pay for additional work. Because, hey, they have already paid for the script, and they have a revision available (never mind the fact that a new script can't be a revision).
Could I simply redeliver the same work, explain to the buyer that, if they want a new script, they have to purchase it first, and risk a bad review? Certainly; with my current rating, one bad review wouldn't change things. However, it would still be a hassle, and with my prices, that kind of hassle is neither worth my time, nor does it help the buyer. Actually, even if my prices were higher, dealing with undecided people who keep changing their mind would be too much of a headache; they still wouldn't know what they want, and they would still be unhappy with whatever I send them, no matter how many times I modify it.
It's much more efficient to work only with those who know what they want, so that's what I do. On top of that, the questions and explanations I send to the potential buyers before I tell them that we're not a good match (because I don't offer consultations) sometimes actually help them realize that they're not ready yet to place an order, and that they still need to think things through before they can get something that would help them and something they will love. Will they get it from me? Probably not, but, hey, I've helped them, and I've avoided something that neither the buyer nor yours truly would enjoy.
Me, I state in the gig description or FAQ that I don't offer ideas/advice/consultations/suggestions.
Why?
Because it's a hassle, and the kind of hassle that often leads to unpaid work. In my experience, it's not that buyers don't like my advice; they love it, but because they'd entered the whole thing without knowing exactly what they want, they change their mind, and they usually do it after I have delivered the work. And then? Then they ask me to redo it from scratch, and refuse to pay for additional work. Because, hey, they have already paid for the script, and they have a revision available (never mind the fact that a new script can't be a revision).
Could I simply redeliver the same work, explain to the buyer that, if they want a new script, they have to purchase it first, and risk a bad review? Certainly; with my current rating, one bad review wouldn't change things. However, it would still be a hassle, and with my prices, that kind of hassle is neither worth my time, nor does it help the buyer. Actually, even if my prices were higher, dealing with undecided people who keep changing their mind would be too much of a headache; they still wouldn't know what they want, and they would still be unhappy with whatever I send them, no matter how many times I modify it.
It's much more efficient to work only with those who know what they want, so that's what I do. On top of that, the questions and explanations I send to the potential buyers before I tell them that we're not a good match (because I don't offer consultations) sometimes actually help them realize that they're not ready yet to place an order, and that they still need to think things through before they can get something that would help them and something they will love. Will they get it from me? Probably not, but, hey, I've helped them, and I've avoided something that neither the buyer nor yours truly would enjoy.
Monday, July 3, 2017
5 Things Not to Do When the Search Algorithm Changes
Fiverr's search placement algorithm is changing, or, perhaps, something else is changing – Fiverr does experiment more and more often, after all – and your gig is no longer where it used to be. You're not getting as many sales as you used to get. Maybe you're not getting sales at all. It's certainly scary, especially if you've come to depend on Fiverr, but there are things that you shouldn't do, because they won't help, and might hurt you in the long run.
What are they?
1. Repeatedly Complaining on the Forum
While voicing out your concerns is perfectly fine, it's enough to do it once. Complaining over and over about the same thing, all over the Fiverr Forum, or even creating several topics about it, won't help you get sales. It will only get you labeled as a whiner and a spammer, and, if you're a marketer of any kind, be prepared to get the inevitable You're a marketer, use your expertise to market your services and get sales.
On a side note, if you claim to be an expert marketer (digital marketer, social media marketer, email marketer, copywriter, or anything related to marketing), and you complain on the forum that you're not getting sales, you will be seen as incompetent. After all, if you can't successfully market your own service, your gigs can't be really useful to your customers, either.
2. Demanding the Same Spot in the Search That You Had Before
As Customer Support will tell you if you ask them, there's no guarantee that you will have a certain spot in the search – or that you will show up in search at all. On top of that, there's a limited number of spots on the first (or any other) page: you holding one of those spots means that thousands of other sellers are not there. You making sales just because you're on the first page means that others are not selling; in other words, by demanding to be on the first page in search, you're demanding to be put above others, and you're demanding (if you believe that you're getting sales solely because of your position in the search) that all the sales go to you at the expense of other sellers. And if, after all that, you say something like I just want Fiverr to be fair – well, does it sound fair to you to get sales at the expense of other sellers, who also have bills to pay and families to feed?
3. Bashing Other People
Being rude or unpleasant to other people isn't going to help you. Offending other Fiverr members or Fiverr staff, or accusing other people of ruining you, will do absolutely nothing about your position in the search; it will just make people see you as unpleasant/unreasonable/selfish. On top of that, if you're rude to other Fiverr members or Fiverr staff, you could get in trouble, because Fiverr is meant to be friendly place.
What about The Ranting Pot on the forum? Sure, it's meant for ranting, but keep in mind that the forum rules still stand, and that there's a limit to what you're allowed to say before you get suspended.
By all means, discuss things through, talk to others about possible strategies and solutions, but remember to remain courteous.
4. Begging for Orders
Begging is a no-no. People order from you because they need something, and you can provide it. Crying that you need money/have a family to feed is highly unlikely to land you sales. You might get a few, out of pity, but pity isn't a good foundation for a business. You need money? So does everyone else, except for a very small number of Fiverr sellers who do it just to occupy their time. You have bills to pay, you need to put food on the table? So do the others. However, except for a few pity cases, nobody will order from you simply because you need money; if you don't find a way to reach people who actually need something from you regardless of where the search algorithm places you, you are not going to have sales, and no amount of begging will change that. Quite the contrary: you will appear desperate, and nobody wants to work with desperate people.
5. Expecting the World (or Fiverr) to Just Give You Whatever You Want
Should I even say that it's not going to happen?
But, wait, what does it have to do with Fiverr's search algorithm?
This: some people who have lost something that was never guaranteed to them in the first place (like a specific place in search, or any place in search) seem to believe that they're entitled to that thing, that they have every right to demand it, and that it should be given exclusively to them. Just because. Or because they have worked for it, and came to believe that it's now theirs to keep forever.
The thing is, the world doesn't work that way, and neither does Fiverr. There are no guarantees for anything, so expecting to get something just because you want it (yes, you have worked for it; other people have worked for it and want it, too) is futile.
The only thing you can expect for certain is change. If you're not able to adapt, if you're not able to keep finding new, more efficient ways to get what you want, you will fail.
Don't be that person.
Learn how to adapt, learn how to find a way to get what you want, and win.
What are they?
1. Repeatedly Complaining on the Forum
While voicing out your concerns is perfectly fine, it's enough to do it once. Complaining over and over about the same thing, all over the Fiverr Forum, or even creating several topics about it, won't help you get sales. It will only get you labeled as a whiner and a spammer, and, if you're a marketer of any kind, be prepared to get the inevitable You're a marketer, use your expertise to market your services and get sales.
On a side note, if you claim to be an expert marketer (digital marketer, social media marketer, email marketer, copywriter, or anything related to marketing), and you complain on the forum that you're not getting sales, you will be seen as incompetent. After all, if you can't successfully market your own service, your gigs can't be really useful to your customers, either.
2. Demanding the Same Spot in the Search That You Had Before
As Customer Support will tell you if you ask them, there's no guarantee that you will have a certain spot in the search – or that you will show up in search at all. On top of that, there's a limited number of spots on the first (or any other) page: you holding one of those spots means that thousands of other sellers are not there. You making sales just because you're on the first page means that others are not selling; in other words, by demanding to be on the first page in search, you're demanding to be put above others, and you're demanding (if you believe that you're getting sales solely because of your position in the search) that all the sales go to you at the expense of other sellers. And if, after all that, you say something like I just want Fiverr to be fair – well, does it sound fair to you to get sales at the expense of other sellers, who also have bills to pay and families to feed?
3. Bashing Other People
Being rude or unpleasant to other people isn't going to help you. Offending other Fiverr members or Fiverr staff, or accusing other people of ruining you, will do absolutely nothing about your position in the search; it will just make people see you as unpleasant/unreasonable/selfish. On top of that, if you're rude to other Fiverr members or Fiverr staff, you could get in trouble, because Fiverr is meant to be friendly place.
What about The Ranting Pot on the forum? Sure, it's meant for ranting, but keep in mind that the forum rules still stand, and that there's a limit to what you're allowed to say before you get suspended.
By all means, discuss things through, talk to others about possible strategies and solutions, but remember to remain courteous.
4. Begging for Orders
Begging is a no-no. People order from you because they need something, and you can provide it. Crying that you need money/have a family to feed is highly unlikely to land you sales. You might get a few, out of pity, but pity isn't a good foundation for a business. You need money? So does everyone else, except for a very small number of Fiverr sellers who do it just to occupy their time. You have bills to pay, you need to put food on the table? So do the others. However, except for a few pity cases, nobody will order from you simply because you need money; if you don't find a way to reach people who actually need something from you regardless of where the search algorithm places you, you are not going to have sales, and no amount of begging will change that. Quite the contrary: you will appear desperate, and nobody wants to work with desperate people.
5. Expecting the World (or Fiverr) to Just Give You Whatever You Want
Should I even say that it's not going to happen?
But, wait, what does it have to do with Fiverr's search algorithm?
This: some people who have lost something that was never guaranteed to them in the first place (like a specific place in search, or any place in search) seem to believe that they're entitled to that thing, that they have every right to demand it, and that it should be given exclusively to them. Just because. Or because they have worked for it, and came to believe that it's now theirs to keep forever.
The thing is, the world doesn't work that way, and neither does Fiverr. There are no guarantees for anything, so expecting to get something just because you want it (yes, you have worked for it; other people have worked for it and want it, too) is futile.
The only thing you can expect for certain is change. If you're not able to adapt, if you're not able to keep finding new, more efficient ways to get what you want, you will fail.
Don't be that person.
Learn how to adapt, learn how to find a way to get what you want, and win.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Wonderful People Are Wonderful, or, OfflineHelpers Made Me a Video
A few days ago, as I've already excitedly mentioned on Twitter and Facebook, I got a video made by wonderful OfflineHelpers. It's short, simple, and to the point, exactly the way I love them. Don't take my word for it, though: see it for yourself!
Can you get an intro video like that? Sure you can! Click on Awesome SEARCH Logo Intro Video, and get one, or get as many as you like!
Can you get an intro video like that? Sure you can! Click on Awesome SEARCH Logo Intro Video, and get one, or get as many as you like!
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
I'm Experimenting, Too!
What do you do when Fiverr tests and tweaks their search algorithm, so your place isn't certain?
Actually, a place in the search is never certain, whether they're testing or not, so: what do you do?
Doing your own experiments might be a good idea. Tweaking your gigs, maybe creating new ones, maybe deleting the ones that are simply not selling... That's what I'm currently doing.
As much as I love kinetic typography, the gig for writing scripts for kinetic typography videos never sold, so I deleted it. That doesn't mean that I won't write that kind of scripts; my main gig still covers them.
Among the paused gigs, I had the one for cat-related Teespring headlines. It never sold, the only ones who inquired about it wanted headlines in bulk (I don't like bulks), so I deleted that one, too.
My gig for custom projects was initially meant for my old buyers who had a different project for me, something that I'm capable of doing, but don't offer on regular basis. Since it was there, other potential buyer sometimes contacted me to ask if I could do this or that, and those things were something that I didn't want to do. I'm not really sure what to do with that one, so I have paused it, and will unpause it for my old buyers when needed.
Some time ago, I have also paused my gig for scripts for Christmas videos. I will unpause it for the season.
The biggest change, though, was my main gig. I have changed the picture (hopefully this one makes it obvious that it's for video scripts, not for radio ads or email marketing), the description, some tags... And I'll keep working on the search tags, because there was an announcement on the forum about them. Fiverr will make yet another adjustment, and the search tags will count for more than they used to; ideally, they will also help narrow down the search for the buyers, and help them find exactly what they need faster.
I have some other experiments in mind, too, like pausing two script writing gigs (for scripts for animated explainers and whiteboard animations) because they don't seem to help, and starting a new one, more specific, and hopefully fun to do.
Like always, I'll see what happens, and I'll keep playing.
Actually, a place in the search is never certain, whether they're testing or not, so: what do you do?
Doing your own experiments might be a good idea. Tweaking your gigs, maybe creating new ones, maybe deleting the ones that are simply not selling... That's what I'm currently doing.
As much as I love kinetic typography, the gig for writing scripts for kinetic typography videos never sold, so I deleted it. That doesn't mean that I won't write that kind of scripts; my main gig still covers them.
Among the paused gigs, I had the one for cat-related Teespring headlines. It never sold, the only ones who inquired about it wanted headlines in bulk (I don't like bulks), so I deleted that one, too.
My gig for custom projects was initially meant for my old buyers who had a different project for me, something that I'm capable of doing, but don't offer on regular basis. Since it was there, other potential buyer sometimes contacted me to ask if I could do this or that, and those things were something that I didn't want to do. I'm not really sure what to do with that one, so I have paused it, and will unpause it for my old buyers when needed.
Some time ago, I have also paused my gig for scripts for Christmas videos. I will unpause it for the season.
The biggest change, though, was my main gig. I have changed the picture (hopefully this one makes it obvious that it's for video scripts, not for radio ads or email marketing), the description, some tags... And I'll keep working on the search tags, because there was an announcement on the forum about them. Fiverr will make yet another adjustment, and the search tags will count for more than they used to; ideally, they will also help narrow down the search for the buyers, and help them find exactly what they need faster.
 |
| Does this picture make it clear that I write scripts for videos? |
I have some other experiments in mind, too, like pausing two script writing gigs (for scripts for animated explainers and whiteboard animations) because they don't seem to help, and starting a new one, more specific, and hopefully fun to do.
Like always, I'll see what happens, and I'll keep playing.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Fiverr Is Testing...
For a while now, people have noticed that there was something odd with the search algorithm. For one thing, the Relevance and the Average Customer Review (not to be confused with the number of reviews) filters gave exactly the same results. For the other, new users with high prices, a small number of reviews (some of them bad, too) or no reviews at all were/are showing at the top of the search results for the chosen keywords. It doesn't happen in all categories, and it's not consistent, but it's definitely making things difficult for buyers and sellers both.
It turns out that there's a reason for that, as was recently explained on the Fiverr's Forum: Fiverr is testing the search placement algorithm, and trying to improve it so that it truly shows the most relevant results for the intended search. There's no time frame for the testing, and therefore, there's no answer to the questions like "My gig has 2,000+ positive ratings but doesn't show up in the search, when will it show in search again?". Until they're done with the testing, the search results are likely to stay weird and/or unpredictable.
Does it affect all sellers equally? Certainly not. Those who have built their businesses and have numerous repeat customers are still getting sales, because those sales don't depend on the search results. Those who don't rely on Fiverr to bring them sales and who advertise elsewhere are also doing fine, more or less; they're bringing their own customers. But sellers who completely depend on their Fiverr ranking? They're in trouble.
What can a seller do in such a situation? Many things, actually. Send offers to Buyer Requests, when appropriate. Advertise outside of Fiverr, wherever their target audience is. Even better, spend more time on building their online presence, so that their advertising doesn't get perceived as spamming. Improve the current gigs. Add new gigs. Learn new skills and/or improve the existing ones. Explore other platforms. Finally work on their own website/business empire/whatever.
Spread wings, and fly.
Testing of the search placement algorithm may be a hindrance, but it's not the end of the world (or your Fiverr career), not unless you allow it to be.
Spread your wings, and fly.
It turns out that there's a reason for that, as was recently explained on the Fiverr's Forum: Fiverr is testing the search placement algorithm, and trying to improve it so that it truly shows the most relevant results for the intended search. There's no time frame for the testing, and therefore, there's no answer to the questions like "My gig has 2,000+ positive ratings but doesn't show up in the search, when will it show in search again?". Until they're done with the testing, the search results are likely to stay weird and/or unpredictable.
Does it affect all sellers equally? Certainly not. Those who have built their businesses and have numerous repeat customers are still getting sales, because those sales don't depend on the search results. Those who don't rely on Fiverr to bring them sales and who advertise elsewhere are also doing fine, more or less; they're bringing their own customers. But sellers who completely depend on their Fiverr ranking? They're in trouble.
What can a seller do in such a situation? Many things, actually. Send offers to Buyer Requests, when appropriate. Advertise outside of Fiverr, wherever their target audience is. Even better, spend more time on building their online presence, so that their advertising doesn't get perceived as spamming. Improve the current gigs. Add new gigs. Learn new skills and/or improve the existing ones. Explore other platforms. Finally work on their own website/business empire/whatever.
Spread wings, and fly.
Testing of the search placement algorithm may be a hindrance, but it's not the end of the world (or your Fiverr career), not unless you allow it to be.
Spread your wings, and fly.
Friday, March 10, 2017
A Nice Client Sent Me a Video
I write video scripts, but I rarely get to see how the video turns out. I deliver the script, modify it if needed, and that's it; clients move on with the work, and rarely send me the link to the finished video.
Recently, though, one client did, and he allowed me to share it as a sample. Yay! Their product seems rather useful for a very big group of people (basically, supermarket owners, supermarket staff, PLUS pretty much every shopper), and I like writing scripts about useful and helpful stuff; I like it even better when I see the video itself, because it helps me learn what works, what doesn't, and how to improve my writing.
Without further ado, here it is. Enjoy!
Recently, though, one client did, and he allowed me to share it as a sample. Yay! Their product seems rather useful for a very big group of people (basically, supermarket owners, supermarket staff, PLUS pretty much every shopper), and I like writing scripts about useful and helpful stuff; I like it even better when I see the video itself, because it helps me learn what works, what doesn't, and how to improve my writing.
Without further ado, here it is. Enjoy!
Monday, January 9, 2017
Back to Work!
Holidays are over, including the Orthodox Christmas (it's two weeks later than the Western one), so I'm back to work now. It's as scary as always, not to mention that Fiverr has been more buggy than usual after the maintenance and the server migration, but there's no use complaining or worrying; it's better to do something productive, like play with the gigs. And that's what I did as soon as I got back: I have added two images to my main gig (screenshots, actually, with an explanation and an example). Take a look!
The lower picture, the example, is an actual script I've written for a client (and obtained the permission to use it as a sample); the one above explains what a video script looks like. Maybe it will help some buyers who have no experience with video scripts and don't know what to expect, and if someone asks for a sample, hey, there it is.
I'll see what happens, and I'll keep playing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)