My five tips for hiring on fiverr (100 orders completed)

I've just completed 100 orders on Fiverr, and in this blog post, I want to share five guidelines that help me hire more effectively on the platform. Let's get started.

1. Chat with the seller

One of the first things I always do before placing an order on Fiverr is to chat with the seller.

Communication is key for ensuring a successful order. By chatting with the seller beforehand, I can gauge their responsiveness, their English level, their attention to detail, and their enthusiasm for the project.

It's important for me to know that the seller is not only skilled at the task I need but that they are also pleasant to work with and that we can potentially build a long-lasting professional relationship.

I usually send a message like this:

"Hey, my name is Omri, and I run a platform called Whisker.com. I need help editing a 2-minute video. Would you be interested?"

2. Be clear

My second tip is to be very clear. Before placing an order, I make sure to be as clear as possible about what I want from the seller.

I often create a Google doc outlining exactly what I need and share it with the seller over chat. This helps avoid any gaps in communication and ensures the seller knows exactly what they're getting into.

In the document, I include details that may seem obvious, like the file format or who holds the copyrights to the final work, ensuring everything is perfectly clear on both sides. If the seller has corrections, we can discuss them, agree on them or not, and adjust the document accordingly.

This discussion is a crucial part of getting the seller on board with the task and closing any communication gaps.

Then, once I finally place the order, and it's time to specify the requirements, I simply attach the document we both already agreed on earlier in the chat.

This document becomes very handy and serves as a sort of contract between us.

Then, in cases when you need to ask the seller for a revision, or in more complex situations when one of you calls Fiverr's resolution center to solve a disagreement, we can go back to the document and see exactly what the initial agreement was.

3. Start small

My next advice is to start small when working with a new seller. I prefer to start with a small order rather than diving into a large project right away.

This allows me to test the waters and see if the seller can deliver according to my expectations. If everything goes well with a small order, I feel more confident about placing a larger order.

It has happened to me before that we agreed on everything over chat and I created a detailed brief we both agreed on, but there was still a gap between what I expected and what I received.

So, I start small, and if the seller doesn't have a small package, I ask for a custom offer for a small order.

This is one of the cool things about Fiverr—you can negotiate a price with the seller even if they don't have it in their packages. I'm usually very straightforward with the seller about this and say something like,

"Hey, I want to start small and test the waters. If it goes well, I'll place a bigger order right after."

This usually makes them agree to send a custom offer, and they also realize that I'm a serious buyer and they need to pay attention to details if they want to get the bigger order right after.

4. Negotiate

My next tip for hiring on Fiverr is to negotiate. Sellers on Fiverr offer packages with fixed prices on their profiles, but when I'm on a budget but still want to hire a high-quality seller, what I do is browse through profiles and save the ones I like into a list.

Once I have a good number of sellers on that list, I send them all a similar message.

I usually say something like:

"Hey, I'm looking to hire a video editor for my two-minute video. My budget for this project is $60. I'm approaching a few sellers, so please let me know if you're interested."

I receive some yeses and some nos, but most of the time, I also find a good seller who thinks things are slow for them at the moment and they can take on my project within my budget.

In that case, they will send me a custom offer, regardless of the packages they offer on their profile.

5. Hire what you know

My last tip is a bit of a general tip for hiring online, but it's a realization I've had that may seem a bit counterintuitive.

I prefer hiring freelancers for tasks that I know how to do myself rather than tasks I'm unfamiliar with.

The reason is quite simple: when I know how to do the task, I can judge the quality of the work and communicate effectively with the freelancer about what I need.

Even if the freelancer is more skilled than me and can complete the task faster and better, I still have a good understanding of what good quality work looks like.

And for tasks I'm clueless about, I try to tackle them myself first if possible.

I take the time to understand them before considering outsourcing them to a freelancer.

This way, I have a better understanding of what's involved, and I can communicate my wishes to the seller more effectively.

Once I'm ready to hire, also consider the seller's point of view; if they see that you know what you're talking about, they will deliver a better product.

And that's pretty much it.

By following these guidelines, I'm able to maximize the success rate of my Fiverr orders, and I believe they also contribute to a smoother experience with the sellers I'm working with.