Fiverr’s reputation in the freelance industry isn’t the best — no doubt about that. A lot of freelancers who offer their services on this platform complain about the tough, often purely price-driven competition and a buyer’s side with too much power due to Fiverr’s review system. Thus, they feel degraded and not valued for their work.
And to some extent, I definitely agree with that. If you want to be valued for your time, effort, and expertise, Fiverr might not be the best platform to use. Being a lonely warrior in a global network of freelancers not only sounds shattering — it actually is the reality. And you feel this pressure day by day. Succeeding there requires the dedication for being always online and eking out for new clients.
However, besides all criticism about Fiverr and gig economy platforms in general, I think that there is one crucial benefit of using Fiverr that is often overlooked and underrated — especially for beginning freelancers. This advantage, I want to argue for in this article, is the opportunity to establish long-term business relationships with clients.
You always meet twice — even on Fiverr.
The general perception of how interactions take place on Fiverr is as typical as it can be for a gig economy platform: A freelancer receives a quotation, delivers the requested service, gets his wage, and he is done. Now, everything starts again with a new client right at the beginning.
As said, I am pretty sure that this is how most people perceive freelance work on Fiverr. And admittedly, it is the truth for most freelancers. As I joined Fiverr, half a year ago, with no experience at all, I thought exactly the same. Though, back then my only intention was to figure out if the concept of freelancing is something I like or not. And in terms of that, Fiverr is a really good choice to start with — with all its potential downsides.
As I have learned within my first months on Fiverr, the pictured interaction cycle is not always the case. Against all odds, there have been far more clients than expected that looked for long-term relationships. To be honest, as I started, I never really thought about this kind of opportunity at all on a platform like Fiverr. But surprisingly, a lot of clients actually look for reliable freelancers with whom they can work together for several projects, and even beyond that.
Build a network of long-term clients on Fiverr
I think this is a huge, underrated opportunity for every beginning freelancer on Fiverr. Even though offering your services there stays competitive and stressful, you are at the same time enabled to establish potential long-term business relationships with clients — without further efforts. Thus, you can build a network of clients and gradually liberate yourself from the downward pressure on Fiverr. Sounds compelling, right?
Therefore, my advice is: If you ever thought about giving this freelance thing a try, just do it. With platforms like Fiverr, you have a great place to start with. Don’t be afraid that the competition might be too big or you are not skilled enough. As I created my first gigs on Fiverr, I had no clients or freelance experience at all. But through finishing several projects, I got more and more confident in working with clients and finally ended up with 2 reliable clients I regularly work with.
In my case, Fiverr as a platform has helped me a lot in starting and growing my freelance business sustainably. Currently, I am getting so much work from my long-term clients which I met on Fiverr that I could even pause all my gigs on the platform. In terms of that, using Fiverr has really paid off for me.
If you are new to the field of freelancing, I hope I could motivate you with my article. In case you are interested in more insights about Fiverr and how to succeed there as a beginner, I suggest to you my latest article: How to succeed on Fiverr — a dead simple strategy
And finally, thanks for reading! I always appreciate your thoughts and comments — share them below.
