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Micro-job sites are everywhere, with Fiverr being one of the most popular. What are they, and are they any good for freelance writers?
There are many different ways for writers to find private clients. I do prefer going to companies directly, but I have also used micro-job sites in the past. I’ve since stepped away from them. While I still have accounts, I don’t offer any services via them anymore. You can read more about why I’ve stepped away from Fiverr.
Before you jump into micro-job sites, you need to understand more about them. What do they offer you as a writer, and will they be any good for your needs?
What exactly are micro-job sites?
These are sites where you offer your skills for a set amount of money. You can choose what you offer, and the door is open to all ages, skills, and experiences. Some freelance writers choose the sites as a way to build up testimonials and experience in online writing. You don’t just have to offer writing, by the way. These sites allow people to choose the type of service they offer.
With the majority of these sites, you have to offer something for a base rate. This can be $5, £5, or whatever currency the site works in. You can then make more as you add extras or encourage people to buy more from you. However, the sites are changing. There’s no longer a standard base rate, but a minimum that you need to charge for your services.
The good news is that it is possible to make money on these sites. They can be semi-decent for freelance writers, as long as you use some common sense.
The idea is to offer small gigs, especially when it comes to where you to offer a base gig. This is a consideration that some people fail to remember when trying to get more sales.
How micro-job sites can help writers
It seems strange to hear that they can help. The truth is it really depends on what you offer, and this will depend on the hourly rate that you want to make.
Because of the low rates, it’s important to find something that will not take longer than 15-20 minutes. For me, 400-word articles take about 20 minutes depending on the topic, so I offer up to 250-300 words for people on Fiverr. I’ll only accept articles that are relatively easy to write, and don’t accept sales copy or homework assignments. For sales copy, I have a separate gig of 100 words for $5, and yes people will pay that. I don’t do homework assignments at all.
Some people offer PLR content on micro-job sites. This is content that is written once and sold over and over again. There’s no need to spend time writing something new each and every time, so you make more for your hourly rate.
One of the biggest benefits for freelance writers is experience. You not only get experience in online writing, but also in dealing with different types of clients. Some of the clients will be very friendly and work with you a lot to create great content. Other clients will be pains—some will even try to scam you out of your work. This is great experience to gain because it happens everywhere in freelancing.
The testimonials you get from the sites can also be helpful. I’ve used some of the testimonials on my client site to show that people do enjoy my work. People want to know that you’re reputable as a writer, and positive reviews offer that.
These sites can exploit writers
There are downsides to micro-job sites. One of the main ones is the need to offer something for a small amount. People want people to buy their gigs, so they offer a lot for little. There is the idea that people want this.
Yes, some people certainly do but, from experience, people are willing to pay for less content because they know they get the quality. That’s why my sales gig sells: people know that they get high-quality sales content from it, even if they have to pay more for a full page of content.
It’s up to you what you offer. In my experience, those who offer more tend to have the worst clients. Those who want something for little will try to get as much as possible for that small amount of money. I have found this a huge problem with micro-job sites, and it’s one of the biggest reasons I decided to leave. I was done having people demand things.
There are issues on some of the sites with people not being paid or having negative reviews that are fabricated. Unfortunately, this is something that happens. I have a few fabricated or exaggerated negative reviews on Fiverr. At first, I would just accept them. It’s not like Fiverr would do anything about them, and one negative review wasn’t going to do much against all the positives.
Then buyers realized they could leave negative reviews just to get their money back. A lot of sellers would refund the order to get the negative reviews removed. I wasn’t playing that game, and it is the biggest reason I left Fiverr.
So, in short, micro-job sites can be okay for writers. There are some benefits. I just don’t highly recommend them.
MORE: Can you make money writing on Fiverr?
Where do you find writing clients? What are you struggling with to get your writing business off the ground? Share in the comments below.
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