Time for Fiverr to rebrand?

Like many of my freelance colleagues, when I first started out as a Voiceover artist I had the impression that Fiverr was a cheap platform where you could get professional services for $5 (about £4 GBP).

Whoaaaa wait a minute – professional services for £4? What professionally trained and qualified person provides services for that kind of money? More to the point, what type of business only has £4 in their budget for a voicemail message, logo design, or whatever other service they are looking for? This gives the impression Fiverr is a site where people are just looking to make a few extra £££ a month pocket money on top of a regular job. It’s no wonder that some agents refuse to sign artists who are listed on Fiverr.

Actually, professionals on Fiverr can price their services at whatever fee they choose. The only relevance I can find to the number 5 is that $5 is the minimum fee and you have to price everything in multiples of five.

More recently Fiverr has introduced “pro verification” – here they check credentials, qualifications, portfolio of clients and past work. Those who pass are “verified” and cannot charge any less than $100, which does feel like a step in the right direction although nowhere near in line with professional voiceover rates. Verifying people as pros however, is quite a difficult task – apparently, having a list of top quality clients and a verified broadcast quality studio are not enough!. Since Fiverr staff are not industry-specific (and a lot of wannabee actors have high levels of confidence and are used to talking the talk) it can be very difficult for those making the decision to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Even with the pro verification, the name and the history of this site still mean a lot of people still think of it as a bargain basement – the concept of five quid is the concept of cheap. It’s seen as the place to go if you haven’t got the money to pay someone a fair living wage. The name of the site contradicts the company’s mission.

If Fiverr wants to be known as a network of freelance professionals, then it’s time to rethink the name.

Photo by kerry rawlinson on Unsplash