Nine 5-star reviews for Gig, but the only sales are Buyers Requests

[ukbritishvoice]

I’m puzzled by something and I wonder if people on here who have more experience then me can cast a light on this. I have nine 5-star reviews for my Voice Gig:

https://www.fiverr.com/share/WeRaK7

So that’s good, and I appear to be doing a good job judging by 5-star reviews from everyone. And my impressions have shot up to sometimes 200 views a day. But ALL the sales come from Buyers Requests. NO-ONE buys the actual Gig. Is this normal? Is something wrong with the Gig? Could you have a listen? Or does it sometimes take months for the sales of the Gig itself to begin from the Gig Page?

ukbritishvoice

[awaisahmed489]

It is quite normal I guess. Buyers will not directly contact you or buy your gigs until you are appeared in Top Rated sellers or at least become a level 2 seller.

[ukbritishvoice]

It is quite normal I guess. Buyers will not directly contact you or buy your gigs until you are appeared in Top Rated sellers or at least become a level 2 seller.

Really?

Can anyone else confirm this is an accurate statement?

So EVERYONE just has to spend time doing Buyers Requests for 3-6 months and get the 5 star reviews that way, that enable you to get Level 2 status…

It’s completely normal for no-one to buy from your actual Gig for up to 6 months???

[miiila]

Well, he said “quite normal”, and “I guess”, doesn’t sound too convinced.
For my part, I got both orders from buyer requests and from people directly contacting me definitely before I had level 2, or even 1.
So, no, it’s not like that for everyone. Just as some folks get an order right on their first day, some after weeks, or even months, or never.
Different roads lead to Rome.

[ukbritishvoice]

Well, he said “quite normal”, and “I guess”, doesn’t sound too convinced.

For my part, I got both orders from buyer requests and from people directly contacting me definitely before I had level 2, or even 1.

So, no, it’s not like that for everyone. Just as some folks get an order right on their first day, some after weeks, or even months, or never.

Different roads lead to Rome.

Thanks miiila. I just find it weird to be doing so well out of Buyers Requests, yet so badly out of actual sales from the Gig page. I don’t understand it. I don’t know if I am doing something wrong somehow on the Gig page, but I have really tweaked it a lot. It makes no difference. Ah well, I will just keep going. But obviously I make a lot less from Buyers Requests than I would from ‘ordinary’ Gig page sales…

[cubittaudio]

It is quite normal I guess. Buyers will not directly contact you or buy your gigs until you are appeared in Top Rated sellers or at least become a level 2 seller.

Buyers will not directly contact you or buy your gigs until you are appeared in Top Rated sellers or at least become a level 2 seller.

This is nonsense. Totally untrue.

It’s completely normal for no-one to buy from your actual Gig for up to 6 months???

Definitely not, although different people have different success in different areas. We didn’t really use Buyers Requests at all when we first started out, so all our orders, from Level 0 upwards, came directly to us. Although, there was possibly a bit less competition back in 2017 than there is now, so perhaps if we started again today we’d use Buyers Request a bit more.

You’ve made a great start by the looks of things. Keep in mind, August can be a pretty slow month for sellers here… lots of parts of the world take vacations, and projects seem to slow down at this time of year. Our experience is September through to December is usually crazy busy. Just keep going… completing orders will help improve your organic reach, which in turn will greatly improve your chances of getting organic sales.

Good luck!

[miiila]

Thanks miiila. I just find it weird to be doing so well out of Buyers Requests, yet so badly out of actual sales from the Gig page. I don’t understand it. I don’t know if I am doing something wrong somehow on the Gig page, but I have really tweaked it a lot. It makes no difference. Ah well, I will just keep going. But obviously I make a lot less from Buyers Requests than I would from ‘ordinary’ Gig page sales…

Hmm, okay… are you tracking your gig’s position in search? Does it appear on a result page people would browse to for the relevant keywords?

Talking about keywords, could it be you maybe have too much unimportant “filler text” in your gig description, and not enough keywords that people might search for?

I’d definitely drop the “I am professional (look how many…” bit, for example, that alone would make me not hire someone.

I’d also drop 4) completely; when I’m looking for a gig, I’m totally ready to pay for what I want, I’d rather pay for 50 additional words than have to read that paragraph and have to “follow your instructions” to get those free words, however, that could be just me, I’m weird 😉

I don’t know much about voice over, so I better not say anything about your samples, maybe some of your fellow VOs will comment.

Finally, I’d use the version of your profile image you have on your gig as your profile image too, that one’s great, I like it, while the profile image doesn’t make me want to click it because it seems so faint, faded that it … It makes me feel there’s no sense clicking it because even if bigger, it will still be faded?

I hope it’s somewhat clear what I’m trying to say, and if that’s on purpose, and you prefer it that way, that’s fine, of course, just my impression when I look at it. The gig image is so nice and clear, I think that would serve you better as your profile image too.

However, the main thing is, are your potential customers able to find you in the first place, so they could listen, contact you, and order? Have you checked if and where your gig appears in a “neutral browser” for the relevant keywords?

---

I just find it weird to be doing so well out of Buyers Requests

Yes, that might be an interesting point … cf my “I’d rather pay…but I’m weird”, actually, from knowing BR myself, (many) people who use BR might like the 50 free words a lot, while those who browse themselves, might be looking for other things than that? Just a theory 🙂

[ukbritishvoice]

Buyers will not directly contact you or buy your gigs until you are appeared in Top Rated sellers or at least become a level 2 seller.

This is nonsense. Totally untrue.

It’s completely normal for no-one to buy from your actual Gig for up to 6 months???

Definitely not, although different people have different success in different areas. We didn’t really use Buyers Requests at all when we first started out, so all our orders, from Level 0 upwards, came directly to us. Although, there was possibly a bit less competition back in 2017 than there is now, so perhaps if we started again today we’d use Buyers Request a bit more.

You’ve made a great start by the looks of things. Keep in mind, August can be a pretty slow month for sellers here… lots of parts of the world take vacations, and projects seem to slow down at this time of year. Our experience is September through to December is usually crazy busy. Just keep going… completing orders will help improve your organic reach, which in turn will greatly improve your chances of getting organic sales.

Good luck!

Our experience is September through to December is usually crazy busy.

This is very encouraging to hear cubittaudio. I actually checked out last night what you did, based on something you wrote elsewhere and quite some time ago, so that’s a coincidence…

[zubyarchangel]

I’m a level 2 seller and I have been facing this challenge for a while now.
Surprisingly, anytime my ratings go down and I drop to level 1, I get orders from gigs. Complained to CS about it again a couple of weeks ago but nothing helpful.

[ukbritishvoice]

Hmm, okay… are you tracking your gig’s position in search? Does it appear on a result page people would browse to for the relevant keywords?

Talking about keywords, could it be you maybe have too much unimportant “filler text” in your gig description, and not enough keywords that people might search for?

I’d definitely drop the “I am professional (look how many…” bit, for example, that alone would make me not hire someone.

I’d also drop 4) completely; when I’m looking for a gig, I’m totally ready to pay for what I want, I’d rather pay for 50 additional words than have to read that paragraph and have to “follow your instructions” to get those free words, however, that could be just me, I’m weird 😉

I don’t know much about voice over, so I better not say anything about your samples, maybe some of your fellow VOs will comment.

Finally, I’d use the version of your profile image you have on your gig as your profile image too, that one’s great, I like it, while the profile image doesn’t make me want to click it because it seems so faint, faded that it … It makes me feel there’s no sense clicking it because even if bigger, it will still be faded?

I hope it’s somewhat clear what I’m trying to say, and if that’s on purpose, and you prefer it that way, that’s fine, of course, just my impression when I look at it. The gig image is so nice and clear, I think that would serve you better as your profile image too.

However, the main thing is, are your potential customers able to find you in the first place, so they could listen, contact you, and order? Have you checked if and where your gig appears in a “neutral browser” for the relevant keywords?

---

I just find it weird to be doing so well out of Buyers Requests

Yes, that might be an interesting point … cf my “I’d rather pay…but I’m weird”, actually, from knowing BR myself, (many) people who use BR might like the 50 free words a lot, while those who browse themselves, might be looking for other things than that? Just a theory 🙂

That’s a very useful critique, miiila. I don’t mind someone’s honest opinion at all, in fact I’d like others also to critique that Gig. Let’s face it, most of us lack the ability to see ourselves through another’s eyes or mind.

I am currently about No. 155 out of about 900 New Seller Males who speak English and have a British accent and are adult or middle-aged. I was up as high as No 12 a few weeks ago but have slipped, possibly because I made lot of changes to the Gig because I felt I needed to. They were definite improvements, but then the Fiverr algorhythm(s) seems to react badly when you do this stuff.

The ‘50 free words’ might indeed be superfluous. Practically no-one ever mentions it, even in Buyers Requests, so maybe it is just not needed. Maybe it screams ‘Desperate Newbie’.

I will also think about the ‘I am professional’ wording.

Your Photo comments are VERY useful. I think I will indeed follow your advice on that…

Thanks a lot!

ukbritishvoice

[ukbritishvoice]

I’m a level 2 seller and I have been facing this challenge for a while now.

Surprisingly, anytime my ratings go down and I drop to level 1, I get orders from gigs. Complained to CS about it again a couple of weeks ago but nothing helpful.

That’s interesting, zubyarchangel because I see you have over 300 sales for one of your Gigs and a perfect 5.0 rating, but from what you are saying you are having to go down the Buyers Request route too. That does not seem to make sense. At least you must have had MANY people pay your Gig page price (I haven’t, it’s only Buyers Requests), so why should that change, unless it’s a general thing connected to the financial impact of Covid-19, and people just having less money and being more reluctant to spend what they do have. I wish I knew! Good luck!

ukbritishvoice

[miiila]

That’s a very useful critique, miiila. I don’t mind someone’s honest opinion at all, in fact I’d like others also to critique that Gig. Let’s face it, most of us lack the ability to see ourselves through another’s eyes or mind.

I am currently about No. 155 out of about 900 New Seller Males who speak English and have a British accent and are adult or middle-aged. I was up as high as No 12 a few weeks ago but have slipped, possibly because I made lot of changes to the Gig because I felt I needed to. They were definite improvements, but then the Fiverr algorhythm(s) seems to react badly when you do this stuff.

The ‘50 free words’ might indeed be superfluous. Practically no-one ever mentions it, even in Buyers Requests, so maybe it is just not needed. Maybe it screams ‘Desperate Newbie’.

I will also think about the ‘I am professional’ wording.

Your Photo comments are VERY useful. I think I will indeed follow your advice on that…

Thanks a lot!

ukbritishvoice

I’m glad it helps, I don’t usually comment or even read anymore in ‘Improve my gig’ because many people ask for but in fact aren’t open for critique.

When you drop something, make sure you put SEO-relevant keywords in instead, like British accent, commercials, audiobooks, … - whatever people might search for and you offer, I think your description isn’t optimised from SEO POV. Also repeat keywords from your title and gig tags in the description, if they aren’t in there already. Hope you’ll have better luck with “off-BR” gigs too soon.

[ukbritishvoice]

I’m glad it helps, I don’t usually comment or even read anymore in ‘Improve my gig’ because many people ask for but in fact aren’t open for critique.

When you drop something, make sure you put SEO-relevant keywords in instead, like British accent, commercials, audiobooks, … - whatever people might search for and you offer, I think your description isn’t optimised from SEO POV. Also repeat keywords from your title and gig tags in the description, if they aren’t in there already. Hope you’ll have better luck with “off-BR” gigs too soon.

Yep, more work to do for sure…

Thanks again…

ukbritishvoice…

[zubyarchangel]

That’s interesting, zubyarchangel because I see you have over 300 sales for one of your Gigs and a perfect 5.0 rating, but from what you are saying you are having to go down the Buyers Request route too. That does not seem to make sense. At least you must have had MANY people pay your Gig page price (I haven’t, it’s only Buyers Requests), so why should that change, unless it’s a general thing connected to the financial impact of Covid-19, and people just having less money and being more reluctant to spend what they do have. I wish I knew! Good luck!

ukbritishvoice

Honestly I have no idea why, but most of those orders over the past few months have largely been from the buyers request section.

I noticed this as soon as I became a level 2 seller.

[ukbritishvoice]

Honestly I have no idea why, but most of those orders over the past few months have largely been from the buyers request section.

I noticed this as soon as I became a level 2 seller.

Very, very strange…

[bumblepixco]

Same here, 13 five star reviews still all the sales are from Buyer’s request.

My aim right now is to become level 2 seller, (Maybe that will give me some exposure.)

[ukbritishvoice]

Same here, 13 five star reviews still all the sales are from Buyer’s request.

My aim right now is to become level 2 seller, (Maybe that will give me some exposure.)

I wish I had some insight into this bumblepixco. The only thing i can think of is it’s connected to Covid-19 and people trying to get things as cheap as possible…

[bumblepixco]

I wish I had some insight into this bumblepixco. The only thing i can think of is it’s connected to Covid-19 and people trying to get things as cheap as possible…

Ya I guess so @ukbritishvoice , I joined Fiverr in April so can’t compare it to the pre-COVID scenario.

Hope everything gets better soon.

[augustusblog]

Really?

Can anyone else confirm this is an accurate statement?

So EVERYONE just has to spend time doing Buyers Requests for 3-6 months and get the 5 star reviews that way, that enable you to get Level 2 status…

It’s completely normal for no-one to buy from your actual Gig for up to 6 months???

No this is NOT an accurate statement!

This is very weird to be succeeding through Buyers Requests. I understand it’s easier as a voiceover artist but you should still receive more sales directly through your page than Buyers Requests.

[ukbritishvoice]

No this is NOT an accurate statement!

This is very weird to be succeeding through Buyers Requests. I understand it’s easier as a voiceover artist but you should still receive more sales directly through your page than Buyers Requests.

Hi augustusblog

What’s really weird is that I now have 16 5-star reviews out of 17 jobs and STILL NO-ONE BUYS FROM MY PAGE. IT’S ALL BUYERS’ REQUESTS.

I simply don’t understand this. I really, really wish someone could cast some light on this. I am only getting about 50 impressions a day, I don’t know if that is terribly low in other peoples experience. It did go up to 200 for a day or two, I have no idea why, then back down.

And I have continued to streamline and improve the Gig description. It makes no difference.

I am well on the way to being Level 1 WITHOUT ANYONE ACTUALLY BUYING FROM MY PAGE!

I am wondering whether to go to Customer resolution centre about the situation because maybe there’s something wrong technically somewhere, or something…

ukbritishvoice

[augustusblog]

Hi augustusblog

What’s really weird is that I now have 16 5-star reviews out of 17 jobs and STILL NO-ONE BUYS FROM MY PAGE. IT’S ALL BUYERS’ REQUESTS.

I simply don’t understand this. I really, really wish someone could cast some light on this. I am only getting about 50 impressions a day, I don’t know if that is terribly low in other peoples experience. It did go up to 200 for a day or two, I have no idea why, then back down.

And I have continued to streamline and improve the Gig description. It makes no difference.

I am well on the way to being Level 1 WITHOUT ANYONE ACTUALLY BUYING FROM MY PAGE!

I am wondering whether to go to Customer resolution centre about the situation because maybe there’s something wrong technically somewhere, or something…

ukbritishvoice

Yeah, that’s definitely not normal.

I have four five star reviews and regularly get 600+ impressions per day, and lots of clicks. I’ve been getting lots of messages, too, but that’s at least partly because of my very low current prices. But even with normal pricing you should be getting a lot of views and at least a few messages.

If your only success if through Buyers Requests, that’s very weird.

But I don’t think CS can do anything about it. You see, they cannot change the algorithm because it’s part of the software and uses machine learning. That’s simply out of the question.

What you can do is promote your gig, try to send traffic to it, switch up your gig page to be more attractive, change the title, etc. Or even create a new gig. As a new seller you have up to 7 gigs you can create. So make use of them.

[marinapomorac]

Thanks miiila. I just find it weird to be doing so well out of Buyers Requests, yet so badly out of actual sales from the Gig page. I don’t understand it. I don’t know if I am doing something wrong somehow on the Gig page, but I have really tweaked it a lot. It makes no difference. Ah well, I will just keep going. But obviously I make a lot less from Buyers Requests than I would from ‘ordinary’ Gig page sales…

For me is opposite. I sent 500 BR and only got I order and I regret doing it since client wanted to color image in my own style (no specifics, just my style) and I delivered 5 different options, from Degas to Picasso to pinup girl art so I am safe in case she has different tastes and I got 4* review, my only one from almost 50 orders (I am not complaining but still).

So BR section for me is big flop.

Forget impressions, impression means that you are one of the 48 gigs that show up on the page, the system register that as impression but they just might not even see your gig, the clicks are important, what is the status with clicks?

[ukbritishvoice]

For me is opposite. I sent 500 BR and only got I order and I regret doing it since client wanted to color image in my own style (no specifics, just my style) and I delivered 5 different options, from Degas to Picasso to pinup girl art so I am safe in case she has different tastes and I got 4* review, my only one from almost 50 orders (I am not complaining but still).

So BR section for me is big flop.

Forget impressions, impression means that you are one of the 48 gigs that show up on the page, the system register that as impression but they just might not even see your gig, the clicks are important, what is the status with clicks?

Hi marinapomorac

Thanks for taking an interest. Peoples experiences can certainly vary.

I have received a job offer for every 20 Buyers Requests on average. So that seems to be very good. Yet no sales through the Page. VERY low number of clicks like (I am embarassed to say it) 35 in a month. But I don’t think the Gig Page is awful (have a look).

Another thing that doesnt make sense is I am on Page 1 in my category of men who do Voice-overs and who have a British accent and are adults/middle-aged and New Sellers. So that’s in the top 45 of 350. Still it does not translate to sales on the Gig page…

I should make Level one in a month and then maybe things will automatically change with a different algorythm. I hope so.

ukbritishvoice

[ukbritishvoice]

Yeah, that’s definitely not normal.

I have four five star reviews and regularly get 600+ impressions per day, and lots of clicks. I’ve been getting lots of messages, too, but that’s at least partly because of my very low current prices. But even with normal pricing you should be getting a lot of views and at least a few messages.

If your only success if through Buyers Requests, that’s very weird.

But I don’t think CS can do anything about it. You see, they cannot change the algorithm because it’s part of the software and uses machine learning. That’s simply out of the question.

What you can do is promote your gig, try to send traffic to it, switch up your gig page to be more attractive, change the title, etc. Or even create a new gig. As a new seller you have up to 7 gigs you can create. So make use of them.

augustusblog

It’s SO weird whats happening with me. “600+ impressions per day, and lots of clicks” sounds like heaven. “switch up your gig page to be more attractive, change the title, etc”. I have done ALL of it. I admit I am not promoting outside FIverr because, well, some people won’t take me seriously if I do that in the circles I move in… However I only have one Gig, and you are right, that needs to change. So I will do more Gigs. Although I know VERY successful Sellers on here who think it dilutes focus and only have ONE gig. So that made me pause. Anyhow I am going to try that…Thanks for taking an interest…

ukbritishvoice