A while ago, I posted a rundown of all the reasons why good writers on Fiverr should never giveaway samples.
I received some backlash for this post. Yet I did eventually concede that offering samples might be a good idea. There is just one problem. I can’t use work which I have delivered to clients as samples without their conset. Neither can I link buyers to my pesonal blog. At least not without beaching TOS. (Don’t tell me to use Fiverr appoved links, they’re all awful.)
So, I found a solution. I could send samples in the form of PDF versions of posts from my personal blog. I also found a tool I could use to remove all identifying personal information on the delivered PDF document. i.e. My website URL and contact information.
I can’t upload a PDF here. However, typically when I send a sample. it looks like this:
In the case of someone asking for a sample, something like the above would be delivered as a 4 - 6 page PDF.
Sadly, every time I send a sample, I inevitably get the same response: A potential buyer wants more samples. They often also want a link to my website. In most cases (and I do not have just cryptocurrency samples) buyers also want a sample concerning X subject, written in X tone, and end requests with the immortal line “I will have a lot of work for you.”
In 3-months of experimenting with offering samples in this way, I haven’t had a single lead which has resulted in an order. This applies to Fiverr and several other freelance platfoms.
To me, the reason for this is simple. The vast majority of people who want samples, don’t want samples. They want free content. Of course, that is just my opinion. However, if other writers have a different experience, I want to know.
In my opinion, buyers who ask for samples are a red flag. If I’m wrong, tell me what your experiences are and how you deliver samples which convert. (I’m willing to be proved wrong 
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