What does a $60 custom video get you on Fiverr? 5 lessons you can use immediately.
If you’re not familiar, Fiverr is a global buy/sell marketplace for freelance work. Originally built around the concept of ‘what would you do for 5 bucks’ (write a blog post, create a poster, sing a song), it’s now a mature platform that supports any number of creative categories with project solicitation, freelance vendor evaluation and project delivery and coordination.
One of the things that’s fascinated me about Fiverr is the power of financial arbitrage it enables for digital services. There are millions of Fiverr creators around the world eager to support your project who live where the cost of living and exchange rate make the US dollar go very, very far. Of course, the question remained, do you get what you pay for?
Rather than keep guessing, I decided to jump in with both feet last week. I was interested in creating a simple explainer video for Mindstamp, which is an interactive video platform. I’ve captured 5 lessons you can use immediately below, but let’s get to the meat. Here’s the end product of a $60 video on Fiverr.
And since Mindstamp is an interactive video platform, here’s a link to a version with interactive buttons and hotspots.
Love it or hate it, I definitely feel like I got my money’s worth. So what are my 5 lessons?
- Your Communication Skills Matter (Not So Much Theirs) — If you’re targeting a hyper low cost overseas provider for whom English is a second language, the burden is on YOU to be an effective communicator; to clearly state what it is you want, what you don’t want, your expectations and project goals. Have a written asset defined and refined before you make your purchase.
- Reference their work — Ask for a portfolio of work and then reference assets in that portfolio that match to your objectives and expectations. Given you won’t be going back and forth sketching on a whiteboard, this will immediately ‘land’ the freelancer in a place where they can be successful and accelerate their ability to deliver.
- Be ready for the upsell — I intentionally went for one of the cheapest but well-reviewed freelance video creators I could find. The list offer was $20 and I paid an extra $5 for delivery in 1 day vs 2, because why not. I described what I wanted and pretty quickly got asked to upgrade to the $60 tier (an additional $35 over what I paid) based on the need for some stock photography and audio. I again asked for work to reference this higher tier vs. the original tier just to ensure expectations were set, but frankly didn’t mind paying the extra $35. I don’t know this, but imagine this might be a semi-regular practice on Fiverr.
- $60 buys you product creation, not innovation — The video created (that you see above) is pretty much spot on with how I described what I was looking for. She pulled visuals from existing assets on the Mindstamp website, used simple and descriptive language, and hit the features as flagged. Is it exactly how I would imagine a video to emerge had I been working with a video creator here in the states? Probably not. It’s a bit too on the nose. But that’s what you’re paying $60 for. So going back to tip #1, be sure your written description is clear and what you want, because that’s what you’ll get.
- Speed is fun, but is it necessary — As I noted above, I paid an extra $5 for 1 day delivery, which became 3 days when I upgraded my purchase. Fiverr sets a countdown timer on delivery that begins ticking immediately, which is fun to watch. Literally down to the second. I am not sure if that can be negotiated with the creator, but it struck me that it creates a bit of an arbitrary pressure to rip the product out and minimizes the time for any back and forth, compensated or not. I’d have to explore this more, but I am not sure I’d demand such a fast turn around in the future.
I’m already plotting out my next request on the platform. Maybe all my Christmas gifts will be Fiverr-driven creative assets. I think with a little practice, getting exactly what I want out of the platform at exceptionally low cost is very, very possible.
Check out the Mindstamp Interactive Version here.
