Preparing Your Fiverr Pro Application

The dream of many Fiverr freelancers is to become a Fiverr Pro. But a lot of these folks misunderstand what the Pro designation is, and what the requirements are to earn that badge. Some people will get the Pro badge without ever having made a sale on Fiverr. Others will spend years improving their Fiverr seller ranking, and the Pro team won't even consider them for the program.

In short: Fiverr Pro probably isn't what you think it is. In this course we'll explain exactly what it means to be a Fiverr Pro, why you might or might not want to participate in the program, and how to give your application the highest chance of success.

Just like my other web based courses, this guide is completely free. If you want to thank me, please use my affiliate links for joining Fiverr, for Fiverr's Learn Courses, for joining Fiverr Business, and for becoming a Fiverr Affiliate.

There's a misconception out there that Fiverr Pros are people or companies who have done well within the Fiverr system. That's not true at all.

A person's Fiverr Pro membership has very little to do with their performance on the platform. The main test for Pro membership is the success of your business and the representation of your brand in the real world. When we say 'real world' in this case, we're talking about the total volume of sales that you do through all possible platforms, online and offline. We're also talking about business factors such as profitability, scalability, and the ability to create and deliver your product from a remote location.

For example, let's say that you have a business designing kitchens. You may never have stepped foot in the online freelancing arena before, and still be considered a perfect Fiverr Pro candidate if your quality of work, reputation, professionalism, ability to work and deliver remotely, and turnover are all within the margins that Fiverr is looking for in that vertical. If a kitchen designer is expected to deliver detailed blueprints, graphical representations, and budget details that kitchen suppliers and installers can work with to deliver the client's dream kitchen, there's no reason they couldn't do all of that on Fiverr.

Now that you know that the Pro team is looking at your success levels and brand image rather than strictly considering your Fiverr track record, you probably understand that a lot of successful business people have a shot to get into the program. But do they really want to?

Sure, Fiverr Pro status gets you access to a different customer base, but the standard of care is much higher. You constantly need to have your customer service hat on when dealing with Pro clients. You also need to deal with the common business practices that are actually prohibited on a lot of other Fiverr gigs, such as having your work reviewed by entire teams or committees before a revision is requested. When dealing with an individual client, candidate deliveries are supposed to be for their eyes only. No so for most Pro gigs.

In short there's more corporate BS to deal with, ranging from timing gigs so they fit within certain budgetary allowances, to meetings (some of which are expected to be included, others of which you might charge for, so set expectations beforehand), to utter lack of feedback as people disappear for vacations, corporate events, and sick leave. So if you become a Fiverr Pro, be prepared to enter the corporate world, at least a little bit.

In exchange you'll get priority search listings, exclusive clients who are only looking for Pro service, and a jumpstart on your Fiverr career.

Before you even consider applying for Fiverr Pro, you need to clean up your online presence and perform 'opposition research' on yourself.

First of all, any name that can be associated with your business needs to be thoroughly searched for on Google. Anything that would turn off corporate clients or tarnish your business' reputation should be dealt with if at all possible. We're not talking about the odd negative review, those happen. We're talking about distasteful and shocking content on social media, work that isn't representative of your current talent level and portfolio, and old business associations that no longer apply to you. That means scouring your own website, LinkedIn, and social forums. Anything that would tarnish your brand should be taken down at least two months in advance of your application. That will allow search engines to reindex those sites. Remember to use your Google Search Console to request a fresh indexing if you have full control over your own website.

Secondly, address gaps in your current reputation based on your self-vetting. If you don't have much customer feedback, go to your most loyal customers and request some politely. If your portfolio is dated and doesn't address the work you currently do, add updated samples that you have permission to use (or create custom examples specifically for the portfolio). If your LinkedIn profile has odd time gaps in it, make sure those get explained.

Then make sure your books are in order. Your turnover may or may not be examined, depending on whether or not your vertical is more artistic in nature. Sometimes reputation will weigh much more heavily than business functions, and sometimes it will be exactly the opposite. Either way, it's good practice to be able to present evidence of your success if it is requested. Remember, Fiverr is vetting a business, not an individual. Don't take these things personally.

Once you can search the name of your business and get results that will mostly be in your favour heading into the application process, you're ready for the next step.

Start by going to the Fiverr Pro application page. If applications are closed or in invitation-only mode, you'll quickly find out here. Assuming applications are open, you can start the process.

There are two main criteria that you'll need to cover: The quality of your work product, and the quality of your business.

Your work product quality is mostly covered by the supporting documents and optional attachments section. If you've read my other courses, you'll quickly understand that these are not optional at all. Upload all appropriate files, including video presentations, advertising or explainer clips, documentation, audio files, and most importantly typical and premier work examples. If you're published on other platforms (Spotify, Amazon, etc.), including a file with links to your creator pages on those platforms is a good idea.

Your business quality, which also covers your leadership, management, and customer service qualities, is mostly taken care of by the form you get to fill out. It will include information about you (education, certifications, awards, social media, etc.) and about what your business offers. Be prepared to give detailed examples of three projects that you might offer in an online environment, and what you would typically charge a client for those services. Try to represent a broad range: One smaller project, one average project, and one big project. Explain typical deliverables and timeframes for each of those project types.

Once you've encapsulated what you do in a way that is sellable on the Fiverr platform, and you've explained what your would charge and what you would deliver, just fill in the rest of the details as they're asked. Some questions will be industry specific, and those are to understand where you sit within your particular field (traditional, innovative, team oriented, loner, etc.). Answer them honestly for best results.