So you want to have some creative work done and you’re not sure where to go. Or you’re already ready to jump in, but you don’t know how to build a good reputation. You need to know how to treat artists on Fiverr®, and here’s why you should hire them in the first place.
Not Paid, Just a Fan
I know it’s going to seem like I’ve been hired by Fiverr, but that’s not the case. I just really love Fiverr®. While the platform is great, it is the incredible artists that make it such an amazing experience.
For our company’s most recent project – Zombie Goals, the app that makes building strong habits as easy as playing a game – we’ve been using Fiverr® a lot, and it’s been exciting. When I wake up in the morning and see the notification that I’ve received a delivery on Fiverr® I can’t wait to open it up and see what exiting creation awaits my attention.
Want a song created for the world’s first undead band? Hire a composer. Want a fantastic vector illustration, hire a graphic designer. Need a 3D model created, hire a 3D artist.
You can get pretty much any creative work done for you, and, in my experience, the artists are great to work with, gracious, helpful, and kind. Of course, that also may depend on how you treat artists on Fiverr® (or any other place – online or in person).
If you want to work with incredible artists that love to work with you, then you need to consider 3 important standards to live by.
Number 1 – People Trump Things
I worked with an amazing vocalist on Fiverr® to sing for Riff in Peace, the undead band in the world of Zombie Goals.
At one point between projects she asked if she could take a week off because the weather and other factors had stressed out her vocal cords and she wanted to rest them. To me this was a no-brainer.
I have a few special guitars that are precious to me. If one of them was damaged, I would want to take it to get it fixed immediately. If someone demanded that I use it for a Gig® and risk damaging it permanently, I might be sharing some choice words with that individual.
With a guitar, no matter how unique, it can be replaced. You may not find a perfect replacement, but you can replace it. Voices aren’t like that. You get one. There is nothing so important it’s worth damaging the voice of an artist.
In general, what you have to remember is that the things you ask for are created by people just like you and me that have friends and families and lives. Treat them as people that you care about and want the best for. That’s how to treat artists on Fiverr®, much like how you consider how to work with deadlines.
Number 2 – Creativity Is More Important Than Timing
Deadlines are a great way to stay on track. We plan things out and schedule them to fit with the timeline we have in our heads.
But deadlines are not the most crucial thing in a project. Not to get somewhat philosophical, but deadlines are a means of control. Sure if you have a boss saying you have to do it or you’re fired, it’s real, but most deadlines are artificial. It’s simply a way to control a schedule.
So when push comes to shove and the schedule pushes you to shove your artists around, don’t. Take a breath. Slow Down. Consider the alternatives.
Most of the time I have planned out things well enough that there is padding in the schedule. Sometimes, however, I feel a timeline pressing on me, and I feel ready to add that pressure to my artists. At that point I realize that I’m taking the wrong approach.
What I find instead is that when I focus on people and things move, it all works out. I find that the timing opened up new opportunities and new ways to collaborate. And I find that my artists come up with better ideas and creations because they aren’t stressed by an artificial deadline. That’s how to treat artists on Fiverr®, just like making sure you always pay them.
Number 3 – Always pay people; Always
So you’re sitting here saying “Of course I will pay people when they deliver. Duh.” Awesome! You should! And you should tip them for a job well done. But I’m saying you should pay them even when they don’t deliver. Before you think this is crazy, hear me out. Obviously if someone signed up for a job and doesn’t do any work, you don’t pay them, but I’ve never had that experience on Fiverr®.
What I’m talking about is even if the delivery doesn’t match what you wanted but they did the work, you should pay them. You need to research artists to find out if they do good work to begin with. I sometimes will give small projects to people that are inexpensive just to see if they can do what I want.
After all, if you don’t do the research up front, you can’t be mad when you don’t get what you want. Everyone is doing the best with the tools they have so you need to make sure the artists you hire are the right fit for your needs.
If people have to learn a new skill, pay them to learn it. I had someone learn a Maya plug-in for me and I paid him for three hours just to research if it was something he could do. I’ve ended up working with him on several projects. It was money well spent.
All work people do should be compensated. We need to get away from the mentality of getting as much as we can as cheaply as we can. If people work for you, you need to pay them accordingly, which brings us to the key to how to treat artists on Fiverr®.
The One Rule
You want to make it easy? Would you prefer one rule instead of three? Here it is: treat people as you want to be treated.
Would you like to work for three hours and not get paid? Would you like to be rushed because someone created an artificial deadline? Would you like to be treated as less than human? Just treat people as you want to be treated. Don’t be exploitative. If you have to exploit people to make money then your product isn’t worth it.
There are people that go out to eat but say they can’t afford to tip. I hate to break it to those people (actually, I’d be quite happy to break the news), but if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to go out to eat (this, of course, only applies to countries where tipping is a norm, particularly those that have a low wage for tipped workers).
In the end, it’s all about the golden rule. We need more giving and less getting in this world, particularly when people are giving their best and just looking for an honest wage. Treat people well. Pay people appropriately. Give artists solid ratings.
In short treat others how you want to be treated. That’s all there is to it.
