Notes from Chris

Episode 1212

Kate Quinn has never known a life without freelancing. Back in 2016 she was working a full-time job as a choreographer at a theatre while running her own independent fitness business. One day, she decided she wanted to produce some video content to share on her website. As she began to bring her ideas to life, she realized she needed someone to do voice-over work for those videos. Turning to her network, she asked a colleague at the theater if he might be able to help.

Going through this process made Kate curious. She wanted to learn more about how voiceover gigs worked. So, in exchange for dinner, that colleague offered to show her everything that he was doing behind the scenes.

Kate invested a few hundred dollars to get started, picking up a decent microphone and learning as she went along. She also found some free editing software that offered a solid starting point.

Now she was ready to start recording, but where to get her first customers? She thought about where she was already buying services, and one of those places was Fiverr. Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services where users can list small one-off jobs. It was originally designed with the idea that any job would cost just $5, though now jobs can start at any dollar value.

Having had a good experience as a buyer, Kate opened a seller account. As she created her listing, she was mindful to make sure that it was attractive. Her photos had to look great, her descriptions had to be thorough, and the services she offered clearly listed.

Creating a really attractive, well put together seller profile was key to her success. In March 2016, Fiverr served up her first client, and she put the equipment she had purchased to good use. Everything worked as planned, and Kate realized that this could be the start of something big. The more gigs she completed, the more the reviews started to pour in. As people raved about her work, her ranking on Fiverr’s internal algorithm rose.

To Kate, that’s the beauty of Fiverr. When she does her job well and presents clear information, the marketing takes care of itself. As she says, “the platform values excellent work, reviews and clicks, so the better your product and the more people rate you well, the more likely you are to be visible to buyers.”

While she still faces the occasional difficulty with customers and hard to pronounce words—especially when narrating in medical-related videos—Kate has never stopped working hard. She knows it’s worth it when she hears herself in corporate voicemails for companies she uses, or on Spotify marketing various companies. In October, Kate’s business hit six figures for the first time.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Book Kate for next project at her Fiverr page, Kate @ Fiverr.com.
• Fiverr: The online gig platform that makes it easy to test your services and make some money.
• Audacity: A free, multi-track audio editor.
• Shure SM7B Cardioid Microphone: A great mic to start out with.
• Behringer Audio Interface: What you need to connect your mic to your computer.

SEE ALSO:

• Doctor Does Off-Hours Voiceover Work to Pay Med School Bills: A doctor with a voice worth listening to teaches himself the art of voiceover, then goes on to earn thousands of dollars working for some of the world’s biggest brands.
• Learning Designer Presses Play on Voiceover Gig: A working mom finds an unconventional side hustle that allows her to make money, have fun, and spend more time with her kids.
• How One Man Used a $100 Microphone to Make Over $8,000: After testing the waters with low-priced services on Fiverr.com, a Tennessee IT manager learns to focus on voiceover services for overseas customers.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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