fiverr.com logoWhat if I were to tell you that for $5 someone would make a video for you? Draw an illustration? Write your message on their beer belly and take a photo? Yes, a giant beer belly.

There is a site where you can have all these things done and more, each for only $5. The site is called Fiverr.com, and it’s one of my favorite websites as of late. It’s an incredible resource if you are looking for something awesome and low quality.

You’re probably wondering why you would ever want something low quality. I’ll tell you why you might…

  • You don’t want to pay for high quality. (You always get what you pay for.)
  • It’s an easy project that few people will see, so it’s smart not to invest much.
  • You want to promote a product or service by being ridiculous. Like I did with this video…

What is Fiverr?

Before I get into the back story of the video, let me tell you about Fiverr.com. After you create an account, you can post “gigs” to be sold, purchase gigs, or request that someone create a gig for you. The gig can be anything, but it must only cost $5. A seller can get around the $5 limit by offering something in addition to the base gig. The price won’t get much higher than $20. At least I have not seen a gig more expensive than that.

I’ve already mentioned that the quality of work on Fiverr is probably not going to be top quality. I bought a gig for a new Facebook timeline image, and the seller sent me the files one week late and the profile image wasn’t even the right size! Rest assured that you can request edits and leave a review of your experience.

The Back Story of My Fiverr Video

Now, about the monkey commercial.

I paid $5 to have a jingle written for my former business, No. 2 Pen. I had no expectations for the outcome. I simply sent the seller my website and said “go for it.” What came back was a surprise. The jingle was pretty horrible.

After talking with my husband about it (SEO consultant over at Spork Marketing), he reminded me that bad marketing can be memorable marketing. He said I should embrace it. So I did.

I went back to Fiverr and made a gig request for a cheesy video to go along with my cheesy jingle. Since this was a custom video, a seller offered to make the video for $20. I agreed.

The video I got was definitely cheesy, but it wasn’t obviously cheesy. Jason and I watched it with our mouths gaping open. He said, “Your logo is on that thing! That’s so bad.”

It was clear I had wasted $20 on Fiverr.

Jason felt sorry for me and agreed to help. He’s got video editing skills you see, and he has an appreciation for monkeys.

To return the favor, I went back to Fiverr once again and bought him an illustrated self portrait. I thought this would make a nice Twitter profile pic. What do you think?

jason lancaster

Jason Lancaster as a bean.

jason lancaster picture

Jason Lancaster in real life.


Have you used Fiverr? What Fiverr ideas do you have?


Sara Lancaster

About Sara Lancaster

Sara is The Condiment Marketing Co.’s founder and creative director. She oversees client relationships, strategic marketing plans, as well as a bit of copywriting and social media management.