Fiverr Directed Zoom Session: Get Paid and Record
Having a buyer direct/listen as you perform live Fiverr commonly calls a “Monitored session”, but is often called a “Directed Session” in voice over industry. Make sure you charge for it (buyer must place order for it) and share the recording.
This is ideal for difficult-to-satisfy buyers, or when a buyer might have something VERY specific in mind that can otherwise be hard to zero in on, such as:
- Poetry or dramatic readings
- Video game characters
- etc.
When the order contains a lot of almost conflicting adjectives, the red flag should go up, and you can suggest a monitored session. Here’s one way to request a buyer buy a monitored / directed session from you:
Thanks so much for your feedback! It sounds like you have some really excellent, well-defined ideas about how you’d like this to sound. What would you think about our adding a monitored session, so you can sit-in and direct the recording via S k y p e or Zoom? That way, we can get absolutely nail the style and transitions you have in mind. Here’s the extra, in case you’re interested
Before Contacting
Fiverr allows us to connect directly over phone, Zoom/Skype, whatever, to work on a project if it is necessary for successful completion, but it must be specified in the order, either in the description, or, if it is determined the communication is necessary after the order has already been placed, in an extra offered to the buyer. And a recording of the session should be added to chat afterwards. So if the “monitored session” or “directed session” is determined to be required after-the-fact, it must be ordered and cannot be given away.
The reason for s k y p e to be spaced out as shown is to avoid Fiverr’s filters, which might trigger and lead CS to investigate if you are attempting to move the work off-platform and cut Fiverr out.
Charge $15 or more for it (and raise its price over time), but occasionally (for cheap/frustrated) send a custom extra for just $5, explaining that you would have just given it to them free in this case, but Fiverr requires that it be an extra.
You could also in some cases have the buyer call you through the Contact Seller button on your gig. You would have to use the Fiverr app to receive the call.
Contact Option One
For certain types of buyers, since 2021 you can use Zoom directly through the Fiverr interface. Also some sellers have this option regardless of buyer type. Sadly, “voice over” sellers can only use Zoom directly through Fiverr with certain types of buyers. If your buyer does not qualify, try this option instead:
Contact Option Two
If Fiverr can review the video afterwards, you’re good. But that means using your own zoom account, making a recording, and sharing the recording. If you have a Seller Success Manager, inform them whenever you do a Zoom when the Fiverr interface is not available.
Chris and Ruben, Seller Success Managers at Fiverr, explain that as long as the business remains on Fiverr, charge the live direction gig extra, then share the meeting link in chat. This means record the meetings and upload them or a link to them (options below) to the Fiverr order chat after the fact, to be able to prove to Fiverr that you didn’t try to take the client’s business off platform but were simply communicating about work that stayed on Fiverr.
Sharing the Recording
This step is not necessary if you are clicking through the Fiverr interface to use Zoom.
Share Option One
If you are making your own recording to share, and have a pro (paid) Zoom account, and sufficient cloud storage space, you can simply record to the cloud and share the link.
If you record locally from your desktop computer (allowed on both Free and Pro accounts), the file will likely be too large to upload (will exceed Fiverr’s 150Mb single file upload limit). In that case, best would be to upload the Zoom recording to YouTube and share the YouTube link as “unlisted” (only people with the link can view). If you made the link “private” and Fiverr wanted to view it, you would need to get their Google account username in order to give them permission to view. Don’t use “private”, use “unlisted”!
Share Option Two
You could upload the video to a file sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox, and share the link to the video recording.
Share Option Three
Alternatively, Fiverr recently increased the upload limit for all files in a message from 1G to 5G (limit still 150Mb for individual files), so you could break the video into sections (using a free tool such as ClipChamp for Windows, or iMovie on Mac) and upload the sections as individual files. You could even scale the video down to 480p to make it smaller for uploading.