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What Are Micro Jobs And Is The Pay Truly Worth The Effort?

In this post, we’re going to cover micro jobs; what they are, where to find them, and the earning potential they provide. 

You’ll discover how to find micro jobs online and learn the market value of your skills.

If you’ve ever wondered ‘what are micro jobs’ and whether or not the pay is worth it, then this post is for you.

Continue reading..

What Are Micro Jobs?

Micro jobs are tasks that typically take 15 minutes or less to complete, whether online or in person (but mostly online). 

Think of them as a task that is too small to outsource conventionally; setting up a job posting on a freelancing site, reviewing the bids that come in, and then hiring the best applicant.

Some examples might be: having a 500 word article written, getting a voice over for either your voicemail greeting or a promo video, having header images created for your social media sites, etc.

Most of the time, these tasks are packaged more as a commodity. 

Sellers list their services at one of the micro job sites, and buyers choose the best match based on price, ratings, and turnaround time. 

This means tasks are finished quickly, without the added time of bidding, back and forth negotiation, clarifying expectations, and everything else that comes with a traditional freelance marketplace.

How do I get a micro job?

This process is pretty straightforward. You can simply google micro jobs and find the right marketplace for your skills.

While TaskRabbit popularized the in-person tasks marketplace, Fiverr is the site that pioneered the online micro job marketplace.

Many more sites have come and gone over the years, each with a different focus; whether the type of services offered or the geographical territory they provide services in.

Just pick one to start with, and you can branch out in the future if micro earning is for you.

How much do micro tasks pay?

Micro tasks typically pay between a few cents and a few dollars per task. While that may seem low, with proper systems in place you can scale this up significantly. 

For example, I built a thriving four-figure monthly business on Fiverr in my spare time that averaged $50/hr.

This side business allowed me to put in the countless hours of unpaid work building an online business that now provides passive income. 

Micro Jobs Infographic

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Alternative Micro Jobs Strategies

The conversation around micro jobs typically revolves around the ‘make money online’ point of view, but there are two more ways this topic can be approached.

Micro Learning

The quick summary here is that you can use micro jobs to learn or improve your skills, which can act as a stepping stone towards something bigger. 

The work is in bite sized chunks, and doesn’t require an ongoing commitment. It is also easy to change directions, if need be.

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It also has another added benefit. You will learn how to price and market your skills, communicate effectively with your buyers, and create systems and processes to maximize your productivity.

Hiring Micro Workers

This strategy is pretty self-explanatory. You aren’t selling services, you’re buying them. 

You won’t have the ongoing commitment of hiring an assistant or agency to help with your business, so you can save time & money as you slowly start to outsource and delegate tasks. 

This also helps you develop better communication skills and create effective systems & processes that are needed for business growth.

Are Micro Jobs Worth It?

The answer to this question will be different for everyone, but I think there are 3 instances where micro jobs make sense.

1. Geographical Arbitrage

If you live in a part of the world with a lower cost of living than the US or Europe, micro jobs may be a good fit. Earning dollars or euros will likely amount to higher pay for you than earning in your local currency.

2. Working Part Time

If you’re just looking for a little extra income, micro jobs may make sense for you. Especially if you are able to provide your product or service quickly and with minimal effort. 

3. Buying Micro Job Services

When growing an online business, it’s hard to understate the value of outsourcing and delegating tasks. Hiring micro workers is a great way to begin this process and can be scaled up as your business grows.

Beyond these three examples, micro jobs probably aren’t worth the effort.

Final Thoughts

While micro jobs won’t be a good fit for most people as a full time gig, there are still many ways they can be useful.

Quick turnaround times, low costs, and no long-term commitments can make them attractive. Especially when you remove the job posting and bidding part of the equation.

What about you?

What has your experience been with micro jobs?

Let us know by leaving a comment below.

  • I just wanted to thank you for your book Patrick. It gave me a lot of good ideas for expanding my Fiverr business outside of Fiverr.

    • Glad it helped you, Muhammad! Expanding your business beyond Fiverr itself is a great way to grow and limit your dependency on a single platform!

  • This was a good read. Most of the info about micro jobs pretends like it’s a get rich quick strategy. After reading your explanation about whether or not they are worth it, I think I have the right expectations.

    • Thanks, Zed! You can make a nice income from Micro Jobs, but they are definitely not a way to ‘get rich quick’.

  • Sandra T. says:

    Great breakdown of micro jobs, thank you! Other blogs I read made it seem like easy money.

    • Thanks, Sandra! I wasted lots of time listening to other blog posts that said it would be easy.

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