Another thread on the forum about payment rates for content articles has caused me to question the value of my own work. I'm trying to break into copywriting, but I also write articles from time to time. I see countless writers offering to write a 500 word article for a paltry $5 - $15 fee, and I want to know if my work is worth more than that. I've browsed the webpages of several freelancers who charge $100 or more for a single 300 word article; kudos to these writers for mandating high payment for high quality. But do you think these articles would be worth $100 or even $75? Do the writers who charge similarly high fees justify them not only by the quality of their writing but also by having many years of experience, a solid reputation, etc.? These were written for a client whose online enterprises are centered around internet and affiliate marketing (...which is why they might sound heavily "salesy"): http://article1.weebly.com http://article2.weebly.com So, basically -- how much would you pay for articles of the same quality and length? How could I improve my articles to increase their worth as perceived by clients (e.g., to $100+)? All advice is appreciated...
Yes, writers charging higher rates have more going for them than only the quality of the writing. I'm one of the ones who charges more than $100 per article. In my case, I have specialized knowledge (you should always specialize rather than becoming a generalist writer if you want to maximize your earnings per piece - people pay more for an "expert" in their niche, as it lends their own site more credibility). I've also been writing for 10 years which helps (although I generally don't put too much emphasis on that). It's about what you're writing as well. For example, I might charge $200 for Web content and blogging, but if I were writing feature articles instead, that jumps to a starting price of about $500. If I were writing a white paper, it would be low to mid $xxxx. It would be in the same range for a sales letter. The best thing you can do right now is to get a better feel for what people are charging for the types of projects you want. And by that I mean people of similar skill and experience -- you're real competition (which most on DP might not be). Then you'll have a better idea of not only what to consider charging, but also how others are marketing their services successfully at those rates. I took a quick peek at your first sample (just the first few paragraphs). Overall it looks good. I did notice a few problems, but I'm not sure where you live (some things may be correct in your audience and just sound funny to me in the US). For example, "house-moms" would be "stay at home moms," "world-wide-web" should be "World Wide Web," and "people-connections" just sounds awkward. Depending on what you're trying to say, just "connections" or "network" might have been better. Other than things like those, the flow and language seemed okay to me. I hesitate to slap a value on someone else's work though (I'd rather see writers put a value on their own work), so I'll leave that to others.
Couple of things: 1. When I read the intro paragraph on the first link I thought, "Ugh, would not pay for this." As I read further, your writing got much more engaging and I thought, "Oh, I would pay about $35-50 for this." I would have requested that you revise the intro though. 2. The second piece was better, I'd still say $35-50 range... HOWEVER You are going to need conversion numbers in order to sell in this subject matter at high prices. Affiliate marketing writers are a dime a dozen. Those who covert readers to affiliaters make the most money and are, obviously, most valuable to clients.
Thanks to both of you for your responses. jhmattern -- believe it or not, those discrepancies you pointed out are actually supposed to be there; both articles were re-writes of ones previously "published" by the client. As such, many words and phrases written in the original articles were retained in the re-writes. I thought the exact same thing when I had to include phrases like "people-connections" (isn't that like saying, "cow beef?"). You suggested specializing; I will actually be graduating this may with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. Unfortunately, though, most science/medical writing jobs (or at least, the ones that pay) require writers to hold a higher degree in science or medicine (e.g., an MD, Pharm D., Ph. D, etc.). If you're interested in reading, here's the link to the introduction (minus citations) of my proposal to conduct a university/state-funded scientific research project that will commence this fall: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=aed4e603ef82a17a90a82c7bb0fad7ade04e75f6e8ebb871 I had to just upload it as a .doc file since the formatting seemed to never remain consistent when I tried copying and pasting the text itself. This should read more like a well-written, academic paper... Y. L. Prinzel -- Just curious...what made you say "Ugh" when you first started reading the article? I'd like to know for the sake of improvement...
It struck me as boring and uninspired. Here's a breakdown: "As the information age has ushered the internet into billions of homes worldwide" ugh, like I haven't seen about a million articles start like that. How about something interesting like, "Do you use the internet? Well, you're not alone. The xyz research institute found that xyz people have internet access in their homes and make logging in to the world wide web an everyday ritual." That is a common opening sentence style too but it has authority and can include a jaw-dropping statistic. "average people such as yourself have suddenly found themselves connected to a world-wide-web of unlimited financial opportunities." First of all, the sentence is wonky. Second, now you insult me by calling me average? Thirdly, you jump pretty abruptly from using the net to making money. It's not a clean, welcoming transition. Following up on my suggestion above, you might say, "These studies also show that x% of daily internet users are going beyond email, social networking and Hollywood gossip on their daily surf. Instead they are turning to the internet as a source of income--something that might have been much more difficult 12 years ago after the .com bust." "The internet has made it possible for full-time commuters, house moms, and even kids to enjoy the status of financial freedom that, until now, has been attainable only by seasoned online marketing professionals. " Still smarmy and very common. Again, following what I wrote above you could say. "What accessible, easy-to-use and <something else good> program makes it so easy for that x% to have a part time business on the internet that generates a full time income? Affiliate marketing." Do you see where I'm going? It reads differently than the average penny-per-word writer work and gives some facts, personality, intrigue and imagery. Of course, you have to find your own style and you can't start each article the same way, but I think this method would work for what you have. Also, you should do all your research before writing it. Once you've researched usage numbers, etc. you may find your own facts that lead to a more interesting intro that what I have here.
House moms isn't even casual sounding, it's vague. Never refer to a reader or anyone with potential to use whatever you're selling through an article as average. You have to try and make it sound favorable though not overtly flattering. The reader is the king, so, say good things and make them sound intelligent and as though they already know what's good for them and always make the right choice, and what you're essentially doing is presenting that choice to them. As a fellow writer, I'd like to say that I hope you get paid $100+ for anything you write but a lot depends on who your clients are. Not everyone has the ability or willingness to pay too much because they are always going to find a cheaper writer. It isn't always about quality, sometimes it's just about the budget and getting a job done.
It depends, I produce high quality content and I'm forced to sell an article such as that for $15 tops. Probably because I'm sticking around DP instead of venturing out to other markets. If you mention $40-100 for a 500 word article here you will most likely get no responses or laughed at.
I think you realized it by your second sentence, but it bears repeating. This is your career, your business, your life. You are not forced to sell for $15. Either you are too lazy to get more money or you don't know how, in which case you can explore this forum and the gajillion freelance writing blogs and sites out there to find out how.
I have several DP clients who pay within that range (and more). They just don't advertise publicly. Search through past copywriting section threads on how to take advantage of the underground market here.
The underground market... I keep reading about this so I guess I need to do a whole lot of research. I'm definitely aiming for some high priced clients as I've seen the marketplace around here. It's not too pricey, and for writers such as myself, what's advertised isn't going to get you very far. I'm looking for clients more in the $25-$50 per piece range and higher. I've gotten a few clients at these rates, and boy, does it feel good!
Please don't take this as hostile or critical, ok? But you're not really forced to sell it for $15 tops: you're limited to selling it for $15 tops because your marketing skills don't match your writing skills. The limitation relates to the sale, not to the product/service. I'm a 20-year-old student and I don't write anything for as little as $15 - not even a 300-word article.
It's also borderline sexist and possibly offensive. "Stay at home mom" is better by miles, because it's implying that a woman has chosen, as her right, to manage the home space. Whereas, "house moms" implies a 1950s you-stay-barefoot-and-pregnant feel. Might be me, but "house moms" also has a low-class vibe to it as well. BTW, I'm not saying "stay at home mom" is the ultimate solution, just that it's better. To be perfectly honest, the article lacks punch. It's has a soft opener, which means the article has already failed. If it's to sell something, it needs to be kicked up a bunch of notches. Additionally, you're writing to newbies, so the language is wrong. For instance, you start throwing around "affiliate marketing" and you'll need to explain it in detail. The article, to a newbie, will open up a million questions and answer a couple. Aside from the fact that it's not true, it's very awkwardly written. You'd have a much better sequence if you had started with "Until now," rather than everything else. There's more, but that's just some general stuff. Ok, one more thing. This article was begging like a little puppy waiting for a treat for some bullets or something. Forget the text for a moment. Just sit back and look at the visual image of the article. It's a huge block of constipation for the mind. Some lead-ins would work wonders as well. Even some sub-headers would help. Keep in mind that what you're writing is only part of the equation. How it looks and feels is a big part too. Good luck
I agree with all of you. Thanks to the low quality writers at DP, the prices of articles have hit the ground. This would not be the best place if you're an experienced/"good" copywriter who's expecting more than 2$/100 words.