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Stop selling your time for $10!

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by LadyHoldem, Oct 28, 2006.

  1. #1
    Warning: Rant below..


    How long does it take you to write an article? A good article... an article someone would want to read?

    Now keep that amount in mind.. now sell that article for $10 and figure out how much you are making an hour..

    Now.. add in marketing time.. time you spent actually making the deal... now again.. how much are you making per hour?

    If you accept every offer, or jump on every offer in forums.. then you've created a buyers market..

    I cringe everytime I see someone sell a few hours work for $10 .. geeeez guyz.. c'mon! Do you know how much these websites make off of your work? .. More than ten bux !
     
    LadyHoldem, Oct 28, 2006 IP
    newrhodes likes this.
  2. gr8liverpoolfan

    gr8liverpoolfan Notable Member

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    #2
    Supply always exceeds demand in this market. There is nothing much you can do about it. There are few clients who pay what your work is really worth :) and there aren't many on DP, I am afraid
     
    gr8liverpoolfan, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  3. Hypnotique

    Hypnotique Guest

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    #3
    Just like the hosting industry. :)
     
    Hypnotique, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  4. gr8liverpoolfan

    gr8liverpoolfan Notable Member

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    #4
    You could say so. I am not in that industry though ;)
     
    gr8liverpoolfan, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  5. geegel

    geegel Well-Known Member

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    #5
    I completely agree with your point, but not for the reasons you state. A rate of 0.02 $ per word seems to be the DP standard now, if not less. This doesn't mean that there aren't good paying gigs, it only means that they are harder to find. I started as a general writer than slowly I have found my niche. For me it was sales copy that did the trick.

    My advice for start up writers is not "Ask for better pay rates", but rather "Find a niche that pays better". Become a specialist in a certain segment and then cash in on that.

    Regards, George
     
    geegel, Oct 28, 2006 IP
    LadyHoldem likes this.
  6. LadyHoldem

    LadyHoldem Well-Known Member

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    #6
    That's very good advice actually! I didn't really think about it in that light, but I do only write gambling related articles, and I get paid a decent, if not more than decent rate for it :) .. I just cringe whenever I see someone offering 5-6 bux an article and 20 people responding in competition for the business!

    Rep added for the awesome advice :)
     
    LadyHoldem, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  7. TheSyndicate

    TheSyndicate Prominent Member

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    #7
    For me 20 $ is ok i can live on that in Thailand with no problem for for me is like 1 dollar a meal. Going to move to a beach soon with WIFI see you there.
    I do not care if some one make more money then me i turn off the computer and go suck on a pair off ehhh coconuts :)
     
    TheSyndicate, Oct 28, 2006 IP
    Smyrl and drewbe121212 like this.
  8. T0PS3O

    T0PS3O Feel Good PLC

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    #8
    Just because everyone offer articles at a certain rate doesn't mean you have to follow suit. You might have to in a way but you can also offer 'silver' and 'platinum' service at premium rates with their inherent rise in quality.

    I've been paying up to $18 for an A4 here depending on the subject and the writer's knowledge in the field.
     
    T0PS3O, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  9. newrhodes

    newrhodes Active Member

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    #9
    Forget about how much the buyer makes on it - look at it from the sellers point of view

    One good article - it's probably less than a day's work overall, if you factor in all the marketing time, writing and follow up. If you're established and get repeat clients, then it's probably less than an hour, especially if you specialise in areas where you have both knowledge and interest to keep you abreast.

    Let's work with the 1 day number for now. Even assuming working 30 days per month, that's $300.

    Here's where the difference comes. $300 / month is poverty in the US. It's mid to upper middle class income in India, or the Philippines. . There may be other parts of the world where it's an upper class income!

    For writers from those parts, the option of not accepting $10 doesn't make sense. Because they don't have another way of monetising their skills, without spending a lot more money than they can afford. And earning $10 per hour or even per day makes good sense. And they aren't going to stop just because it doesn't make sense for a writer from more developed locations.


    Now let's move to the buyer side. Yes, some buyers make loads from buying at a low price. But if the average price were at $50 instead of $10, do you think you'd see as many buyers?



    Bottomline - if it makes sense for someone to deliver at $10, he / she is going to offer that rate. And if the quality of the $10 job satisfies the buyer, he / she isn't going to look at offers of $20. Or more.


    I agree with George on this. There are buyers who're willing to pay more, for quality and reliability. And if you've established your credentials, you can get these - and refuse to take a job at a rate that's below your "makes sense" rate.

    It isn't necessarily a "niche that pays better". It could even be just "reliable and quality", that gives you the edge, along with a premium price / rate.
     
    newrhodes, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  10. Marcvs

    Marcvs Peon

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    #10
    would you guys be interested in writing them and taking a share of the profits from them?
     
    Marcvs, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  11. T0PS3O

    T0PS3O Feel Good PLC

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    #11
    That's exactly what I'm doing right now but with existing pages. I show the copywriter the page's current performance (time spent, exit rate, dollar index) and ask them to make the page sell better/convert better. 6 weeks later we check out the stats and if both exit rate has lowered and dollar index has gone up (source = Google Analytics) it was successful so we pay based on the rate of change. I've had plenty of sales copy writers willing to put their money where their mouth is like that.
     
    T0PS3O, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  12. LadyHoldem

    LadyHoldem Well-Known Member

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    #12

    I posted a list of article submission sites that offer adsense revenue a few days ago.. I actually write for my own sites as well as quite a few great customers...

    truth be told, I saw a post where someone advertised wanting several articles, all well under 10 bux each, it irritated me, so I looked for a nice non hijacking place to vent about it ;)


    If you have a good idea for revenue sharing, and are looking for some writers, I betchya this would be a great place to find some :) You should start a thread, and post details :) sounds good so far

    ~LadyH
     
    LadyHoldem, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  13. Marcvs

    Marcvs Peon

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    #13
    basically its a revshare with like 35% profit going to the writer ... and 65 % to the site you give it to...
     
    Marcvs, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  14. dirtisbetter

    dirtisbetter Peon

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    #14
    It just depends on the writer I think. Some writers can turn out high quality articles costing $10 and do two or three an hour.

    That being said, I think that you have to start somewhere. Writing is an art and you have to build up a portfolio to show others.

    The more you write and the more respected you become, the more you can charge for your work.
     
    dirtisbetter, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  15. kh7

    kh7 Peon

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    #15
    For me, most articles on my website do not make me 10 dollars a day, or a month, or a year.
    So I would not be paying anybody that amount (or less, which I agree is an insult). What makes the money, on my website anyhow, is the total of all articles - some which in retrospect were great additions because they do make me say 10 dollars a month (but I have no way of predicting which articles that will be) and others that only make the resource better. It's the long tail people... And the long tail has very little money per article. So if people in India and elsewhere will write for 10 bucks, great for those webmasters that are willing to pay that amount. For me - it would still be too expensive.
     
    kh7, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  16. Pat Gael

    Pat Gael Banned

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    #16
    I was wondering about this, people competing for not so good proposals, even resurrecting very old topics, and propiciating the drop down prices here.
     
    Pat Gael, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  17. ConstantContent

    ConstantContent Banned

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    #17
    There are many clients that will pay very well for good writing. The ones that do are the ones that have learned you get what you pay for. I have seen people buy content only to find the article else where, have the writer sell the same article to someone else down the road, rewrite the content and sell it to someone else, plagiarize, and use bad spelling and grammar.

    If you want to be protected from all the above most customers will pay for it. This means a contract or service that watches for this kind of stuff.
     
    ConstantContent, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  18. Pat Gael

    Pat Gael Banned

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    #18
    The problem here is that it seems most people prefer taking the risk rather than pay fair rates :S
     
    Pat Gael, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  19. carjamlangley

    carjamlangley Guest

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    #19
    That's how I learned. :)
     
    carjamlangley, Oct 28, 2006 IP
  20. Phynder

    Phynder Well-Known Member

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    #20
    I have offered writers 50% of my profit if they write something for me vs. a set fee. Their answer? "No thanks!"
     
    Phynder, Oct 28, 2006 IP