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My girlfriend is a great writer...

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by digitalhighs, Nov 16, 2006.

  1. #1
    but she hasnt written any copy for websites. She's a spoken word artist who writes and performs poetry and prose. She also writes great press/media releases. I am the geeked out half of this relationship and feels that she could earn a few extra bucks writing web content. She has such a great style and format to her pieces. She recently wrote some artist media releases for my mp3 digital download site and they love it. She's got experience. Any tips to get her started on her own with web content?
     
    digitalhighs, Nov 16, 2006 IP
  2. gr8liverpoolfan

    gr8liverpoolfan Notable Member

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    #2
    Get her to register on DP, GAF or any other place for a start
     
    gr8liverpoolfan, Nov 16, 2006 IP
  3. Jasonb

    Jasonb Well-Known Member

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    #3
    Get to register at DP, when i saw the title of the thread i wanted to know "my girlfreind is a great...." i wanted to know the rest :D

    Get her to register :)
     
    Jasonb, Nov 16, 2006 IP
  4. MattKNC

    MattKNC Peon

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    #4
    True web content writers must demonstrate their experience in order to seriously be considered for quality work. If I were looking to hire someone I would want to see work that has already been done and get references from clients.
     
    MattKNC, Nov 16, 2006 IP
    DeniseJ likes this.
  5. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #5
    You can tell her to join us at www.allfreelancing.com. ;) We're all writers there, some online and some offline. We post markets all the time, and focus on helping newer writers learn how to earn decent money from their writing instead of resorting to the $5 type of gigs you'll see in a lot of forums. :)

    Jenn
     
    jhmattern, Nov 16, 2006 IP
  6. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #6
    Unless you charge $1 per page, then you'll be hounded by all the DP members looking for cheap quality and cheap work. :D
     
    marketjunction, Nov 16, 2006 IP
  7. drig

    drig Peon

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    #7
    Ha, so true. I hardly ever come in this section but the title just drew me in. Have her register here and maybe do a few writings for free to practice, build some reputation / clientbase / and portfolio.
     
    drig, Nov 16, 2006 IP
  8. digitalhighs

    digitalhighs Member

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    #8
    thank you all for your advice, please keep em coming :)

    im working on a site for her to display references.

    What type of rates should be published on her site given the work is of high quality?
     
    digitalhighs, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  9. MattKNC

    MattKNC Peon

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    #9
    How true! Although I don't mind helping my fellow and fella DPers I cannot give away what I do cheaply. So much work, so little time and I need to make a living too.
     
    MattKNC, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  10. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #10
    This definitely isn't the right place to ask that question, as you're in a webmaster marketplace for writers (meaning you'll get mostly answers that are ridiculously low, and certainly not for someone who can put out truly high quality work - assuming it is; haven't seen it).

    There are a lot of online writing opportunities without stepping into this marketplace, and if she goes into low-paying gigs right away, it's almost impossible to ever move into higher paying markets (and no, the "portfolio" pieces she could build working at low rates aren't usually going to help - that type of writing breeds that type of writing, and not often much more).

    Like I said, tell her to check out the markets we've posted over at www.AllFreelancing.com. We have others on two different sites - many of which are online outlets that will happily pay professional rates. To set her own rates she should look to pricing guides such as the one put out by www.writersmarket.com. Even starting at the low end on the rate scale is enormously higher than what people in webmaster forums will generally tell her she can make.
     
    jhmattern, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  11. MattKNC

    MattKNC Peon

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    #11
    There are also plenty of other places to find clients. Just this morning I blogged about three resources I use to find work and learn about rates, etc.
     
    MattKNC, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  12. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #12
    And some of the better job search sites for writers include:

    www.mediabistro.com
    www.journalismjobs.com
    www.indeed.com (searched a lot of job sites at once)

    The first two post mostly full-time, in-house writing positions, but if you look through them religiously, you'll find some great freelance gigs posted periodically. :)

    Jenn
     
    jhmattern, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  13. qwestcommunications

    qwestcommunications Notable Member

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    #13
    She could go on one of those freelance sites or even offer her work on DP and other webmaster forums. This is where her potential audience will be.
     
    qwestcommunications, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  14. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #14
    ... only if she's a lousy writer or willing to work for enormously less than she could potentially be earning. There are MANY more markets out there online for writers, and if she's as good as he says, then she has no reason to get stuck in the webmaster marketplace rut.
     
    jhmattern, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  15. qwestcommunications

    qwestcommunications Notable Member

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    #15
    I think she needs to develop a reputation and start somewhere before aiming for the big leagues as she has not done anything commercially yet.
     
    qwestcommunications, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  16. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #16
    Not at all... and building a reputation and portfolio doesn't come from working for scraps. If that's the case, you go do work for free or very low cost for a reputable nonprofit agency, b/c it lends more credibility. Writing samples for various webmasters, when you focus on SEO more than writing and accept minimal pay does NOT lead to the "big leagues" down the road in the vast majority of cases. The market you put yourself in in the beginning will largely determine your career (or lack thereof) as a writer. And like I said, if she's as good as he says, then she's already above this market, and should look elsewhere, where her work will actually lend itself to a higher quality portfolio and contacts in the industry. The longer a writer waits, the less likely it is that they'll ever move into a higher paying niche - instead they get bogged down having to take on disgusting numbers of low-paying projects just to earn any money, and they find themselves having no time left to better themselves and their careers by sending queries, making contacts, etc.
     
    jhmattern, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  17. DeniseJ

    DeniseJ Live, Laugh, Love

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    #17
    Developing a reputation does NOT entail working for free or for scraps, as Jenn mentioned. She can target smaller print or online publications at first and then move up into the "big leagues," as you put it qwest. I'm trying to be as polite as possible when I say this, but you honestly have no idea what you're talking about.
     
    DeniseJ, Nov 17, 2006 IP
  18. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #18
    Jenn is exactly right that there are many more markets than simple web copy. However, if your girlfriend is interested in beginning work for webmasters on a forum like DP, she should never accept a rate less than $0.05-$0.10 per word, if she has the skills to back it up. Higher paid gigs are not going to be found in the forums, generally speaking, but they do offer fast payment than many other query-based jobs.

    I'm changing my rate structure within the next week or so, but for the time being, you can check out my current rates on my website (see sig). Also, there are a lot of writers who don't post rates on their site or blog to give them more flexibility for different styles of clients. This is the direction I will be taking as soon as I have time to revamp my site.

    Rebecca
     
    internetauthor, Nov 17, 2006 IP
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  19. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #19
    Here's what you do.

    I. Set up a site. Nothing major. Just get a site with some samples, great copy and contact info.

    II. Take a look at the sites Jenn mentioned to see if there's something for her.

    III. If money is tight, take a couple lower paying jobs to get the ball rolling. Money is money. Post an offer here.

    IV. Venture over to e-lance. Yes, it's a cesspool of cheap people looking for cheap quality and cheap writing, BUT sometimes there's a nugget or two from someone who actually respects their own business.

    V. If you have time and you/she can't get work, write some article packs. Pick a topic, like blue special widgets, and write 5-10 articles. Then either put up a small site around it and sell OR try to sell the articles.
     
    marketjunction, Nov 17, 2006 IP
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  20. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #20
    Marketjunction knows what he's talking about. :)

    Rebecca
     
    internetauthor, Nov 17, 2006 IP