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Professional Article Writing

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by tdd1984, Dec 25, 2006.

  1. #1
    Hey do you guys think 5 bucks for 100 words is a good price for professional article, and the girl thats doing them has a master in education, and currently has wrote 2 books
     
    tdd1984, Dec 25, 2006 IP
  2. technoguy

    technoguy Notable Member

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    #2
    Yeah I think its more than enough. I am getting pretty good articles from a writer for 2 bucks / 100 words.

    THanks
     
    technoguy, Dec 25, 2006 IP
  3. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #3
    To hire a top notch professional, 100 words would cost you anywhere from $50-100. $.05 / word is actually extremely low for any level of professional writer, and with her education (assuming she can actually write well), she could likely be charging much more than that, so it's definitely not too high.
     
    jhmattern, Dec 25, 2006 IP
  4. tdd1984

    tdd1984 Well-Known Member

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    #4
    Thats what I was thinking, I think some article writers say there better then what they really are, but my write did me a excellent job, and currently a teacher at the college here in indiana, but I got lucky, and bumped into her.
     
    tdd1984, Dec 25, 2006 IP
  5. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #5
    Professional is such a empty word. What does it even mean? The problem with the word is the meaning is defined by the user.

    For instance, what's "professional" writing to you most likely isn't even close to my version. What makes the writing "professional?"

    Is it professional if it was created within a profession? Is it professional, because someone said it is? Is it professional, because you paid for it?

    If someone's writing ability wouldn't have a chance in hell to make it through an editor at a decent or better print publication, is it professional?

    In the end, what matters is your satisfaction. If you paid $x for writing services and are satisfied, what we all thing is irrelevant.
     
    marketjunction, Dec 26, 2006 IP
  6. tdd1984

    tdd1984 Well-Known Member

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    #6
    lol yea what is professional? haha
     
    tdd1984, Dec 27, 2006 IP
  7. peterpyne

    peterpyne Peon

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    #7
    I wish professionalism was based on creativity and talent, not 4 years of school.

    P.S. I'm a pretty damn good copywriter (all modesty aside) and would consider $10/500 words a significant pay raise. Perhaps I should seek new employment.
     
    peterpyne, Dec 28, 2006 IP
  8. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #8
    In copywriting, "professionalism" is highly determined by how well your copy converts for your clients. If your copy is only bringing minimal income to them, they probably won't pay more. If your copy is bringing them millions of dollars, you should absolutely be getting paid more.

    Thinking you're a "good" writer (not you personally; in general) isn't enough to be a professional. Nor is simply getting paid to write. Professionals know their worth, they earn it, and they earn it steadily enough to make at least an adequate living. As I believe Jason's mentioned somewhere previously, it's not always about the writing. There are plenty of great writers who aren't professionals. There are plenty of awful writers who are. It often comes down to their ability to market themselves to the right kind of clients, and consistently. If you don't feel that you're being paid enough, try changing the target market you work with, or change your marketing strategy.
     
    jhmattern, Dec 29, 2006 IP
  9. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #9
    I think you mean you're a good article writer (or writer in general) and not a good copywriter (marketing/sales copy).

    Feel free to post a sample and I'll give you an honest assessment as I'm sure others will.

    If you truly are talented, then the problem is you. In the business world, no one will walk up to you and beg you to take more money than you are charging. If you're charging $10 per 500 words, that's what you'll get and where you'll stay until you change something.
     
    marketjunction, Dec 29, 2006 IP
  10. mothproof

    mothproof Banned

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    #10
    they say, to leave a legacy in this world, you have to
    1. write a book
    2. have/sire a baby
    3. plant a tree.



    :) so yeah, i think your writer friend ought to write more novels,, yeah that's what i think,
     
    mothproof, Jan 6, 2007 IP
  11. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #11
    Whoa there. How is planting a tree #3? :)

    I'd go with:

    1. Planting a tree
    2. Having a baby
    3. Writing a book

    ;)
     
    marketjunction, Jan 6, 2007 IP
  12. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #12
    Gosh, I'm a big fan of the whole baby thing...

    I can finish one of those in 9 months, but novels - those take FOREVER!

    Rebecca
     
    internetauthor, Jan 6, 2007 IP
    jhmattern likes this.
  13. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #13
    Yes, and it seems you like doing it every 9 months. :)
     
    marketjunction, Jan 6, 2007 IP
  14. Megadeals

    Megadeals Peon

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    #14
    I finally found the article writer of my dreams.

    $4.25 per article of 150-200 words. Each article is put into a template page for my site, has all metas included and has anchor text links in the body of the copy.

    He uploads the pages AND updates and uploads the article archive to my server where I just make it live.

    I have now used this provider for many of our SEO projects.
     
    Megadeals, Jan 6, 2007 IP
  15. hamerz

    hamerz Peon

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    #15
    Alright Mega - give up the details!
     
    hamerz, Jan 7, 2007 IP
  16. Thomas J.

    Thomas J. Guest

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    #16
    In what is the most obvious and logical sense of the word my belief is this: Anyone with a masters in education should know how to write an article using grammatically correct English if they are educated in the United States. Those from other countries may not be capable of relating content to the intended audience which usually is assumed to be English speaking. However, that is not always true and I apologize to those non-native English speaking writers who may differ. Yet, this is my opinion.
    I definitely believe writers are paid far too little on the internet. However, if you locate a writer and hire them because you have a small budget you may get what you pay for. Hopefully you will not.

    Price is neither a good indicator nor should be an obstacle to hiring a quality writer. Many writers will write short articles for very low prices if they are in need of employment. Yet, if you think they have done an outstanding job, you can always remit a little more than the agreed upon price to demonstrate your appreciation.
    Always ask for writing samples and decide based on what you read that way you have a good idea what to expect.


     
    Thomas J., Jan 7, 2007 IP
  17. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #17
    Yes, but it certainly doesn't mean they can write a good story. :)
     
    marketjunction, Jan 7, 2007 IP
  18. Software_outsourcing

    Software_outsourcing Peon

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    #18
    $5 for 100 words is Ok and not low. We are doing that and are able to churn out good articles with a good appreciation from buyers. Got a very good reviews from clients.In fact it is also depends which part of globe you are . May be a $ 5 will be low to people living in rich countires where cost of living is high.
     
    Software_outsourcing, Jan 8, 2007 IP
  19. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #19
    The question isn't price, it's quality level. I can guarantee that there's not one writer on this board, who's charging 1-2 cents per word, that's putting out print-quality work.

    Good appreciation doesn't mean the story is solid. It just means that the writer managed to pass whatever bar of quality was set.

    But, maybe I have it ALL wrong. Anything is possible. I'd invite anyone to post a series of work, publicly, proving that fact.
     
    marketjunction, Jan 8, 2007 IP
  20. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #20
    $5 is very low if you want high quality, unique content, targeting a native English-speaking audience. This isn't meant as any offense to you, but from your short post, I'd guess you're not a native English speaker (from the actual writing and not any particular content). I'm also not sure who you mean by "we," so maybe you're not doing the writing yourself.

    However, if a client wants something that will appeal to their audience, give them quality information from an "expert" in the niche (not thrown together from Web research) that will entice people to link to it, bookmark it, and come back to it, and they don't want to edit themselves (many outsource b/c their own writing and grammar aren't that great in the first place), then they'll hire a native speaker with experience in the field who can write a compelling and engaging piece. That won't come for $.05 / word, unless you snag someone who doesn't know the value of their work.

    If they only care about SEO and not readability or the other benefits of quality writing, $.05 / word might seem high to them. Writing for an audience and writing entirely for search engines are two completely different things. And as Jason likes to put it (and well), if they learn how to write for the audience first, they'll be writing for high search engine rankings without even trying. Those are the pieces that have the potential to give the buyer the most value in the long-run, and they come with a price that's nearly always going to be more than $.05 / word.
     
    jhmattern, Jan 9, 2007 IP