I don't speak for the other freelance writers working here but for myself the reason I work for a lower wage is that I'm starting out and I'm trying to learn where or how to get higher paying jobs. I've read a few websites and blogs of copywriters claiming to make a good wage and they are filled with general information: "Don't settle for lower paying jobs," or "Consider yourself valuable." That's not very good advice for where to find high paying copywriting jobs. I assume that most copywriters making good money don't want to share the knowledge because then they stand the risk of seeing their client base dwindle from increased competition, which is a fair reason for keeping the devil in the details, but it doesn't make for good advice to other freelancers. Also, if the rates on Digital Point are beneath you, why do you frequent this site and look for work here? I don't mean to sound flippant but if the fish is small, why cast the line when you know where the bigger fish are?
So you work for two tenths of a cent per word? j/k Whether you charge more or not is pretty relative. There are writers here who sell exclusive rights for less than a penny per word. Others easily charge ten times that much and do quite well. Still others of us charge closer to 100 times that and still do well. It's a pretty diverse group here, even though most of the ads are targeted towards the low end of the spectrum. Several of us right here provide that advice if you just ask us. We even run a forum and a blog (both in my sig) where we post weekly markets telling you very specifically where you can find work. For example, this week's markets are children's writers markets (past weeks included business, technology, and travel writing markets). The markets we post all pay at least $.05 / word (most this week were in the $.17 - .25 / word range I believe). So check that out and join us in the forum if you want to talk to other non-DP copywriters, content writers, and published authors to get some advice... we've got a good bunch over there. Some of us are specialists. In my case, I run a PR firm. I write a lot of press releases because of my background. I charge more than most offering the same service here, but I get a regular client flow from here as well from people looking for quality and experience over price. While those types of clients don't always post about gigs here (they don't want the influx of inexperienced, low-rate writers pitching them), if you work for a few and they're happy with your work, word spreads insanely fast. So the business a lot of us do is "under the radar" - only in PM or via email. It's not that there aren't clients here concerned with quality, and who are willing to pay for it. You just have to prove to them that you know what you're doing first, whether through your posts (for instance, I regularly comment here on press release strategy, and that leads to orders) or through referrals privately from other members they trust. Frankly, forum posting around a market you're targeting is just a good marketing strategy. You can find more, and higher-paying, work that way than by posting all the sales threads offering cheap rates in the world.
These forums have a variety of low paying and high paying projects: big fish and, well, 'small fish' as you put it. I "frequent the boards" to catch big ones!
I agree with both Jenn and riftshighway. While jobs on this forum tend to pay ridiculously low amounts, there are hidden gems every once in awhile - not to mention people who DON'T advertise for writers and are referred to you via a colleague. Most if not all of the work I have done for DP members has been because they saw me posting and liked what I had to say, or one of my colleages referred them to me.
Working with low-paying clients is not so bad for starting out and building up more clips, but at some point you have to make the decision that you will stop working with these clients and increase your rates. And it's better to start increasing your rates sooner rather than later. For right now, come up with a plan for increasing your rates. Decide when you are going to increase and by how much. I'm sorry to say that I started out freelacing around this time last year and I was making less than $.01/word. It took me six months to figure out I should be making more than that and three more months to do something about it. Now I have a goal to be well beyond that point by year's end. It's possible. Don't get stuck in the "I'm just starting out" trap or you'll be there forever. Trust me. Now that you know it is possible to make more than a penny per 10 words it is up to you to locate these markets. As for specific places to find copywriting jobs, Jenn gave a great answer. But keep in mind that no one is going to hold your hand until you're ready to walk on your own. Part of being a freelance writer is having an entrepreneurial attitude about the writing you do and the services you offer.
Absolutely true. Starting with an unclear vision of your own abilities and demands might be your first and only mistake ever. Game is over before it has even begun.
Another crap job. http://getafreelancer.com/projects/Copywriting-SEO/Wedding-Related-Articles-Needed.html "P L E A S E Don't bid if you are expect more than $1 per article." Haha
lol yeah, those postings are always good for a laugh - they want no errors, research-heavy pieces, 100% original, SEOd... they'll get what they pay for, or they'll get someone not bright enough to know any better (if they're lucky). Also have to love the ones who barely pay who start off with accusations that you'll be dishonest by saying they'll check it all against copyscape. The second a potential client says that, I tell them to go elsewhere. If you want professional work, you not only have to pay for it, but you have to respect the professional... starting off with mistrust says you'll be a lousy client to work with. One of my pet peeves.
Yes, Looks like some people are eager to become copywriters by all means. At any price. Or probably out of desperation? I can't get it either.
It wasn't a copywriting job; just general content writing. That's the kind of job where I just can't feel bad for the person who takes it, b/c if they're that ignorant about working as a writer, they basically deserve what they get. More than likely the client will get lousy results, and frankly they don't deserve unique content for that rate. There's a point where you just need to advertise for what it is... basically an unpaid gig to take if you're a new writer with no experience and looking to post anything and everything online just so you can call yourself a writer. At least admitting it's unpaid is better than trying to make it sound like you're a legitimate client while paying $1 per article.
And a second taker! Unreal. At least the first one had a reason - no experience, no clips. But even then... At $1 for 500 words, that's .002 cents per word. Posting for pennies is a lot easier and pays better.
If people just learned to look for real markets, they'd never settle for gigs like these again. But frankly, we can't do anymore than hand the markets right to them, which I already do. Lazy writers will take the gigs that take the least amount of work to find, no matter how little they pay. It just leaves the better clients to the rest of us.
Elance? Guru? GetaFreelancer? In your opinion which one of the flashing neon signs is the right one to spend your time and money on?
lol Precisely. Those aren't "markets." They're "marketplaces." Big difference. If writers want to make significant rates, they need to look for real markets (meaning the publications themselves). You can find writers markets listed online in a variety of places. We list them weekly by niche at www.sixfigurewriters.com, you can find some at www.writersweekly.com, and the paid listings (well worth it) at www.writersmarket.com.
Jenn, I think what you haven't addressed yet is that the majority of places listed by SixFigureWriters and those other sites you mentioned are for print magazines. What I was curious to know is if there are online venues that are geared specifically for writers seeking employment for online publications. Aside from Digital Point and the aforementioned examples in my last post, there don't seem to be many other alternatives. From my own experience I know print offers better pay rates. I thought there might have been a website out there that specializes in online writing but I think Digital Point and Guru come the closest to doing just that.