DP Writing absolute crap?

Thank you "DeniseJ".
"Jenn" always writes with some new insights. There are many writers who are capable of writing quality content. Very often these writers do not have much 'know-how' of this trade.Jenn rightly said (on another thread...)that writers must pay attention to skills like marketing and good business practices.

 

Then again you can always hire a cheap writer to write an article that is well researched. At least that way you have cheaply outsourced the time for researching.

There are also some people like me that think article writing is just plain hard, and some foreign writer would still write something that is easier on the eyes.

 

All I can say is that you get what you paid for. I pay my best writers almost $100 per post (400-600 words)... you do the maths

 

i'm a newbie here at DP. i've been writing for buyers at those freelance sites mentioned in this thread. i have excellent feedback from all my 30 plus clients so far and i must admit, going "beyond" those sites made me realize how measly my payments have been. still, i think i can't bring myself to leaving those sites JUST YET.

 

I have to tell you - once you get into the low-paying writing rut, it's very difficult to break out of it and move to higher paying gigs.

You will eventually find yourself swamped with work paying peanuts - and you won't have time to search for higher paying jobs because you will be overwhelmed with other work and have come to depend on the money, however measly.

 

It's wonderful you're such a knowledgeable and appreciative buyer. I hope you're ready for the onslaught of unsolicited PMs asking if you need any new bloggers...

 

Haha - I was just going to say that Rebecca, but you beat me to it

 

Quite honestly, I would be very hesitant about using a "cheap" writer as a researcher. While many do excellent research but struggle with phrasing, others pull up other articles, and just rephrase the work of others without checking to see if the information is even remotely correct.

I rewrote a blog article for a long-term client the other day that he'd originally farmed out to another writer. It seemed the writer had skipped much of the research he needed for this particular health topic, and my client was getting emails and comments from readers constantly telling him his article was junk. It's certainly not junk anymore, but it cost the client twice as much to have it fixed as it originally did to have it written.

 

LOL - I just hope the unsolicited offers contain complete sentences...

 

Yeah... none of this "u need new bloggarr i can do it for $1." crap!

It pained me to type like that!

 

$1? They all want the $100! - Okay, I'll let some other people post now! LOL

 

Yeah that's what I meant... somehow the zeros decided to go on vacation!

 

I just want you to know that unlike that bite, my hatred for you will never die for posting that picture. First thing I saw when I wake up? Sign of an astounding day coming.

 

I do agree that their are some crap writers here. Let's be fair, they are everwhere. Took me some time to learn that you get what you pay for. If you are paying pennies on the article then you will generally get a pennies worth of content.

Up your budget, you will find as I did some excellent writers here as I have!

 

The thing that bothers me is that buyers paying peanuts have the nerve to complain about the quality of the work they receive. I can understand that a lot of start-ups don't have a high budget in place, but if that's the case then they need to realize they aren't going to get top-notch content.

What kills me are the excessive demands I've seen some clients place on writers and then only pay $1.50/article!

 

hi denise, i must admit, it IS very difficult to break out of it. i have tons of work but the stress is not worth it really.

i live in a third world country and there are days when i just really want to say NO and just search for the high paying writing gigs. unfortunately there haven't been many as of late. still, i'm keeping my fingers crossed. my fees start at $4.00 for a simple, 500 word article. i think that's not bad. here in my country, however, one single article can feed a family of four for a day.

how much do you guys ask for an article over there?

 

I hear where you are coming from. If you are happy with your rates, that's great - but if you could be charging more for your talent, I would! Too many writers undercut their prices because A) They don't care or B) They don't realize they could be getting more.

What one writer charges for an article will differ from another. There's no set price EVERYONE should charge. A lot of factors contribute to determining your pricing structure, including talent, education, experience and specialization (how "in-demand" your niche(s) are.)

 

B) is right on the money. had i not stayed up late one night and chanced upon other forums (including DP), i wouldn't even know that there are writers who charge $3,000 for sales pages!

 

The best thing you can do for yourself is create a business website advertising your services. Make the website as professional and comprehensive as you can and include your rates and links to a writing portfolio.

If you don't have quality samples to showcase in your writing portfolio, create a few mock pieces and replace them once you get better samples.

Learning how to market your services effectively can mean the difference between making peanuts or making a decent, livable wage.

 

thanks denise! i'm working on the portfolio and websites