I just started copy writing, but that doesn't mean I'm not a good writer. I'm a 16 year old college student, born and raised in California, highly gifted and have always been in advanced English courses. I tried to find introductory jobs in the Content Creation forum, but I feel like none of the listings are worth my time. People want me to give them 500 word college level articles for $10.00 or less. That's like a slap in the face. I don't like to produce bad work, so I would spend at least three hours researching, writing and revising the article. If I spent three hours on an article, then I would be receiving much below minimum wage for a specialized skill! I've been writing reviews on SharedReviews, but I would like to transit into real copy writing. Where can I find decent paying jobs?
Just starting out can be tough & rough. You're correct when people want you to provide "Quality" content for cheap prices - I don't see how some can do it. However, everyone must start somewhere. Use some of the Freelance sites to do a few projects - build your portfolio: rentacoder elance etc.... Another idea is to look up your local businesses and see if they have a website. Then offer your services to them by writing a more compelling copy for the site. Surprisingly, many businesses have a website, but lack good copy. Do a search on this forum and you're bound to find plenty of advice. Press on to Sucess, Jeff
Hi Tamakyo, another freelance site to go to is GetAFreelancer. However, be prepared to see super low rates. Still, it's a good place to start building that portfolio of yours. I agree with netbizman - everyone must start somewhere. Also, since you're starting out, you could offer extra services or products like a free article for every order of 5 or something. I'm sure you can find a lot of clients. Don't forget to come up with your own website or blog where you can showcase your writing skills
If you think the rates at the Content Creation forum are bad, wait till you get to GAF! Although I agree that you have to start out somewhere, GAF has some of the lowest bids anywhere. You'll find $10 for 500 words is a luxury there. And the time you spend building a reputation at GAF by scraping the bottom of the barrel could be easily used to build a portfolio, network with your peers, and learn the other tricks of the trade. Have you tried poring through Craigslist? There are quite a few lunatics hanging out there, but stick with it and you'll find some genuine buyers too. Some of my best clients have come through Craigslist. If you still want to consider bidding sites, I hear good things about Elance and RentaCoder, although I haven't tried these myself. A portfolio is extremely important, however, and if you don't have samples of work that you've created for clients, I'd suggest you begin putting together some high quality pieces, just for your portfolio. You might want to check out this site for more advice. Create professional copy, set up a web site advertising your services (it doesn't have to be fancy, just enough that potential clients can check out your samples and get a feel for your writing style) and the offers will pour in. Trust me.
My mom went ballistic when I told her that I'm accepting $10.00 for a 500 word article. The amount of effort that I put into articles and the level of my writing is worth more. The people who fulfill orders with such low payments either copy content in some way, shape or form, or have bad English grammar and/or spelling. I don't want to spend my time building a large portfolio just to be stuck with no orders. I see no difference in having a portfolio and web site or posting here, because I'll still be marketing to the same people.
Make your own website, publish the articles, and show people the statistics in traffic and revenue. If you truly are as remarkable as you claim you are, your website will have no problem getting traffic and revenue. I was in your same spot, and I did that. Now I'm making a lot more than what I was a few months ago.
I offer a lot of advice to new freelance writers at my freelance writing blog. This article may be of interest: How to Get High Paying Freelance Writing Jobs I'm even running a small contest there this month - top commenter will receive a prize package (detailed on the site). So now's a good time to check it out and get involved (plus, it's a good way to network for a new writer).
I might suggest offering some articles specific to your areas of interest so there's not as much (if any) research involved. Working in a niche you're comfortable with should cut down on turnaround time significantly, making for a better bottom line even at a relatively low price per piece.
I have been a member at Getafreelancer.com for some 2 years now.And I have rarely seen the price go up to $10 -$12 an article.If someone in DP knows such a place, where I can find some good deals, then do drop me a post.
I have to agree. GAF buyers are mostly looking for the cheapest writers that they can find, and no matter how great your reputation, if someone bids ridiculously low, they are chosen more often than not. I have, however, made some lasting relationships with a few GAF buyers, who now pay the rates that I charge new clients, simply because I offered them the quality that they were searching for. That being said, I don't recommend trying to live off GAF, however, if you must use it for start-up purposes it could actually benefit you in the long run
Your prices are determined by market rules. Demand for your work is nonexistent, as you are just starting out. You are competing for jobs instead of screening offers from publishers. Unfortunately for you, there are others who are willing to write 500 word articles for very little money, and probably write them faster and at similar quality. Publishers operate on the law of the vital few. They order from you and pay you because they hope you will make them money in the end, but most of the articles they purchase do not convert into traffic or advertising revenue. Most of their income results from a small portion of the articles they buy, and subsequently from a small number of authors. Identifying these authors is a time consuming job, but necessary for success. Once the quality and typical results of your work has been established, the risk that a publisher assumes by hiring you increases or decreases accordingly. The amount they are willing to pay will adjust accordingly. The amount you actually get paid is determined by your ability to judge the value of your own work compared to others in your writing niche. Of course, if you could accurately determine the value of your own work you would either publish articles on your own or would quit the business of piecemeal writing.
As a lot of people have pointed out already, building your portfolio is vital and it's good to see you're working on that already. In my own opinion, it's actually ok to work for peanuts at first and then command higher rates when you have experience that will speak for itself. I personally advise against using GetAFreelancer because I've had people embarrass me by asking if I'd write for $0.005 a word. I suppose elance is better in that people are willing to pay "minimum wage". If you're lucky you might even find some clients who're willing to recruit you for some REAL writing... by that I mean wages upwards of $1 a word but that's a rarity...