I have a buddy I have tried to convince to take some jobs here. He is writes professionally for websites for text books and occasionally moves to DC to do research for non profits. He wants to make a little extra income but is seriously turned off by the extremely low rates he sees. I tell him it would come with time. What do you suggest he do?
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Chances are slim that he will find a high paying job from here. Too many people settle for articles that are $.01 a word or less and then bitches that they got ripped off. If he is looking for a few bucks quick he can take these jobs but it does nothing to improve his jobs at a decent rate. He could try starting a thread for a higher rate but most on here are looking for cheap.
Or somewhere similar. While eLance still has lowballers, you also get the benefit of hosting a portfolio and the occassional big corporation coming in to buy.
Your friend can get high paying gigs from DP just like from anywhere else: by building a reputation that precedes him. He won't do that by simply posting advertisements for his services when he's new. It will take time and a lot of posting in his specialty areas to build trust and respect to a point where the higher paying clients will contact him. I only recently started really pushing my articles to webmasters, but I'm far from cheap ($50 for up to a 350 word article, and that's only the bylined rate, for example). I do, however, sell a lot of press releases here, and they averaged $.20 - .30 / word for me with last year's rates. I know I'm not the highest priced press release writer here, but I'm nowhere near the cheapest. I still get plenty of gigs, because I have credentials in the field that most competing with me here simply don't, and because I post a lot on that subject. People see that I know what I'm talking about, or they get referred by past clients, and they contact me privately. That's really the key: you're not going to see the high-paying writing gigs advertised publicly here. That doesn't mean they don't exist. You just have to build the reputation, and the clients reach out to you privately. Tell him if he wants to earn at his highest potential, he'll need to specialize instead of generalize (if not already), and he'll have to have credentials and a portfolio to back him up. There are also other ways to make regular money online. For example, while I don't care for the company at all, About.com starts Guides off at $750 / month or so minimum. It may or may not be much to him based on what he's already earning, but if he just wants something part-time, that might be worth looking into. He can also look at places other than forums and freelance bidding sites. For example, you'll tend to find better jobs on sites like www.JournalismJobs.com and www.MediaBistro.com. Several freelance bloggers also post links regularly to freelance writing jobs (myself included). Here are three blogs doing that: www.AllFreelanceWriting.com (my blog), www.FreelanceWritingGigs.com (Deb Ng's blog), and www.TheGoldenPencil.com (Anne Wayman's blog).
Why not ask him to create an online portfolio? It'll serve as his online office where he can show his written works and accept orders from clients. Having an online presence is one of the ways to say to your client that "I'm dead serious with freelance writing, so pay me decently."
What should I expect to pay for original articles between 350-500 words on subjects related to small business marketing? Any ideas. My company is getting ready to make a content push and is trying to determine what is a good going rate? When I tell people that these articles could cost between $75-100 a piece, that raises some eyebrows.
That's going to depend on the writer and their background. You'll probably find writers here willing to do it for $.01 / word or even less. Being a professional business writer specializing in that area (and with past clients, an educational background, and practical experience in the field to back it up), I charge $100 for a bylined piece in that length range and $175 for a ghostwritten business article in the 350 - 500 word range. You'll find people charging even more than I do, and you'll find people charging anywhere in between those two examples. It depends on what you're looking for (articles to build an authority site versus articles simply for SEO), and what you can afford. There's no "right" answer to your question.
Thanks for the great post. He is a very talented writer with tons of life experience. I will tell him about the about thing. LOL I would like to know more about press releases and how they work , especially for some upcoming sites I have.
I have some information on using press releases over at www.FreePressReleaseWriting.com, which you can take a look at to give you some basic information. There's also a section with a few press release writer profiles. The site's still new though, so there aren't a lot of writers in the list yet (but if anyone here is a press release writer, feel free to add your profile - it's free).
Like anything, you need to get out there and start networking. Don't rely on one Web site, especially this one. And rates are just rates. Yes, there are lots of penny writers out there, but that's par for the course. They are getting paid what they are worth--pretty much like anything. I know people who charge $5 for "writing" a news release (not even worth that much) and people who will charge about $200+ for a one- or two-page news release. The talent level almost always corresponds with the rate. Don't get sucked into being a Wal-mart service provider. Only fools compete on price in the services market. Read that again. It's services marketing 101. Good luck!
Referrals and word of mouth? I do get some referrals from places that profile my work, and they usually just email me. Just build multiple profile and showcases of your work. It takes time, but if you are building a "reputation" then you need to do some self-marketing.
If your friend is looking to make a quick buck or two, then those jobs are plentiful on this forum. If he's looking to actually make good money as a freelance writer, then he'll need to put in the hard work of building a reputation. Depending upon how good he is, what qualifications he has, and what field he is writing in, this could either be a slow or quick process.
The reason people expect to pay so little for writing is because that's what people will charge. Writing a press release for $5 or anything for .01 a word is insulting to the profession of writing. Writing is a skill, and a hard one to master at that. Specialized writing (technical, press releases) is even harder. I spent a lot of money on my degree, advanced education, certificates and keeping my skills fresh. If you don't want to see low-paying jobs, stop offering rock bottom prices! That said, I love www.freelancewritinggigs.com and Problogger.net for job listings. I also get a lot of clients through referral (you have to ask for them) and marketing to the small businesses in my area.
There are always going to be those that offer penny-per-word services on forums like this. More times than not, these are either college students who need a few bucks or they are foreingers who can afford to take in less because their cost of living is less than in the United States.
To help your friend I'd say he needs to start marketing himself properly. You can do this by educating the prospects on what a good writer is all about and what he can contribute to a business. Another website I can refer you to is www.guru.com It's another freelancing website but caters more to high-end businesses and professionals. I'm sure that he can easily get a few projects there, since the buyers aren't looking for 'cheap deals' but experts instead. -Dave
You get what you put into it. There are lots of bottom feeders who bargain hunt for the cheapest writers willing to take peanuts for their work. But when you pay peanuts, you sometimes get elephants and monkeys. It works the other way around too. To get the really serious money, you've got to be a dead serious writer. You've got to always be looking as to how your writing can make someone else a profit, and no matter how good you are today, you've got to ask yourself constantly how you can get better tomorrow. Everyone wants to make money, but not everyone wants to make others money. Once you've got that burned inside your very being, others will notice it.
Bingo. Just writing for writing's sake won't help you make leaps up the ladder. Too many writers take a "just get the job done" attitude and it costs them.
That's also a severe problem of mindset, a complete different discussion. Most people see it as a job, while freelancing is actually just the lonely version of building a business. You should have an entrepreneurial mindset and a convincing talk to gain clients. -Dave