Writers - If You Want Any Business - Here Is What Not To Do

Well, I finally blew my top!

The other day, I put out a call for a few writers for a new blog of mine. This is always a crapshoot, because you never know what you're going to get.

I heavily emphasized the fact that I needed quality, 100% correct English, and I wasn't looking for a Chinese article spinner.

Luckily, I had a few offers, and they turned out some pretty good work, which I was thankful for, but then today (after I had stated in the post that the job was filled) here is a PM I received word for word:

"Hi,
i know the position for writer is currently filled by you. However though would let you know my offer. I am charging 2$ per 300 word article, well researched and of utmost quality, well fitting your criteria. Also turnaround will be very fast as we are a team of writers. can do upto 10 articles a day.

If you like my rate, i request you to give me a chance to do next set of celebrity articles for your blog, i assure you utmost quality and good service. Do send me the details if you like my offer.

Thx
xxxxxxx"​

First of all, they already knew that the position was filled, but even so, I'm always possibly looking for someone else. But as you can see, they could barely type out a professional solicitation, let alone earn my business.

Future writers - my best piece of advice if you want to earn any business:

/endrant

 

Mind giving some tips for an approach that will catch your interest as a buyer?

 

I agree to an extent, but a lot of webmasters run sites that are full of generic content that is never really intended to be read anyway (except by the search engines), and for those guys, grammar and spelling are not huge factors.

 

I think you will continue to get these sorts of applicants just like I continue to get offers to do entire websites for $500. A high ranking, well written and well positioned site cannot be crafted for that price. Sure, there are people who will do it. And you get what you pay for. And then I get offers from people who must somehow assume I'm freaking desperate.

It's a down economy and I'm the queen of killer marketing strategies that snatch people out of a daze and order them to stand at attention. I'm in huge demand for that alone.

Sorry to jump right in your thread but it reminded me of what irks me lately. I also get those emails from other 'writers'.

 

The biggest problem is that people hire the type of people who sent you the PM. Later they complain that they got ripped off. True quality writers can not work for those low rates. When I am low on work, I have lowered my prices to two cents a word and that is pushing it to give quality work.

These bottom feeders would go away if all webmasters would look for quality instead of junk.

 

1. Do NOT start threads here to rant about private dealings or interactions. If you have issues, post about it in your sales thread.

2. Under no circumstances may you refer to other members as idiots or any of the other "unflattering" terms I had to remove from your post.

3. And a bit of advice from me to the clients out there - if you have threads where you're essentially saying $20 for a 400-600 word article is an outlandish price, you're FAR from being in a position of entitlement to bitch about writers not giving you perfect anything.

In the future, when you fill a position, use the report post button and request that it be closed and you'll have less of a chance of getting those belated PMs, since the thread will be buried more quickly and out of their view.