Is it just me or does anyone else suspect something fishy going on with the cheap writing services? $3-5 per 500 word article? Surely theres some sort of content spin...funny thing is it passes copyscape.
No there's not. Its called competitive pricing. Its takes about 15minutes to write a 500/word article unique so its like getting paid $20 an hour if you charge $5 per article. On top of that it gives the writer a chance to get their foot in the door to bulk orders such as I order. One person had a good price so I took the offer. Once I saw that the article was good, I ordered 200.
Many of the people who offer their writing services for those amounts live in countries where that is a lot of money, so don't care that it is ruining the business for everyone else. After researching for these articles, it makes the hourly pay much less. Basically, you get what you pay for a lot of the time. Pay crap and you get crap that has taken only a few minutes to write. Rowan
I can't imagine how you write a 500 word article in 15 minutes. Mine sometimes take days. Not solid days of writing of course, but write a bit, think a bit, write a bit, research a bit, and so on.
Sometimes the content is rewritten using a piece of software. Sometimes it's rewritten by hand. Sometimes the writer creates 500 words of bs. Sometimes you get a good writer, who can write 500 good words in 15 minutes on a topic she knows a lot about.
I agree, the amount of time required is really dependent on how much the person knows about the subject. If it is a topic I am familiar with, 15 minutes is reasonable, although there is extra time figured in for editing, formatting and spell checking. Also selling your first article cheaper to get your foot in the door is a great way to get repeat (higher paying) business and one that I use regularly!
There are reasons why writers charge $3-$5 per 500 words and it doesn't mean they are using software. Lots of talented/good writers write with that rate : - to attract more clients ( many clients are looking for cheap but quality articles) - to expose their writing ability and build their portfolio - to compete in the highly competitive market of article marketing - to follow their passion - to make use of their idle time
Yeh, why don't we just write for nothing then. Stuff those that have to make a living. Well just go the way of micrstock and permenantly ruin the industry for everyone, just because there are so many people who want something for nothing. My time and quality is not worth so little, is yours?
It depends on the country where your writer comes from. If the writer is a native speaker and knows the English language very well pay him $15-$20. Countries like US, UK and Australia. If you are looking for cheap content but sounded like that of the US use writers from the Philippines. If you want very cheap content and the quality is crap use those from India. Many buyers are complaining about the quality of the output of those coming from India. So there you are, if money is never an issue go get those native speakers who are really good. If you got lower budget or would want more from your money go for the cheaper ones.
But I am seeing writers who clearly don't know how to speak or write English properly get these gigs. That means they must be getting their "writing" from another source.
Boy, this question sure comes up often around here. The truth of the matter is that you will find quality at all pay levels, but the people writing quality at the lower level won't stay there for long. Now, you've come to $10 or $15, but it depends on what you want. Right now, I have some people paying me $12.50 per post for a minimum of 300 words to write articles for their blogs and manage them as well. That's blog writing, and it's relatively easy for me and there's a minimum number of articles per month. For other types of writing, depending on what it is, I charge more. One of the moderators here doesn't take anything less than $200 an article, I believe, for 500 words. I'm hoping to work my way to that point eventually. So, the overall answer, which you'll see some others saying, is that often you get what you pay for, but every once in awhile you'll find a diamond in the rough. And you get what you want. If you need 100 pages quickly and don't mind editing, go the $1 per post route. If you're looking for something more, it'll cost you more, and take longer to get, but it'll easily be better.
I've been writing for years and if I like the topic and know it, I will do a 500 word for 5. USD.. If the research is nominal and I can do 3 or 4 in an hour, why not. I do need to make money, don't get me wrong, but I dont' have to make it all on the same person. I believe in charging what I'm worth but I also believe in giving a good value. That doesn't make me bad at it, it makes me a bit more honest about it. Do I think that being good, or having a good name means I have to rip off my clients and charge them 5 cents a word? No I absolutely do not. Does that make me less than professional because I"m willing to bend a little to see some GOOD content get out on the internet instead of the endless BS landing pages. NO I dont think so. There are some great writers offering you good prices. but CHECK references. if you wouldn't hire them in your shop without having good references then why would you let them write your content? It's odd, i've written for large marketing companies and things like chapters of the American Red Cross and you know what, they never asked me for so much as a reference. just one sample item. Anyone can give you a sample and still rake you over the coals. While the writers should be more honest and more ethical, the site owners should use some good business practices too.
Sometimes it's an issue of writers not knowing their true worth. I started writing at $5 because I had no previous experience or online rate reference. That was almost 5 years ago. Today, I write for 4-5 times that amount because I learned the business and caught on to a few things!!