I just recently appointed a really pleasant person who is new to freelance writing. This guy asked me some interesting questions concerning freelance writing which I thought would do no harm in sharing.
Please note that I have edited some of the questions in order to suit the topic and also to conceal private information.
1. Question:
I don’t know anything about the freelance writing world. I’ve tried to read FAQs and all and they haven’t really satisfied my curiosities.
Answer:
That is the main reason why I started my blog. There are many articles that tell you HOW to write but no one is prepared to answer the REAL questions. This blog in it’s current state may not answer all the questions yet, but once I have a moment (vary rare!) I try to address something.
2. Question:
What’s the “right price”?
Answer:
Being a freelancer means you work according to market trends. The problem all of us in the Western world have is that conditions in Asian countries are very bad and those people would work for very little. Fortunately/Unfortunately, you get BRILLIANT writers from there and I personally prefer to work with those people simply because they are extremely dedicated.
The problem however is to eventually find that one or two that have the same level of English that you will get from a US or British person. I had bids on my projects where some of these Asian people are prepared to work for $0.50 per 500 words. What is really bad is that there are buyers who exploit them and in the end pay them just that.
In order to ensure that all of the members on the team have a constant workflow I keep my rates low when I bid on projects in order to be able to compete with Asian writing teams.
3. Question:
I’d do it for nothing really.
No! If you want to be taken seriously as a professional, you don't work for free! By doing work for free, you set yourself available for MAJOR exploitation. You must remember this is BUSINESS and a dog eats dog world.
What are the writing expectations, related to volume? Don’t take this the wrong way but how do I know if your expectations were “normal” or “preposterous”? I have no idea and there aren’t any answers out there online.
Answer:
I write for a couple of years now. I do it as a full time job. I do nothing else except to write at least 8 hours per day. An average writer with some experience write about 7-10 x 500 words per day. That is why "fresher" or "newbies" start at 5 x 500 words per day.
Just keep in mind, as you become more experienced you gain more general knowledge as well and for some reason you tend to write more in a certain subject fields than in others. I have a female writer that only does travel writing because she writes excellent travel articles, but for the love of life I can not ask her to write on a female topic like Skincare! That is a guaranteed an absolute set of rubbish.
I have another male Indian writer who writes excellent medical related articles. He is currently working on breast augmentation articles. However, you can ask him to write from specific medicines such as antibiotics up to specialized surgical procedures to the Aids virus, but he does not write on any technical stuff such as Internet marketing and related topics.
What I normally do with new or “green” writers is to let you write a few articles and focus on those you write better than others.
5. Question:
I like writing in a fluid motion. What that means to me is that I like to write with little or no restrictions. I think it’s best described as being like an editorial. I’m not sure; you probably know what I’m talking about. I like writing in response to someone else’s opinion. It’s just more interesting for me.
Answer:
I know exactly what you say, in fact all of us like to write in that way, but unfortunately, money buys the whisky and we need to write what our clients want.
6. Question:I read that deadlines are one of the most important measurements in the writing world.
Answer:
Deadlines and Plagiarism are the death sentences of the writing profession. Plagiarism is the ultimate crime.
7. Question:
Something else I just thought of. I keep thinking how much I hate to add to the wasted bits floating around on the Internet. Do you understand what I mean by that? In other words, I’ve wondered for many years about where all the “junk” on the Internet came from. Ads, opinionated rants, junk software for sale (not to say all are junk – some of it is really good)…..soooo much junk. And here I am, adding to the piles.
Answer:
That is why you must write 100% UNIQUE and ORIGINAL, interesting, high quality informational content to ensure your work does not end up amongst the "piles" you are describing. Just remember, if you deliver high quality content, the buyer will keep on coming back for more. I have 4 writers on the team that write for 4 specific clients only on a constant basis. Why? Because the client gets exactly what he had in mind and what serve the purpose of his site and that make your client coming back for more.
8. Question:
Let me know what your thoughts are on what niches or topics to write on?
Answer:
A good professional writer is willing and able to write on ANYTHING. However, with ANYTHING I don't say that you must write in contradiction to your morals and believe. I am a devoted Christian and I do not write on any sexual, adult related, immoral (including gambling) or occult related topics and I do not expect any one of my writers to do it either.
I recently lost a HUGE project of a couple of hundred dollars because I refused to take on a project on a closely related occult topic. In fact, I have lost MANY projects through this, but I have been blessed in a thousand other ways. With that said it is important to let your prospecting client know well in advance. That is one of the questions you need to ask during the bid process or make mention of in your bid message or cover letter.
9. Question:
I’ve read that the money for freelance writing is poor. I can understand why that is true. I see the competition, all the bidding….but that really tells me nothing about the field.
Answer:
Freelancing is a HIGHLY competitive world. Nevertheless, as I said, it is like any other business. Hard work + commitment + reliability + honesty + excellent quality + excellent service
= Success.
Simple example: Where do you buy food? Why? See what I mean?
10. Question:
Could all be bogus for all I know? Maybe these so called writers from all around the globe just maintain a stockpile of pre-written junk. They bid and maybe win and then just go through their stockpile and forward so called “completed articles”. I’m a whole lot different from that. The writing I like to do just comes out and doesn’t stop until my thought is complete.
Answer:That is unfortunately also true. Then, on the other hand, you get conartists, scamsters, and frauds in all facets of life and regretfully, freelance writing is no different. However, make no mistake, buyers know the difference! Also remember, your client already knows exactly what he wants and if you send him anything less than that, you are not only risk not being paid, but also risk a bad reputation. Surely I do not need to go into the details.
11. Question:
Please let me know what I need do?
Answer:
Stop THINKING too much. Focus on your assignment. Focus on providing your client with the absolute best information for his site. In this profession the gratitude of a client is priceless.
If you really want to think about something, contemplate on what far reaching effects and consequences bad or "half hearted" articles have on a sincere client... You have it in YOUR hands to make his site a success. That is how serious your work as article and copywriter is. This is no "quick buck" business.
