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Why Freelance Writer Job Ads Almost Always Pay Crap

Carol Tice

If you answer many online writing job ads off Craigslist or any of the big writer job boards, you’ve probably noticed something:

The pay ain’t so great.

$5 a blog post.

$100 to write a whole website.

$15 an article.

Day after day, it’s a steady stream of insulting wage offers.

Every once in a while you might find a company willing to pay a decent wage, but they’re rarer than hen’s teeth.

Ever ask yourself why that is?

To discover why nearly all posters on the mass job boards are low payers, you need to put yourself into the shoes of a prospective employer. Someone who needs to hire a writer.

Great markets for writers don’t need to put out mass job ads. Their jobs are so desirable, they know they can find the right writer without having to wade through hundreds of resumes. Having to scan that many resumes would be a huge waste of their time, so they hunt for a writer in more effective ways.

How great-paying markets hire a writer:

  • Ask writers they already know for referrals to other writers
  • Go to networking events looking for writers
  • Scan LinkedIn profiles for writers with the expertise they want (check out our LinkedIn headline tips so you get noticed!)
  • Tweet about their writer needs
  • Tap their professional network to get writer referrals
  • Pay for an ad on a specialized job board that will only be seen by a select audience
  • Do Google searches for writers in their market and then check out their writer sites

How do I know this? I’ve gotten great-paying clients in each of the above ways many times over the years.

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Now, consider why an employer might place a job ad on an online site where they know the ad will be widely recirculated and they will get an avalanche of responses.

Why low-paying markets use online job ads:

  • They can’t get referrals — they’re so nasty to work for, every past writer has quit
  • Pay is so small they need umpteen resumes to find a few willing writers
  • It’s their first time hiring a writer and they don’t know how to do it
  • They don’t know how to do a Google or LinkedIn search
  • Their startup business has a shaky business model they’re hoping to build on the backs of lots of gullible writers…
  • They don’t really know what they want in a writer, so they need to read resumes to try to figure it out
  • A request for “writing samples” from each applicant will give them all the content they need for free

I looked at online job ads daily for about 18 months at one point. I took quite a few gigs off these ads.

This is what I learned:

Nearly all online writing job posters on the big sites are dysfunctional.

There’s something about their gig that smells like yesterday’s milk.

Maybe it’ll be something you can tolerate. But all too often, it won’t be worth the trouble.

If there’s a bit of a silver lining, it’s that there are a few decent online writing job boards out there.

But by and large, most job sites out there are junk, and you’re far better off spending your time learning how to pitch quality clients that will pay you what you deserve.

Have you gotten good online writing jobs? Share what you did and how you did it in the comments below.

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20 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

20 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

Best Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners. Makealivingwriting.com

Right now, a record-high number of people are considering a freelance writing career. My inbox is overflowing with questions from newbies. And the first question is: “Where can I find freelance writing jobs for beginners?”

If that’s you, sending hugs! I totally feel your confusion. The freelance marketplace is a big, complicated place. There are lots of types of paid writing, and different kinds of clients, too.

I’ve been helping writers get started for a dozen years now. And I know how mystifying it can be. You feel like there’s a door you need to find, a person you need to know, a secret you must unlock to become a freelance writer.

But really, the path to freelance writing jobs for beginners is simple.

You need to find someone willing to let you write for them. That’s it.

You get a few samples and boom — you have a portfolio to show. And you’re on your way.

There are fairly simple, break-in writing assignments that newbies tend to get. I’m going to outline what they are below.

But first, I need to explain something…

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The purpose of a personal narrative is to describe a specific story in your life. No matter who you are, you have a plethora of life experiences, events, and stories that can be crafted into a compelling personal narrative for use in an article, blog post, case study, etc.

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