How much is my writing worth?

23 replies
Hey all,

This is my first post here, and I hope this is the right section to post this in. I'm a content writer with a year and a few months' experience under my belt of writing both for myself and others. I've been offering my services on other forums, and since I just discovered Warrior Forum, I want to bring my services here also.

To the point: I would like to post a few samples of my work and see how much you all feel my writing is worth, such as $1.50/100, $2/100, or what-have-you. I'm a native English US writer and I don't outsource anything. I know that content writers are a dime-a-dozen, but native English writers with significant experience aren't too common.

So here are my samples. The first two are keyword-based and the third is topical.
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"I need a car loan but I have awful credit!" This is the discouraged cry that is heard from many would-be car buyers. Is it really possible to get a car loan if you have bad credit? Of course it is; people are doing it every day. However, there are certain things you should know before plunging in and applying for a loan.

Know What Your Credit Really Is

This is one of the most important steps in applying for a bad credit car loan. Do you know that your credit is poor, or do you just think it is? Before applying for any type of credit, you should know exactly how you stand credit-wise, because if your credit is already bad, then you don't want any false information to make it any worse. This is the great part about ordering and reviewing your credit report. Your report will show every time you've applied for and received credit, and how you performed in repaying the lender. You can get a free credit report from many sources online.

Don't Expect Pity

This is what a lot of borrowers don't like to hear, but it needs to be said so that your expectations can be on-target. It boils down to this: You know you have bad credit, the financier knows you have bad credit, so they're not going to give you an amazing interest rate. They're being merciful enough in granting you a loan in the first place! Don't be surprised when they nail you with a high rate. It's common knowledge that people with good credit get low rates, and people with bad credit get high rates - that's just how life is. The good news is, if you can make your payments faithfully and on time, this loan will improve your credit in the long run.

Think Before You Leap

With that said, it's important to do some preparation before applying. Will you really be able to make the payments if you get the loan? With the high rates that were just mentioned, it's better to prepare too much than to not prepare enough. Be ready to set aside an extra amount of your paycheck to make your loan payments. If you get the loan and aren't able to make the payments because you didn't prepare enough, then it will make your credit even worse, and you probably wouldn't be able to get a loan at all next time.
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So you've declared bankruptcy and now you need a loan to purchase a car. If you say that to most lenders out there, they will laugh you out of the office. What's a person to do if they need car loans but have bankruptcy on their credit history? Here are a couple tips for making the best of it.

Do Some Legwork

To help obtain car loans after bankruptcy, you should try to re-establish your credit beforehand, if at all possible. Yes, the bankruptcy is going to be a huge, ugly mark on your credit report. However, if the lender sees that you have been making payments faithfully on smaller things, like a personal loan or credit card, then that will show them that you've improved since filing for bankruptcy. One of the best ways to repair credit is to get a prepaid credit card, which doesn't allow you to spend money you don't have, but does report your good behavior to the credit bureaus. Keep in mind that the longer it's been since your bankruptcy, the better chance you have of getting the loan.

Be Prepared for High Rates

Yes, it's time to face the nasty truth: if bankruptcy is still on your report, you're bound to get slapped with a high interest rate on car loans. Realize that lenders call it like they see it, and people with bad credit will always get higher rates; that's just how it is. Don't be surprised when you see a sky-high APR. On the other hand, you should have a positive outlook on the whole situation: Yes, your payments will be a lot higher, but if you make them on time anyway, this loan will build your credit and give a good impression to any future lenders. Once you have established a good history with this lender, the payments for your next loan will be much more reasonable. Every cloud has a silver lining.
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If you're looking for cheap laptops this holiday season, you've probably encountered some headaches with all the stores that keep jacking their prices and don't give you any relief. You're certainly not the only one looking for a decent laptop at a good price, but somehow the millions of other shoppers are managing to get a better deal than you. What gives? The one secret you probably didn't know about is that the Internet has a wealth of affordable laptops just waiting for you to choose from. Here's a few reasons why you would do well to look for cheap laptops online instead of in the store.

First of all, the simple fact is that cheap laptops are much more abundant online than they are in the store. In other words, laptops just cost less online. Why is that? When a company sells laptops online, all they have to do is keep them in a warehouse, already in their boxes, and then just send them out once an order comes through. They don't have to pay people to unpack them, sit them on a shelf in an air-conditioned building, and continuously keep the shelf filled with product. The overhead costs of an online store are exponentially lower than those of a brick and mortar building, so the company passes those savings on to you, leaving you with a final price that's often hundreds less than the same thing you would find in a store -- Not to mention the sales that you'll find with an online company, just like you would with any local store. They have special promotions too, and if you time it right, you would be amazed at how much money you can save!

Secondly, there is a much larger selection of cheap laptops online. If you've stopped by any large department store lately, you know that there's usually only one or two aisles of laptops at most, and even then, it's only a few models sitting on the shelf that you can choose from. How are you supposed to get a good deal with so few options? Has it occurred to you that no physical store would have the floor space to display everything that an online store has to offer? When you shop online, you're dealing with places that have literally hundreds of models to choose from. Could you put all of those on a shelf in a physical store? We don't think so!

The last point is that shopping online for cheap laptops is just more convenient. Who really likes to get up from their seat, get dressed, start the car and drive for miles just to look at laptops? The great part about shopping online is that you can plop down in your comfortable chair and browse for whatever you're looking for, whenever you want. Even if the only time in the day you have is 1:00 in the morning, you can still get on the Internet and shop for laptops! What electronics store do you know that's open so late?
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How much would you pay for my writing? Thanks in advance!
#worth #writing
  • Profile picture of the author arfasaira
    You obviously write well, but a question baffles me - why would ANYONE work for so little? If you have a talent, you should be paid your worth.

    For similar articles, I would pay around $15-$20 per piece, even more. BUT, you aren't going to get rates like that writing in places where writing for peanuts is rife.

    What you need to start doing is using your talents where its going to be rewarded and appreciated. You should start looking at writing offline and you can build a VERY healthy income from home.

    I started writing online, but the low pay and high volume left me depressed and with painful joints (no kidding!). Nowadays I write for local businesses and regularly earn up to $125/hr.

    Take my advice - use your skills to your advantage and quit writing articles online unless they promise to pay you a decent amount of money.
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    • Profile picture of the author L0gical
      Originally Posted by arfasaira View Post

      What you need to start doing is using your talents where its going to be rewarded and appreciated. You should start looking at writing offline and you can build a VERY healthy income from home.

      Take my advice - use your skills to your advantage and quit writing articles online unless they promise to pay you a decent amount of money.
      Thanks for the encouragement. However, I'm not looking to make a career out of my writing; it's just to make some cash on the side until my SEO ventures take off, at which point I'll probably stop writing for others. For now, I just want to churn out some content as an article writer, and I'm wondering what a good price point is.

      Originally Posted by Scott Murdaugh

      Decided to copy/paste your post word-for-word from the other "WF" forum?

      See this thread.

      And for advice on this exact question see this thread...

      -Scot
      It's not word for word. You'll notice a sentence or two is missing. I wanted to get opinions from more than one place.

      I'm well aware of the difference between an article writer and a copywriter. I'm not a copywriter. For some reason my thread was deleted from the Main Discussion forum (where I figured it was most relevant), so I posted it here.

      That thread actually doesn't answer my question at all. I said "Here is a sample of my work; how much is it worth?" and that thread says "Work offline for more money," to which I already responded above.
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    • Profile picture of the author jdk1970
      This is good to know... writers don't have to settle for pennies. Be selective, as long as you have the talent to do so.
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    Decided to copy/paste your post word-for-word from the other "WF" forum?

    See this thread. http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...le-writer.html

    And for advice on this exact question see this thread... http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...out-right.html

    -Scott
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    Over $30 Million In Marketing Data And A Decade Of Consistently Generating Breakthrough Results - Ask How My Unique Approach To Copy Typically Outsells Traditional Ads By Up To 29x Or More...

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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    Actually, the whole specializing and finding markets part of that thread is why I pointed you in that direction.

    No one is going to tell you what it's worth. They can't.

    What it's worth depends on the value it provides and who you're marketing it to.

    If you're going the online route and competing with the DP/Elance crowd, it's worth nothing. Maybe $1 for 200 words.

    It could be worth a lot more. It's up to you.
    Signature

    Over $30 Million In Marketing Data And A Decade Of Consistently Generating Breakthrough Results - Ask How My Unique Approach To Copy Typically Outsells Traditional Ads By Up To 29x Or More...

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    • Profile picture of the author arfasaira
      Originally Posted by Scott Murdaugh View Post

      Actually, the whole specializing and finding markets part of that thread is why I pointed you in that direction.

      No one is going to tell you what it's worth. They can't.

      What it's worth depends on the value it provides and who you're marketing it to.

      If you're going the online route and competing with the DP/Elance crowd, it's worth nothing. Maybe $1 for 200 words.

      It could be worth a lot more. It's up to you.

      I second this. Most online places pay very little. Even earning a little bit of money on the side can be a pain - it would be easier getting a weekend job to make a spare bit of cash.

      I work part time around my kids, and its more than just a spare bit of cash.

      The only other thing I can suggest is getting hold of 'Write to More Money' by Paul Hancox. Its a great report on how to ask for and charge more for your money.

      If you don't want to do the offline route, get this and use the information to bid for projects on Elance. Avoid freelancer.com which is notorious for paying next to nothing.

      Ill PM the link to the report.
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    • Profile picture of the author Collette
      Originally Posted by Scott Murdaugh View Post

      ...
      What it's worth depends on the value it provides and who you're marketing it to.

      ....
      You've got two questions to ask yourself:

      1) What's my time and knowledge worth to me?
      2) What's my time and knowedge worth to my prospects?

      Only you can place a personal value on your time and knowledge. You know how long it takes you, on average, to write an article of various lengths. You have to decide what amount of your income you want to make from your writing, and back it out from there.

      And if you're offering 'general' article writing, then you're offering a commodity, not a valuable service. And a commodity is ALWAYS vulnerable to price competition.

      For example, "plumbing services" is a commodity. "24/7 plumbing services" is a valuable service. And "24/7 septic plumbing services" is more valuable still. If you need a plumber at 2 a.m. or on a Sunday, it becomes a "specialized service" and you'll expect to pay top dollar for it.

      So what Scott is trying to point out is:

      You have to create your own value, both for you and your prospects. Right now, because you haven't defined your worth, you are worth exactly whatever the prospect decides you're worth.

      For "general" article writing, that puts you squarely in the eLance/DP mob. Which is a pretty sucky place to be.

      And, for the life of me, I can't understand why someone with SEO chops would not be using articles for affiliate marketing to directly benefit themselves.

      BTW: Get rid of the passive voice in your writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author L0gical
    I think I could write for a little better than $1/200.

    In any case, I tried PMing both of you but don't have enough posts.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ross James
      Originally Posted by L0gical View Post

      I think I could write for a little better than $1/200.

      In any case, I tried PMing both of you but don't have enough posts.
      You could always scrape craigslist and ebay for poorly written letters in different lucrative niches. Offer to spicen them up, model other successful copy in that specific niche, there are so many options out there to earn while you learn.

      But as other people said, specialize in something, go out and kill it!

      -Ross
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
      Originally Posted by L0gical View Post

      I think I could write for a little better than $1/200.

      In any case, I tried PMing both of you but don't have enough posts.
      You're not getting it...

      Scott's saying your writing is worth whatever you say it is... assuming the market can bear it.

      You could get $5 an article... or $50 an article.

      It all depends how and where you get your clients... and how you position your services.

      A friend of mine, Hans Klein, gets $100/article.

      Admittedly, he's freaking brilliant... and his articles make people a lot of money...

      ...but some writers just can't wrap their head around being worth that much.

      And I'm sure Hans isn't the top of the spectrum, either.

      How does he do it?

      He knows how to find clients who value his services... has the cash to pay for them... and are interested in results.

      So ultimately... it's up to you what you're "worth". None of us can tell you.

      -Daniel
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      Always looking for badass direct-response copywriters. PM me if we don't know each other and you're looking for work.

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  • Profile picture of the author Oxbloom
    Originally Posted by L0gical View Post

    Hey all,

    How much would you pay for my writing? Thanks in advance!
    This is some of the worst copywriting I've ever seen.
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  • Profile picture of the author ARSuarez
    Originally Posted by L0gical View Post

    feel my writing is worth
    Ionno.

    You tell me.

    Dan Kennedy: "See, studying your competitors to decide on a price... is dangerous. And the danger is that it has an intrinsic mind set in it. And the intrinsic mind set is, 'My price has to be controlled by what the other guy's price is.' But the only thing that you should use to decide your price... is how much money you want to make."

    So, really. You tell me.

    Best,

    Angel
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  • Profile picture of the author chiwawa
    Most online bases pay little articles and on this note no one can tell you how much your work costs. You know how amazing you are so keep up the good work
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  • Profile picture of the author dwave
    Pm me would love to hire u.
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    • Profile picture of the author Irish Intuition
      Originally Posted by dwave View Post

      Pm me would love to hire u.

      Of course you would....


      10 cents is what this copy is worth as it stands.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ross James
        Originally Posted by IM Viper View Post

        Of course you would....


        10 cents is what this copy is worth as it stands.
        IM viper, this isn't copy.

        He or She is an article writer.

        Best,

        Ross
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  • Profile picture of the author centarec
    You have to start from somewhere, you have to get experience, clients, references.

    Sometimes, maybe it is good to even give free stuff to promote yourself. When other people see that actually your writing brought a lot of traffic or conversions to the person you gave the free articles in first place, they will hire you. Then you can ask for higher payout. People need to know that your writing works, and not that you are a good writer. There is a difference.
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    • Profile picture of the author Devid Farah
      "So you've declared bankruptcy..." or "..Here's a few reasons why you would do well to look for cheap laptops.." - You forgot the basics-proof-read your copy.

      As far as how much you can get paid, i would prefer not to use figures.

      It all depends on who you are selling to and what your client's requirements are.
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  • Profile picture of the author lukyjoe
    Your writing is only worth what the client is willing to pay.
    Price your product as high as you can and start lowering the prices until you find the sweet spot. Not the other way around.
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  • Profile picture of the author hilhilginger
    i know "softnwords" where you can decide your writing cost and list your unique content for free of cost until it is sold out. you will be paid 90% directly to your paypal.
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    They have over 2300 Offers, Instant PayPal Payments and Free Training Articles.
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  • Profile picture of the author smartdoctor
    Do need some Dan Kennedy stuff talk to me
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  • Profile picture of the author JanPat
    I'm paying $5 an article, but your writing is worth whatever you promote it's worth. If you're good, you should set the price (and if you're any good at marketing you'll get that price).
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  • Profile picture of the author Zentech
    Hi, nice to meet you.

    You are not a copywriter. What your writing is worth, I have no idea, as I don't involve myself in the $5 per article content market. If you were a copywriter, and a decent one with natural skills, your writing would be worth $497 bare minimum, for a short sales letter requiring minimal research, and presuming you had no real portfolio to point to.

    But since you're not a copywriter, I can't help you. Writing for 5 bucks a pop is not something I desire to know anything about.
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