Why do good writers market for others instead of themselves?

Some people prefer being an employee over an employer.

I think there are two reasons:

1. A lot of people don't think like an entrepeneur, or have no wish to ever be an entrepeneur. They just want a job which pays money.

2. Some people want money now, without the risk that comes with writing for your own sites and products and not ever knowing if you'll be paid with it.

Writing work as a freelancer, after all, can be very well paid if you treat it like a profession, whether it's for web content, or the mainstream media.

Thom

Also folks just because you're a great writer doesn't mean you're a great marketer. Also most formal English/Journalism classes - at least in the US - are geared toward creating either struggling creative writers or employees. They do not teach marketing. The only folks that might get it from schooling are communications or marketing folks. Only in the last few years has Entrepreneurship become a common training track in US universities. Just my $0.02 anyway....

--Jack

My question was actually directed to the people here on an Internet Marketing Forum.. My guess is that most of the writers here are marketers.

As a successful writer and manager of my own writing company I certainly maintain my own successful sites which I write all of the content for myself.

So why then would I write and provide writing service for others?

#1 - It's good, fast money! Which can then be reinvested into other aspects of my business.
#2 - The contacts gained are invaluable
#3 - It's another means of diversifying my business
#4 - Allows me to keep developing my skills and get feed back on my work

I also think that a lot of writers are on this site as they know it's a good source of writing work. Posting on here is part and parcel of the job of getting known and finding clients.

Thom

I have to say Article marketing is not easy and if you do not know how to properly link and build campaign you WILL FAIL! Most people would rather just take the guaranteed money....

For any article marketer out there....truly ask yourself....how long did it take till actually learned how to make money with articles? It wasn't easy!

I think a lot of writers (like myself) do both. We write to raise capital for our own ventures.

Plus, many of us actually like to write.

By writing for other people I've gained a wealth of trivial knowledge which will come in handy when I'm on Cash Cab.
Rose

I have a team of good writers and I use them for my clients and for my own needs. I agree with pdrs. That is another good business plus you get good and honest feedback from your clients regarding your writing.

I started writing for others and slowly realised that they were paying me pennies and getting fistfuls of dollars for themselves Maybe I was too slow to realise that. I think a lot of the writers who write for hourly rates know that they're being underpaid. But they do not market themselves and prefer writing for others because it's just the easy way out. Then again, not everyone is like that, and some writers do market themselves. It's just that these are few in number and the majority of writers prefer seeing instant results by selling their articles.

For a skilled writer it is well worth writing for others. It is constant and fast money. Not to mention I love both writing and researching which makes it amazing for me.

Also, I am trying to get into marketing but it is slower to get started with. My hope is to eventually have money coming in from internet marketing but also write for people for extra money.

Because it's not that easy.

Just because somebody can write a 500 word article doesn't mean they can create a website, generate traffic, convert said traffic or run a business.

Content is only a piece of the puzzle. Great content is nice but it's useless if nobody sees it.

You won't believe how much good writers make. Also, maybe some people just live writing. Marketing is a troublesome process, but creating a masterpiece can be so inspiring.

Well, that was my conclusion ... I realised I could earn far more by being my own client, so I made the transition to being an affiliate marketer, and after a very rough start (and earning very little for the first 4 months) it paid off for me, and I'm extremely glad I did so, and wouldn't switch back.

However, Istvan's point is (as ever) also entirely valid and correct: part of the reason why the average lifespan of new restaurants is measured in months, rather than in years, is that so many chefs decide they'd rather cook for their own business than earn a salary cooking for someone else's, but most of them don't have the business-running mindset which would enable them to make a success of it.

Writing for yourself entails knowing how to set up, run successfully and build the sort of business that uses that writing service. It's an entirely different and additional skill-set.

When you're writing for others, it doesn't matter that some of the clients don't have those skills either (which they don't), because you can replace them with other clients.

Im glad it is this way. Some people are really good at writing and thats all they want to do. They can sell their articles and make money doing what they love. Maybe they dont enjoy the marketing or all the technical stuff. If all people wanter to be entrepeneurs it would be bad for all of us. I mean who would we outsource to?

Thank you all for your responses... I learned a lot from your answers.....

1. Make contacts
2. Get feedback on your skills
3. quick money
4. Love to write (personally I can't understand that one ) Writing always feels like homework
5. no desire to be a marketer

I guess when you ask writers a question you will get a very detailed answer.

Also... the reason I asked was because I would like to know if it is worth taking classes to improve my writing skills. But it seems that you really have to have a passion to write - which I do not!

Once again.. thank you all who answered.

I must admit, I've often thought that too...

But it goes back to the old saying "we can't be good at everything"

You have to remember that copywriters are providing a service and are in the service industry. Some people are more than happy providing services whilst others love creating products, some are great at marketing etc.

I've done both, provided services and internet marketing and I can tell you that if you're good at what you do providing services is the much easier option.

As an "off-and-on writer" myself, here' are the FACTS and
my own experience in a nutshell:

1. Contrary to the HORROR stories, you will NOT be bullied
and pushed around freelancing if you don't LET them.

I've dealt with ONE client who bossed me around because
it was my first time doing it at the time over a year ago.

The KEY is to look at it not as "working for someone else",
but as a partnership working towards the same goal.

Act like an employee, and you'll be TREATED as such. The
entrepreneurs who hire you will not RESPECT you, and you
become another one of THEIR employees.

When entrepreneurs hire writers, they LOVE working with
other like minded people. They're looking for MORE than a
writer, they want to do business with future partners.

Which leads to my next experience:

2. Incredibly STRONG contacts : If an entrepreneur wants
to do future business with you, it's seriously mind-boggling
how profitable it can be. But there's a catch...

they have to RESPECT you as a entrepreneur first BEFORE
they mention a partnership BEYOND the writing itself.

And...

you have to offer something much MORE than "can I write
for you PLEASE?!" mindset. If you make money marketing
your own stuff, you'll get access to so many opportunities
and deals -- it's almost frightening how much fun and how
EASY it is to make money.

3. Dealing With The Hassle Of Researching And Writing...

is what MADE me a lot of money in the first place. And...

It depends on the person.

Will they do their research, write, and MISS an opportunity
to DO what it is they're are writing about?

For example, the ONLY way I learned of starting a direct
mail order business came FROM being paid to write articles
about it.

As I'm DOING this research I was exposed to a different
environment instantly and because I have to do a TON a
research to do a project right...it was an open invitation
to "do it myself".

Writing for others leads to opportunities you would have
NEVER seen for yourself simply because you didn't know it
"existed" prior to getting the topic or niche to research on.

4. Knowing How To WRITE and Knowing How To SELL And
Market Are NOT The Same...

in fact, they're not even closely "related".

It's not as simple as "if you know how to write, you can be
an affiliate". If it WERE that simple, there'd be no writers to
write for others. Because...

it's very, VERY challenging. Almost unbearable for MOST to
handle. And it's sad...

because it's WORTH going through the process to be good
at sales and marketing because you can command HIGHER
prices for ALL your writing projects...

and again, you gain the respect of other entrepreneurs who
will spill the beans about EVERYTHING they do that'll make
you serious bank and will even help you do it.

But the KEY to get that kind of relationship with a client is
to simply "do for yourself, what you do for others".

As writer, you WILL go through a very painful transition to
learn the process of sales and marketing, and it pays off in
ways that are difficult to explain.

Fact is...

it's RARE to find a WRITER who doubles as a good or GREAT
sales/marketer. And people hire people who get results for
THEMSELVES faster then the guy who's doing it "just for the
money"...

because when you convey, "I do it MYSELF!" -- you're not
needing of THEIR busienss...it impliess YOU can use your skill
of writing to make money as a MARKETER -- and therefore
you're experience is 50x valuble to them than the guy who
needs to put food on his table.

They don't "care". if you work hard and learn how to market
you are an ASSET. You have something MORE to offer almost
NO writers have -- and the opportunities are abundent.


To wrap this up...

even if you AREN'T a good writer, learning sales/marketing &
applying it to get results for YOURSELF is not only empowering
for YOU, but it's EXTREMELY attractive to others.

In the end, it all depends on the person:

How far do they WANT to go?

How much RISK are they willing to take?

Do they ASPIRE to do MORE than just writing for others?

If you are willing to take on those challenges, you will enjoy
the benefits of "doing your own thing" and "working with other
people on THEIR thing".

I started off as a freelance article writer, and eventually - like others here have mentioned - got clued in to the fact that people had to be making more with my articles than I was selling them for in order for the whole equation to work out.

So now I do both. I do a lot more affiliate marketing than freelance writing these days, but I do continue to take on the occasional writing project. Writing puts money into my bank account a lot faster than waiting for a new affiliate site to start converting (and then waiting for payouts from the affiliate providers). It also exposes me to new niches and keeps me up to date on what's new in IM.

Plus, it's fun There's something about putting together just the right combination of words that I really enjoy, so I don't think it's something I'll ever give up completely.

sticking with your strengths can often times make you happier.

If you love to write and are a writer, that is what you should do. Let others do the marketing for you.

If you are a marketer, let others do the writing for you.

basically, do what you love and are good at and outsource the rest.

Derek

Perhaps, those that have the entrepreneurial mindset DO both.... that would be a great thing. Write for yourself, make money. Contract out your services and wrote for others...MORE money.

Perhaps they feel that new ideas, new content helps them to write things they normally would never write about. Doing the research for someone else's content would broaden their scope of knowledge and open their mind to new things.

Perhaps, it is like others have said and they don't know how to be an entrepreneur. If they are given tasks, they can do them on a time frame the other person sets. If they are left to just do their own thing, they may slack-off and get nothing done.

Just some thoughts that came to my mind, if I were a great writer, why I would write for others.

Great question.

I do not know If I can classify myself as a good writer, but I write and have written over 1000 articles in the last few months for clients. I often wonder what would have happened had I written all those articles for my own sites. I have not progressed that far yet and still get most of my income from service orientated business models.
Why? well it is the safety aspect mostly, money now with no risk.

The reality is that most people will at some stage move onto their own writing, and it will leave an opportunity for more writers to come through and learn and then move on. I have learned an awesome amount writing, and still do so I see it as getting paid to learn, and in the real world a few years learning is expected before taking on a profession so I am comfortable writing for others and learning.

Thats a great question, but it all boils down to initiative.

Here is my insight on what I would consider the reason why some writers prefer writing for others. If these reasons are not the original motive of the writer then it should be.

First and foremost it's ALWAYS in demand. It's virtually an endless stream of income that will never become "slow" or dry up.

A professional writer can bank thousands per week and still have 5 days out of the week to themselves.

For the entrepreneurial writer who works for others has an advantage when he or she develops a product or service based on the writing niche.

#1 They have an immediate list of clients that have already purchased in the past. This is gold.

#2 Instant credibility. Clients already know your name, quality of work, and will not have their guard up when looking at the sales pitch.

#3 Almost Zero marketing costs. Your reputation, quality of work, etc will speak for itself. Think of the fanciest restaurant you know of (Not McDonalds, Arby's, or any other second tier establishment). I am talking about establishments so fancy you probably couldn't fathom saying the name of the place without stuttering.

Have you ever seen an ad or television commercial for this restaurant? Probably not why? Because their quality food, service, etc speaks for itself, and almost every customer they receive is a referral from another client.

Writers work the same way. If your clients love your work, then word of mouth will be your biggest asset.

When we are starting out, it is easier and faster to be paid for writing for others than to build a new business.

Later when we have enough experience to understand the value of what we do, we gain the confidence we need to go on our own. That is usually the point in which we tend to stop writing for others and begin to only write for ourselves.

The answer to your question is more a matter of where the writer is in the growth curve... Newer writers write for others... Experienced writers work for themselves.

I think it's more like good writers work for others and themselves, they're just not promoting their personal articles as proof of their writing ability, or their real name.

Someone can be a great writer and a terrible marketer.

Another can be a terrible writer but great marketer.

Being good in both definitely helps.