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What do Warriors want out of a Warriors for Hire ad for content?

by asha91
28 replies
Hey all,

I am a writer who a couple of days ago posted an ad in the Warriors for Hire section, and I'm pretty discouraged as I did not get even one client out of it despite offering review copies. I am guessing part of the reason is because I'm new, and also because the rate I was charging per word (2 cents) is much higher than what most other content writers charge over here. I do not want to dip my rates much lower because I am a lone writer and this is my only source of income, so I cannot churn out a lot of content for a cheaper rate.

I recently got laid off a major project which was covering for most of my earnings, and that's why I decided to try out Warrior Forum. But since I didn't get any response and have just burned $20, I think I'd rather know first what Warriors are looking for in a content writer, including their budget, requirements, etc. Any input would be much appreciated!
#content #hire #warriors
  • Profile picture of the author TimothyTorrents
    First, charging 2 cents per word is not too much, there are plenty of people who can afford that rate. Don't lower your rate.

    Secondly, you just need to give it time. Your ad will be in the warriors for hire section for forever and you can bump it to the top for 20$. Make sure your ad is free from any grammar and spelling mistakes - make it perfect.

    Thirdly, don't depend ONLY on your ad in the warriors for hire section. Look for gigs elsewhere; freelancer.com, guru.com, set up a website for your writing service, make a gig on fiverr, use Google to find gigs, etc. Eventually you will start to receive a lot of work - don't get discouraged.
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    • Profile picture of the author aizaku
      Originally Posted by timbonitus View Post

      First, charging 2 cents per word is not too much, there are plenty of people who can afford that rate. Don't lower your rate.

      Secondly, you just need to give it time. Your ad will be in the warriors for hire section for forever and you can bump it to the top for 20$. Make sure your ad is free from any grammar and spelling mistakes - make it perfect.

      Thirdly, don't depend ONLY on your ad in the warriors for hire section. Look for gigs elsewhere; freelancer.com, guru.com, set up a website for your writing service, make a gig on fiverr, use Google to find gigs, etc. Eventually you will start to receive a lot of work - don't get discouraged.
      the first bit advice you got above is the best piece of advice.

      spread the word and stick to it for awhile rookie,

      best of luck
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  • Profile picture of the author petelta
    It could be a number of things. I would continue to improve your sales copy for sure. Take a look at threads that have a bunch of comments and have been around for a while. They are obviously making money if they are spending $20 every day to bump. Mimic it and improve from there.

    Your price isn't that expensive even for that forum. I've gotten $12-$25/page projects from there plenty of times.

    And like timonitus said, don't just rely on that forum traffic. I would add a sig to your profile with a link to your post. Then start posting quality content about how to sell with articles or something like that. That's just one way. Point being, you need more traffic.

    Travis
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I suggest you take out the apology for price in the ad - 2 cents a word is very reasonable for someone who has been writing online content. Re-read your ad copy as I noticed a run-on sentence near the bottom. Emphasize your English ability and perhaps give some background on that to reassure people.

      Posting an ad was your first post here - and that will put some people off until they get to know you a bit.

      You should add a short blurb and the link to your ad in your signature for more exposure.
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  • Profile picture of the author dylan4f
    I think you just need to have a patiente..clients will come, and when they do, if your work is great, they will come back for more for sure.. be patiente and persistant..bump your thread a few times..

    Best of luck
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    First I'll answer the thread title question. They want it cheap, the majority of Warriors do anyway.

    But there are still plenty of people here willing to pay a fair rate. There are a few things you'll need to do. First, come across as a pro. That means get a Website up. Put at least 10 writing samples on it. Put up some testimonials. Make the site professional.

    As for your ad here, it's not bad but definitely needs work. You're offering the first article for $2.50. Make that offer stand out in the body of your thread. Turn it into a headline, Make it big and put it in red.

    Don't apologize for your price. You say your rate is a lot but in the real world (this isn't the real world for writers) 2 cents per word is peanuts. Instead of the posture you've assumed, take the exact opposite stance and explain how low that rate is for such quality writing and that it won't stay that low for long. You're good. Hold your head up, be proud of who you are and what you're offering.

    There are many other things you can do. One is, don't waste your time trying to market your services where people are used to paying peanuts. Most of the people here who want 5 articles for 7 bucks wouldn't recognize a good article if it bit them on the nose. So don't bother with cheapskates. Do a search for freelance venues where you can market your work.

    When I was freelancing I was able to pick up a lot of work on Craigslist. There were many bargain hunters there but there were also enough people who were willing to pay for quality. But before you go hunting for more money, set yourself up with a Website (it can be a free Wordpress or other blog at first), get a portfolio and endorsements up there and create some compelling ad copy for your services. You've got the talent or I wouldn't have bothered to write all of this. Now get out there and use it!
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  • Profile picture of the author contentwriting360
    Banned
    Asha, as almost everyone has mentioned, you do not need to apologize for your rate of 2 cents a word. That is also our standard rate. We just managed to bring it down to 1 cent a word because we're a company and we're getting good amount of orders in and out of this good forum.

    We also experienced that same thing when we were starting. The key is the answer to the question, "How can I stand out?" The answer is to become an authority in what you do. How can you become an authority in what you do? Contribute by answering posts with quality content; not just for the sake of showing your signature. Help with the genuine interest to really help. Once you do that, people will start contacting you voluntarily.
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  • Profile picture of the author asha91
    Originally Posted by timbonitus View Post

    First, charging 2 cents per word is not too much, there are plenty of people who can afford that rate. Don't lower your rate.

    Secondly, you just need to give it time. Your ad will be in the warriors for hire section for forever and you can bump it to the top for 20$. Make sure your ad is free from any grammar and spelling mistakes - make it perfect.

    Thirdly, don't depend ONLY on your ad in the warriors for hire section. Look for gigs elsewhere; freelancer.com, guru.com, set up a website for your writing service, make a gig on fiverr, use Google to find gigs, etc. Eventually you will start to receive a lot of work - don't get discouraged.
    Originally Posted by petelta View Post

    It could be a number of things. I would continue to improve your sales copy for sure. Take a look at threads that have a bunch of comments and have been around for a while. They are obviously making money if they are spending $20 every day to bump. Mimic it and improve from there.

    Your price isn't that expensive even for that forum. I've gotten $12-$25/page projects from there plenty of times.

    And like timonitus said, don't just rely on that forum traffic. I would add a sig to your profile with a link to your post. Then start posting quality content about how to sell with articles or something like that. That's just one way. Point being, you need more traffic.

    Travis
    Originally Posted by dylan4f View Post

    I think you just need to have a patiente..clients will come, and when they do, if your work is great, they will come back for more for sure.. be patiente and persistant..bump your thread a few times..

    Best of luck
    Originally Posted by aizaku View Post

    the first bit advice you got above is the best piece of advice.

    spread the word and stick to it for awhile rookie,

    best of luck
    Originally Posted by contentwriting360 View Post

    Asha, as almost everyone has mentioned, you do not need to apologize for your rate of 2 cents a word. That is also our standard rate. We just managed to bring it down to 1 cent a word because we're a company and we're getting good amount of orders in and out of this good forum.

    We also experienced that same thing when we were starting. The key is the answer to the question, "How can I stand out?" The answer is to become an authority in what you do. How can you become an authority in what you do? Contribute by answering posts with quality content; not just for the sake of showing your signature. Help with the genuine interest to really help. Once you do that, people will start contacting you voluntarily.
    Thank you all for your replies and encouragement. I'll definitely be persisting and applying the tips you all have given me!
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  • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
    Put the WSO thread in your sig...
    Thank you... I love China
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    I can convert your Non-Responsive website to Responsive website ... How sweet is that? :)

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    • Profile picture of the author asha91
      Originally Posted by dsouravs View Post

      Put the WSO thread in your sig...
      Thank you... I love China
      Thanks for the tip! Well, I wish I could say the same about China. I'm currently here for my studies, I'm not actually from China
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      • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
        Originally Posted by asha91 View Post

        Thanks for the tip! Well, I wish I could say the same about China. I'm currently here for my studies, I'm not actually from China
        Asha sounds like an Indian name...you indian?
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        • Profile picture of the author asha91
          Originally Posted by dsouravs View Post

          Asha sounds like an Indian name...you indian?
          I'm not Indian, but I'm of Indian descent. Oh, and Asha isn't my real name.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dazzling Content
          I read your Warrior for Hire ad and it definitely needs some improvement. You need to tell your prospective customers what benefits they can expect from your writing. It's not enough to state that you are an excellent writer; you need to tell them that you can write articles that will rank high in the search engines or will increase sales. There are many writers advertising their services here in the forum and it's difficult to stand out from the crowd unless you have an intriguing and convincing ad. Even highly skilled and experienced writers need to put out a well-written ad copy to convince potential clients to hire them.

          You also need to place links to writing samples on your ad. Potential customers want to read your writing samples on the spot instead of emailing you to ask for samples. You can make more posts here in this forum to meet the required post count for embedding links in your ad. Good luck!
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          • Profile picture of the author asha91
            Originally Posted by Dazzling Content View Post

            I read your Warrior for Hire ad and it definitely needs some improvement. You need to tell your prospective customers what benefits they can expect from your writing. It's not enough to state that you are an excellent writer; you need to tell them that you can write articles that will rank high in the search engines or will increase sales. There are many writers advertising their services here in the forum and it's difficult to stand out from the crowd unless you have an intriguing and convincing ad. Even highly skilled and experienced writers need to put out a well-written ad copy to convince potential clients to hire them.

            You also need to place links to writing samples on your ad. Potential customers want to read your writing samples on the spot instead of emailing you to ask for samples. You can make more posts here in this forum to meet the required post count for embedding links in your ad. Good luck!
            Thank you for your input Yes, there is a lot of competition here indeed. But I'm also learning a lot from the people here

            I'll be linking samples as soon as I can. Thanks again!
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  • Profile picture of the author asha91
    Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

    I suggest you take out the apology for price in the ad - 2 cents a word is very reasonable for someone who has been writing online content. Re-read your ad copy as I noticed a run-on sentence near the bottom. Emphasize your English ability and perhaps give some background on that to reassure people.

    Posting an ad was your first post here - and that will put some people off until they get to know you a bit.

    You should add a short blurb and the link to your ad in your signature for more exposure.
    Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

    First I'll answer the thread title question. They want it cheap, the majority of Warriors do anyway.

    But there are still plenty of people here willing to pay a fair rate. There are a few things you'll need to do. First, come across as a pro. That means get a Website up. Put at least 10 writing samples on it. Put up some testimonials. Make the site professional.

    As for your ad here, it's not bad but definitely needs work. You're offering the first article for $2.50. Make that offer stand out in the body of your thread. Turn it into a headline, Make it big and put it in red.

    Don't apologize for your price. You say your rate is a lot but in the real world (this isn't the real world for writers) 2 cents per word is peanuts. Instead of the posture you've assumed, take the exact opposite stance and explain how low that rate is for such quality writing and that it won't stay that low for long. You're good. Hold your head up, be proud of who you are and what you're offering.

    There are many other things you can do. One is, don't waste your time trying to market your services where people are used to paying peanuts. Most of the people here who want 5 articles for 7 bucks wouldn't recognize a good article if it bit them on the nose. So don't bother with cheapskates. Do a search for freelance venues where you can market your work.

    When I was freelancing I was able to pick up a lot of work on Craigslist. There were many bargain hunters there but there were also enough people who were willing to pay for quality. But before you go hunting for more money, set yourself up with a Website (it can be a free Wordpress or other blog at first), get a portfolio and endorsements up there and create some compelling ad copy for your services. You've got the talent or I wouldn't have bothered to write all of this. Now get out there and use it!
    Kay King, thank you for looking at my ad and giving constructive criticism, I'll improve on the ad and take your advice into mind as well.

    travlinguy, I cannot tell you how touched I was by your post. Thank you so much for the encouraging words and I'll make the necessary changes to my ad. I'll also try to set up a website as soon as I can. Thank you thank you thank you!
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  • Profile picture of the author crissie
    asha91 - check line 19 of your 'for hire' post.

    Your reviews are coming in.
    Now make your sig a little more 'wow'.

    Good luck to you.
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author asha91
      Originally Posted by crissie View Post

      asha91 - check line 19 of your 'for hire' post.

      Your reviews are coming in.
      Now make your sig a little more 'wow'.

      Good luck to you.
      Crissie, thank you for pointing that out! I missed a "be". I'll have to brainstorm a little more about my signature. Thanks so much
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    asha91 ,

    You got a lot of good advice. Your writing DID have me looking to see where you were from, so it IS a bit off. It is STILL better than MANY that I have seen. And $.02 IS low. Still, if you get a lot of work, and write well at an average speed, you can have a nice income. But realize that you ARE new, there IS competition, and most people are NOT looking for writers, so response takes a while to ramp up. That would be true if you were selling gold at $300/oz!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I am also a writer. I use the same section to advertise and I generally get work when I bump my ad. However, I never reply on one source for work. I have numerous sources and I regularly check out what work is available. You have to always be looking if you want work. I use some of the sites in my report and many that other people use as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author asha91
    Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

    asha91 ,

    You got a lot of good advice. Your writing DID have me looking to see where you were from, so it IS a bit off. It is STILL better than MANY that I have seen. And $.02 IS low. Still, if you get a lot of work, and write well at an average speed, you can have a nice income. But realize that you ARE new, there IS competition, and most people are NOT looking for writers, so response takes a while to ramp up. That would be true if you were selling gold at $300/oz!

    Steve
    Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

    I am also a writer. I use the same section to advertise and I generally get work when I bump my ad. However, I never reply on one source for work. I have numerous sources and I regularly check out what work is available. You have to always be looking if you want work. I use some of the sites in my report and many that other people use as well.
    Thank you both for your opinions and suggestions
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    • Profile picture of the author TheArticlePros
      [DELETED]
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      • Profile picture of the author asha91
        Originally Posted by JaRyCu View Post

        You've gotten a ton of really good advice in this thread -- I think I'm actually surprised truth be told. Normally I pop in and want to correct a lot of what's written.

        Just to re-emphasize a few points...I've never charged less than $0.0249 per word in any of my ads, and two of them are up to 3x higher than that. I have three ads that I keep in constant rotation so I'm almost always on the front page of the WFH for something. This can be expensive when you're starting out, but it does help out over time.

        I generally bring in as much in sales from just the WFH section as I do from my full-time job, so I'm pretty happy with it.

        If I were you, I'd go through every single post in the first three pages that starts with [CONTENT] and read them. Take notes on the things that sound like you. Don't worry if each note you take fits with the others; you're looking for great ideas here.

        Also pay attention to the images. ContentWriting360 has some neat images in their ad(s), I do my own custom images in all of mine, and other writers use images to complement their writing. I haven't clicked the link in your sig because it looks like you got good feedback from other writers on that already, but make sure you don't have gigantic blocks of text.

        I also get a ton of business from people who see my posts here in the forum. You're new here, so it takes a while to build that up. Just remember that everything you type is in a public record with you hit the 'submit' button, so proof every post 2-3x before going to another page. That can make or break your business without you ever knowing why.

        -- j
        Thanks for your input JaRyCu. I've seen your ads, they're really awesome This may be a dumb question, but how do I put images in my ad?
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    • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
      One more bit of opinion, asha91, use some of your spare time to start creating plr packs in some specific hot niches or get some passive income started with a monetized blog. What about writing books? It all takes time to get started and get any kind of money coming in, but it is worthwhile when you have free time if your writing for hire work gets slow.
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      • Profile picture of the author asha91
        Originally Posted by AprilCT View Post

        One more bit of opinion, asha91, use some of your spare time to start creating plr packs in some specific hot niches or get some passive income started with a monetized blog. What about writing books? It all takes time to get started and get any kind of money coming in, but it is worthwhile when you have free time if your writing for hire work gets slow.
        AprilCT, I have thought of that, and hopefully I'll write an eBook or open a blog like you mentioned in the near future. Thanks for your suggestions
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author asha91
      Originally Posted by Joseph Robinson View Post

      "I" comes up way to much within the copy. Don't talk about yourself outside of qualifying your abilities. Talk about the customer and how they will benefit from purchasing content from you. The most prominent bits that you display:



      are features. Those are basic, and aren't going to convince a client to buy from you (but don't worry, most writers here make that mistake, including a few ads from people commenting in this thread). You need to tell potential clients what will happen when they purchase your content and publish it (more readers, higher opt-in conversions, the list is pretty much endless) and then prove it. Those are benefits.



      Your first review is probably working against you ("mostly generic stuff"). They're entirely wrong, but a lot of WF buyers consider $.02 per word to be top end stuff. Seeing the word generic is a "red flag".

      There's no call to action either. This is the closest that you get:



      As a prospective client, why would I feel any sense of urgency to contact you? Why would I feel excited about hitting the PM button (especially when you still have the "I can't PM" comment in your postscript)?

      There's a lot more that can be worked on too, but those were the big things that I noticed after the first readthrough.
      Wow, that's a long (but extremely helpful!) commentary. I can see what you're getting at, and yes I'm going to make some changes to that ad. Just one thing though, you told me to include what the customer will receive from this. I write the content, yes, but what happens to the content is quite dependent on how the buyer markets it. If I promise all those things, won't I be potentially putting myself in hot water if the content doesn't deliver? I'm new to all this marketing stuff, so I apologize if this is a *facepalm* kind of question :confused:
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      • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
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        • Profile picture of the author asha91
          Originally Posted by Joseph Robinson View Post

          It's a potential issue, more so at this price point because you're dealing with a lot of people who are not business owners and won't be around long enough to do anything significant for you (there's a reason that those selling at $.02 are constantly advertising you know). These clients fail, and often look for someone besides themselves to blame.

          You can certainly prepare yourself to deal with that though, and allow the quality of your content to speak for itself. Real business owners are smart enough to realize that it is their job to put content to use, it isn't as obvious to wannabe IMers. So spell it out for them. Don't "promise" anything that you don't know your content can deliver. You've apparently written on oDesk, what did your content do for the clients?

          If you can't pick out benefits to tell your client about, then you need to seriously decide whether or not you should be providing a writing service at all. Harsh, but someone needs to say it to you. Too many underqualified people try to become "writers" because they can string a sentence together. It takes a lot more than that.
          That makes a lot of sense. It's not harsh, it's constructive. Thank you for putting it out there. I'll have to think again about what I can offer to the buyers in this forum. Thank you.
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          • Profile picture of the author Same
            Just ordered one on your sales thread to see how you do.

            Good Luck.
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            • Profile picture of the author asha91
              Originally Posted by Same View Post

              Just ordered one on your sales thread to see how you do.

              Good Luck.
              Thank you so much!
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  • Profile picture of the author marketwarrior06
    Banned
    I am not talking about the High Quality articles. for the natural articles the main thing that attract the warriors is the cheap price.
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