Wanna hire a cheap article writer? Here's what you get.

71 replies
As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible. I have included the first paragraphs of two different articles.



You get what you pay for.

"The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.

"But, thanks to the god! A reliable product is around us in getting rid of obesity and unnecessary weight gain problems. It's a wonder fruit that provides a number of benefits to our health. Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let's take a look at how it works in loosing weight."


Dee
#article #cheap #hire #wanna #writer
  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Nice! lol The writers are either illiterate, feeding original (error-free) articles through rewriting software, or both. Best guess? Both!

    - Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible. I have included the first paragraphs of two different articles.



    You get what you pay for.

    "The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.

    "But, thanks to the god! A reliable product is around us in getting rid of obesity and unnecessary weight gain problems. It's a wonder fruit that provides a number of benefits to our health. Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let's take a look at how it works in loosing weight."


    Dee

    Sadly, this is what some folks call "quality" content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Junaid khawaja
    Lol. I want to bang my head somewhere.

    I had a similar experience with one guy. His sample articles sounded good and acceptable.

    But then came his real stuff. And it was horrible. Probably, they use fake samples to trap decent souls. Whatever.

    The thing is: Leave them for content mills. They are made for them.

    Thanks
    -J
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  • Profile picture of the author marax
    I've hired some pricier writers in the past.
    And the quality they deliver is not much better than your example.
    So I wouldn't say that the price you pay determines the quality you get.
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    • Profile picture of the author PLR Basket
      Originally Posted by marax View Post

      I've hired some pricier writers in the past.
      And the quality they deliver is not much better than your example.
      So I wouldn't say that the price you pay determines the quality you get.
      But you're a buyer, not a writer.

      Many great writers and even some gurus started advertising their services for 1 cent per word on this very forum. I was one of these people, and I can write much better content than what was posted.

      If you think you need to pay 5 cents per word for a 500 word article on the feng shui benefits of indoor water fountains, go at it, but I don't think you should generalize.

      There are some great writers out there who write for pennies and horrible writers who overcharge.
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  • Profile picture of the author madstan
    Have you tried a level 2 or top rated Fiverr seller who writes articles? I have a friend there who may be able to help you,shes a top rated seller.
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  • Profile picture of the author DeePower
    I don't need to hire a writer. I am a writer. I did this because I was curious as to the quality of the cheap writers. I did hire a warrior and that quality was marginally better, at least I could read it.
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  • Profile picture of the author edwardblue16
    I totally agree paying for content or in fact paying for any service you need to pay a good rate to get any quality
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible. I have included the first paragraphs of two different articles.



    You get what you pay for.

    "The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.

    "But, thanks to the god! A reliable product is around us in getting rid of obesity and unnecessary weight gain problems. It's a wonder fruit that provides a number of benefits to our health. Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let's take a look at how it works in loosing weight."


    Dee
    I've experienced the same thing. Actually almost everytime I've tried, I've received (what I consider) sub-par work. I ended up with more headache than I saved having to argue with the person on the quality of the work and re-writing it to make it appropriate.
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  • Profile picture of the author DeePower
    The samples I posed were about average for the quality for that price.

    I posted that I needed ten 500 word articles on several niches. If the person, or writing company, wanted to be hired then submit a 100 word original sample using the keywords I would give them. I would choose the best writer. BTW I said I'd pay and I did pay $1 for the 100 word sample, but only wanted to pay $2.50 each for the 500 word articles.

    I got about 20 responses. About half submitted a sample. Two of the samples directly plagiarized already published articles. I know because I put the articles through copyscape.

    Interesting experiment.

    Dee
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  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    What's the problem? I want to lose loose weight because in a world that moves first with great progress loose weight works like a break and I can't keep tandem with the things I want. So how do I live advanced life? I want advanced life in first-moving world. I want. I want. I want.


    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible. I have included the first paragraphs of two different articles.

    You get what you pay for.

    "The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.

    "But, thanks to the god! A reliable product is around us in getting rid of obesity and unnecessary weight gain problems. It’s a wonder fruit that provides a number of benefits to our health. Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let’s take a look at how it works in loosing weight."


    Dee
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  • Profile picture of the author aizaku
    There should be a post made about this...

    5 Ridiculous Articles From 5 Of The Cheapest Outsource Writing Sites

    Just saying,
    Ike Paz

    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible. I have included the first paragraphs of two different articles.



    You get what you pay for.

    "The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.

    "But, thanks to the god! A reliable product is around us in getting rid of obesity and unnecessary weight gain problems. It's a wonder fruit that provides a number of benefits to our health. Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let's take a look at how it works in loosing weight."


    Dee
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  • Profile picture of the author gooroo
    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    "The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.
    Whenever I see a random, capitalized word in the middle of the text I suspect the whole text of its parts were put through google translate and the writer forgot to change it
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  • Profile picture of the author Gambino
    Those are both awful. I have hired several writers in the health and fitness market, not exactly a hard or even in depth topic to research and write about. But, several have come back close to what was posted above. Some have come back to what I would consider good or even great for the price. On average, I'd say they come back with about 15 errors - punctuation, spelling, weird phrasing, etc. All of them come back with what I'd consider fluff.

    I've also hired writers in the $20-30 range per 1,000 word article. Those came back fair to what I would consider good with probably 5-10ish errors.

    To me, for the money, finding a few good writers and reading through and rewording their work has been the best value. Keep in mind, I'm talking about blog posts and not in-depth content that we heavily promote.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel90
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    • Profile picture of the author gooroo
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      • Profile picture of the author Gambino
        Originally Posted by gooroo View Post

        You pay less = you get less.
        Also, better writers(and most freelancers) set their price higher depending on the experience.
        Not necessarily true. Many freelancers/writers don't realize how much their services are worth and/or don't present them in a way that receives top dollar.

        For another example, there was a writer on this very forum a year or two ago that offered incredibly dirt cheap prices. Easily could have charged 2-3 times more for her work. But, she didn't realize how much her content could actually bring in and/or didn't feel that it was worth it. She said she'd lose a lot of clients if she charged more. I haven't seen her in a while, I assume she went out of business because she was overloaded and was always behind on deadlines due to the volume she needed to sustain a suitable income.

        The fact is that there are people looking for "good enough" content, and there are people willing to pay top dollar for high quality content. So, to an extent the old saying "you get what you pay for" is true. But, it's certainly not 100% accurate.
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  • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
    Wow - that's pretty terrible, it doesn't surprise me though. I once paid $30 for an article which I thought was from a reputable, albeit affordable, writer who came highly recommended and, hand on heart, not one sentence made any sense. I sent it back to her and questioned if it was in fact a joke, and she replied that she had years of experience and this was in fact not a joke. It makes me cross that this sort of service is actually out there and people are charging for it. The spelling, grammar, and lack of sense just baffle me.
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    • Profile picture of the author madstan
      Maybe your standards were just too high. If this was the case you would be better off taking the time to research and write the article yourself.

      Originally Posted by gingerninjas View Post

      Wow - that's pretty terrible, it doesn't surprise me though. I once paid $30 for an article which I thought was from a reputable, albeit affordable, writer who came highly recommended and, hand on heart, not one sentence made any sense. I sent it back to her and questioned if it was in fact a joke, and she replied that she had years of experience and this was in fact not a joke. It makes me cross that this sort of service is actually out there and people are charging for it. The spelling, grammar, and lack of sense just baffle me.
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      • Profile picture of the author George Schwab
        RE: "Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let's take a look at how it works in loosing weight."

        ....see that's the thing. VERY first. Like first thing in the morning. After popping the pill the night before.

        Let's take a look. We can watch it in real time. Nice. First in its class.

        I like high class copywriters. He seems to be one of the very best,
        under payed for sure. You got a deal here. Yeah.
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  • Profile picture of the author princetotem
    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible.
    Interesting experiment, Dee. Unfortunately the two main points that come to mind are
    1) It seems there are more buyers out there who are looking for something that is fast and cheap rather than high quality.
    2) Quality writers are more likely to put their prices down or under-price their services in order to compete with this.
    Especially new freelance writers, it's very hard to bump up your price in those early stages and I bet the $5 sellers win every time.
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  • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
    I learned a LONG time ago you are going to get crap articles for $5.

    I pay as much as $100 for some of my articles now. Of course, they are 1200-1500 words of AMAZING content!

    And if you know how to re-purpose and syndicate your content properly, you will make MUCH more than $100 with it.

    You can turn it into blog posts, short reports for list magnets, videos, infographics, slideshows, etc.

    If you purchase full rights to the article you can even resell it as well.

    The options are practically endless.

    So why pay $5 for a crappy article that you can't do anything with?

    Some people don't care. They just want to put content on a blog and hope it attracts traffic so people will click on their ads.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
      Originally Posted by nicheblogger75 View Post

      I learned a LONG time ago you are going to get crap articles for $5.

      I pay as much as $100 for some of my articles now. Of course, they are 1200-1500 words of AMAZING content!

      And if you know how to re-purpose and syndicate your content properly, you will make MUCH more than $100 with it.

      You can turn it into blog posts, short reports for list magnets, videos, infographics, slideshows, etc.

      If you purchase full rights to the article you can even resell it as well.

      The options are practically endless.

      So why pay $5 for a crappy article that you can't do anything with?

      Some people don't care. They just want to put content on a blog and hope it attracts traffic so people will click on their ads.
      Hell, for that payment, I will write you the 1200 word article, add in an infographic, a powerpoint version and an ecover
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        Is the cost-of-living that low in South Africa?

        Coz, where I am, for that money, I'll get you a 500-word article and think I'd got paid ok only.

        Originally Posted by Rob Anderson View Post

        Hell, for that payment, I will write you the 1200 word article, add in an infographic, a powerpoint version and an ecover
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        • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
          Actually, the cost of living is very low here, but that is not why I would do it. You see, when you do "offline marketing" we are forever offering a link bait service to new clients. A free review, a few videos - stuff like that... It is a foot in the door. So this way, I would be actually getting paid for a service that a client needs, and then they get to know me. I then point out that their content needs a "near me" page, or that their GMB listing is broken etc. Sooner or later I will be given a real task at normal rates. (well OK, maybe not now with this guy - seeing as he will be ready for me LOL - Plus the infograpgic is a template, the ecover is a template and a standard "action" so the extras are all easy, and the client loves them.
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          • Profile picture of the author DABK
            I understand why you do it, but you throw in waaay too much, based on cost of living here.

            Originally Posted by Rob Anderson View Post

            Actually, the cost of living is very low here, but that is not why I would do it. You see, when you do "offline marketing" we are forever offering a link bait service to new clients. A free review, a few videos - stuff like that... It is a foot in the door. So this way, I would be actually getting paid for a service that a client needs, and then they get to know me. I then point out that their content needs a "near me" page, or that their GMB listing is broken etc. Sooner or later I will be given a real task at normal rates. (well OK, maybe not now with this guy - seeing as he will be ready for me LOL - Plus the infograpgic is a template, the ecover is a template and a standard "action" so the extras are all easy, and the client loves them.
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    • Profile picture of the author shmol
      Originally Posted by nicheblogger75 View Post

      I learned a LONG time ago you are going to get crap articles for $5.

      I pay as much as $100 for some of my articles now. Of course, they are 1200-1500 words of AMAZING content!

      And if you know how to re-purpose and syndicate your content properly, you will make MUCH more than $100 with it.

      You can turn it into blog posts, short reports for list magnets, videos, infographics, slideshows, etc.

      If you purchase full rights to the article you can even resell it as well.

      The options are practically endless.

      So why pay $5 for a crappy article that you can't do anything with?

      Some people don't care. They just want to put content on a blog and hope it attracts traffic so people will click on their ads.
      This exactly right.

      A lot of marketers think too much about the short term, when they should be thinking long term.

      Sure spending 50-100 for a super high quality article seems like a lot, but, like you said when you factor in all of the ways you can use that article to drive traffic and make money for you for years to come--it is money well spent.

      From the original blog or article post, to making it into a video, podcast, document--or taking several of these and turning them into an ebook or kindle book.

      You can be earning money or building a list--which can then earn you even more money for years to come--from that original article or articles for years to come.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marc Lawrence
    Yes, I agree with you that you get what you pay for in the article writing world. The one exception to that would be my experience using Fiverr. Gosh, I think I tested close to 20 different article writers from the USA before I found one person who goes above and beyond, delivering me 500 words for $5.00. The only thing though is that he takes a little too long to deliver most of the time.
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    • Profile picture of the author NoStop
      Originally Posted by Marc Lawrence View Post

      Yes, I agree with you that you get what you pay for in the article writing world. The one exception to that would be my experience using Fiverr. Gosh, I think I tested close to 20 different article writers from the USA before I found one person who goes above and beyond, delivering me 500 words for $5.00. The only thing though is that he takes a little too long to deliver most of the time.
      At $5 for 500 words he is most likely making way less then the minimum wage if he lives in the United States.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
    I love the concept of "loosing wait". :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author George Schwab
      Originally Posted by John Coutts View Post

      I love the concept of "loosing wait". :-)
      it's such a unique concept, i would declare it as The concept of the week.

      "loosing wait, very first"

      really one of its kind statements, and truly complex, this guy is light years ahead of us

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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by marax View Post

    I've hired some pricier writers in the past.
    And the quality they deliver is not much better than your example.
    So I wouldn't say that the price you pay determines the quality you get.
    Paying more may not guarantee better quality, but paying bottom of the barrel prices and getting bottom of the barrel quality is about as close to a sure thing as I can think of.
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    • Profile picture of the author FDavis
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      Paying more may not guarantee better quality, but paying bottom of the barrel prices and getting bottom of the barrel quality is about as close to a sure thing as I can think of.
      lol

      I feel like there is this fantasy that there is just all these smart educated people out there dying to write articles for next to nothing.

      It like simple economics, anyone who can write well is probably reasonably smart can just go get a job and make more the $10 an hour at least in the United States, it takes a lot more then an hour to write 1000 words on something you don't know about
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  • Profile picture of the author megamind22
    From personal experience with a few writers that I've dealt with in the past I can confidently say not all writers are literate. Some are just doing it just to get a trickle here and there just some are doing to build up the writing skills.

    One needs to be very careful when hiring a writer. What I normally do is ask them for some samples of their past work. This will determine their skill-set and how good they are.
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  • Profile picture of the author Simpilot938
    Just goes to show that if you need articles on a regular basis, find 2 or 3 writers you are comfortable with and stick with them. Pay them what they're worth and I'm sure you'll get their best work.

    Of course, the trick is finding these good people in the first place. Perhaps Dee was just unlucky in her original choices, but since the point of the original article was to show how bad some sources can be, there's little advantage in showing the best.

    As she says though - it was an interesting experiment.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by megamind22 View Post

    One needs to be very careful when hiring a writer. What I normally do is ask them for some samples of their past work. This will determine their skill-set and how good they are.
    Or how good they are at stealing others' work. Better to follow Dee's example and ask for a small, original sample. There have been many posts complaining that the poster hired a writer based on their published samples and got back work of much lower quality.

    Originally Posted by AnniePot View Post

    Well, I've just taken a look at the "great" articles you are referring to. Actually,they are far from "great". They are spammy, keyword heavy, composed with very poor grammar and syntax.
    Kind of like the two link spam posts he made in this thread?
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  • Profile picture of the author DeePower
    For those who may be curious. Of the 10 samples, these two were the worst but not by much. One was well-written but plagiarized word for word. I did this as competitive research. Three or 4 years ago I asked writers here on WF to give me their prices for a 400 word article. Prices ranged from $4 to $20. If I were buying articles, and I don't because I write my own, or my partner does, I'd pay $12 to $14.

    Yes I imagine you can find decent writers on fivver but you'd probably have to wade through a dozen to find one good one.

    Dee
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    What nobody is talking about this:

    Great writing is a talent, an acquired skill, a creative expertise that not everyone possesses. Some people have it and some don't.

    Some people are great singers. Some people are wonderful actors. Some people are remarkable artists. Yes, all these folks can refine their skills and practice to get better in their craft.

    Others just don't belong in those circles because that is not their talent.

    No matter how hard they try, some people don't have the creative talent or skill or whatever you want to call it . . . to be hiring out as a professional writer.

    And the sad thing is . . . lots of people can't tell what quality writing really is . . .

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
      Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

      What nobody is talking about this:

      Great writing is a talent, an acquired skill, a creative expertise that not everyone possesses. Some people have it and some don't.

      Some people are great singers. Some people are wonderful actors. Some people are remarkable artists. Yes, all these folks can refine their skills and practice to get better in their craft.

      Others just don't belong in those circles because that is not their talent.

      No matter how hard they try, some people don't have the creative talent or skill or whatever you want to call it . . . to be hiring out as a professional writer.

      And the sad thing is . . . lots of people can't tell what quality writing really is . . .
      Steve
      I agree, somewhat. Take the Stephen King vs. James Patterson. Two of the best selling and most successful writers of our generation.

      Millions of books sold. MILLIONS of dollars made from their writing.

      King doesn't think much of Patterson's writing. Patterson just praises King in return.

      Does Patterson have 'QUALTIY' writing? What is the metric used to determine this? If it is sales, then a resounding yes. By most literary and critic accounts, he's a hack.

      But, I do agree writing requires some mastery, and even more important for this type of writing (content on Internet)...

      intent

      is the prime consideration. I wouldn't write a single word, if paid, until I understood what the intent is.

      And some of this falls to the buyer, to give a very clear purpose to what they want done. If both supply and demand are in-synch, good writing with a specific intent is not hard to find, nor is it too expensive.

      Quality, for my opinion, is too subjective. Results, however, are not.

      GordonJ
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      • Profile picture of the author Exoticstan
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        King must not like Patterson because not all Patterson books were written entirely by Patterson: James Patterson: how the bestseller factory works - Telegraph.

        He was a businessman above being a writer.

        But, to the pertinent part of my thoughts:

        Though price doesn't guarantee a certain level of writing quality, usually, very low prices do mean low quality. High prices usually mean better quality.

        And, the problem, for all involved is intent and lack of tags.

        Writers who write $5 500-word articles that are going to be put on some website so that Google thinks the website is active or so that a particular keyword appears on the site surrounded by other words, should have their own title (and it should not be writer; maybe not even SEO writer).

        And the subjective problem still remains. So, we invent yet another set of sub-groups and... the subjective problem still remains. So we invent yet another set of subgroups...

        Ad nauseam.

        So, the solution?

        Clearly communicate to writers what you want and why; hire a few, choose one you like and start (or don't start) Warrior Forum threads about the ones you do not like.

        And educate the masses about SEO and marketing, so demand for $5 500-word articles goes down.

        Take a look at the guy who posted right after you. He'll deliver a 500-word original article or your money back.

        That is fine guarantee. But the poster assumes that original (presumably means passes copyscape) is the same as quality.

        Which brings us to why we have the confusion: people define quality too broadly. Passing copyscape might be the right quality for some; it's not for me and others.

        And the above brings us to: we must create new sub-groups in the writing world and end up to ad nauseam.

        Whew! All those words and I'm still defeated! Who'd have thunk it?!

        Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

        I agree, somewhat. Take the Stephen King vs. James Patterson. Two of the best selling and most successful writers of our generation.

        Millions of books sold. MILLIONS of dollars made from their writing.

        King doesn't think much of Patterson's writing. Patterson just praises King in return.

        Does Patterson have 'QUALTIY' writing? What is the metric used to determine this? If it is sales, then a resounding yes. By most literary and critic accounts, he's a hack.

        But, I do agree writing requires some mastery, and even more important for this type of writing (content on Internet)...

        intent

        is the prime consideration. I wouldn't write a single word, if paid, until I understood what the intent is.

        And some of this falls to the buyer, to give a very clear purpose to what they want done. If both supply and demand are in-synch, good writing with a specific intent is not hard to find, nor is it too expensive.

        Quality, for my opinion, is too subjective. Results, however, are not.

        GordonJ
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        • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
          Yes, his writing factory style is well known. Currently he is blowing the roof off sales of his 90 buck writing course, and it is really good (opinion).

          Price: I've hired scores of writers, and catch them young, new or hungry and you get quality content which is better than fair pricing.

          Also, as they grew, I hung on to the good ones and I've had up to 20 year relationships with both writers and editors and proofreaders (God bless the proofies, uddr wize i'd reaad like tis).

          A fiverr might be good, and easy to test.

          A higher priced gal, will have a portfolio.

          And once in awhile, you might get lucky and find a decent writer doing a little experimentation too.

          I defer the judgment of quality to the buyer, happy/satisfied or not?

          GordonJ
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  • Profile picture of the author dynamyt100
    Over the years I have tried them all. Fiverr gigs, Warrior offers, Google and the list goes on. At the end of the day you need to pay good money to get good quality writing. Just remember that your content is ultimately what draws customers and the more they read your content the happier Google will be.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    For those who may be curious. Of the 10 samples, these two were the worst but not by much. One was well-written but plagiarized word for word. I did this as competitive research. Three or 4 years ago I asked writers here on WF to give me their prices for a 400 word article. Prices ranged from $4 to $20. If I were buying articles, and I don't because I write my own, or my partner does, I'd pay $12 to $14.

    Yes I imagine you can find decent writers on fivver but you'd probably have to wade through a dozen to find one good one.

    Dee
    Seems kind of like finding quality content on EzineArticles. It's there, hidden among the digital dung heaps left behind by the Adsense cash cow. And I imagine the proper strategy is similar for finding the elusive cheap, yet quality producing, writer. When you find one, keep going back to that well until it runs dry.
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  • Profile picture of the author onegoodman
    I don't understand that concept

    For me cost is not indicator for quality, as a seller, i should provide the best quality regarding of the prices, as a buyer, a seller named his own price, it doesn't matter if it is low or high, what matter is he must provide me a good quality, i don't care if i bought the service for $5 on fiverr of $1000, i would still expect a good quality or i wouldn't hesitate in giving him a terrible feedback
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      You're saying that when you buy a Honda Civic you expect it to be a Ferrari or you're going to say it's a shitty car?
      r
      Originally Posted by onegoodman View Post

      I don't understand that concept

      For me cost is not indicator for quality, as a seller, i should provide the best quality regarding of the prices, as a buyer, a seller named his own price, it doesn't matter if it is low or high, what matter is he must provide me a good quality, i don't care if i bought the service for $5 on fiverr of $1000, i would still expect a good quality or i wouldn't hesitate in giving him a terrible feedback
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  • Profile picture of the author shaunybb
    WOW


    must have been mr literature off fiverr again I did tell him to pack it in....


    haha
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  • Profile picture of the author Elvis Michael
    Yesterday I saw a gig on Upwork. Someone was looking to pay $8 per 2,500 words.
    I threw up in my mouth.
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  • Profile picture of the author M Thompson
    Is it just me thinking this but surely the problem isn't with the writing but the hiring process?

    I can go and get great quality articles for 1c to 1.5c per words by screening the writers properly.

    Just saying!
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      A lot of it has to do with the definition of 'great.'

      The other part has to do with clearly communicating to the writer what you want and with what you want.

      The last part: some people want something on par with Shakespeare but are willing to pay 1 cent a word... When you should not even want something on par with Shakespeare.

      Or, more likely, they want the 1 cent per word to pay not only for the word but for research.

      I have yet to see a 1 cent a word article that I consider great. But it's easier to accept that it exists if the subject is something that people already know, that doesn't require more than a couple of minutes of research than it is to accept it exists if the writer has to spend a couple of hours or days on research.

      In other words, people want to pay the same 1 cent per word and get the same quality when the title of the article is
      3 Exercises that Target the Shoulders

      as when the title is

      Does APR Tell the Whole Story (how to calculate APR and use it to your advantage).


      Originally Posted by M Thompson View Post

      Is it just me thinking this but surely the problem isn't with the writing but the hiring process?

      I can go and get great quality articles for 1c to 1.5c per words by screening the writers properly.

      Just saying!
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    • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
      Originally Posted by M Thompson View Post

      I can go and get great quality articles for 1c to 1.5c per words by screening the writers properly.
      Assuming your definition of "great quality articles" coincides with what most people would consider great quality, these writers must be seriously under-charging for their services.

      Just saying ... :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author DeePower
    The samples these cheap writers linked to were pretty much okay. It's when I asked them to write an original sample for me (that I paid for) that I received garbage.

    I don't hire writers since I am a writer but it seems to me I'd rather pay say $10 for an article and know I'm getting decent quality than waste hours sifting through cr@p writing.

    Dee
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  • Profile picture of the author metricbuzz
    You can hire writers from Fiverr. Fiverr has great sellers who sales 500 words for $5 only and you will be able to make safe transaction there as well as the marketplace is good. I usually use Chrylent named writer for my blog writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Faber
    It's not rocket science, it's math. Yeah, so maybe you were told there would be no math, but I digress. In native English speaking, first world countries, a professional writer must be able to put a roof over their family's head, keep their stomachs' full, pay insurance, car payments, college tuition, etc. You're hard pressed to do much of that on 1 cent/word. Really, don't take my word for it, add it up! There's that math thing rearing its ugly head again. In any case, a well written, researched piece of any depth will take some time. Even hiring a subject matter expert who can bang something out comes at a cost. It's like the expert boilermaker who watched with amusement as a crew struggled to fix an expensive boiler on a multi million dollar ship. After some time he walked up, asked what the problem was, and offered to fix it. They asked how much. "$10,000" he replied. They crapped their pants and went back to their fruitless tinkering, as the ship sat there, earning no revenue. Finally, they went back and agreed to pay the man.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shelly Cat
    Damn... That's a pretty bad article right there. I've had terrible experiences with self-claimed "native American writers" from India.
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    • Originally Posted by Shelly Cat View Post

      Damn... That's a pretty bad article right there. I've had terrible experiences with self-claimed "native American writers" from India.
      English is as Native for India as it is for the United States. It's another thing that there are many more languages and dialects in use, apart from English. There are good writers everywhere -- that also includes countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and The Phillippines.

      The reason why they claim to be "Native American Writers" is because that seems to ring a bell somewhere and makes the sales pitch easier to stomach for buyers.
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        Most people who hire are American selling to an American audience. So, the greatest need is for people who can write like Americans You know, for affinity reasons. We're like you, you can buy from us and feel safe doing so, kind of thinking.

        Plus, if you're American and you come across a phrase that's common to some other native speakers but not you, that phrase distracts you from buying.

        The part I have an issue with is native. Because some natives write like crap; some non-natives write better than most natives. (I know, I know, most of the natives write better than most of the non-natives. But there's enough of natives that write poorly that it should give people pause, if not make them skip the requirement and just judge by samples.

        Can you tell by what I wrote above whether I'm a native of an English-speaking country and which one?

        Originally Posted by ashwinsatyanarayana View Post

        English is as Native for India as it is for the United States. It's another thing that there are many more languages and dialects in use, apart from English. There are good writers everywhere -- that also includes countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and The Phillippines.

        The reason why they claim to be "Native American Writers" is because that seems to ring a bell somewhere and makes the sales pitch easier to stomach for buyers.
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        • Originally Posted by DABK View Post

          Most people who hire are American selling to an American audience. So, the greatest need is for people who can write like Americans You know, for affinity reasons. We're like you, you can buy from us and feel safe doing so, kind of thinking.

          Plus, if you're American and you come across a phrase that's common to some other native speakers but not you, that phrase distracts you from buying.

          The part I have an issue with is native. Because some natives write like crap; some non-natives write better than most natives. (I know, I know, most of the natives write better than most of the non-natives. But there's enough of natives that write poorly that it should give people pause, if not make them skip the requirement and just judge by samples.

          Can you tell by what I wrote above whether I'm a native of an English-speaking country and which one?
          See? I can barely tell. I have no idea. That's the good part about writing well
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  • Profile picture of the author Exoticstan
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author AnniePot
      Originally Posted by Exoticstan View Post

      I beg to differ a little bit. Poster may not be necessarily right. I am a cheap article writer, mostly because I want to build a strong database of clients. From my observation, clients link high fees to expertise; this isn't always true. I charge 2 cents per word and if you think you won't get quality; you really need to give me a try. .
      It will be interesting to hear your experience when you try raising your prices. At the moment you may be attracting a boatload of bottom feeding clients who are very happy to pay a pittance for your work,but when you begin to turn things around and charge more viable fees how many will realistically continue to hire you?

      Chances are, they'll abandon you and go with the next 'cheapo' seeking to build up a client base.

      Many,many years ago, when I fist ventured forth as a content writer (note content,not article) I began as I meant to continue and charged very realistic fees for my endeavors.

      The majority of content I wrote first required research so to incorporate this I anticipated applying a full day to research,writing anything up to 1,200 -1,500 words, and a final edit and fact check. For a day I considered $250 to be fair remuneration.

      I built up a great client base quickly and easily.

      As time passed I grew a little jaded spending day after day,week after week writing for others and began a very gradual shift to writing instead for myself. This is what I continue to do today, along with editing for other writers. I've retained a limited number of clients for whom I write sporadically too.
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  • Profile picture of the author swapnilchitale01
    It's a very sad thing if someone is paying your for a good thing so it is our responsibility to serve them with the good product.
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  • Profile picture of the author Slym
    =)). Did you really pay them for this?
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Borat is alive and well, and living on FIVE errors now. BTW, remember the 50 cent fee for processing. It is a full dollar now. Maybe, this pathetic company... can change their name. Like they can make it six errors.
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  • Profile picture of the author 3wCorner
    Before you hire a writer, check their asample content for originality in Plagiarism Checker - Free Online Software For Plagiarism Detection
    and Plagiarism Checker

    For grammer, at least grade 10 or lower:
    Hemingway Editor
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrewsfm
    lol! These guys are 100% using some rewrite software. Funny stuff!
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  • "Hiring a cheap writer, not necessarily mean that you get cheap quality or non-professional write-up. What matters in a writer is not the price tag, but the writing skill and technique is something to look out for. To judge a writer just because he demand less is completely wrong. Though many a times, this scenario turns into reality too; but to help you take a safe call is to crucially review their profile and have a thorough
    knowledge about what you can expect of them.

    Some samples or reference links might be of help. To make a safe call, you can choose content marketplaces that have a standard for the quality offered. Like global content marketplace - Contentmart. They believe in offering high-quality content and offer a great bracket for different client budgets. Choosing a verified writer that costs you a cheap amount can be a good call for someone like you. Explore their platform and assure quality for yourself even for a low budget.
    "
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  • Originally Posted by DeePower View Post

    As an experiment I hired several writing services who charge one cent a word or less and several individual writers as well. The articles I received were barely legible. I have included the first paragraphs of two different articles.



    You get what you pay for.

    "The world is moving first with great progress in everything and we are living first-life to keep tandem with everything around. To keep everything in order we are bound to live advanced life; but we easily fall prey to certain diseases associated to it, and Obesity and unwanted weight-gaining are the two most irritating diseases that is severely affecting to our life.

    "But, thanks to the god! A reliable product is around us in getting rid of obesity and unnecessary weight gain problems. It's a wonder fruit that provides a number of benefits to our health. Yes, the diets of XXX XXX product helps in loosing wait, very first. Let's take a look at how it works in loosing weight."


    Dee
    Good lord, I couldn't help but say "Ouch" for that one. I realize that's how it is. As we all know, we get what we pay for.

    The whole world of content writers is a mixed bag. Some good, some bad. That's why it's important to look at previously published work, ask for referrals, and "test" writers out sometimes (with small tasks).
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnSt9
    Thanks God, at least I can use Google Translate to translate it =))
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  • Profile picture of the author krishnagirl
    The problem with freelance content writing websites is that its pretty easy to become a freelance writer in one and even non-writers who have never read a book in their lives and with sub-standard grammatical knowledge enroll themselves as "highly skilled writers" to make some easy cash. That said, new websites owners and businesses who cannot afford professionals find it exceptionally hard to sift through the thousands of hobbyist writers from the real ones. The best option to get your money's worth from a freelance writing site is to check the writer's ratings and reviews and to communicate with them. Once the content is delivered, you should have the option to accept or reject it. Genuine, skilled writers find it hard to establish themselves among the phonies. You can find a lot of genuine writers in top freelance content writing websites if you take the time and effort to find the best ones and don't accept the content if you don't like it. Try content mart. They have great UI and you can get all your money back if you're not satisfied.
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  • Profile picture of the author michaelch
    I think the problem lies in your ability to filter candidates for the writing job.
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