What is the problem?

16 years ago

I am not familiar with your classified or WSO but $5 for 500 words seem to be about the normal rate.

I would not write 500 words for $5 but that seems to be the lowball going price.

I am actually looking for a writer for this price, if you happen to be so inclined !

Thanks

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Best Home Based Business

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737445].message }}

Melanie Crouse

16 years ago

Originally Posted by carpunky

I am not familiar with your classified or WSO but $5 for 500 words seem to be about the normal rate.

I would not write 500 words for $5 but that seems to be the lowball going price.

I am actually looking for a writer for this price, if you happen to be so inclined !

Thanks

Yes, I agree $5 is really a lowball price.

I'll PM you shortly.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Professional Writer - Professional Quality Articles at Crazy Low Prices! - Content That Converts! Satisfaction Guaranteed!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737535].message }}

nursewriter 16 years ago

Melanie,

I think the problem is the glut of cheap writers that are showing up on the forum. People are inclined to think the cheaper the better.

Why would they pay $100 for ten articles when they can get ten articles for $20? However, what they don't realize is that these articles are not going to be high quality.

For the most part, these people will not be in the IM business next year because they didn't make any money. They may want to blame this on the economy, a bad niche selection or a dozen different things ....but I bet they won't even consider the source of their failure may have been the cheap, low quality content they were putting all over the net.

I also think another problem is that people don't know how to recognize a quality article.

However, there are a few individuals out there that know what a well written professional article can do for their business and they are willing to pay for it. But they may be hard to find on the forums.

If is a good idea to market yourself outside the forums. Start blogging, write some articles about writing and submit them to directories. Start querying magazines or try to get a writing gig with your local newspaper. All of these things will let people know you are a serious writer and you deserve serious prices.

Finding clients that pay what you are worth is a challenge that many writers face, but once you find those clients make sure you over deliver and treat them like gold.

Just my .02
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737752].message }}

VegasGreg

16 years ago

Do you have a WSO going or are you listed in the Warrior for Hire section? If so, put those links in your signature. If not, you may want to consider adding a listing in at least the For Hire section.

That way you will get higher exposure and clients (even if just a few at first) can leave feedback for you and you can communicate openly and faster.

You won't get a lot of exposure just by a signature asking for a PM. You will/may get some, but not a lot.

If you are in between orders, you can always keep writing and then sell the pre-made articles as PLR packs to gain more exposure and show off your quality. That sure beats sitting around wasting valuable time waiting for orders.

On that note, I do need 2 articles by next week if you are interested. Just PM me and I will get you the details.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Greg Schueler - Wordpress Fanatic... Living The Offline Marketing Dream...

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737897].message }}

Lee Wilson 16 years ago

I've got no interest in cheap poorly written articles, you might be selling yourself too close to the cheap market, if your articles are good then you might just be advertising in the wrong place, try putting your price up . I don't need any at the moment but when I do I'll certainly give you a try ... I've added you to my contact list.

Lee
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737933].message }}

Allen Graves

16 years ago

Melanie,

Don't write an article for $5 just to get business. Just don't do it!

Have you thought about using those articles for your own benefit? If you write that well, get yourself a simple website for each niche and make the $5 many times over from a single article!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, as long as people continue offering to write articles for $2 or $5 or even $10, your market is going to completely suck.

Maybe you are in the middle ground - perhaps you could actually RAISE your price and get a little more business - just a thought. I know some writers that come in here get ten times that much for their articles.

Good luck!
Allen

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Every day I check the obituaries. If I don't see my name there, then I know it's going to be a good day!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737948].message }}

George Sepich

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Allen Graves

Melanie,

Don't write an article for $5 just to get business. Just don't do it!

Have you thought about using those articles for your own benefit? If you write that well, get yourself a simple website for each niche and make the $5 many times over from a single article!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, as long as people continue offering to write articles for $2 or $5 or even $10, your market is going to completely suck.

Maybe you are in the middle ground - perhaps you could actually RAISE your price and get a little more business - just a thought. I know some writers that come in here get ten times that much for their articles.

Good luck!
Allen

Hi Melanie,
Allen is on the right track, but if you are basing everything from a Warrior forum point of view, don't. WSO's don't really work that well any more due to the fact that they disapear off the first page so fast. Sure there are success stories to prove me wrong, but overall it's tough these days to sell in the WSO forum.

If I were you, I would'nt be writing articles at all, but putting together PLR or MRR ebooks with websites. The better known resell type memberships really seem to be hurting for good fresh content these days. They keep regurgitating old stuff. Definitely an opportunity for you and others to capitalize on.

George

Thanks

Signature

A New WSO From Long Time Warrior George Sepich Dangerous AI Secrets Unlock The AI They Warned You About!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737980].message }}

Zeus66

16 years ago

Here's what you do, Melanie...

Write 5 or 10 articles as a sample pack. Bundle them up and give them away as a "free" WSO. To get your articles, everyone will have to sign up to your mailing list. Encourage only those who need articles written on an on-going basis to grab them. You'll get some who do need more articles, and some who just want your freebies. You don't care about that. What you care about is growing a mailing list that includes some people who do need more articles.

Now, here's the thing you must get right. Make those 5-10 articles your best work. That's paramount. Wow people with the quality and depth of your writing abilities. The more people who grab your freebie, the more potential customers you'll have in your email list. Then it's all downhill. Just send the occasional message to your list members and offer your services. I can pretty much guarantee you that you'll get a good list of repeat clients out of it. As long as your articles are top notch.

And don't do it for $5 or even $7 when you get some takers. Don't do it for less than $10 per article... as long as you really are a good writer. If your samples are crap, you'll get paid crap. If your samples rock, you'll get paid like a rock star.

I say screw the el cheapo stuff. You're better than that!

John

[ 2 ] Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1737991].message }}

yesacpow

16 years ago

Some people offer way more than that for articles and they land a lot of clients. Maybe you have to tighten up your campaign and try finding the right people. Go to them and don't wait for them to come to you.

Be aggressive!

Originally Posted by Melanie Crouse

I'm a little confused. I offer high-quality article writing for what I consider to be a very good price; I am a native English speaker; my articles are 100% unique, well-written, researched and keyword-optimized; I have a college degree and a professional career. I even offer a free sample article custom written based on their keywords.

So why am I having so much trouble landing clients?

Am I charging too much? Or is everyone expecting 500 word articles fo $2.00? Maybe I should be advertising more aggressively? Any opinions or suggestions are welcome.

:confused:

Would I be better off creating PLR packs, maybe?

Thanks

Signature

FREE Step-By-Step Blueprint To Make $1000/Month With YouTube - Even Without Being On Camera!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738000].message }}

SurviveUnemployment

16 years ago

Just write them for yourself or find someone to partner with. They build sites that convert, and you write the articles that draw people.

One thing people don't understand about article marketing is that quality absolutely does matter. The best articles on the directories get picked up by high PR sites, and site owners get juicy backlinks and tons of steady traffic out of that. The crappy articles die on the vine. One quality article is worth ten (or more) of low quality. Actually, low quality might even have a negative return in the long run because you're demolishing your brand by associating with that kind of content.

Anyway, keep plugging.

Thanks

Signature

The best link-building strategy you never heard of...

Article Spinning Is Not a Crime!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738051].message }}

Mr. Enthusiastic

16 years ago

Melanie, I see you considered hanging out a shingle as a content writer with your own PLR products. I wonder if creating ebooks, articles, video scripts, training materials and so on, for others, might also be lucrative for you. And have you considered copywriting?

Chris

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738163].message }}

digigo

16 years ago

isn't there website like ehow and many other others that let you write on any conceivable topics and share revenue with the host? let your articles speak for you.. and add an ad line in each of your article "author is for hire" and when your customers see your articles rank high and you will have plenty of clients... stop wasting your time on the $2 article.. you can never make living off those works

Thanks

Signature

ugcgig.com - User Generated Content Gig. Like to write? Come join us!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738181].message }}

GeorgR.

16 years ago

Easy explanation:

There are about a zillion writers from pakistan, india etc. who write for less, and (most) webmasters who have a demand know that and know where to hire those people.
I had a writing WSO once also, charged $7 and got no single one interested

Competition...tough.

YOU CAN charge that amount (maybe up to $10 or even more) if you have VERY good rep on a forum and people know your service and quality...but it might take a while to get there.

On a positive note: GOOD writers are extremely, extremely rare. I can tell you that 95% of the $4 writers produce utter JUNK..so you definitely have an edge there.

You could also make your package more attractive by offering additional service like submission..or keyword research or something like that.

Thanks

Signature

*** Affiliate Site Quick --> The Fastest & Easiest Way to Make Affiliate Sites!<--
-> VISIT www.1UP-SEO.com *** <- Internet Marketing, SEO Tips, Reviews & More!! ***
*** HIGH QUALITY CONTENT CREATION +++ Manual Article Spinning (Thread Here) ***
Content Creation, Blogging, Articles, Converting Sales Copy, Reviews, Ebooks, Rewrites

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738279].message }}

creativenet

16 years ago

I think the price is very competitive, perhaps you can search the clients from various internet marketing forums

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738291].message }}

Will Edwards

16 years ago

Hi Melanie

Would you please send me a PM so I have your details to hand when I am ready to go with my next writing project?

Cheers

Will

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738310].message }}

SunnySahu

16 years ago

Where are you advertising your services?

As some of the other posters pointed out, you could probably run your own niche business and market it with articles. Or maybe, try your hands on site flipping.

I'm an article writer as well and I have several websites earning me some passive income. Plus, I flip a site here and there for some instant income when I don't have a lot of clients' projects going on.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738318].message }}

silvervixen

16 years ago

I just put a listing in the Warriors For Hire section yesterday and I haven't had a bite, so I commiserate with you.

My rates are higher than most here because I figure that a native English speaker with good grammar and excellent writing/research skills willing to write on just about any subject that can be researched is worth more....but I may be wrong.

I do see a glut of writers offering their services for extremely cheap rates...99 cents, $1, $5, $7...and I have to say I am a bit disheartened. I realize a lot of these people are likely from countries where the cost of living is less and they can therefore afford to charge so little, but it does kind of make selling an article service kind of impossible.

Anyway, to the OP, I wish you luck! Maybe someone will see the value in good work.

Thanks

Signature

Need High Quality Content? Visit: http://www.articleright.com

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1738344].message }}

Allen Graves

16 years ago

Send me some examples, Melanie. It doesn't matter if they were for someone else...I am not going to use them. If they are worthy, I will place an ad for you on my Website-Articles.net Article Ghostwriter Central - Find Top-Quality Article Ghostwriters page.

It doesn't get a huge amount of traffic - but it is targeted. Maybe it will help build your reputation?

Allen

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Every day I check the obituaries. If I don't see my name there, then I know it's going to be a good day!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739098].message }}

Jill Carpenter 16 years ago

Perhaps a link to just a sample of your work as well (in your sig) would help. Include topics you like to write about best.

I'm looking for some very specific stuff to be done, and Im confident the cheap end of the forum is not going to cut it.
- Thanks
Signature

"May I have ten thousand marbles, please?"
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739484].message }}

Kenster

16 years ago

Yes, you need to price your service based on teh quality. Of course everybody looking for articles looks at price but more than anything they want quality. I would rather pay $20 for a good article than $5 for a piece of crap one.

I would market hard and price up your service a little more. Offer bundle packages and have some sort of "one-time sale" so that people dont think your service is actually worth the little amount you are charging.

Also remember that if you are in fact a good writer, it will be noticed and remembered. You will eventually be building a client list and get repeat customers without any marketing. Just like being a financial advisor...its a pain in the butt building a client book in the beginning but once built, its much much easier.

Best of luck!

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739501].message }}

sailorjohn

16 years ago

Hey Melanie,

I'm looking for someone to write some articles. I tried to PM you, but I don't have enough posts yet. Can you contact me?

John

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739524].message }}

JonMills

16 years ago

Unfortunetely your up against 3rd world countries who will write articles for peanuts. But having said that there is a lady on rentacoder who charges a minimum of $15 an article and she always has several projects on the go because she has shown that her work is superior!

Thanks

Signature

http://www.thecopywriterwhisperer.com/ Persuasion at it's best!
http://www.affiliateorganizer.com/ Organize your entire online business - Super affiliates give it the thumbs up!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739665].message }}

Rod Cortez

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Melanie Crouse

I'm a little confused. I offer high-quality article writing for what I consider to be a very good price; I am a native English speaker; my articles are 100% unique, well-written, researched and keyword-optimized; I have a college degree and a professional career. I even offer a free sample article custom written based on their keywords.

So why am I having so much trouble landing clients?

Am I charging too much? Or is everyone expecting 500 word articles fo $2.00? Maybe I should be advertising more aggressively? Any opinions or suggestions are welcome.

:confused:

Would I be better off creating PLR packs, maybe?

Melanie, there are people out there that will pay for top quailty, original articles. I know because I'm one of them. The key is to get your name out there and get the requisite social proof to the point where you'll get enough repeat business. I've seldom been impressed by $2-5, 500 word articles.

How are you promoting yourself? Do you offer any other services? Self-promotion when you're starting out should be a constant, neverending thing. Do you offer your services in the Warriors For Hire section?

Lastly, offering PLR packs for hot niches is a good way for people to see the quality of your work. I know a lot of marketers who are constantly looking for good PLR content.

RoD

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

"Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."

- Jim Rohn

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739810].message }}

cindybidar 16 years ago

In my opinion, you are far undervaluing yourself. People looking for good quality will pass you by because they will think your quality is poor. The people who are looking for cheap and fast (10, 20, or more articles a day?!?) have thousands of other writers to choose from.

If you're good, raise your prices. Value your own work and others will see value in it. I currently charge $30 (and even that is low) per article and have more work than I can handle, so don't make the mistake of thinking there is no work out there for someone charging decent rates.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739841].message }}
- CDarklock 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by cindybidar
  
  In my opinion, you are far undervaluing yourself. People looking for good quality will pass you by because they will think your quality is poor.
  
  I agree. In general, I assume anyone charging less than $10 for a 500 word article cannot possibly be of decent quality, and that it's going to be a risky investment at less than $15 - because a $10 article writer still might not be all that good.
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739982].message }}

John Romaine

16 years ago

Melanie, sometimes there *isnt* a problem. I spend quite a bit of time on this forum, yet this is the first time Ive seen you.

Maybe its just a case of making yourself more visible. By the way, $5 a pop per 500 words is great value.

Thanks

Signature

BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1739824].message }}

DavidParnell

16 years ago

The problem is the thousands of writers around the world that will under cut you every time. They live off of $500/mo and think they have struck gold.

You'll want to think about how you can turn your skill into a real asset.
Have you tried building a niche site and placing adsense on it and try to get some good rankings in google?

If you can do this... you can then "flip" the site to a newbie who is more than happy to take it off your hands.. even if it's only earning a couple dollars a day.

Sites with ANY earnings, even just a couple bucks can be sold for HUNDREDS, sometimes even $1,000+ to the right person.

Just some food for thought.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1740950].message }}

khtm

16 years ago

Sorry Melanie, I don't think you have a hope of making much money in article writing, when there's plenty of educated people with excellent English in the Philippines that will always be able to work for a fraction of what you'd need to charge. As outsourcing becomes easier, it's getting harder and harder for 1st-world online workers to compete for programming, data entry, and writing positions.

I don't even know how you could do it for $7 unless you're doing 3 or 4 an hour. Seems like you could easily find an offline job that includes health care and what not for that rate

Maybe you could re-brand yourself as a Sales Letter writer? Those folks are definitely harder to come by and once established are able to charge ridiculous rates, like up to $10k per letter.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1740985].message }}

dsmpublishing

16 years ago

Hi

i have one good writer myself that does a lot of articles for me - he charges me more than you do and he is excellent.

He actually contacted me by pm when i replied to an articles post in the warriors for hire section.

In other words he came looking for me - go and find your customers.

Register on job sites and reply to posts for articles that you see in the marketplace. A lot of these sites are full of asians but for articles people want english and thats when you have the monopoly.

odesk.com is very good get yourself on there and you will be surprised by how much work you get.

kind regards

sam
X

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1741119].message }}

navi

16 years ago

Cindybidar hit the nail right on the head, as to what I have seen, there are writers who write for search engines and writers who write for humans. When someone charges $5 to $10, I feel that their quality may be marginally better than the $2 to $4 range articles writers, but if I anyway want writers for search engines, why should I pay more? Now if you were charging $20 to $50, then I would think you are writing for humans, since now you have made the gap wider which will also be (should be) apparent in the quality of your writing.

Another thing I have seen is that generally the writers from whom I get the best articles are the ones who just write in a small selection of topics, i.e. they have found a niche they are passionate about and that shows in their writing and the depthness of their research. By charging $5 to $10 you are automatically disqualifying yourself from the buyers who are looking for content for humans and competing with the fiercely competitive search engine writers.

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1741348].message }}

Steven Wagenheim 16 years ago

Melanie...I'll keep this short, as hard as that is to believe.

You're in the wrong market.

Head to the off line world where people expect to pay $100 for an article.

You'll have to show some top quality stuff, but if you can, you can get a lot
more money than you'll get from the MMO crowd.

That's my 2 cents on the subject.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
Signature

My Soundcloud Music Channel
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1741453].message }}
- chaos69 16 years ago
  
  Melanie.
  
  Im in the market for a ****decent**** writer; the problem is it is so competitive out there, how do i know you from joe blog or random joe for that matter.
  
  Im not asking for a freebie, but the quality of your material would help - perhaps send me a PM of a previous sample, and we can talk?
  
  I dont mind paying money- i mind what i pay money for
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  Best Ways To Make Money Online
  
  Eight bytes walk into a bar. The bartender asks, â€œCan I get you anything?â€
  â€œYeah,â€ reply the bytes. â€œMake us a double.â€
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1741499].message }}

What is the problem?

Trending Topics

Sell more wellness products by marketing small habit wins

Walking for Exercise is a Different Animal...

Hello from Türkiye

Being a Girl Dad....

I wanted to make a game blogging site with the help of claude will it monetize ?