Fixing the Mistakes Made by Hiring Cheap Writers

Fixing the Mistakes Made by Hiring Cheap Writers

About Writing
I've lost count of the number of times somebody has approached me about my writing services. They complain that they hired somebody to do this work already but, well, it was awful and now they need someone to fix it or to start again from scratch. Invariably, they paid that person around $5 for 500 - 1,000 words and the content they show me is an unmitigated disaster. So, they hire me. I do the work they need, and they pay me. They've paid out twice for writers when, if they'd only bitten the bullet and paid fair fees in the first place, they would have saved themselves both money and time, all the while reducing their stress levels as an added bonus. Those of us who charge higher rates…
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Run, Don’t Walk, Away From Content Mills: Secret Sneak Peak!

About Writing, Freelance Self-Promotion, Freelancing
[caption id="attachment_1825" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo credit: Howtostartablogonline.net[/caption] One of the questions I get asked the most by fellow freelancers is how they can escape from writing for mass freelancing sites with low pay and a 'race to the bottom' mentality. The fact is that even if all your current work is underpaid and undervalued, even if you are doing some kind of ad-based revenue share that earns you 22 cents for an article you spent three hours writing, even if you are currently producing work that you know is under par because you need to write four articles an hour to break even, and even if you have never had a private client of your own, it is possible to escape from the content mill, but it takes some focused work to get your foot in…
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Book Recommendation: The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Making $1,000 More This Month

About Writing, Freelancing
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="338" class="zemanta-img"] Bookshelf (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] You may remember Mridu Khullar Relph who I interviewed on the podcast recently. Well, she's written a book. And it's really good. Full disclosure: Mridu and I are friends and she gave me a free copy of the book. However, if I thought it was terrible I would simply have never mentioned it again. Instead, having read it and been inspired, I actually can't recommend it highly enough. Firstly, her credentials. Mridu has years of experience in journalism and counts the New York Times and TIME amongst her credits; this shows in her writing. The Freelance Writer's Guide to Making $1,000 More This Month is packed full of tips to get more work and improve your income and these tips are not vague, they are…
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Podcast Episode 68: Working for free and the myth of ‘exposure’

Podcast
[tweetherder]Writers, stop working for free, and certainly never pay for the privilege![/tweetherder] We see it all the time, and it seems to be getting worse: business owners and media outlets put pressure on writers to work for free. Is there any benefit to this, or is the fabled 'exposure' they promise not worth a thing? In this episode, Lorrie and I look at the facts and share some rather strong opinions on the topic! Show Notes Episode 4: Is writing for free ever ok? The Center for Architecture and Urban Design Los Angeles (CALA) logo design competition 99 designs Absolute Write: $5 for 500 word articles Carol Tice on Freelance Writing Scams Philip Hensher stirs debate among authors after refusing to write for free Paying bills with a drawing of…
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Podcast Episode 62: How to meet – and exceed – your clients’ needs

Podcast
[tweetherder]Retaining existing freelance clients is generally much easier than constantly finding new ones[/tweetherder], so it's important to ensure that you are always seeking to meet, and exceed, their expectations. If someone hires you, make sure you are impressive! In this podcast episode, Lorrie and I recommend various ways to make sure that you correctly identify the needs of your clients, and how to go about meeting them. Show Notes Episode 18: How to network like a ninja Episode 13: How to be responsive and flexible without losing the plot Lousy Book Covers Lorrie's favourite lousy book cover I couldn't decide whether this one or this one was the best / worst. Free Download: 50 customizable call-to-action templates There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told…
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Podcast Episode 61: How To Start Freelancing In 2014

Podcast
Sometimes the hardest thing is to just get started, so if you are really committed to making freelance writing your full-time business, in this solo episode Lorrie outlines her freelance business planning blueprint. Follow her suggestions to be up and running as a freelance writer in just six weeks. Show Notes ALBTM 17 - How To Create An Editorial Calendar ALBTM 18 - How To Network Like A Ninja ALBTM 20 - Goalplanning: your freelance writing aims for 2013 ALBTM 23 - How to decide what to charge for your freelance writing services ALBTM 24 - The art of getting paid ALBTM 25 - why and How to Charge More For Your Freelance Writing Monthly budget template http://www.copyblogger.com/create-content-infographic/ Akismet Limit login attempts There are several ways to make sure that…
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Podcast Episode 36: Visual clues to professionalism

Podcast
  Working from home might feel like an endless opportunity to work in your pyjamas, but there are times when it is really important to think about your visual appearance - including the appearance of your website and social media profile pages. In this episode, Lorrie and I talk about lots of aspects of your visual presentation, including how you need to prepare for Skype conversations, and how to choose a business name.         Show Notes   How to name your business: Facebook discussion   The top 50 most embarrassing domain names ever purchased   Clients from Hell   The Essentials of Reuters sourcing   Coursera   There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me.   Subscribe…
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Podcast Episode 35: No portfolio? No problem. Get writing work without published clips.

Podcast
We ran out of storage space for our earliest episodes. But fear not, we have made these many, many hours of freelance writing goodness available for just £10. If you want access to them all, please click Add to Cart and buy through our e-junkie account for instant access. Lots of new freelance writers fear that they will never get any work because they don't have published articles or novels already. However, when you remember that every successful freelancer started out in the same way, it becomes clear that it is definitely possible to get hired as a writer even if you have no clips to show. But how, exactly? In this podcast episode, I go through lots of different ways to get yourself some clips, build up your portfolio,…
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Podcast Episode 34: Sociable or Spammy? Pitching your marketing to be enticing, not annoying

Podcast
We ran out of storage space for our earliest episodes. But fear not, we have made these many, many hours of freelance writing goodness available for just £10. If you want access to them all, please click Add to Cart and buy through our e-junkie account for instant access. Freelancers need to constantly market themselves and their services in order to keep the work coming in. To make sure that your self-promotional efforts hit the mark and don't put potential clients off or even offend them, Lorrie and I made this podcast episode to summarise some of the most crucial dos and don'ts for four different marketing platforms. Show Notes Buffer App Condescending Corporate Brand Page Writing a Better Elevator Pitch How to work long periods at your desk and…
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Podcast Episode 33: How to deal with a crisis of faith

Podcast
We ran out of storage space for our earliest episodes. But fear not, we have made these many, many hours of freelance writing goodness available for just £10. If you want access to them all, please click Add to Cart and buy through our e-junkie account for instant access. Freelancing can be a really tough business. While it's a common preconception that working from home and working for yourself are an easy ride, like any other job being a freelance copywriter has its ups and downs. In this solo episode, Lorrie discusses what to do if you feel like your freelance writing career has reached crisis point. She talks about how to tell the difference between a career crisis and a temporary blip, and outlines a number of helpful solutions…
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