Are you a freelance
copywriter working from home? If so, you’ve probably
been on the project bidding war sites, like elance.com. You’ve
probably seen ads like this:
"How insulting!" you think to
yourself, and yet sheer curiosity lures you to the bidding
area. What do you see? Lowbrow bidders losing their minds...
chomping at the bit for this embarrassing offer: "Bid:
$500." "Bid: $300."
All of this is doing a number on your head.
You start second-guessing your own worth. "Damn. Is that
the going rate? This is what I have to compete with other
writers for to get jobs? Jeez." And there you sit, mired
in self-doubt and confusion.
To the poster of the high-volume, low-budget
article job: I’m sorry - WHAT? You want FIFTY articles
in one month, and you’re going to pay me no more than
$500 dollars to write them, AND I don’t even get any
free promotion out of the deal? No way. Not taking that bait,
honey. Thanks for the skimpy offer, though.
People, let’s think this over a minute.
Unless you plan to pimp out some interns who are willing to
do the work anonymously AND for free (a preposterous notion
in itself), why would you ever agree to this project? If you
researched and wrote two articles a day you could have this
done in a month, but it would encompass most of your time
for that month... and when you were done you wouldn’t
even have enough money to make your rent!
Jobs like this are what I call "Copywriter
Sweatshop Jobs" and should be avoided at all costs. Why?
Because freelance websites who pit writer against writer for
the lowest rate have one-up on the writers. Not just you personally,
but ALL the writers. If you play the game, you end up working
your tail off for virtually no profit, and guess who comes
out the big winner? The buyer, and the bidding website. But
not you, dear writer! Not you.
Think about it. You’re already paying
for a subscription to be listed on the site. You have to pay
again if you want to upgrade to some shnazzy, portfolio-having
status. You’re required to pay a percentage of the job
that you bidded on and won. So how is this a big cash cow
for you as a freelance writer?
It isn’t. You know you’re going to bust your hump
putting out a quality piece for these people. So don’t
undercut your ability. And above all, don’t worry that
some low bidder got the job and you didn’t. If the buyer
only wants to pay chump change, you don’t want the job
anyway!
Am I trying to tell you to boycott project
bidding war websites? No, certainly not. But if you, as a
seasoned copywriter know that a
project is going to take you 10 hours to complete, and you
typically charge $60 an hour, then DO NOT AGREE TO DO THE
PROJECT FOR $250 instead of $600. It doesn't matter what the
buyer says his budget is. Make your bid for $600, and then
quietly walk away.
Life doesn’t come easy for a freelancer.
As a sole proprietor, you have no corporate safety net. You
must pay for your own health insurance benefits. You are responsible
for every aspect of your home business, from promoting to
customer service to budgeting to website
design to outsourcing. If you can do all this on your
own, you are nobody’s bitch. So don’t play the
role of one!
In many ways, big companies do far better
in terms of productivity when they hire freelancers to do
their work. Why? A freelancer is going to do a more efficient
and more thorough job, because of the codependent nature of
the relationship. The reasoning: "If you don't like my
work, you won't hire me again." Meanwhile, the salaried
guy with a fat benefits package is sitting at his desk making
personal calls, surfing the net and looking forward to his
two-hour liquid lunch. Where's the justice?
Corporations save thousands of dollars when
they contract projects out instead of hire full-timers. They
can surely afford your copywriting
services at a price that reflects your level of talent
and professionalism. Smart companies know that quality work
will cost them some money; and yes, they WILL pay for your
expert services. Settle for nothing less than a respectable
fee. Not sure what that is? Go do some online homework. Find
out what others are charging. Consider your location (big
city clients pay more), your level of expertise and copywriting
credentials.
If every copywriter
stood his or her ground when it came to fees, no buyer on
that bidding site would be able to ask an insulting sum of
money for his project. So instead of seeing other writers
as competition, view them as your comrades. If we work against
each other, we devalue ourselves. Take a stand, stick to your
guns, and watch the good-paying jobs roll in. End of story.
