Killing Our Profession

Yesterday, I read an article online about a writer who charges $4.00 per article.

Are you numb with disbelief? Is your blood boiling? Maybe you’re in denial. Or perhaps you want to cry?

Don’t be ashamed of the emotions you’re feeling. They’re all stages in the grieving process. It’s perfectly natural to experience these feelings when hacks like this are slowly killing our profession.

Is hack too harsh a word? Am I being unfair?

No. He himself admits he is a hack in the article.

He doesn’t worry about grammar. He doesn’t proof. He just takes other people’s work and rehashes it in his own words. He works fast too. He cranks out two articles an hour. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math. At $4.00 an article, he’s ringing in a whopping $8.00 an hour. That’s just a hair above minimum wage. He’s an admitted minimum wage writer.

What does that do to those of us asking for a fair wage? As a business owner, would you rather pay $4.00 an hour or $50.00?

Writers like him are chipping away at the value of our work. They are misleading business owners by making them think they can get quality work for next to nothing.

But then again, maybe they’re not looking for quality work. Maybe they just want to post whatever the hell they can on their Web site just so they have some content.

Which brings us to the second reason writers like this are killing our profession…they’re turning out pedestrian work. What impression will a writer like this leave when he turns in copy filled with misspellings and grammatical errors? What will his client think of freelance writers as a whole? Will his client hire a freelance writer again?

There is only one solution to stop writers like this and restore respect to our work.

Deport them.

No. Just kidding!

We must have nerves of Steele. We must only work for a fair wage. Granted, we all get anxious about securing contracts. We entertain those ads on Craigslist offering $5.00 an article for a real estate Web site. Some even under bid other writers on subscription services like Elance, Guru, and Freelance Exchange.

But we must stop…otherwise we’ll all be writing for $4.50 an hour and supplementing our income as a fry cook at McDonalds.

Would you like to Super-Size that, ma’am?

Dan Tarker
Cyrano.biz

10 Reasons to Hire a Freelance Writer

10 Reasons to Hire a Freelance Writer?

The other day a friend of mine asked me the question every writer just about to take the leap into the freelance world cringes upon hearing: ‘Why should I hire a writer when I can do it myself?”

I have to admit it was a question I was not able to answer at first. I looked up at my ceiling fan, bit my bottom lip, and replied with absolute confidence and certainty: “Uh…I don’t really know.”

My friend, who is a business owner, shook his head. He wasn’t trying to bate me into admitting my lack business planning, but his question proved to be an important lesson. As the owner and operator of a security firm, he is constantly inundated by telemarketers trying to sell him flashlights, infrared goggles, and Batman-like utility belts.

Now imagine you’re him. Would you have the time to listen to all the sales pitches he receives on a daily basis? Of course not. Like him, you would want to know what the telemarketer is offering in ten seconds or less. Get to the point. Keep it brief. Make it clear and crisp. What’s the benefit to him and why should he work with you?

Since copywriting, or any kind of business oriented writing, requires the writer to engage in a fair amount of self-marketing in order to be successful, every freelance writer should be able to explain his service in ten seconds or less.

But before we boil our reasons down into a ten second blurb, let us examine in more detail the ten reasons a business or non-profit should hire a freelance writer.

Save Time: Most business owners, corporate executives, or executive directors are already losing enough sleep worrying about balancing their books, negotiating with vendors, or managing boards of directors. Why take on the added burden of having to write a press release about your business’ latest accolade? Hiring a freelance writer to take care of writing tasks will free a business owner up to focus on what she does best—run his business.

Fresh Perspective: True, nobody knows a business better than its owner. However, a freelance writer is not only more likely to look at a business more objectively, but he is also liable to offer fresh insight that just may invigorate the business or not-profit’s message or sales pitch in ways the owner never could have imagined.

Increase Sales: Sales, of course, are the bottom line. Businesses want customers to purchase their goods or services. A good copywriter will produce copy that shows the customer the benefits of those goods or services. How will this bug zapper improve my quality of life? Will this Chia Pet wig really keep my head warm…and make me look fashionable at the same time?

Expertise: Do business owners do their own taxes, perform their own medical check-ups, or fight their own legal battles? No. They hire accountants, doctors, and lawyers? Why? Because these are experts in their fields. Make no mistake; a writer is an expert in his or her field as well. Nobody is born a good writer. It takes study, practice, and training. If you won’t trust your Aunt Martha to give your SUV a tune-up, don’t trust her with your ad copy.

Save Money: Hiring a freelance writer is cheaper than hiring an advertising agency that is likely to outsource to a freelance writer anyway—at double the expense.

Good Collaborators: Collaboration is part of the business. A good freelance writer will have experience collaborating with designers, editors, proofreaders, publishers, business owners, printers, and Web designers with a pleasant and amiable smile on his face. Ego gets you nowhere as a business writer.

Specialized Knowledge: Many freelancers specialize in certain areas such as direct marketing, non-profit arts groups, or education. In this case, a business is not only purchasing writing skills, but specialized knowledge as well. Two benefits for the price of one.

Establish an Ongoing Relationship: Once a business owner has worked with a writer she is comfortable with, she can develop an ongoing relationship with the writer. This just isn’t a benefit to the writer (who is banking on repeat customers), but it also benefits the business owner. The more a writer works with a business or non-profit, the more he will understand its products and services, and the more confidently he can write about them.

Make a Positive impression: You can have the most beautifully designed brochure or Web site in the world, but if it doesn’t have compelling content, then you won’t keep your audience’s attention. And if you don’t keep your audience’s attention, you don’t make a sale. Good writing not only leaves a customer with a good impression about what you have to offer, it also entices them to continue reading about your goods or services, which increases your chances of making a sale. There’s that bottom line again.

Give Legitimacy: A good copywriter will not just hard sell…she will sell by informing. In this advertising saturated age, most consumers are fairly savvy readers. They’re turned off by buzz words and hyperbole. A professional writer can provide copy that is well researched, informative, and persuasive.

Given these ten reasons to hire a professional freelance writer, I now know how I would respond to my friend in ten seconds or less should he again ask me: “Why should I hire a freelance writer when I can do it myself?”

“Simple. A freelance writer can save you time and money, increase sales, provide expertise and a fresh perspective, ensure people finish reading your copy, guarantee customers will be left with a positive impression about your business, dive into collaborative assignments with enthusiasm, and nurture an ongoing relationship with your business that will be mutually beneficial.”

And if anyone asks you to explain…you have the answers above.

Dan Tarker
Cyrano.biz