Advice for Copywriters:
How to Win the Freelance Bidding War
By Dina Giolitto
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:
"Need 50 Articles Ghostwritten. 500-800 Words.
Budget: $250-$500.
Time frame: one month."
"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... champing 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. "Darn. 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.
Writer friends, 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
bid on and win. 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 ten 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 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 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.
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