How to Make Free Writing Pay
October 23, 2009 by Chris Garrett
Filed under Fair Pay
I was having a conversation with Deb where we happened to get onto the subject of “low paying writing gigs”.
Woah, is that ever a controversial subject!
Well, I am going to drop a cup of kerosene on that particular fire and tell you why I often write for free and it is totally worth it.
Yup, zero denero. Zilch. Squat. Nada. Nowt. Not-a-bean. But I make it pay off and big.
We all like lists. Here is a list of ten reasons why you might write for free.
10 Rewards from Free Articles
- Visibility – If I write on a high visibility blog or website then I get more exposure. Same if I write for a print trade magazine or if I do public speaking. In return for getting in front of an audience I supply some free content. That viibility directly translates into increased profit.
- Links – Search engine results are driven by lots of high quality links. If you want good links then writing free articles for websites or print publications with a web archive is an excellent way to do that. Do you know how much a permanent link with your own choice of anchor text is worth on a high profile blog? Not that most high profile blogs would even sell you a link for any amount of money.
- Traffic – The links or website mentions in your articles have the potential to send many, well-targeted, brand-new visitors. What would 1,000 visitors cost you in advertising? I have had 500 word articles send way more than that.
- Subscribers – Rather than just send visitors to your homepage, try sending them to a newsletter “ethical bribe” and watch your subscriptions boost. How much would you pay to grow your email list?
- Sales leads – I am still getting sales leads from articles I wrote years ago. Write in a way that provides value but shows you can offer even more if only the reader was smart enough to hire you, heh. What is a warm lead worth to you?
- Portfolio – When you are first starting out you need to get whatever work experience you can to show potential customers or employers what you are capable of.
- Credibility – Associating your name with that of a known brand works well to establish your reputation. Write for the correct publication and doors open.
- Networking – If you appear in a well known website then you can attract more connections, and do not forget the site owner and colleagues.
- Practice – Writing muscles get better with practice. Some people write a diary or free-write, I put my words to use.
- Pleasure – I have written on topics from dental drills to drug rehab. I’m always much happier writing for friends about subjects that interest me, like this.
You may not agree with all ten, you might have a different set of rewards, or think I am crazy to write for free at all. I don’t really mind, it works for me.
Writing is not my full time job, but I still have regular writing gigs and have my own sites that I write for. I write articles and I do copywriting. On occasion I even teach others to do the same. I have been called on to write about all kinds of topics, just this week I have written about Microsoft Excel, Travel and Social Media. Can you tell how much I got paid by looking at my writing? I hope not! I put in the same effort this free article as I do my highest paying work, and I think you should too.
It gets on my nerves when people say that because they wouldn’t take a particular gig that nobody else should either. Sorry but that is just daft. My clients pay me $250 an hour for consulting and my writing clients routinely pay me $650 for a single article. I don’t have to take free gigs. My point is, if I can make free pay, perhaps on occasion it is worth giving those people who take lower pay than you would accept the benefit of the doubt.
Think further than the dollars and cents per word or hour and play a bigger game.
I write a lot for free, too, though usually I do get something in exchange, as my topic is music, and that tends to come with tickets, interview ops, CDs etc that you get to keep for yourself. So it does have its benefits, and it definitely gets my work out there. As long as I can find enough work to keep the finances ticking over, Im more than happy
Interesting. You gave me a few concepts to turn over for the rest of the day. Thanks.
Very good list.
As no one has yet offered to pay me for my writing, free is all I have! I look at it as an investment for the future. Hopefully, this free writing will all pay off one day.
I do bill pretty high for technical consulting writing in my field, but that seems to be pretty soft market right now.
I used to love to write for free. However, it became a chore when the sites began requiring a certain number of submissions per week. When it becomes an obligation, I no longer consider it beneficial.
Good food for thought.