When looking for a freelance writing job, watch out for these 4 red flags.
You’re new to writing for hire. And what’s this? Your main concern is if a freelance writing opportunity is a scam or is actually legitimate. How can you tell if a freelance writing position listed on a job board is legitimate and indeed a decent assignment to land? Since I’ve been working as a freelance writer, I’ve seen several potential jobs that either scream fraud or are not worthwhile for me. I’m all about simple, ongoing jobs where I can get rewarded for my worthwhile work. I now work with startups and established digital brands, but this wasn’t always the case. I accepted each internet writing job that was offered. In order to get compensated, I typed the following as a new freelancer:
- Smart gadgets
- Cars
- VFX
- Allergies
- Productivity
- using social media
- Dentistry
- work from home
- WordPress
Most of these jobs were discovered on various job boards or via inbound leads (people contacting me for my services). I’m still in touch with the owners of some of those gigs or continue to write for them. But don’t misunderstand me; I didn’t simply apply to any freelance position I came across. I looked for warning signs that would suggest that this job was a sham, wouldn’t compensate me for my work, or wasn’t actually available. Many of these open positions treated independent writers like a commodity. And while I go into more detail about this in my course on freelance writing, let’s start with an outline of what to watch out for while looking for a job as a freelance writer
Freelance Writing Job Wanting a Free Sample
Look, I’m all in favor of free writing.
You did read that correctly.
If you are brand-new to freelance writing, you must start from scratch. In a sense, you have to “pay your dues”. This entails writing for no charge by
Launching a blog
Developing portfolio sample
Guest appearance
However, if you are looking for work and the job description requests a special sample from you (without mentioning that it is a paid sample), you shouldn’t apply for the position.
Particularly if the job description almost seems like one from a content mill, which is looking for volume content for very little remuneration, this organization or website is looking for free content.
I definitely avoid these gigs!
Freelance Writing Job Wanting You to Write
Don’t you wish you could create stuff as quickly and in-depthly as Neil Patel? Can I share a secret with you? Neil has many blogs and writes a blog post every day for each of them (he also has blogs in various languages), therefore I’m very sure he has content writers that assist him. Check out this blog and the caliber of the writing if you are not familiar with Gigz. Thus, without considering their own audience, small business owners and marketers who read his blogs immediately assume that the content is relevant to them. And they anticipate that you will produce this kind of content when they place a job ad for a freelance writer. However, I’ll only pay you a pittance for that information. I create in-depth, sector-specific material for digital marketing that can be up to 5,000 words long. I charge $200 for the first 500 words for that. It takes me days to research, create, and perfect this kind of content. I hope the companies with whom I work value my writing as much as I do my time. However, if “Gigz” appears in a job advertisement, I stop looking at the position. This industry has high standards and could not think highly of me as a writer. So please don’t interfere with those gigs!
There is No Online Presence for the Brand or Business
- If the brand has no internet presence, that could be a possible red signal for a freelance writing job post. As an online writer, I need to acquire a sense of the company or brand to see whether I would be a good fit. This company won’t pay you what you are worth if they are discreet about that (or if they are a brand-new startup). To start their company off, they are looking for affordable content in large quantities. Of course, I might be in error. Even if some high-quality companies don’t have an online presence, by getting in touch with them and learning more about their operations, you may determine whether they are genuine and reputable.
- However, generally speaking, if they don’t have a Facebook page, a business website, a LinkedIn profile, or a Twitter account, they shouldn’t apply for this position either!
The project is enormous, yet the gig pays very little
- Even while I’m all for writing for free, I’m not for working long hours for meager income. Your time is not worth it, and this does not constitute “paying your dues.” If the content initiative is tiny, a low-paying job would be acceptable to me. For instance, brief projects of 30 minutes or 300–500 words that I can complete quickly.
- However, if this activity will take you hours or days, everyday freelance writing tasks would be a lot better use of your time. Therefore, pay
- attention to the quantity, kind, and price of the stuff they seek. Now, what happens if the job posting for a freelance writer doesn’t list a pay rate? Then it would be a risk worth taking. Send your proposal for freelance writing, and if someone asks your rate in response, give them your highest rate. If they don’t hire you, it won’t hurt you, but if they do, congratulations—you’ve found your dream job!
