For $10/Hour, You Should Write “Perfect” Copy, and Lots Of It
By Tom Chandler on Jun 12, 2008 in Business of Freelancing, Copywriting, Writing
While they’re only paying $10/hour, this MediaBistro ad tells us Mahalo’s looking for writers who:
Candidates must be excellent writers capable of writing perfect copy at a fast pace. Familiarity with online research, journalism, and wiki markup language are all definite pluses.
It’s always heartwarming to see an American tech company attempting to pay offshore prices for onshore work, but then again, this is hardly new.
To some, “Web 2.0″ is about interactivity and connectedness. To others, it’s a license to profit from the intellectual work product of others, and those leading the rush to trample intellectual property rights are often technology companies.
Will this intellectual property land rush subside? Obviously, not as long as “writers” are willing to work for poverty level wages, or even worse, trading work for “exposure” when that exposure can’t really be translated to a living wage.
There have always been the Users and the Used. Don’t be one of the latter.
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
(hat tip to Valleywag)
Very well put, Tom.
I saw this job advert on Mahalo founder Jason Calacanis’ blog and did marvel slightly at his chutzpah.
He’s expecting tech startup levels of skill and enthusiasm for pay that’s slightly below the UK minimum wage…
Roland | Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
You mean the entry where he wrote: “but at $10 an hour working from home there aren’t many jobs out there that beat it.”
I disagree.
For someone with their described skillset, there are plenty of jobs that beat it.
Longtime freelancers will note the ubiquitous “there’s better work down the road” pitch later in the post.
If only I had $10 for every time I’ve heard that…
Tom Chandler | Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
Thanks, Tom.
I’ve been checking out sites like Elance and was shocked at how little people want to pay for a writer’s work. It’s as though they think that if you have a talent for something, you don’t have to work at it. Maybe it’s because people use words every day that they think they should be as inexpensive as tap water.
Robyn | Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
This is what I say to my copywriting students about fees/pricing: in the biz world there are 2 main groups - revenue generation and service support, sort of my version of the hunter/gatherer analogy.
Copywriters are revenue generators. We bring home the fresh meat. Price yourself on value/experience. Smart clients recognize this and pay accordingly.
On the other hand, in the brand new post Web 2.0 world, we’re nurturing an entire generation who apparently doesn’t value any sort of intellectual property (e.g. music, etc.) and thinks all work product should be free.
It’s a push/pull of the worst kind. Worster (nice English, huh) in a tough, getting tougher economy.
Roberta Rosenberg | Jun 13, 2008 | Reply
Robyn: Copywriters would do themselves favors if they avoided sites like eLance - which exist for the benefit of eLance - and focused on acquiring their own clients.
Roberta: Right again. When the economy goes away, the closer to a revenue stream you are, the safer your budgets will be.
As for the Web 2.0 stuff, I have to say it’s a little depressing.
Several high-tech “pundits” have recently made comments along the lines of “musicians/creatives should give away their music and make money on live performances,” which nicely meets the needs of those looking for billion-dollar valuations of user-generated content sites, though it doesn’t leave much for creatives.
As you noted, copywriters bring home the meat, but the same “work product is free” attitude is creeping into the industry, though mostly in the social media end of things.
One client was willing to pay my normal rate for a Web site (well, close), but wanted ongoing “content” for a blog at $10/400 word article prices.
Greedy bastard, or harbinger of the future?
Tom Chandler | Jun 13, 2008 | Reply
Hey Tom - great post and I totally agree.
But I disagree with your comment saying copywriters should avoid Elance. When I started out as a freelance writer a year ago, I had no idea where to start…so I used Elance to build my portfolio.
As my career has developed, I no longer need Elance projects for that reason, but I still throw out 5-10 bids a month (without lowering my increased rates) to see if anything is there. I’m usually one of the highest bids and, believe it or not, I get more interviews, projects, money, and repeat work from the site than ever before.
While I would caution copywriters to be quite picky on Elance, I wouldn’t tell them to avoid it. In fact, I think it’s a great place to connect with people that need copywriting. Unlike direct mail or other marketing, which I also recommend…these people are actually actively searching for copywriters out of their own efforts…sure, 8/10 of them might be cheap, but the other two are golden.
My only other recommendation - write a damn good bid. If you want to get paid fairly, make it a mini sales letter explaining your services and why ROI is more important than cost per page. Lower the risk, guarantee results, and make a cheap site like Elance provide quality work for you!
Chad | Jun 13, 2008 | Reply
Great article.
I must agree with with everything you said. One thing to consider are people starting out.
It could be reasonable for newbies to take on work at this price. As one of the other comments said, it’s used to build a portfolio.
But for what their requirements are… that’s crazy.
Jay Simcic - Copywriter | Jun 14, 2008 | Reply
Tom, to answer your question: it’s both.
Roberta Rosenberg | Jun 15, 2008 | Reply
Yes, if the $10 per 400 words doesn’t drive you away, it is certainly the expectation of perfection, and the promise of “more to come”. If you accept $10 per article now, why is he going to give you more later?
In my experience, no good comes of working with people who make these promises and/or expectations, no matter what the pay.
~Graham
Graham Strong | Jun 16, 2008 | Reply
Great post, Tom.
Whenever I see these kinds of offers, I think of the buyer’s rule of 2. There are generally three things a buyer wants, but they can only get 2:
1. Cheap
2. Good
3. Fast
You can get any of these 2, but you can’t get all 3.
M. | Jun 16, 2008 | Reply
It’s an increasingly common trend, unfortunately. Because everybody can write, people tend to devalue the skills and experience of a professional writer. In addition there seems to be a pool of people willing to work for minimum wage churning out copy. The result is that some companies pay low fees for poor quality work and don’t know the difference. It’s just frustrating to waste one’s time trying to educate them and to explain the value of good writing. My view? Go to companies that know what they want, expect good work and pay for it.
Matthew Stibbe | Jun 17, 2008 | Reply
Graham: Yes, the whole “work cheap now and you’ll get to work cheaper later” model has always been good for a laugh.
M: I don’t even think “good” and “cheap” can be had together, regardless of delivery time. Still, your point is taken, and I’m reminded of my post on negotiation; never give anything without getting something in return.
Matthew: The Internet is certainly fueling the “write in your PJs for minimum wage” trend, but I believe Web 2.0’s rather active disregard for the concept of intellectual property isn’t helping much…
Tom Chandler | Jun 17, 2008 | Reply
I agree with the concensus here but apart from anything else, what exactly is ‘perfect copy’???
Sarah | Jun 18, 2008 | Reply
Good question. And I can’t begin to imagine what $10 worth of perfect might look like…
Tom Chandler | Jun 18, 2008 | Reply
That does seem like an excellent rate for copy writing in the US, after all it takes out the extra time you have to spend looking over a copy written by a person whom is non English speaker. Even better for me as that is only £5 per hour! a bargain.
John Scotland | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply