Question / Discussion Freelance Writing Work

Jon

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Ah It's OK they've paid now.

I do not like this paying to 'pay to pitch' thing on upwork you know. Seems a right con
 

Jon

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Just did the video verification with upwork. Super easy!
 

Jon

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Well my journey with Upwork is going quite well

PPH is so so, fiverr is dead, fivesquid is dead but yeah Upwork is what's going well for me.

I've got a few repeat clients on there now that are throwing work at me weekly and I've got a handful also that I've managed to make them move over and order directly on ContentConga because it's cheaper due to the fact I don't have to factor in the Upwork Service Charge

Every time I Pay for 'connects' to bid for jobs on there it still winds me up no end lol
 
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Jon

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Still going well with UpWork. PPH seems to be a dead duck for me but I keep pitching.

With Upwork I've done thousands of dollars worth of content now through Content Conga so the work IS on there if you want to get into freelance writing and I've had great success transitioning people OFF upwork into ordering direct on CC when I charge them less as I don't have to factor in the Upwork service charge

There's a LOT of silly ' I want 1000 words for $10' type jobs posted on there but there are also some real treasures and it's VERY easy to keep repeat custom going on that platform!
 

Jon

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@Jon, do UpWork charge you to pitch for a job? If so, how much?
yes they bloody do and it winds me up no end lol

you 'purchase' a number of connects, I think it's $14 for 70 or something and you can use those connects to pitch for jobs

The entire site is just a money gravy train. The freelancers pay to pitch and the clients have 20% of their fee taken for the 'upwork service fee' lol
 
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Jon

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Fiverr continues to wind me up (or rather the customers on it)

Someone ordered a 500 word article around personal finance. Fine, got it created, sent it back and they then put it through some plagiarism' checker which has given them results like this

Y01XhLu.png


So the site claims the content I gave them is 70% plagiarised and want the whole thing re-written

sod that!!
 

Jute

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Fiverr continues to wind me up (or rather the customers on it)

Someone ordered a 500 word article around personal finance. Fine, got it created, sent it back and they then put it through some plagiarism' checker which has given them results like this

Y01XhLu.png


So the site claims the content I gave them is 70% plagiarised and want the whole thing re-written

sod that!!
You'd struggle to avoid those keywords in such an article I would have thought.
 

Jon

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You'd struggle to avoid those keywords in such an article I would have thought.
yeah it's total bobbins

they were using this site to plagiarism check

and yes it's Russian lol
 
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Jon

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I see Upwork now gives you 20 free 'Connects' when you get invited to Interviews
 

nate99

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Hey just thought it was worth asking on here.
Any advice/info for a beginner.
Looked at the Fiverr/Upwork.
Any other stuff I may have missed.
Hard to get consistent earnings?

Thanks

Nate
 

Jon

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Hey just thought it was worth asking on here.
Any advice/info for a beginner.
Looked at the Fiverr/Upwork.
Any other stuff I may have missed.
Hard to get consistent earnings?

Thanks

Nate
I would say sites like Upwork / Fiverr etc are great when you are starting out.

You do have to accept you may have to do 'lowball' offers while you build up experience but further down the line you can charge more.

Having a niche is always a good thing as well, what can YOU write well about that other's can't?

I know the likes of @Iain @EdibleDormouse and even our very own @katykicker does paid freelance writing so may have some advice
 
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EdibleDormouse

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I would say sites like Upwork / Fiverr etc are great when you are starting out.

You do have to accept you may have to do 'lowball' offers while you build up experience but further down the line you can charge more.

Having a niche is always a good thing as well, what can YOU write well about that other's can't?

I know the likes of @Iain @EdibleDormouse and even our very own @katykicker does paid freelance writing so may have some advice
Hi @nate99 - message me if you want advice. I mostly work on People Per Hour with the occasional dip into Fiverr (I only have one client there, but it is regular, it's a very niche subject - opera singer autographs and memorabilia - and it is very well-paid). PPH can be a strange beast (although it works for me!) so if you want help setting up a profile there and getting a start, let me know and I'll help all I can.

One thing I will say here, so everyone can see is don't be tempted to lowball to get the job. The standard rate for 500 words is £20-25, so stick to this. Don't be distracted by other writers bidding less - they're either trying to get their foot in the door (and going about it the wrong way!) or they're working for a churn farm somewhere for $1 per hour. You get to recognise the signs. You also need to factor in site and PayPal fees to make sure you're not earning below minimum wage.

You WILL speed up. I can turn out 500 words in half an hour or so if it's a topic I either know a lot about, or know how to research quickly.

PS: I've just done my tax return for 2019-2020, and I earned £7000 from PPH alone (and in the 'before times', I wasn't even remotely doing it as a full-time job). It's possible to make a good living if you stick at it.
 
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Jon

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Fatjoe and copify also hire writers endlessly
 
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nate99

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Hi @nate99 - message me if you want advice. I mostly work on People Per Hour with the occasional dip into Fiverr (I only have one client there, but it is regular, it's a very niche subject - opera singer autographs and memorabilia - and it is very well-paid). PPH can be a strange beast (although it works for me!) so if you want help setting up a profile there and getting a start, let me know and I'll help all I can.

One thing I will say here, so everyone can see is don't be tempted to lowball to get the job. The standard rate for 500 words is £20-25, so stick to this. Don't be distracted by other writers bidding less - they're either trying to get their foot in the door (and going about it the wrong way!) or they're working for a churn farm somewhere for $1 per hour. You get to recognise the signs. You also need to factor in site and PayPal fees to make sure you're not earning below minimum wage.

You WILL speed up. I can turn out 500 words in half an hour or so if it's a topic I either know a lot about, or know how to research quickly.

PS: I've just done my tax return for 2019-2020, and I earned £7000 from PPH alone (and in the 'before times', I wasn't even remotely doing it as a full-time job). It's possible to make a good living if you stick at it.
Wow good rate for 500 words - comparing it to the typical low Fiverr ones I see!
Thanks for the info
 

Iain

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@nate99 sorry but only just seen this post.

I got into this from a previous business that I had. I was writing blog posts on a regular basis for myself and my business partner.

My first venture into freelance was through Fiverr and then the likes of Copify. Copify starts off paying 1p per word so it is hard work to generate a decent income, but it gets you use to you writing for a variety of sectors and doing it under tight deadlines. You are usually given a few hours. Once you have done 25 articles for them, depending on the feedback you have had, they give you professional writer status. It has taken me from the 1p per word up to between 2p and, very rarely, 4p.

I have to say that the worst experience I had was on People Per Hour. By the time fees were taken into account, it worked out as less than 1p per word. It must work long term as people stick at it - I just found the initial rates a little insulting, but maybe that was down to me and my poor profile?

There are times when I can write 500 words in around half an hour. Other articles where it requires more research can take a lot longer so its hard to say what an hourly rate would be . I have had days where I have earned over £200 and others where I've struggled to hit £20. It all balances out in the end though.

I know Edibledormouse has already offered, but if you want to know anything else, feel free to send a message.
 
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katykicker

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I would say sites like Upwork / Fiverr etc are great when you are starting out.

You do have to accept you may have to do 'lowball' offers while you build up experience but further down the line you can charge more.

Having a niche is always a good thing as well, what can YOU write well about that other's can't?

I know the likes of @Iain @EdibleDormouse and even our very own @katykicker does paid freelance writing so may have some advice
My work really just comes from either word of mouth from other bloggers OR from businesses/brands seeing my 'work with me' page (or whatever I've called it!) and getting in touch! I charge a LOT more than UpWork / Fiverr etc BUT I think they're a great starting block for sure! Some people make 6 figures a year just from those sites (not me sadly!) - great if you can writing seller pages or have a niche.
 

MagicMonkey

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People Per Hour is definitely the best site in the UK for this type of work in terms of job board sites and just getting started....

But....there are a couple of other, potentially better, opportunities for you
1. If you've got specialist expertise or interests email the top sites in your niche areas asking if they are interested in articles produced by you - you can charge much higher prices if you're good on a particular topic and you'll have a lot more fun
2. Email marketing agencies (digital marketing agencies in particular) and offer yourself to them as a freelance copywriter. They tend to pay well and the work is fairly regular
3. Google "websites that pay you to write for them" - there are lots of big name websites out there who offer really good rates - and it's one of the best ways to increase your portfolio.

Hope that helps and good luck
 

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