How helpful are SEO conferences for someone looking for work, ? I'm planning on attending one next month, and It will cost me close to $2200 (flights, visa and accommodation). The speaker line up is people I've always looked up to so it will also be great to be in the same room with them.

But, I'm a freelance writer and currently on a bad slump workwise so I want it to be worthwhile investment.

Should I expect anything or just go with the flow and enjoy visiting a new country? And is there anything I can do to stand out at the networking sessions.

I've been slaving away at a content mill for 3 years and now their work is drying up (prolly because the clients they cater to are the type that could easily replace them with AI) so now I finally have enough motivation to go independent.

I know that the best strategy is to pick a niche, and the more specific it is, the better. Thing is I've written many articles in so many different niches that it's hard to narrow it down to one specialty. There are the ones I love, of course, but I can imagine those are oversaturated, as are any niches relating to an enjoyable hobby like fitness or travel.

So yeah, now I'm stuck with this. Another issue is that my portfolio isn't necessarily very massive as I only saved my articles there from a period of a few months, so it has a total of 30-40ish articles probably. And if I pick, say, fitness, then I'll have an even smaller selection of previous work to show off. Or should I just include samples from different niches even though I'll only specialise in one?

Sorry if this all seems basic to some of you but the field seems super difficult to get into even with years of experience to show for. I can't even imagine what it's like for someone just starting out.

I see postings for this company all the time (seeking freelance writers for various tech guides, articles, etc.) but there are no reviews on Glassdoor. Has anyone here worked with them?

Okay, I'm definitely a bit too invested in this situation but I'm a little confused by the interactions I've had with a prospect and wanted opinions from more experienced freelancers.

Basically, I reached out to them via cold email, then followed up a week later. Got a response that mentioned they were considering adding another writer onto their team and asked me for rates. I sent my rates, my email was opened a couple times but no reply. At this point I'm figuring it's a bust. Then I get a connection request from the prospect like a week later...but still no direct communication from them.

Am I reading into this too much to think there might still be a chance of working together? Maybe she's just busy? This is an industry I really want to get into, so I definitely got overly excited and am now disappointed. I guess that's just part of freelancing.

Hey all!

I'm planning on launching my own freelance SEO copywriting business sooner than later and currently work full-time for a digital marketing agency. I'll keep my full-time job for a while, but I'm worried about not being able to keep up with SEO trends after I quit.

We currently have various monthly meetings to discuss keyword placement, link integration, etc, and link articles we've read for background. I'm wondering how freelancers make sure they're not falling behind industry updates without meetings like these.

For example, when Google updates it's algorithms, how do you know how to update your SEO practices? Are there SEO industry newsletters you enjoy or trusted leaders you look up to for continuing education/updates/opinions? Or are there Reddit threads/communities for this? I'm still new to Reddit and have done tons of searching for various freelancing research over the last month, but haven't found anything like that.

I'd love to save a few resources so I don't feel like I'm using 2024 keyword/linking practices in future years when those have likely updated. I know how to find Google's search engine updates, but the language is honestly really confusing for me, so our team meetings help clarify stuff like that. I'd be pretty lost on my own.

Thanks for any recommendations in advance!

A potential client wants me to sign an NDA with him.

The thing of bother here is that the client is asking for my full name, province and country. I do not see a problem here but I have read here on this forum that asking for personal details isnt a part of an NDA.

What level of personal details are we talking about when we say that? Does my case curtail this alarm. Because I think my country and my name is listed on fiverr already. Province is the only inclusion.

Can anyone clarify?

I previously worked for them but then got let go with little to no explanation. I'm curious if anyone knows what happened and why they let most of their writers go? I had a good relationship with my editor and specialized knowledge of topics I was writing about. So, it was surprising when they let me go even after sending contracts for the upcoming year.

So I write for a lot of different places/agencies/mills, whatever, just so I have plenty of options in my back pocket. I had heard about a website called Contentoo and decided to apply about 6-8 months ago. After reviewing my samples they approved me and allowed me to add some of my previous work to my portfolio. Someone there said they'd have future projects for me to work on, but I never got anything from them. It didn't really bother me too much, since I have fortunately been busy enough to not need them, but it would've been nice to have the option available.

Fast forward to the other day when the company sent an email blast to everyone telling them they were updating their "quality standards." I figured I didn't have anything to worry about since I've never completed any projects for them. I was wrong.

Two days later they emailed me and told me they were removing my account because it "violates their new quality standards," then they proceeded to show me 3 ridiculous inconsequential corrections that they decided to make (as an example) from one of my portfolio pieces I added to my profile months ago. First off, those were the pieces I chose to add so future clients could look at them. Second, they were NOT work given to me from the platform and then paid to me by clients, and third, the "errors" they pointed out were subjective and there was nothing really wrong with what I had already written.

I replied and told them this was the most bonkers thing I have ever seen, then proceeded to block their sorry asses. /Fin.

Hi,

It's been a long time since I've written a freelance article involving the law. The last one was a long-form piece that involved a lot of research.
A legal marketing firm is interested in bringing me on as a freelancer. The person who runs the firm asked me my per-word rate. I'd appreciate recommendations on what I should charge. I don't know how much legal research will be involved, but I suspected that there will be some. By the way, I have and Juris Doctor and have spent most my career in legal journalism.

Thanks,

Liz

Hi, I have a client who I have to bill by the hour - I have a max number of hours each week, and I work on various projects within that, so I have to submit how many hours I spend on each project within the week. It's mostly writing but also general communications and I have a lot of responsibilities in the role, not just delivering one-off projects. Switching to flat-rate billing is not an option.

Given this, and that as I've been here longer and longer, the work takes less and less time, I'm trying to figure out how to handle my billing. Do I add an extra 10%? Just try to 'type' slower? This is a great role in an industry I want to be in, with really great people. Just this contract set-up is weird, and I don't want to look for other clients, since I make good money with them if I can fill my hours for the week.

Wondering what others do when you're 'stuck' with an hourly contract and have very high-level skills. I have years of experience and that's really what they're paying me for - but it's also shooting me in the foot a little.

Hi I am Lennon

I M a freelance writer from Zimbabwe. I started writing in 2020 for a content mill based in Africa. The rates were terrible but I got experience.

In 2021 I left the content mill with a healthy portfolio. I joined Upwork and within months I was makeing around $300 a month. This was a lot during that time.

I continued up untill late 2022 and things were a bit stable. I got my top freelancer badge and maintained my 100 percent JSS. One mistake I made though was I didn't niche down. I was a general content writer and wrote anything that came my way.

Late 2022 I took a break to focus on getting my degree and I did exactly that. When I canme back to Upwork in June 2023 everything had changed. AI had taken over and there was no space for generalists anymore. I struggled but eventually I took my L and decided to restrategise.

I opted to start a grant writing career. I did courses and got 2 gigs volunteering for non profits. It has been nearly a year now working as a grant writer. I made my first 600 as a grant writer last month from a few freelance contracts.

I wanted to ask if there is hope at the end of the grant writing tunnel. I love this part of writing to he honest and it helps me bring impact but it's taking a little bit of time for me to actually get a stable income from it. Is there anyone else that went from content writing to grant writing and succeeded ? Or is it just a dead end for my writing career?

I am about to start my first assignment as a freelancer. I'm supposed to write a series of articles (three in total) and I'm allowed to charge an hourly rate that's in the lower third of the average.

I've had a look at the website (one of the biggest in terms of reach in its segment) and see that the journalists there charge an average of 3000-5000 characters per article.

How many hours do I charge for this? I mean, anyone can invest 20 hours but also 2 hours in an article, depending on the qualitative approach or the requirements.

Thank you for any advice.

As the title says, I received an email that I've been permanently blocked from upwork. Is there any hope of being unblocked or should I forget about it ?

"Hi there!

Saw you on freelance writers. We're an ad agency looking to onboard a freelancer to write a few articles per month (1400 words)

If you're interested, please fill out this form:

(Link to google forms)

Will pay a deposit of course for our first pieces. Looking for a long term arrangement, and someone North America/UK based,

Thanks!"

For me, it looks to be a pretty low-effort attempt to get my personal information. If it was an actual agency, wouldn't they at least reveal their name? What do you think?

A relatively well-known content agency in my country posted openings for freelance writers in SaaS and B2B content. I have a bit of experience so I applied. Their form asked for samples so I attached those as well. This company asserts that they treat writers well, provide full briefs and outlines for content, and pay on time so i thought I'd give it a shot.

I got an email regarding an assignment for selection purposes. It was rather demanding for a free sample. They wanted complete outline for an article, along with research on first 2 pages of search results for that topic. They asked to specify how my outline is different from that generated by chatgpt based on a prompt they had given.

I responded to them asking how long is the article for which I'm to prepare an outline and when is the deadline for the task. The length of the article would significantly influence how detailed and extensive the outline would be, for example for an 800 word article vs an 8,000 word article. I never got a response.

People die of exposure and drown in pools. A writer pool is a like a secretarial pool. They'll call you up if they need you, and not for the best rates. If you need to do it for clips, be as selective as you can about who you write for, try to get your name on it if you can, and at least permission to use the work in your portfolio to get better work, not the same work. Then move on as soon as you have enough better work to supplant them. Secure your position on the step of the ladder where you are, and take a step up, transitioning as quickly and securely as you can. Get and keep plenty of work, but prefer something that is in some way better, more rewarding. I've been doing this full-time for 24 years. I know whereof I speak. I did it just this way.

Hi folks, first time poster here. I am a former journalist looking to pick up some freelance writing work (content writing in particular) while I look for a full-time job. I have six years of experience publishing stories across a wide range of beats, and an online portfolio to reflect my experience.

However, every freelance writing platform I've applied to has asked me to provide a 1000+ word unpaid writing sample. They are also on topics that require research, leaving me with almost a full day of unpaid work.

I did my time writing for free when I was in university. I haven't taken on unpaid work since then, and I really don't want to start again. Especially for platforms owned by tech companies that rake in millions, if not billions of dollars (looking at you Urban Writers). I have provided these unpaid samples in the past only to be ghosted completely.

This is partially a rant, but I am also open to advice if anyone has any. I am located in Canada and am well-aware of the white-collar recession that is happening. During my time as a reporter I mainly worked for community publications, and while I am well-versed in a variety of beats as I mentioned earlier, I don't have a specific "niche" that I've focused on, other than the ongoing opioid crisis. Unfortunately that topic does not seem to have a lot of paid work available-- but if there is I'd definitely love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading this y'all. I'm feeling very discouraged, since writing is my strongest skill, and it's starting to feel antiquated. I also have experience working in communications, but nowadays most of those positions (in Canada at least) have been merged with marketing, which I have no demonstrated experience in.

I thought the writers might like this interview. There’s been a lot of doom and gloom of late, so I hope this cheers you up — and it’s relevant to your work.

This is a wonderful interview. Mr Borges is simply brilliant.

English might be the most spoken language in the world (18.8% in 2022 according to CIA), but how many of that 18.8% really understand it? I’m full of admiration for non-native English speakers, but where some see complexity, Mr Borges sees beauty and subtlety — not something we English are renouned for! 😂

So please let me introduce the amazing (Spanish speaking Argentine) Jorge Luis Borges in an interview with William F. Buckley (who speaks Spanish).

Listen to how he explains why English is unique. Example: Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost refer to the same thing but spirit is light (Romance) and ghost is dark (Saxon). The feel different. Also, there is no Romance language version of “living up to” or “looming over”.

I hope you grab a drink and listen just because he is an amazing man. And I hope your soul will be nourished and your hopes rekindled, in these times of doom and gloom, as mine were.

I can’t post the YouTube link in here, or a picture, but the title is: “Firing line with William F. Buckley Jr, Borges: South America’s Titan.” On the Hoover Institution Library and Archives.

Questions about non-competes and non-compete clauses slipped into NDAs come up here from time to time.

Under a new rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission, the vast majority of those agreements are by definition unfair competition.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/04/ftc-announces-rule-banning-noncompetes

If you want to get into the weeds: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/noncompete-rule.pdf

After 20+ years of freelance content writing as my main gig, I've taken a little break. I stepped up subbing at a local elementary school in favor of a steady paycheck, but I've kept in touch with clients that I've worked with over the years as well. Writing has just been on the backburner, so my writing well is fairly dry. I'd love to find a site for the summer where I can grab articles or shorter projects and submit--and get paid. I realize pay won't be great, which is sort of ok. I just need to keep my skills up and earn some money while school's on hiatus. I recently created an UpWork profile, and I'm on LinkedIn as well. Anyone have a tips on how to generate some income over a short period of time? TIA!

So i found this client on upwork who needed scripts for an aid subisdy program. First they told me to meet on telegram because that’s where they operate.

I then did a test run and they liked my script. They even told me i’m better than most of the people they work with. I created a couple more scripts but then they ask for creativity. Which i tried and it was never good enough for him. He even said i got the structure and tone good. I just needed creativity.

Literally gave me so many sample scripts they have and they all sounded similar. It was like nothing i did made it better. Maybe I just suck but I have this deep feeling he was just being a hardass. At least he paid me half.

What can i do to make my skills better? Bc even if it’s my fault i want to make sure I know i did good work and I have the skillset. I paid 2k for cardinal mason’s mentorship program but they don’t go deep into how to create good copy.

I literally just feel like giving up copywriting but at the same time I need something remote to be with my fiance in philippines. All i need is 1k a month. Any advice would help a lot.

Hi! I have an assignment deadline to summarise a topic using PICO strategy and literature review. I am not aware of PICO strategy at all, can anyone help me out please.

I have a client that is routinely behind on their invoices — once I submit I sometimes get a confirmation email from the accounting department saying that I'll be paid out the following week, but then sometimes months (up to 3 or 4) will go by without getting paid (despite me reaching out weekly to follow up on the status of the invoice). I know that this is a MAJOR red flag (and they somehow still have the audacity to expect deliverables despite outstanding invoices piling up.....) but what's the most professional way to say that the arrangement is no longer working for me? I know I can find other freelance opportunities elsewhere, and I'd rather take my chances with new clients rather than continue to do work essentially "on credit" and then have to put so much additional work into holding them to what they actually owe me.

What's the politest way to say that if they aren't willing to prioritize paying me in a timely manner, then I can't prioritize their assignments? It's getting ridiculous, I'm pretty new to this and frankly I'm embarrassed that I've put up with it as long as I have and expected them to improve. It just feels unprofessional!

Hey, I’m just curious if anyone has worked with dataannotation.tech before? If so, how has it been? I keep seeing their ads, and it has piques my curiosity.

Wondering if any fellow tech writers have ever found any work on this platform.

I used to use it during my marketing and sales days for a cybersecurity company had mixed results but seems like a pretty cool platform that's growing.

Hi all. A prospective client recently sent me an email outlining scope of work and asking for my retaining fee. The way they’ve worded their terms is unfamiliar to me, and I wonder if any of you can help me decipher.

Monthly scope: 50 - 90 CRM emails and 90 - 110 social posts.

It’s a wide range but I assume that’s why they’re looking to put someone on retainer. What’s confusing is the way they’ve asked about my fee:

“Would you be open to working on a retained basis at around 50-80% capacity per month and if so what would your fee for that look like?”

I don’t understand what they mean by “50-80% capacity.” Am I missing something? I’ve been freelancing for years but this would be my first time on retainer. None of the info I’ve found online seems to answer this “capacity” question, and I’m not sure how to set my fee given this request. Anyone have experience with this type of ask?

During the first week of 2024, I decided to branch out of Upwork and delve into a bit of cold outreach.

I was scrolling through LinkedIn when I found a post from this startup - reason I stopped is because their product was genuinely fascinating to me.

So I visit their website and realize that they have no "Blog" section of any kind.

And given the nature of their product (AI heavily involved), I knew they could do with some content that establishes their topical authority or informs their potential audience.

Bingo - I had a possible pain point for this prospect, and I led with that to pitch my services to them.

Now, here's the thing: while my subject line and email were good enough to warrant a small discussion on email, the client eventually "ghosted" me.

I shrugged it off and carried it on with my life...

However, at the start of this month, I was reminded of them again while scrolling through LinkedIn.

Once again I visited their website and, sure enough, there was still no content!

So I decided to follow-up with the client, my email looked something like this:

"Hi X - hope you're doing well.

Reaching out after quite a while, I happened to notice that [your startup] doesn't have a blog section yet.

Is that intentional, or are you still on the lookout for a competent SEO Copywriter to market your product?

Given the value of engaging content today, especially in terms of bringing and converting more people, I think a section of authoritative articles could pay off well for you.

What do you think?"

Within minutes, I get a response back from the client asking for samples.

Before long, we were discussing the finer details of the project, including the expected workload and payment.

Without disclosing specifics, I can tell you that I now have a lucrative, long-term project with an exciting biz!

TLDR; if you're doing client outreach right now or considering getting into it, DO NOT under-estimate the value of the follow-up.

The follow-up email/call could be the difference between a client who (potentially) changes your life or be the one that got away!

Would love to hear if anyone has had similar experiences btw, all my love x

Hi there,

I'm thinking of approaching an art auctioneer I used to work for and offering them a monthly newsletter service.

​

This would include:

- Creating a template

- Repurposing content

- Some written copy

- Content ideas

- Managing mailing list

- Tracking clicks, etc.,

​

The purpose of the newsletter is:

- Get the digital catalogue to the subscriber

- Consolidate remote bidders onto the auctioneers' own bidding platform

- Updates regarding upcoming auctions

- Streamline item consignments to auctions and valuation requests

- Promote website and social media

- Repurpose content from websites blog and social media

- Platform new short form content, e.g., Auctioneers top 5 picks; last auctions highest items; spotlight articles on artists/items

- Build mailing list

​

How much would a service like this cost monthly?

​

Thank you!

​

Hi Redditland,

I’m a writer in B2B SaaS tech with 3 years of experience in corporate content writing, 5 years experience freelancing and 3 years experience writing for a magazine.

I’ve been applying to full time, in house remote writing jobs on LinkedIn for 3 months with hardly any traction. 1 interview, 1 callback.

Does anyone have any advice or have a similar experience? I don’t have a portfolio/website put together and other than that I have 3 live links to the magazine publications I wrote.

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

so I've been thinking about the current design and reading experience provided by many of today's publishers,- Vox Media, NYT, Vice as well as small personal blogs. As somebody who has been reading and into writing stories since childhood and grew up to be a visual designer i think its sad the way we convert and present stories and experiences into digital text. You are reading something so interesting that a writer might have spent hours or years into creating andd the reading space is like idk garbage. Sidebars, social media handles, Google ads, featured posts, archives, subscription boxes. "Stories you might like". Imaging watching Intersteallar, entering the gargantuan only to be welcomed by a sidebar telling you you should watch 2001 A Space Oddyssey. It feels like watching a movie in a theater with constant pop-ups and ads.

This leads me to wonder if I’m alone in feeling that something fundamental about our digital reading environments needs change. Do we need to rethink how content is displayed to make it as immersive and engaging as movies or video games? Particularly for free lance writers or journalists here, I’m curious about what changes you think could improve the visual and design aspects of our websites and apps.

Also, what do you guys think about reading in the age of Apple Vision Pro and beyond. What are your thoughts on the evolution of digital journalism? Would we be still be reading articles on flat 2d screens in imaginary 3d spaces or would it more idk meaningful? visceral?

Thanks for joining the discussion!