6 Things Freelance Copywriters Say Just to Get the Gig (or Drive the Price up)

I know what you’re going to say: it’s ironic that a freelance copywriter dishes about the wrong doings of other freelance copywriters. But bear with me for a second: I’ve been doing freelancing gigs for a couple of years before starting my own agency. Right now, I hire freelance copywriters to work in our small remote team, so you can say I’ve been on both sides of this.

Don’t get me wrong, freelance copywriters can be amazing. I like to think that I was one of those amazing writers and I’m sure that the ones I work with at Idunn are also amazing.

But I also know that it can be tricky to find the right fit.

Why?

Because freelance writing doesn’t come without its challenges. You can be overbook for a month and then have three months in which you search for clients every day to no avail.

According to a report, 81% of freelance writers say that the rate of pay is the most important factor when choosing one gig or another. I know that may sound a bit mercenary-like, but, let’s be honest: freelancers have to pay bills, too. Everyone would love to only work for brands they truly respect or believe in. But that’s not always the case.

Even more, despite the fairly recent rise in the cost of copywriting services, the average writer earns less than $0.25 per word (according to Venngage).

Image via Venngage

This means that they have to have multiple gigs just to earn minimum wage. Obviously, this will push freelancers to say (almost) whatever it takes to land a job (especially during a low-income period).

I’ve heard some of these things and, I have to admit, even fallen for some of them. Here’s how to read between the lines and make sure you get your money’s worth.

6 Things Some Freelance Copywriters Say just to Get the Gig

A lot of today’s marketers and business owners outsource content writing. It’s a time-consuming job and one that’s better left to professionals. Thus, it can work great, whether you outsource to freelance writers or content writing firms.

But in order to have your KPIs met, you need to know how to pick the right freelancer or company. And, don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for freelancer copywriters. I’ve been one myself, so I know how hard this job can be.

However, just like in any other industry, there are bad apples that can ruin the reputation of an entire field. I’ve had clients that told me some horror stories that are still keeping them away from websites like Freelancer and UpWork. And I can relate to most of them.

Here are my top six tell-tale signs that I need to look elsewhere for a good freelance copywriter:

1. I Can Write Copy that Sells ANYTHING to ANYONE

Well, this can be done. But probably not by a single writer. Some are beauty experts, while others can write thousands of pages on car engines or space station. But there’s really no such thing as a writer who can write about everything.

My advice: if your business is in a very technical or small niche, make sure the writer knows about it or that they are able to do thorough research. But don’t be fooled about someone who says they can do anything on their own.

I actually tested this one for myself: I asked one of our general writers AND one of our tech writers to write some copy for a client of ours in the IT field. While they were both great, you could tell that the latter actually knew what they were writing about.

Sometimes, it’s not even about being ultra-specialized in a certain field. In fact, it’s more important to have general knowledge of the field. For instance, both writers knew about Wi-Fi networks, IP addresses and even IP security. But only the tech writer knew exactly what each of them meant in terms of both hardware and software and knew how to explain everything in layman’s terms.

2. I Can Meet any Deadline

Oh, boy, do I love a fast, flexible copywriter. I bet you do, too.

There’s only one problem with this: you won’t get great copy if you only place rush orders. Of course, freelance copywriters won’t tell you about this – they do want your business. But you have to be aware of this beforehand.

Ideally, you shouldn’t be looking for the writer who pinky-swears that they will finish everything within your deadline without compromising the quality. You should work with blog writers by respecting the time they need to produce quality content and provide your brief in time.

Still, we all know that emergencies happen. In that case, I advise you to work with honest freelance copywriters. “I will do my best” is worth more than “I always deliver top-quality, no matter what.”

Would you believe that if it were about a task in your own field?

3. My Main Asset Is a Degree in English Literature

Full disclosure: I used to envy those freelance copywriters that had access to such an awesome claim. I don’t have such a degree – I hold a Master’s and a Bachelor’s in communication and PR, so I always thought English lit was better.

Why?

Because it automatically meant that you are a flawless writer, right?

Well, wrong. I found out later on that most of the English literature majors (at least the ones I briefly hired) had, indeed, excellent penmanship, but very little marketing knowledge.

Thus, they also have a hard time reconciling creative writing with SEO and sales. Some of the best freelance writers I worked with held business, marketing or communication degrees. I’ve said it before: marketing skills and knowledge are essential when you hire SEO copywriters. This is how you can make sure that they can truly understand your buyer persona and write copy that is compelling to them, not just flawless from a grammar viewpoint.

4. I Can’t Show You any Samples because of NDAs that Are in Place

That’s a problem I’ve met with when I was a freelancer myself and one that still happens from time to time at my agency. Yes, some clients ask for NDAs and that’s perfectly OK and normal. I have never-ever refused to sign one.

But not everyone does it. If you’ve been a freelancer for more than a couple of months, you have to have something to show. It may not be in the very niche your potential client is in, but it’s something.

One of the best writers I ever hired was a newbie. She had worked as a junior copywriter for a medium-sized company, but wasn’t allowed to use her work there to gain new customers. So she created her own blog. She blogged about the challenges of being a freelance copywriter and about a few other topics that were of interest to her. This way, prospective clients had the chance to see her style.

And this was the main driver that got me to hire her. Instead of complaining about the vicious circle (I have no samples to show and no one will hire me, so I can’t produce samples), she took matters into her own hands. This is the go-getter, problem-solver attitude that makes a great copywriter.

5. I Can Match any Budget

This type of attitude is what drives writers and clients alike to say that websites like Elance (now UpWork) are cesspools. To be fair, the blame is shared here. It’s a buyer’s market, so writers are somewhat forced to work for incredibly low fees (even as low as $1 per article).

Can you imagine that? In some countries, $1 per article doesn’t even pay for the electricity and the Internet you need to get the article written.

But I digress.

I like to think that budget flexibility is a good thing. Still, some limits have to exist.

A writer who can literally match any budget will most likely not deliver the quality you need to make a difference for your business.

Be honest: how much effort would you put into something that is paid with $1. How about $5?

While exceptions exist (writers who are in a crisis and willing to work for whatever amount just as long as they get some money), such a statement usually implies that the writer knows the value of their work.

6. I Can’t Give You a Price until You Tell Me what Your Budget Is

There is only one instance in which this statement makes sense: when you are asking the freelance copywriter to create a content strategy for you. In this case, they need to at least have an idea about what you plan to spend – in general and on their services.

Other than that, you should be able to get a quotation or at least a ballpark figure without too many details. Of course, the price may vary according to a lot of things, from word count to niche and type of content required.

For instance, we, too, charge more for a white paper than for a long-form blog post, even if the word count is similar. That’s because a white paper requires a lot more research and analysis than the most complex of blog posts.

But we are always able to tell our clients what to expect in terms of fees. When you want to hire freelance copywriters, they should at least be able to tell you something like: “I charge between $10 and $50 per 100 words depending on these factors”.

My advice: if you can’t get an approximation at least, look elsewhere. You’re dealing with a writer who has no ethical compass.

The Bottom Line

Budget considerations aren’t the only thing that should drive your decision to work with a freelance copywriter or another. Stability, fairness and, most importantly, quality should be your top priorities.

Look out for these tell-tale signs and don’t be afraid to look elsewhere if something just doesn’t add up.

Want to work with freelance copywriters that have already passed countless tests and have proven their worth? They’re just a contact form away: