I’ll come right out and say it, everyone. It was a slow week. I found a couple jobs, but I’m not super pumped about them. Not that they’re bad, but that they’re not especially challenging or high paying. I did see a TON of jobs out there, but none that listed a rate so you need to hit the boards on your own. Now! Onto the freelance writing jobs.
The Freelance Writing Jobs
- Fashion writer – freelance fashion writer needed! Send in two articles and a resume if you’d like to apply for this. I don’t really have that much more to talk about because, well, it’s fashion. What more do you want from me? This freelance writing job pays $100 per article.
- Comedy writer – a prominent comedian is looking for some localized material and you can be the one to help him. You can skip all the stuff where he talks about doing promotions. He’s looking for two different people. Check out his style of comedy and let him know if you’d like to write jokes for him. This freelance writing job pays $200 – $300 based on experience.
Freelance Writing Job Tip of the Week
Pick up the phone. Do you know the difference between a warm call and a cold call? Let me define it for you if you aren’t already aware.
Cold calling is when you dial up a business at random and offer your services. These types of calls suck. Virtually no one wants to have a thing to do with you. You’re essentially a telemarketer. You will still yield work from this sort of thing, but it can be draining.
Warm calling is when you already know that the client is interested in one way or another. These calls are great, actually, because they yield more work. They’re also rarer than hen’s teeth, so don’t get too comfy. You will have to mostly do cold calling if you want to drum up business. But don’t worry. You don’t even have to pick up the phone–you can send emails or drop into a place if you feel more comfortable with either of those methods too.
Worst Freelance Writing Job of the Week
Business plan needed for a Used Children’s Clothing store. I own a branding and web firm, and the client was a prospective customer referred to me by a friend, but I don’t offer business plans and she honestly couldn’t afford my services. However, I will be providing her with a web site probono. Client’s a 64 year old widow, and has potential investors, but needs a business plan. Since she doesn’t know how to use the internet well, so I promised her I would put out a craigslist ad out on her behalf. There’s strong possibility for backend payment and/or referral to paying customers after she gets funded. Perfect resume/portfolio builder for a grad/MBA student or freelancer. If interested, please reply to this message. If a good fit, I will refer you to client. Contact Jason Johnson @ 888-497-3621 ext 101 for more information.
Even though I have a reputation for being the nice blogger (what?? really??) these weekly worst job of the week postings have made me crankier. I used to hide incriminating information, but as these have gotten worse, I’ve gotten less kind. If you’re going to publicly post something like this, you need to be called out. And here it comes.
Jason, Jason, Jason. You’ve already admitted you’re not really much of a writer. I’m really happy to hear that you’re doing work out of the kindness of your heart, but she is, after all, a friend of a friend, and you can waste all the time you like doing work for friends of friends because you are an awesome person. I guess I’m not so awesome because I don’t see the point in doing free work for someone opening a store (brick and mortar in this economy? really?) even if she is an older woman who doesn’t know how to use the computer. Maybe I’m a big dumb jerk, but I feel like I should be paid for my work. Don’t post this crap in jobs, because it isn’t. It is charity.
Don’t let the sob stories get to you. People do love to tug at the heart strings to get what they want, and sometimes you have to be tough. Business is business. If you’d take this job, realize that it’s not a job. And don’t be too surprised if it turns out they’re taking advantage of you.
If you’d like to look through longer aggregated lists of freelance writing jobs to help you save time in your job search, All Freelance Writing recommends Anne Wayman’s freelance writing jobs at AboutFreelanceWriting.com.
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Krysha Thayer
Brie Wallace
CJ McKinney
Crystal
Lori
Clint – Bravo. I find many of the heartstring ads a major turnoff. I love animal charities that are doing lots for rescue stuff, but I would not do anything work wise for them.
It’s one thing if a new writer goes to charities and volunteers their services for a portfolio piece (infinitely better and more credible than writing cheap content for an unknown webmaster or content mill when building a portfolio). But the “she’s an old lady” argument doesn’t cut it. She doesn’t have any money yet and she doesn’t even know how to use a computer. That’s a nightmare client in the making even if there’s up front pay involved. But in the end, she’s still some “no name” that adds little to no value to your portfolio if you volunteer, and putting a piece like that in your portfolio risks telling others you’re a sucker waiting to be had if prospects ever contact her for a recommendation.
And Clint — Good info on cold calling vs warm leads. I remember having a “good grief” moment recently when a supposed freelance writing “expert” was touting them as a way to get gigs without knowing the damn difference. I see too many idiotic things like that — it’s no wonder so many new writers get into the game confused. Even when they try to do the research the ignorant advice they get points them down the wrong path. Thanks for clearing that up.