You’ve done it. Admit it. I’ve done it, too. You’re not alone.
I’m talking about applying to ads listed on job boards or (gasp!) on paid job listing sites. The ads are enticing. The posters are asking for exactly the skills you have. So what the hell, right? Apply. Take a few minutes — maybe ten — and apply.
I want you to think back over the clients you’ve gained from that very process. Ask yourself these things:
- How many are still around?
- How many paid you what you want to be paid?
- How many had ongoing work?
If you still have a client from a job listing around a year later (and it’s not the same project), if they paid you what you want to be paid, and if they’re giving you ongoing work, congratulations. You’ve found the needle in the haystack.
For the rest of you (myself included), take solace in knowing that it’s a mistake you don’t often feel like repeating. Oh sure, it may take a few “won” jobs to realize that you’re spinning your wheels in a low-paying rut. You might even think it’s good for the occasional quick check. It may be. But we all come to the same conclusion:
Job boards will not be enough to make a living freelance writing.
[bctt tweet=”Are those job boards holding your #freelancewriting business back?” username=”LoriWidmer”]
Damn right they are.
Like I said, I’m just as guilty. Back at the beginning of my freelancing, I signed up for a free one, then was enticed to yes, pay a small fee for a subscription that supposedly gave me access to “premium” jobs. That lasted about a month. I saw one of those content-mill gigs in the premium listing and complained. The response: We feel that writers at all levels should be served.
In other words, if the dudes pay for the ad, they’re taking it and calling it “premium” content.
Screw that.
And that’s our first truth about these places:
Job boards are not vetted.
I don’t care how much they say they are — they’re not. They’re aimed at bringing in money for themselves. Either they’re taking a cut from you, taking ad revenue from posters, taking subscription or membership fees from writers, or any/all of these. It took me just one month to realize that paying for exclusive access to a freaking job listing was stupid.
Job posters look for the lowest denominator.
You’re going to bid even if there’s no bidding process. When someone goes to a content site or job board to look for a writer, they’re doing it because they know writers who hang out there aren’t picky. Isn’t that a great image? If you are a frequenter of content-mill style job boards, you’re advertising that you’ll work for just about any rate.
The jobs are usually one-offs.
As I mentioned not long ago, one-off jobs should not be the bulk of your work. You’re just going to work harder because you need to replace that client with another almost immediately. While I did get an ongoing gig from a job board once, the job itself didn’t pay much. And the work was spotty at best. It wasn’t worth hanging on to. Refer to the list of questions mentioned previously.
Quality clients don’t use job boards.
Every single client I have right now was a referral. In two cases, I was referred to the client by another client — all of whom I still work with. None of them would go to a job board because they need someone who understands their business. Someone bidding five bucks on a gig doesn’t exactly emanate the sense of professionalism. Think about that. Your actions and your approach are what determine your worth — not the number of gigs you get on Fiverr.
There’s a much better way. But you know what? Some freelancers won’t try because it takes a little effort. Not a lot, but a little.
You’re not just some freelancer. So for you, this is your roadmap to a better freelance writing career:
- Market to the relationship.
- Network always — and nurture those contacts (see point #1).
- Leave your comfort zone.
- Price like you mean it.
That really is all you need. It requires you to sit down and decide which client prospects you want to get acquainted with, then finding your way to reach out to them.
Even if you used job boards to augment your current income, rethink your strategy. The time it takes to fill out a few applications per week (and then compete with thousands of other writers) could be spent retooling your approach and reaching out to more valuable client prospects.
Job boards can help in a pinch, but if you build your freelance career with a better approach, you won’t have pinches. You’ll have more lucrative client relationships and a stronger business as a result.
Writers, have you used a job board? Have any of your jobs been ongoing? For how long?
What advice would you give other writers for improving the quality of their clients?
Yes! I use Upwork and yes, I still have clients with different and ongoing jobs as a result.
Also yes, many were one-offs, but I still don’t undercut myself (or anyone else), and if the application is too much work for what is likely to be the wrong result, I don’t bother. i.e. I don’t do samples. Even if they pay for them, and especially when they don’t, I don’t do samples. I like one-off jobs too, as they add variety and they exercise my pitching muscle. And if I decide I never want to work for that client ever again, then I don’t have to. I’ve also gone back to a client when I’ve been a bit short on work to ask if they have anything for me, and they’ve always said yes.
I paid for a short while for extra ‘connects’, but as most of my work was then recurring, I wasn’t using the connects to pitch for new work.
I’m about to start ghostwriting Book 10 for a client I started proofreading for and then editing for. I’ve been with them for more than 5 years. This isn’t a great payer, although I’m on his highest rate and about to ask for another raise, but it is a regular gig and one I can rely on. I’ve had other clients I’ve ‘met’ on Upwork and then after the required 2-year period, we’ve taken it outside. One was an ex-pat Brit working in Spain and he decided, after about 4 years of being ‘outside’, that my ‘exorbitant rates’ were ‘breaking’ his company! A client I thought would be a one-off has come back to me with another job that starts this week.
Advice to others? Don’t undercut yourself. Work out your minimum rate and stick to it. If you’re lucky enough to get a repeat client, negotiate a raise after your third job at the latest. If someone is asking for work for free, report them. It will be removed. Above all, don’t take on any work you’re not going to enjoy.
I have other clients too, with many referrals. But I certainly don’t rule out the job boards and I do go back to them every so often when I can see a lean period on the horizon. But yes, I can also spot the charlatans a mile off. (Call me a bluff old cynic…)
Hope that helps! 🙂
Being a cynic isn’t a bad thing, Diane! Thanks for sharing your experience. That does help!
About once a week I glance at job listings, mostly to see if I can spot anything for your This Job, Not That Job series of posts.
Over the past couple of years I’ve noticed that a couple of content companies always have ads for the SAME freelance “positions.” (Um, for starters, “position” implies “job,” and jobs require benefits. Freelancers aren’t on staff.) Seeing the same listings from the same place over and over tells me they have a very high turnover. One time I dug deeper – they didn’t pay much at all but wanted the world. No wonder they constantly need to look for new writers and editors.
And I appreciate those listings, Paula!
That’s what’s disturbing (well, besides the cruddy pay) — the language they use. “Positions” itself bothers me because it suggests they’re hiring a bunch of writers. That’s a red flag. The more writers they hire, the less they’ll want to pay each of them.
But you’re right. “Position” implies a job and a job comes with benefits. Worse are the ones that say you must be available for X hours a week. No, I’m freelance. I must meet deadlines that I’ve agreed to, not be on call constantly.
The higher up the client food chain you go, the more those irksome things disappear.
Remember that time one freelance client basically stalked me on social media? I retweeted something during my lunch break and she emailed saying, “If you have time for social media you have time to return my call.” I am not beholden to her schedule, and was going to call her after lunch. After that email I didn’t. I told her it didn’t feel like a good fit. (Did I mention the call was so she could coach me on how to use their CSM? Um, I’m a writer, not a web editor. I don’t deal with fonts, formatting, photos, or HTML.)
Whoa, THAT is too controlling! I agree with you — you are not at her beck and call. How does she know you didn’t tweet that from a dentist’s waiting room or in line at the DMV? She doesn’t. It’s none of her business where you were. That kind of stalking is inappropriate in anyone and way, way out of bounds for a client.
Pity her employees. Imagine the scrutiny they’re under. Egad.
In my crotchety old age, I’ve stopped applying to job board posts (don’t even really look at them anymore) and largely stopped pitching. I don’t want to spend my work hours doing work that I might or might not get paid for doing, and that’s what both pitching and job boards feel like. Of course, if things went south and I found myself desperate for work, I’d revisit those opinions and reconsider the unpaid labor of pitching and applying.
We must have the same crotchety approach, Dava. 😉 Agreed — it’s all good as long as you’re working. I fall back on magazine pitching. Thankfully I’ve not had to have a fallback approach for a number of years. But it’s there if I need it.
And I’d bet you’re younger than I am. 😉
“Price like you mean it” needs to be a mantra, and on tee shirts and billboards.
One of the things I like about looking at the listings (even when I don’t apply) is that I can see where
there are frequent turnovers (also known as companies to avoid).
Oh, great point, Devon. I hadn’t thought to look for the same offenders, as it were.
I’d like two t-shirts, please. 😉
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