Why Write For Free?
Posted on 17 October 2007 by Sharon
Write for free? You must be kidding!
That’s the reaction that many freelance writers have when it’s suggested that maybe it might be worth writing without getting paid. However, those freelance writers might be missing a trick. Here are a few ways that writing for free might pay off.
1. Showcasing your work
One of the reasons why I recommend that freelance writers have a blog or website is that it is a good place to show people what kind of writing you can do. You can write articles in areas of expertise or craft creative or humorous pieces. It doesn’t matter much what you write as long as you show that you can write something that engages your audience. That’s what the people who hire you will want to do with the copy that you write for them. Your site is the best place to showcase your work and create an online portfolio. In this case, writing for free is a first step to getting paid to write.
2. Bringing your writing to a new audience
One way to get new people to see your writing - and to attract potential clients - is to write for other sites and blogs. You may not always get paid for guest articles and guest posts, but new people will see your writing, and some of those may want to hire you. Free gigs may lead to paid gigs, too - and the articles and posts that you write will further extend your writing portfolio.
3. Bringing traffic to your website
Article marketing is a proven way of bringing traffic to a site. Some of the articles that I wrote two years ago are still bringing new visitors to my website. Some of those people want to hire me and some click on a few ads, which means I get paid. I didn’t spend very long writing those articles, but I have reaped great rewards from the 20 minutes I invested in each one.
4. Feeling good
You can also write for free on a volunteer basis, for organisations that need the help but don’t have the funds to afford a writer. The benefits you get are twofold - you can give something back to the community and expand your portfolio at the same time.
These are four good reasons why writing for free can pay off for writers. Care to add any examples of your own?
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Tags | article marketing, blogging, freelance writing, get paid to write, portfolio, writing, writing career
October 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Great tips! Perhaps one more to add would be EXPERIENCE! When paid jobs are scarce it can be great practice to write for free. It keeps your skills honed and ideas spinning. Don’t forget you could always venture to reprint those articles at some point anyway so it’s not like they have to remain free.
I think the ‘feeling good’ point could lead into other charitable acts too. I’ve occasionally been asked to write for free for a special event and while it does give a warm-fuzzy kind of feeling to do something nice it can mean a great deal more than that to others. That sense of contributing to the joy of other people is a kind of payment that money can’t begin to express.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Very nicely put, Rebecca - I’m all for contributing to joy.
October 21st, 2007 at 12:44 am
I have noticed that there have been more and more writers to start blogs. This is a great example of what you can get out of writing for free.
October 21st, 2007 at 3:32 pm
True, Rosa - and I love reading other writers’ blogs
April 12th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
If your already have a blog or web site it also gives you great exposure when writing free articles. Also this way of writing can give you free advertising to be seen more and build your reputation among other writers. Sometimes writers also choose to monitize with simple ads like google adwords to create a regular monthly revenue.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Excellent post, Sharon. Sometimes writers get such conflicting advice about writing for free… or at least the way they hear it is conflicting, anyway. “Never write for free! You are worthy of excellent pay and should never settle for less.” Yes… but, there are also several excellent reasons to break that rule. You’ve nailed them. Thanks!Sue LaPointe’s last blog post..Keeping to the word count: Tip #2
June 11th, 2008 at 9:37 am
@ Sean: You’re right; the exporuse is invaluable.
@Sue: Thanks. Promoting yourself is key to creating a successful business, and this is one easy way to do it.