Whether you’re a seasoned freelance writer or just starting out, no one is exempt from potential writing scams. A luring ad will read tempting with promises of steady work, a large audience and prompt payment, however when this does not happen a company is often labeled a SCAM.
In the world of freelance writing, the idiom scam tends to be used quiet eagerly, if even unfairly and out of context. Writers sometimes label a company as such for matters involving broken promises of pay rates, for example. Others will use the term for what they deem to be false advertising. Regardless of the reason, there are several ways to tell upfront if a company should be approached with ease, approached with caution, or not approached at all.
Tips To Cover Your Writing Assets
This is a great opportunity to exercise your keyword skills. Before applying to a new company it is worth your time to do a little investigative research. With proper keywords you may be able to discover articles such as this one that provide an honest review of Textbroker. It leaves the reader with a first-person perspective of the pros and cons of writing for that company.
Try using specific search terms such as ‘who has worked for [insert company name here]’. This should result in both positive and negative feedback. If you search with ‘who has been scammed by [insert company name here]’, you are sure to only get negative search results which may have been administered by a writer through a misunderstanding or outright temper tantrum. Always research potential companies in an unbiased manner. Allowing yourself to be influenced by only negative comments could result in a lost job opportunity. An example of such an occurrence can be found in this article about Hoth.
When researching, keep in mind that almost every writing company worth their salt will have a dedicated PR person manning public forums and boards. The above article is a great example of this. This monitoring is done as a form of public damage control and reflects how the company manages itself. If there’s a dedicated PR person, you can most likely expect any conflicts you have inside the company to be handled professionally and with care.
How to detect a possible writing Scam
Sniffing out scams is much easier than you may think especially if you’re seasoned in the online writing world. The old adage, ‘if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is’ synchronizes perfectly with this line of work. Always keep it in mind. This is not to say that some companies cannot offer dream jobs, it simply means exercise common sense.
Ad Example: Online company seeking bloggers. We are a fast growing company that sells cat litter. Please provide 5 x 250 word original and uniquely written articles on cat litter to be submitted as writing samples with your resume. This has caution written all over it. These writing samples are a way for companies to obtain free material and unfortunately, it often works. Once you obediently submit your writing samples it’s unlikely you’ll hear from them again. Clips or links to published material should be sufficient.
Words such as guest, intern and contributor normally mean unpaid. Personally, I would not consider such opportunities a scam if the company clearly uses these words openly. In lieu of money, these organizations normally offer international exposure, which can be a phenomenal start for newcomers. New writers who are not familiar with these terms will no doubt feel scammed when they realize the position is a voluntary one. This is another reason unbiased company research is so important. If you’re just staring out, landing an article for zero money to a million readers a month can be priceless, not a scam.
