Another content-writing scammer from craigslist

I appreciate craigslist. You have to weed through a lot of garbage, but the site does provide real writing opportunities. One of the jobs I've picked up from craigslist earlier this year has since turned into about $2,000 worth of income.

Those craigslist scammers, though, give the site a bad name. For instance, I recently applied to an ad for real estate writers. Sounded like a good opportunity. And real estate writing is right up my alley.

This morning, I received a response. That put me in a good mood, until I opened that response. The message itself was strangely worded, as though the writer didn't quite speak the English language. Secondly, the message boasted that I had have my own desk and chair, which was odd because I was applying for a freelance, work-from-home job. I already have my own desk and chair, and would rather have a bit of extra money than another set.

Finally, the kicker: The message stated that all writers would have to agree to provide a copy of their latest credit report. And this credit report had to be no more than 14 days old. The company even provided a helpful link to a Web site that will provide you with your credit report for a small fee.

So, yes, the entire job ad was just to promote this credit-report site. The real kick is that you are entitled to a free credit report anyway, so there's no reason to pay for one.

I wrote back to the person who sent me this response asking her why she doesn't do business in a more ethical manner. I'm sure I won't hear back.

The craigslist scammers can certainly wear a content-writer out. I've lost track of how many misleading craigslist job ads I've stumbled into this year.

Examiner.com a bit too aggressive when recruiting writers

I don't want to write for Examiner.com. I think it's a lousy way to make money. But I can't seem to stop applying for writing gigs at the site.

It's not my fault, though. Really.

Here's what's happening: I'll apply to what looks like a typical content-writing ad on craigslist.org. The ad will ask for subject experts to write short stories for pay, something like that.

After I apply, I receive a message directing me to a Website where I'm supposed to fill out an application. Lo and behold, when I visit that Web site, I'm automatically linked to the sign-up form for Examiner.com.

This is frustrating. Nowhere in the original craigslist ads is the name "Examiner.com" mentioned. This means I waste my time writing a query and sending writing samples to a company for which I have no desire to write.

The last company that tricked me into this backdoor to Examiner.com was calling itself EasyOfficeJob.com. When you log onto that site, you get a domain placeholder. When you click on the link for EasyOfficeJob.com's writer application, you're then redirected to the Indianapolis hub of Examiner.com.

I don't begrudge Examiner.com for its efforts to recruit more writers. The company's model -- you're paid by how many people visit your stories -- works for some writers. I just wish the Examiner.com people would let writers know when they're actually applying to their site.

Found another scammer

It's easy to ferret out the scammers: Ask them how much they'll pay you for your writing. If they don't respond, they're a scammer.

Here's an example. Last week, I responded to a craigslist ad from someone who needed a writing coach to help him craft letters to his bosses, write reports and compose short speeches. It sounded fairly interesting, especially compared to some of the dry-as-dirt content writing I've been doing lately.

I responded, and I heard back from the ad poster within an hour. He wanted to know if I could write a sample letter for him. He wanted a raise, and he wanted me to write the e-mail message that he would give to his boss asking for one.

I'm not that smart. But I knew this was fishy. I'd already given him samples of my writing. He didn't need additional ones, then, to figure out my writing style. I e-mailed the poster back, anyway, asking him what he'd pay for such a sample. Of course, I didn't expect a response, and I didn't get one.

Here's my advice: Never, ever write a fresh sample for a potential employer, especially if you hooked up with this employer through craigslist. The odds are, that the poster is going to use your sample without paying for it. Only send job posters samples of your previously published writing. And make it absolutely clear that the samples you are sending have been published already.

Web site owners laugh at writers who are stupid enough to send them fresh samples. It's a great way for these scammers to fill their Web sites with unique, free content. Don't fall for this trick.

What are the odds of landing content-writing jobs from craigslist?

I'm a bit of a slow learner. But I'm starting to realize that applying for content-writing jobs at sites such as craigslist -- or even through job boards such as the ones at WAHM.com -- is a waste of time.

It doesn't matter much how good you are as a writer. So many talented writers respond to these ads, especially now in these tough economic times, that the odds of the publisher actually picking you as a content writer for his or her site or project are extremely slim.

It's a numbers game. If, say, 500 content writers respond to a craigslist posting, what are the odds that the poster is even going to open your e-mail message? You can have the best resume' or clips in the world, but you're not going to get that job. That's because the poster, in all likelihood, opened the first seven to 10 e-mails responding to the job request and picked the best writers from that batch. The rest? Erased.

So how do you get content jobs? Here's how I've gotten most of mine. I contacted a Web publisher directly and offered to write some content for her. She was looking for content, so I got lucky. I wrote a few stories for her, then a few more, then a few more.

After building a relationship with her -- This didn't take long, about four assignments -- I asked if she knew of anyone else who needed content sites. She posted a message with my e-mail address on the forums she visits. Before long, I had more content writing work than I could handle. I am still working with about 10 regular clients that have found me through this original client.

At the same time, I can cut on the fingers of one hand the number of content-writing jobs I've secured from craigslist. It's a bit depressing, actually.

The advice, then, is to build your client list slowly and steadily. Find work for one good client. Do great writing for that client. Meet your deadlines. Keep asking for more work. Then, when you've earned that client's trust, ask that client to send your name to other publishers. Then do the same with the new publishers you find. You'll soon have a lot of content writing to take on.

And you can finally ignore all those scammy-sounding craigslist ads.

Craigslist not all bad

I like to complain about the writing jobs I find on craigslist. So many of the people looking for writers for their blogs or Web sites expect to get one for free. Then, when someone complains, they bring up that whole "you should write for the love of writing" garbage. Sometimes, they'll boast that by writing for their site you'll gain valuable exposure.

That's nonsense, too, by the way. You won't get any exposure by writing for some lame, mistake-filled Web site.

That's a tangent, though. I really wanted to give some credit to craigslist. The site has actually helped me land a string of fairly well-paying jobs lately.

For instance, last month, I wrote my first story for a health magazine after responding to a craigslist ad. The story brought me $750. That's a whole lot of content stories.

This month, I'll start working on an anthology book of strange statistics and facts. Again, the pay is decent if not great -- $120 for 500-word stories that require no interviews and very basic research -- and I found this opportunity on craigslist.

The problem with craigslist, though, is that you have to wade through so much garbage to find the good posts. Here's a rule: Don't respond to any craigslist ad that's shorter than three sentences. And don't respond to any that don't even tell you what kind of stories you'll be writing.

Most importantly, don't ever provide fresh writing samples for free. When posters ask for this, they are usually scammers hoping to gain free content from gullible writers for their Web sites.

By the way, I'm in an unusually positive mood today because I received some wonderful comments on a trade-magazine story I wrote not just from the editor but from the magazine's publisher. This is good because I'd like to make this magazine -- which I've only recently started writing for -- one of my regular clients.

It's easy to forget sometimes, as we concentrate on pounding out as many stories as quickly as we can, that quality still counts. Sometimes, the only way to get good assignments is to turn in your best work on a consistent basis. Eventually, people notice.

Or at least that's the hope.

Be wary of fresh samples when angling for a writing job

Craigslist may be a good place to find writing jobs. It's also, unfortunately, a good place to find scammers.

For writers, the most serious is when someone -- usually a blogger -- advertises for freelance writers and requests not samples of your previously published work, but freshly written samples on a specific target.

Often, these "publishers" are simply trolling for free content from gullible writers for their own sites. My rule of thumb: Never write new sample stories for anyone. Publishers should be able to tell by your previously published work if you're a right fit for their job.

I bring this up because yesterday, I received a bite from an online job ad. A publisher was looking for a freelancer to write for his home furnishings blog. He responded to my application to ask for a sample written specifically on platform beds, of all things.

I wrote back saying that I'd be happy to write the sample, but that I wanted to be paid the agreed-upon post rate for writing it. He wrote back once more saying that the sample had to be free.

This really seemed suspicious. I reiterated my position in a return e-mail, telling him that, yes, I'd write the sample, but not for free.

I have yet to hear back.

Is this guy a scammer? I'm not sure. My gut says he is, though. A legitimate publisher doesn't ask writers to write anything for free. Don't forget that.

It's time to apply like crazy

A year ago, I'd turn up my nose at much of the writing I'm doing today. Blogging for $12 a post? That would have been way beneath me.

But it's not one year ago. It's today. And today, there are very, very few writing jobs that are still beneath me.

A former editor of mine -- actually my first editor -- sent me an e-mail message yesterday asking me about comic-book writing. (I do some writing for independent comics. If you think the pay is bad for blogging or content writing, try writing a comic script for a comics company that isn't Marvel or DC.) Turns out, his newspaper chain just put him on a one-week unpaid furlough. It's an alternative, management said, to more layoffs.

So, yes, the writing and publishing industry is in the crapper these days, and a lot of freelance-writing careers are following them. I'm determined to not have this happen to me, if at all possible, so I'm supplementing my print-magazine clients -- who are dwindling every day, it seems -- with as much online writing as I can. This means that I'm applying for some jobs that I'd never, ever consider in previous years. Of course, so are a lot of other freelancers. That's why I apply for so many jobs, even some that may not perfectly match my skill sets. When there's so much competition, you have to throw a lot of cover letters out there and hope some stick. So far, I'd say I get about one or two potential hits a week. Not all of these turn into jobs, but some do.

There are two places every freelance writer should search regularly for online writing jobs: Deb Ng's Freelance Writing Jobs and Anne Wayman's About Freelance Writing. Anne and Deb do the hard work of scouring the Internet for job leads, shoveling through the junk on craigslist and other sites to provide us lazy freelance writers with the possible nuggets.