Some freelance writers learn it the hard way that not all they love to write is going to bring them money. So here are the top five freelance writing jobs that were either never no more lucrative. Have a look!
1. To describe or not to describe
Writing product descriptions was such a lucrative job for writers, but it seems like an era gone by. However, while this task still exists, the real problem is that the pay rates have made a steep fall. Product descriptions are, in fact, now reserved for the newbies or the writers with minimal skills who seek experience. And for whom even the last buck matters.
It is no more considered a high-value job, as other content and methods are considered more important selling factors. The industry isn’t much bothered about grammatical errors or that of terminology in the product description. And even a person with English as a second language is a good fit for such writing projects.
2. A letter to get a job
Writing resumes, curriculum vitae, and cover letters, once commanded great professional skills and experience. But call it exposure or availability of free online tools, even junior school kids seem to have mastered the craft. That being said, even the highly polished ones are available in minutes with prewrite templates and quick fill of information.
Another chief reason that resume writing is considered as the worst freelancing writing job is its low demand. One client will need only one or perhaps two, but ever in bulk. So it neither builds long term clients nor profits.
3. The interesting paid reviews
As much as we love reading reviews of the latest movies, books, or restaurants, writing them isn’t a fun or well-paying job. Though they were never considered lucrative, now they are hardly even counted as a project or task.
And to be honest, who’s even enjoying watching a 2-hour movie or a 300-page book one is least interested in and then pen it down for a few bucks. Besides, the pay almost never seems fair considering the amount of time and effort spent on it. Another reason that paid reviews seem dead is that people have become choosy. They will rather value a review by a leading newspaper or paparazzi than some guy.
4. Essaying it out
Accept it! We’ve all loathed writing personal essays back in school. But alas, many didn’t mind writing when the grades were replaced with monetary payments. There are indeed plenty of magazines, journals, and newspapers out there with opportunities for essayists. Yet, they either pay like peanuts or go to renowned essayists or novelists.
Also, so to mention, considering that Newspaper op-ed and free publishing websites are other reasons that led to a downfall of this trend. Social media, too, has emerged as a great medium where people can write and publish their stories, with no red tapes in place.
5. The struggles with fiction
Gone are the days when the world of fiction had a worth. Take examples of the leading writers of the day. They struggled from one publisher to another and faced several rejections before their lady luck shines on them. But the same doesn’t happen to everyone.
Marketing and monetizing on short/long stories, poems, or similar content are not viable in the present day. As a result, many are happy to share their creativity on social media for free. But making it big requires a great deal of perseverance.