Craigslist is filled every day with ads from employers seeking freelance writers. Some of the ads come from professional, reputable employers. Because of this, the online service has become a valuable asset to freelance writers both new and veteran. The ads are amazingly diverse, too, with posters seeking everything from trade-magazine writers to screenwriters to comic-strip creators to bloggers.
Writers need to exercise caution, though, when relying on Craigslist ads for new work. Many ads, unfortunately, come from people who have no idea how hard writers work. They're the ones offering $2 for a 1,000-word story.
The cheapskates are bad enough. But freelance writers using Craigslist also have to beware an even nastier breed of poster: the predator.
Identifying the Scam Artist
There are several scams that unethical Craigslist posters can spring on writers. The most common, and one of the most frustrating, though, is the one that results in writers giving away their writing for free.
How does this happen? It's actually pretty simple: Rather than accepting previously published clips as a judge of writers' talent, the scammers ask writers to compose a completely new, unpublished "sample article."
Never, Ever Write a Sample Article
The request for a new sample article should be a bright red flag for any writer. After all, reputable potential employers should be able to judge whether writers are a fit for their positions simply by looking over samples of their already published writing.
A Craigslist poster seeking writers for an educational Web site should never ask applicants to write a fresh 500-word piece about elementary school education. Instead, the poster should ask applicants to include education-related clips with their query letters.
Writers should never believe Craigslist posters who claim that the writing they require is so specialized that they can't judge writers' fitness for their open position without having them write a specific sample. Writers who read this kind of requirement are advised to move onto the next Craigslist ad.
Stealing your Copy
Often, posters who ask writers to create new copy just to apply to a job simply take these samples and run them on their Web sites or in their print publications without notifiying or compensating the stories' original authors. It's a great way to steal free content. And those Craigslist posters who request freshly written samples and aren't attempting to steal content? Well, if they can't judge writers by their previously published stories, they're too clueless to work fr.
The lesson here is a simple one: Don't trust any Craigslist poster who requires writers to create fresh content just to apply to their positions. Writers who do might find their samples, uncredited, of course, popping up on sites across the Internet.
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