Writing Gigs: My Review on Writer’s Access
A few posts back I wrote a post about writing gigs and what to look for. In Part 2, I want to talk more about one of those writing gig sites: Writer’s Access. As a relatively new member, here’s my experience so far using the site and what you can expect from a writer’s perspective.
For those not familiar with Writer’s Access it’s a site that helps customers find qualified freelance writers. Many of the people posting gigs are small independent firms or businesses. The types of gigs offered vary from one-time gigs to ongoing writing assignments. The gigs typically range from writing a blog article to writing web content for a particular business or individual. Freelance writers can apply to the pool of open jobs that they qualify for and that interest them. Conversely customers have the final say who will take the job.
Vetting System
Getting setup as a writer is a multi-step process with the applicant needing to fill out necessary tax and contact info. However the bulk of the setup is your profile. The types of jobs available to a freelance writer are filtered based on your skill level. When you first apply to be a freelance writer you are expected to fill out your experience including your expertise in different industries (ex: Technology). While not every field is required to be filled out, it’s still important that it’s filled out thoroughly as your credentials will be displayed on your profile for customers to view when reviewing candidates to pick. At any time that you need to make changes you can easily go back and edit any one of the fields.
But before you can take any jobs, the site vets all of its writing applicants by making them take an extensive general assessment of their skills. The assessment will take you some time to complete so just be prepared to carve out at least 15-20+ minutes to complete. The questions will test you on grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence clarity and best practices for search engine optimization. Once complete, your final assessment score will determine your starting skill level. This will determine the types of jobs that you’ll be available to apply to since customers can dictate the skill level for their particular job posting. You want to do a good job on the assessment because the higher your score the more jobs you have to choose from.
While most writers will fall somewhere in the middle, the site does offer applicants the opportunity to test their skillset in a number of different specialties ranging from copywriting to legal. While I have not taken these additional tests – the general test was hard enough – it’s a great opportunity to build your skillset in different specialties and have a certification to showcase to others.
Managing Orders/Payments
[image error]
The site does a good job of condensing the information you will need if you’re logging in as a writer. By way of a dashboard you can view your orders, available casting calls, your current stats, payments, messages, and garage space (aka people that like you and may keep you in mind for future jobs). Most of these are self-explanatory but I will explain the main ones.
Under “Manage Order” you can view any current orders as well as any previous orders. You can view the number of available casting calls you can select from. Note while the amount of different postings may be over 100, if you’re skill level is 3 or less you may see far fewer in your job pool. Once you click on the job posting you will be able to read the description of the assignment, specific instructions to follow and the proposed payment amount. Granted some jobs do not list the proposed price which either leads the writer to assume the job is really unpaid or that payment is negotiable.
However keep in mind you will still have to manually apply to these jobs. To apply you have to select a job posting and fill out your pitch under the text box field “Make your case.” While this is optional it will supposedly give you a better edge. Most of the time when I apply for small writing jobs I never hear anything back. While the customers are likely not required to reply back to applicants they rejected it would be nice to get some kind of auto-reply or message that it was at least received or being reviewed. But I digress.
Once accepted you will have a due date of when the job is expected to be completed. During this time you can contact the customer for any auxiliary questions you may have. The order is placed in hold or pending status until the customer responds back. You will see any pending orders you have in your dashboard. From my experience the customer was prompt in responding to any question I had. Once completed, you will see the promised payment amount reflected in your dashboard which will be paid out within the next pay period. In my experience I saw the payment reflected in my Paypal account. Granted you won’t find many gigs with a high payout. Most payments are a fixed flat rate although depending on the customer you may be able to negotiate.
Although there’s more aspects of the site to dig into, my initial experience has been mostly positive. I will have to be accepted for more jobs before I can comment on this extensively but the setup is pretty simple and professional. Here’s a brief overview of the pros and cons.
Pros
Good vetting process for writing applicants
Simple and easy to view dashboard to keep track of orders
Quick payment turn-around
Ability to gain experience/certifications in different writing specialties
Email notifications for new jobs
Automatically filters out what jobs you see based on skill level
Opportunity to improve your skill (star) level through a good track record
Cons
Cannot retake the general assessment
Not all jobs post their payment rates upfront for customers to make informed decision before applying for job
No notification or acknowledgement when you apply for a job. Note: You may get a message from the customer explaining why but this is more the exception rather than the rule
Duplicate postings for the same job
Despite it’s flaws, it’s reassuring to know that both the customer and the writer are held accountable for the orders. This and other factors makes me trust that this is a reputable site. Granted if you’re starting out don’t expect to find a lot of gigs that pay a lot. You may need to take on several gigs to make any consistent, substantial cashflow. I do see this as more of a nice side hustle for a writer to supplement their income or to get some pocket change.
Would I recommend this site?
Yes, for all the reasons I highlighted in my pros and more. You get to decide what jobs interests you the most or you have enough experience in that you feel competent to accept. Granted there are days when none of the job postings seem remotely interesting or relevant to you but chances are you’ll eventually find something you feel you can take on. Overall it’s a good place to gain experience in the writing world. It’s also a great opportunity to hone your skills for future side endeavors such as professional editing. With each order you complete on time, you build trust and rapport with existing and future customers. In conclusion don’t expect to make a lot of money from this (at least not right away). Instead see it as a springboard to diversify your portfolio as a writer.
For those that have tried Writer’s Access or similar sites what were your experiences? I would love to hear from you!
******
Don’t miss another deal! Sign up to get dibs on Kindle countdown deals before anyone else this Black Friday.
[image error]
