www.inkthinkerblog.com — In response to the last article of Hope Wilbanks‘ three-part guest series on private label rights (PLR) articles, Dina posted this comment:
Has anyone considered that selling PLR content is pretty much taking a hit on the entire profession of copywriting? You’re basically undermining our value by cranking out low-cost content and reselling it really cheap.
I mean really, you’re taking down the entire profession by doing this. When you turn around tomorrow and want to charge your clients $40, $50, $70 or $100 [per hour] for your work, and they object because “they can get content cheaper,” this is why?
It’s worse than syndicated articles. At least in that case, you get credit and link love in exchange.
Am I alone here in this feeling? I mean really, copywriters complain plenty about how difficult the article crap factories make it for us to be paid what we’re worth, and here the PLR copywriters are actually contributing to the problem.
Although my experience with PLR articles is limited (which is why I asked Hope to write about them instead of doing it myself), I do have an opinion. And since by now you know I’m not particularly inclined to keep my opinions to myself, here it is.
PLR content is vastly different from magazine content, professional web copy, or syndicated articles (which, for the sake of clarity on my position here, I think is a term Dina is using to refer to what you find in article directories such as EzineArticles.com). While I do see her point, I also think that the audience for PLR articles is not the same audience that we’re targeting as professional copywriters or magazine writers or what have you. At least, it’s not the same audience I’m targeting. Let me break down what I mean.
Magazine Content
The editors of high-quality, decent-paying publications don’t want something that was churned out in 10 minutes, is not targeted to their audience, and can appear, even in a limited number of other venues, in various sliced and diced formats. They want professionally written, customized editorial content written to their specifications by experienced and skilled writers who put a lot of time and effort into researching, interviewing, and writing. PLR buyers/subscribers/whatever are less interested in quality and tailoring and more in usability and availability. Their goals are not the same as those of a magazine editor, so the content they seek would be different because it serves a different purpose.
Professional Web Copy
There’s a difference between attracting traffic to your website and achieving strategic objectives. If your only strategic objective is to get traffic, well then, keyword-rich PLR articles will most likely do the job, the whole job, and nothing but the job. But if you’re trying to present a carefully crafted, high-impact professional image and marketing message, PLR articles are not the content you want on your website. Like with the savvy magazine editor, no smart business owner is going to shell out $30 for 100 PLR articles (I am totally fabricating those numbers, people — don’t get your panties in a bunch) and slap the content on his website and wait for the orders to start rolling in. It doesn’t work that way. The kind of copywriting clients I want are the ones who get the difference between a website and an effective website that’s part of a cohesive, integrated marketing strategy.
Syndicated Articles
When I write articles for article directories, I do it for me, not for the people who may reproduce the article. I craft articles on targeted topics specifically to promote my products, services, and blogs. Yes, I do keep in mind that I want to write articles that others will want to pick up and use, but I select the topic specifically to serve my own interests. And that’s why I use a directory like EzineArticles.com that makes it clear that anyone using my articles needs to use them the way I wrote them and with my resource box and contact information intact. PLR articles are written to serve the interests of the user. And yes, the writer can make some decent money, but this is not a marketing tool. It is straight content that the purchaser can use in whatever way and form he or she desires, with no requirement to attribute the content. Again, we’re talking about different audiences.
In Other Words…
When I’m marketing my professional copywriting services, or editing, coaching, or speaking services, I am marketing to a vastly different audience from people who are looking for fast, cheap content to fill up a page. There is nothing inherently wrong with looking for fast, cheap content to fill up a page. It’s a smart business move to get what you need as quickly and inexpensively as possible — you can’t argue with the logic. However, that’s not who I’m selling to, so I don’t see PLR as being competitive with my work.
If I quote a price for web content and the prospect come back with, “I can get the same thing for 20% of what you just quoted me,” I tell them to go for the deal. My rates are how much it costs to work with me. If you want to work with me, this is how much it costs. Other people charge more and other people charge less. But if someone is charging way less, you have to wonder why. The bottom line is that you get what you pay for. If you’re paying for content to fill up pages for Google AdSense revenues, well, you probably don’t have to pay much. Good for you! But if you’re paying for an investment in the success and presentation of your business, it doesn’t always behoove you to go with the lowest bidder. The lowest bidder is the lowest bidder for a reason. Think about what that reason is.
Now It’s Your Turn
I’ve rambled on long enough. What do you think about PLR content? Are PLR articles a threat to the very nature of freelance writing, or are they another piece of the puzzle? Do you feel that you’re competing with PLR content when you’re bidding jobs? Leave your comments, and don’t be shy. This is an issue worth discussing.
Tags: freelance writing, PLR, private label rights, sources of freelance income, freelance writing jobs, selling your freelance services, making money as a freelance writer, james chartrand, men with pens, catalyst blogger, kristen king, inkthinker
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