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Back To Basics: Good Old Querying Vs Craigslist
By Christine Cristiano
Over the past year, I have become a victim of writing jobs
posted on Craigslist.org; jobs were plentiful and my thirst
for assignments kicked in. Moreover, I subscribed to various
writing websites that compiled Craigslist offerings and
delivered them to my inbox. To work smarter, I created a
‘response’ template that included a direct reply to the
writing request, my writing experience, contact information
and links to applicable published clips.
Sometimes I would receive a response acknowledging my
application or a form letter requesting an original
unpublished writing sample to assess my writing ability
based on the supplied criteria. Often, I was directed to
another site that required registration to get additional
information about the alleged writing assignment. More
often than not, I didn’t receive a response whatsoever.
Eventually, I realized that my Craigslist ‘response
addiction’ had surpassed the time I spent creating and
submitting targeted queries to prospective publications
and the rate of return on my efforts was very low, but I
had an impressive track record with my targeted queries.
The Craigslist Controversy
Although Craigslist is a popular advertising media and has
hundreds of writing jobs posted on its sites, some of the
postings are questionable. Often, the posts are vague and
at times, even flagged by the administration which equates
to the post being bogus or questionable. In addition, the
majority of ads are blind ads so the respondent has no idea
who is receiving their application.
Craigslist Ads Reposted
Due to its popularity amongst job posters and employment
seekers, one advertisement can produce hundreds of responses
from professionals across the continent. Consider this,
Craigslist receives millions of page views per month and
one job advertisement has the potential to be viewed by
thousands of viewers and receive hundreds of responses
within a few days.
If the job seeker is unable to respond to an ad promptly,
it is possible that the job has been filled and the
application will be shelved. Likewise, several writing
sites post Craigslist writing ads in their blogs, newsletter
and list them on their website; however, quite often the
original ad was posted days early and consequently the
recipient has already received dozens of responses to the
original post.
Low Pay or Free Content
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the Craigslist
team, some writing jobs are phony, and the posters are
looking for free content which explains why some advertisements
require the respondent to submit an original, unpublished
article. Likewise, some ads offer payment but it is not
until the respondent receives a reply that the poster
discloses that compensation for the assignment is
ridiculously low.
The Art of Querying
Although Craigslist is a popular platform in which to find
writing assignments, the good old fashioned query may yield
more success for your efforts:
•With minor alterations, a well written query can be used
repeatedly until the idea has piqued an editor’s interest.
•It may take longer to create a targeted query than a
Craigslist response however the odds are in your favour
that your query will be read and the response favourable if
you’ve researched your topic and prospective market thoroughly.
•The chances of an editor receiving an identical query are
significantly lower than competing with hundreds of writers
responding to the same Craigslist ad.
•You know where your query is going, the appropriate person
(if you did your homework) and the expected response time.
•You’re in control because you choose your target market
based upon your research including the editorial needs of the
market, compensation, and response time.
Next time you’re tempted to respond to a Craigslist writing
request, consider the time invested to respond and factor
in the odds of receiving a response; then think again and
pen an old fashioned query to increase your success.
BIO
Christine Cristiano hangs her in Ontario, Canada and shares
her world with her husband and two sons. She pens the blog,
Late Night Writer, at
www.christinecristiano.blogspot.com
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