Why You Shouldn’t Ask Writers for Free Samples

Have you ever asked a writer for a free sample of their work? Something as a way to test their knowledge or skills?

Did you know that this is one of the worst things you can do. When you ask writers for free samples, you set off some major red flags.

That request of a free sample tells the writer that you don’t really want to hire them. Even if you don’t mean to offend them, you have. Here are three reasons not to ask writers for free samples again.

Writers Are Aware of Scams

There are so many writing scams out there and free samples is one of them. Blog owners will ask a range of writers for free samples. Each sample will be a different topic, so the blog owner has all the blog posts he/she needs.

For example, there’ll be a job listing for writers to write 10 articles. The blog owner will ask 10 writers to write one piece each (without telling the writers he’s doing this). The blog owner then has 10 articles for free to post on his blog. All the writers hear that someone else has been hired.

Rinse and repeat.

Well, writers talk to each other. They know this is a scam, so asking for free writing samples is a major warning sign. Only those unaware of the risks will agree, and they may not be the best writers you can find.

Writers Already Have Samples

You don’t need a specific sample to see that a writer can write. You may want a sample within a niche, but you don’t need one on a specific topic.

What you want from the sample is to see that the writer has a voice for your audience and knows your industry. Asking to supply links to previously written samples in the niche is more than enough.

Good writers will be more than willing to show their past samples. They may be on major publications, their own blogs, or on charitable websites. Either way, they’ll be ready to grab and go. Some writers will have portfolios, so they can share niche specific examples quickly.

Writers Don’t Have the Time

You may not understand just how much work goes into writing. That’s okay, I’m here to help you understand this.

It takes time to research a topic and craft an interesting article. Then there’s keyword research, editing and sometimes image production. It can take an hour or two to make sure a basic 500 word article is ready to go.

When you ask writers for free samples, you make it clear that you don’t appreciate the amount of work writers need to put in to create a wonderful and compelling sample. This is why they’ll provide links instead.

Asking for free samples is a warning flag for the future. You may not be willing to pay their rate, because you don’t understand what their time and skills are worth.

So, the next time you’re thinking about asking writers for free samples, think again. It’s so important to respect the time a writer puts into creating content, and understand that too many writers have been scammed because of this trick. If you’re going to ask for blog specific samples, be willing to pay for it.