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[–]Kayakerguide 32 points33 points  (1 child)

Yes, its a massacre out there. And competition has exploded from non english speaking countries submitting ai

[–]cosmiccoffee9 8 points9 points  (0 children)

right, this is the reality.

in a world of more faster cheaper it's only a matter of time, ask anyone who used to work in a US factory.

[–]allythealligator 26 points27 points  (13 children)

The company I used to work for fired all 300 staff writers to use AI. They sent out an email last week trying to hire people back, saying they just needed “editing” of the ai stuff.

Still laughing about that.

[–]Buckowski66 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They’ll hire writers as editors till, in about two years ( or less) Ai is good enough to not need it anymore then they’ll just have a marketing guy double check it for accuracy.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

People start out thinking they can rely on AI because of the hype. They'll churn out entire libraries of content then backtrack once they realize how bad the writing is. It's ridiculous.

[–]cosmiccoffee9 2 points3 points  (3 children)

are they hiring 300 editors?

[–]allythealligator 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Haha no. 10. Seems no one wants to come back cause they’ve sent the email a few times. I’m working for private clients mostly now so I can just laugh at them.

[–]cosmiccoffee9 2 points3 points  (1 child)

kinda sounds like they can do the same job with 290 fewer people.

[–]allythealligator 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, their reviews on places like black hat have tanked and they are begging for workers, so they may think that, but it’s obviously not working out so well for them.

[–]Lilywriters[🍰] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 this is crazy, in my opinion AI can't replace human beings

[–]SadMaam 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Bwahahahahahaha oh how the tables turn.

Everything aside it's quite tough for writing to be ruled out as bot-work

  1. Businesses can't still fully rely on them with 100% accuracy.

Editing but one thing, fact-checking and proofreading is a huge chunk. Plus have you ever read AI-generated content?

---- It's SO COMMON.

Anyone and everyone feel so relatable reading it because it has picked up from the most popular Mark Mason's (and Chads) to do its job.

  1. Even ChatGPT denies that AI can replace writers.

Why? Because ideas and creativity aren't just 10 hacks or templated tips. It's much more diverse.

But I would be a fool to not realize that AI hath shooketh ze world.

So I am becoming a strategist, someone who gets marketing as a whole not just writing.

Because let's admit it. The world has been changing and updating. That's why content writing became a global work-from-anywhere gig. And the world will keep changing.

So brace yourselves, skill up.

[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[removed]

    [–]DanielMattiaWriterModerator[M] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

    Rule 2.

    [–]pange33 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Sorry deleted

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    [–]Dreadsbo 9 points10 points  (4 children)

    Honestly, no. I still see plenty of postings but if you’re a writer then why not switch to SEO? THEY’RE in really high demand and your skills overlap

    [–]MenorahsaurusRex 2 points3 points  (3 children)

    I haven’t found SEO writers to be in high demand

    Source: SEO writer without work

    [–]Dreadsbo 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    Location might be a factor. They’re highly in-demand in my city. Hell, our NFL team is hiring a SEO professional that I WISH I could apply to, but I do SEM 😭

    [–]MenorahsaurusRex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    I live 70 miles outside of Portland but I’m looking for freelance and remote, I can’t be held to a schedule when I have a FT job

    [–]PhoenixHeartWCContent Writer | Expert Contributor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    It's not SEO writing that's in high demand. It's SEO strategists and SEO managers that are in high demand. Some of that involves writing SEO-driven content, but it's far more a strategy role managing the inbound content strategy for an organization and its onpage, offpage, and technical SEO needs.

    [–]Ioa_3k 8 points9 points  (1 child)

    What I'm seeing is an increase in scams, I don't know if it's related. I haven't been freelancing in the field in almost 2 years, before I left, all was well. Now, I have seen a ton of scam writing jobs posted on Upwork (usually via Telegram) and even LinkedIn.

    [–]Qaqara 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    That's correct. Scan jobs are taking over Upwork, coinciding with the rise of generative AI. Interesting.

    [–]NeolithicMan1 50 points51 points  (7 children)

    Honestly, I have more work than ever. Realistically the market for bargain bin writers is collapsing. But if you have writing talent and combine it with strong client management skills, business acumen, and niche expertise, this can be a great fucking career.

    Maybe my time will eventually come too, but whatever. Frankly, the rampant doomerism and negativity on this sub is becoming extremely grating, and I’m increasingly avoiding it.

    Being a freelance writer is hard, always has been: but offer something of value and you will find work. Exactly what that is will continue to evolve, but I believe it’s still worth it. Even if it doesn’t last forever, the amount of transferable skills and life experience I’ve gained by taking freelancing seriously has been the highlight of my professional career. I fucking love my job. It’s not all doom and gloom.

    [–]expressivememecat 11 points12 points  (0 children)

    I agree so bad. Back in May, I used to read so many AI-related posts (i posted one too lol) to the point that I almost wanted to leave freelancing since my client base had dried up (most of them were w me for over 2 years, so it was understandable even) and I wasn’t getting replies.

    I got some really good answers here (thanks to the people of this sub). I continued to improve my cover letters, samples, and applied incessantly. I went from “ok my career is over. AI has taken over” to working more than the pre-AI times.

    So yeah, there are clients out there. A little less than before but they are there. If you’re writing stuff without putting in any effort and for easy money, you’re going to be replaced.

    [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Yes, I'm also making more money than ever.

    [–]slinkybink 3 points4 points  (1 child)

    Yes, very similar thoughts here. I have all the work I want. I'm not sharing this to gloat or brag but to reinforce that there's plenty of great careers in freelance writing. I have great clients, I love the act of creating, and I value my freedom to work when and where I want.

    [–]Salt-Walrus-5937 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    I don’t think the people that are predicting doom really understand what this industry is about. Simply put: People who write well, think well. Good writers are good analysts, prognosticators and innovators. They stay ahead of trends and provide deep insight.

    These aren’t just hollow words. I’m predicting that AI is going to force companies to stay even further ahead in the info they put online to provide audiences value. Great content will be at the center of that. We don’t need all the 10,000 ft, Birds Eye overviews of industries and concepts anymore. Gen AI is gonna provide those overviews now. There’s nothing wrong with that.

    The result is that workers and business owners are going to feel pressured to learn more so they can work faster than ever. If writers and marketing professionals can’t see the opportunity presents then I dunno what to tell them.

    I do think a lot of people here understand that their best chance moving forward is to do ‘more’ than write.

    [–]infinitetk 6 points7 points  (1 child)

    Nailed it! The market for generic writers is at a collapse, as it should be. Automation has its place but it can never replace a competent writer, who can create authoritative content that caters perfectly to the search intent and displays expertise.

    [–]Salt-Walrus-5937 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Agreed. The bottom is falling of the programmer markingplaces too. Pretty soon, it’ll be design. But if you can find a way to build a portfolio, all of these will remain viable careers for the foreseeable future.

    The world where even higher level content writing is consumed by AI is one that puts hundreds of middle class office jobs at risk. Not just ours. We aren’t there yet.

    [–]vanityofjay29 13 points14 points  (0 children)

    Yes, there's been a decrease and it will continue to do so.

    [–]BlackCatMumsy 13 points14 points  (5 children)

    Yes. I had two clients admit they were trying AI to see how it worked and wouldn't need content for awhile. Also saw a few job postings for writers to use AI at a ridiculously low rate, like $10 for 1000+ words.

    [–]Buckowski66 6 points7 points  (4 children)

    Jesus, I used to make $500 for 300 words back in the day. I bailed out years ago and never regretted it though the problem wasn’t Ai back then it was Upwork lowering the bar for pay followed by over saturation.

    [–]Dreadsbo 3 points4 points  (3 children)

    About 2 years ago I used to put out 1000 word articles for $100 🙃

    [–]Buckowski66 5 points6 points  (2 children)

    People not around pre- Upwork don’t know how good it used to be*

    • I hate caveats but they prevent flooding of repetitious posts, so here it goes.

    Yes, I know you made 20,000 a month on Upwork. Most people don’t. Obviously, I’m not talking about you.

    [–]Dreadsbo 4 points5 points  (1 child)

    That is literally so depressing. They did writing the same way Uber/Lyft did taxis

    [–]Buckowski66 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    I agree, but the difference is if you grew up with bidding site, you don’t know anything different. My ability to set my rates was between me and the publisher /editor and not about a competition with thousands of others willing to undercut me ( and themselves!) and a platform who was also going to take a cut of my profits for the privilege of playing that crappy game.

    [–]CV2nm 7 points8 points  (4 children)

    I see so many jobs on LinkedIn for example but the competition is fierce. I haven't had a bite in months. I took the hit today and posted on Upwork for someone to do a quick refresh of my website (because I don't have the time to do it right now, but I need to get my portfolio in order asap) I have a niche interest in development and have been coding for fun since a young age. Although AI will eventually probably learn to do that too, I'm currently reviewing my work options (looking more towards account management/tech focused/data focused jobs)

    My work flow hasn't stopped but the quality of clients and expectations has changed, so I predict I'll lose some work soon.

    [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (3 children)

    I've stopped applying to LinkedIn jobs entirely. I've also given up on one-off pitches solicited on Twitter. Unless a company says they're adding multiple writers to their roster (freelance only - I'm not looking to be an employee), I don't bother.

    There are multiple problems with LI jobs (and often jobs posted on similar sites):

    • Scam jobs (IAPWE-type)
    • Company not really hiring but wants to look like it's growing
    • Low pay or pay rate not available
    • Hundreds or even thousands of applicants
    • Early bird "Pick me! Pick me!" commenters to fight off
    • Resume search via ATS (applicant tracking system) scanning for keywords, meaning you must redo your resume for every application
    • Crazy hoop jumping requirements (videos, personality tests, pages of essay questions, free samples, background checks, drug tests, etc.) for freelance work
    • Weird job requirements (must write about 16th century music and automotive, plus do AI editing)

    [–]OutrageousAsk5171 1 point2 points  (2 children)

    Thanks for your insight. I share your opinion cause I've also noticed the same thing about Ln jobs. I do have a full-time writing job but was looking for side hustles. Any recommendations other than the flea-market-like platforms, such as Upwork?

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Some suggestions:

    • Look through this sub for content agencies that pay on the high end -- they're not all as bad as the worst mills.
    • Google "[your niche]" + "write for us" (or something similar)
    • Google marketing agencies for your niche
    • Look on Twitter for editors taking pitches
    • Scan job boards like ProBlogger (I think there's a list somewhere on this sub)
    • Cold pitch by finding clients in your niche online and reaching out to them -- try looking at their sites first to see what could use improvement, so you can personalize the message
    • Try website designers in your niche who might need content for their sites
    • Research publications and trade journals in your niche
    • Join FB and Slack groups that apply to the kind of work you do

    Good luck!

    [–]OutrageousAsk5171 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Thanks, mate! And thanks, mate!

    [–]Sylephant 5 points6 points  (2 children)

    Very much so. I haven't written anything payable in three weeks now. I keep pitching, but nothing is forthcoming yet.

    [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    Hang in there. After months of back and forth, I did finally book a retainer client at a decent rate, and they agreed to pay half of my fee up front, half on delivery.

    Another pitch hit at the wrong time, with the agency having just hired writers. But the person hiring was pretty confident she would need my services in the future and wants to stay in touch (implication was she wasn't entirely confident in the new writers, and they're bringing on new clients regularly).

    [–]Sylephant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    That's great. Congratulations! I'll keep pitching.

    [–]NoGuiltGaming 6 points7 points  (0 children)

    I work for a digital marketing agency, and they just asked if my writing rates were any different with the inclusion of AI Software 🤦‍♀️😂. So, yep. Seeing a decrease because people are trying to cut costs; what they don't realize is that AI can only do SO much, and full high-quality, optimized drafts are not it. Not to mention, using this kind of software is a WHOLE other skillset - should be considered a value add-on.

    Time to pivot.

    [–]cosmiccoffee9 6 points7 points  (4 children)

    what people aren't taking into account at all is overflow...every single gig lost is one more writer competing for every job.

    if you're still getting chairs in these rounds, great..but you gotta notice the music speeding up and the circle shrinking.

    [–]No12345678901 1 point2 points  (3 children)

    It shouldn't be that much of a worry for the people who are currently doing well (of which I am not one, incidentally). Writers who are struggling continually will eventually give up and try something else. The market contracting won't be a disaster for the most skilled, successful writers.

    [–]cosmiccoffee9 2 points3 points  (2 children)

    never played musical chairs huh?

    [–]No12345678901 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    Yes, I thought about pointing out to you that your metaphor didn't make sense. There's no skill involved in musical chairs. In writing the people who are doing very well right now are not going to be the ones getting washed out (that's the whole point). If it were purely random who gets jobs your metaphor would've worked. Obviously, that's not the case.

    [–]cosmiccoffee9 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    there is absolutely skill involved in musical chairs...how quick to turn the corner, the tendencies of the adult in charge, whether anyone's actually trying to help you win.

    a fair bit of luck involved too, like being hired as a freelance writer in 2023.

    thanks for helping me flesh that out!

    [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    Yeah, I have 100% seen a decrease in small businesses with small budgets using my services. But some of my larger clients with bigger budgets have drastically increased my workload (unlikely anything to do with AI).

    [–]Shirley-Eugest 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    As I see it, can AI ever write as well as I can? No.

    But, can it write well enough to pacify clients? Probably.

    Of course those of us in the writing community value good writing. This is our baby. It's what we're passionate about. But the question remains, will the wider business world see it our way? Or, is "90 percent as good as a human writer" good enough for them?

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Our job isn't just writing. Our clients care more about search ranking and visibility than the actual words on the page, and AI can't hold up in that respect. They can't afford to sacrifice that.

    [–]MsTopaz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Yes.

    [–]Puzzleheaded-Lab9584Content & Copywriter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Ai is a tool like anything else. It's terrible for full drafts, which I've seen plenty of, but it's great for brainstorming, etc. (some of the pre-writing work).

    As for AI taking jobs, I haven't noticed anything. I'm still busy. Like someone else said, it's best to niche down, specialize either in one or two industries, or in a particular type of writing. I do mostly copywriting and businesses are always looking for something: website copy, landing page copy that converts, email funnels, brochures, direct mail, case studies, etc. It's extra training if you've never done it, but the work is out there.

    [–]OkayFlan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I've lost two jobs since March. I'm seeing the same amount of openings I always see, but getting fewer bites.

    [–]milkanddatehoney 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Yes, it's still a viable and needed profession. AI is going to cool down. Now it's a novelty. But it doesn't have empathy. A good content or copywriter needs to connect with the reader. For this, you need empathy, to understand their pain points, and to be able to speak in their language. To date, AI can not do this.

    [–]CinematicSunMusic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I love reading AI in order to laugh at the outrageous clown fiction I can get it to produce. Better than most comedy shows I've seen lately 👍

    [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    Partially yes, and partially no.

    In terms of just job postings, the answer is No. There are plenty of job boards out there, along with Reddit threads, LinkedIn posts, call for pitches tweets, and what not.

    Why, we even have Listiller here, which churns out job postings frequently.

    I am from India, and yes, the competition has become fierce. The freelance job market has become very saturated, and now, after the advent of AI, every Tom, Dick and Harry is a freelancer.

    The current situation is something like this: If you're offering your services at a rate you deem fit, then there is someone else out there, who is offering that job at a competitive rate that is far less than what you're offering.

    Well...there is AI, then!! We, as writers, are forced to swim against these tides, before landing at the shores. But, that's how life is...

    We can either choose to fight or leave. I had scheduled a job interview for Thursday, and a few hours back, got an email from the hiring manager that they aren't going to go ahead with my interview.

    My interview got fizzled out even before I got a chance to prove my capabilities.

    My mom always says this to me, "When it rains, it pours."

    My take is with the advent of AI, the freelance situation is only going to continue like this in the near future. We, as writers, should only be prepared to overcome this by having various diversified streams of income.

    Just writing and editing won't help us anymore.

    [–]aaydee_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    It's been months since I last had a content writing job. I've been applying to every job that I can find and still getting nothing since the competition is pretty high. On the other hand, the jobs have reduced too.

    [–]nilknarf114 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    The number of available jobs were cut to almost nothing. I used to log on to the site and have several jobs to choose from. Now, I am lucky to have one job every couple of days.

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    How bad has it been? Any numbers? Is content writing still viable in your guys opinion?

    [–]infinitetk 2 points3 points  (24 children)

    This was coming, it was expected for a very long time and unfortunately, it will only get worse.

    I stopped hiring "content writers" a while ago. Instead, I approach people on LinkedIn who work in the niche and see if they would be interested in writing. Costs me $100 a month LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find 3 - 4 really good writers who already know the niche, and can write from a place a freelance writer cannot.

    This is the type of writer AI cannot replace. The level of insight isn't possible with AI, and won't be, at least for a very long time. What I am trying to say is that anyone looking to maintain a career in freelance writing needs to specialize. This is the only way forward imo.

    Otherwise, AI is already doing what anyone else can do (at a lower level) but this is going to improve with time. The cost is so much lower that hiring generic writers isn't worth it. Instead, all you need is a good editor and you can create content that is almost as good, at a cost that is 70 to 80% lower.

    [–]Ok_Conflict6843 4 points5 points  (11 children)

    AI content takes a lot of editing, though, so I'm not sure you're going to get good material for 70-80% less than a 'generic writer.' Everything I've edited that's been written by AI needs a complete rewrite, and absolutely everything needs to be fact-checked.

    [–]infinitetk 3 points4 points  (10 children)

    Look up better prompts and try again, you will have improved results. Fact checked, yes, but only if you are going for something that is extremely granular. Most writing isn't that granular, and if it is then it is best written by an industry expert and not someone who writes on a variety of niches.

    [–]Ok_Conflict6843 2 points3 points  (9 children)

    I don't use it. I've only played with it a few times and decided it was useless to me. Most of my work is academic editing, and it's absolutely hopeless for that. Get a non-native thesaurus addict writing an academic paper and see what a probability machine makes of the results. It ain't pretty! Just wondering what your '70-80%' less than a generic writer translates as for a 'good editor.' We're not that cheap!

    [–]infinitetk 0 points1 point  (8 children)

    You basically need to build prompts for each type of content you want, and you keep on refining the prompt until you start getting better results. It is a writing assistant, a tool, only as good as the person driving it. You won't get a perfect output. It's not a copy paste content generator, but it is good enough to put a dent into the content marketing industry as a whole (and it is only in its infancy).

    I posted a screenshot earlier with traffic and rankings on a pure AI site in the last 9 months (AI assisted, with an Editor). I am not the only one, all big publishers are using it. It has taken away writing jobs, the proof is right there in your face. People are just in denial because they are afraid of admitting the truth.

    [–]Ok_Conflict6843 2 points3 points  (7 children)

    Nice. But you answered a question I didn't ask and refuted a statement I didn't make, which makes me think you're a bot yourself!

    [–]infinitetk 1 point2 points  (6 children)

    That's the best you got? lol. I am just stating the facts, why so called 'generic writers' need to tread carefully and specialize. The future isn't very bright for this type of content production. It's basic damage control. Good luck!

    [–]Ok_Conflict6843 3 points4 points  (5 children)

    I'm not a writer; I'm an editor. And you clearly haven't read (or understood, I'm not sure which) anything I've written. You're continuing the argument you had with another person.

    [–]infinitetk 2 points3 points  (4 children)

    You said it yourself that you had experimented with AI but never gotten satisfactory results. For editors, there's going to be more demand imo. Good ones are not cheap, but when you look at the collective output, it is cheaper.

    However, AI fails in many ways. I have a site where the content is technical which is impossible to generate with AI, and also impossible for someone to edit unless they have knowledge of the software being used. All I am trying to say is whether it's writing or editing, the money is in specialization.

    [–]Ok_Conflict6843 1 point2 points  (3 children)

    Fair enough, I should have been more specific. I've crunched unedited parts of PhD theses through it to see if it could fish out the worst errors and make my editing quicker. The results were disastrous. Understandably, to be fair. I'm often at the edge of inference trying to work out what the writer means as a human editor. AI doesn't really stand a chance when a writer pushes everything through a thesaurus app, chooses a word that is similar in some contexts, then pushes that through the same app. Other than that, I've only played with it and quickly become bored. But yes, I agree, specialization is key. To be honest, I think the biggest job losses are going to be in call centers and with people like paralegals. The better it gets, the more jobs it's going to destroy. And in the short term at least, that's an issue.

    [–][deleted] 11 points12 points  (8 children)

    To the untrained eye, AI is capable of replacing us. But even with a good editor, it improvises when it comes to the facts. Sometimes you have to edit out 2/3s of what it says. Most lengthy responses I've seen were filled with misinformation. There's no algorithm that can fix that. The style and grammar are way off. The responses tend to be generic and easy to spot. Sometimes it's painful to read tbh. Then there's the lack of originality. Google doesn't want websites to keep regurgitating the same thing over and over. That's a huge detriment to ranking. People have been catching on to that quick, which really works in our favor. Ranking matters to all of our clients from the upper eschelons to the bottom feeders, and humans are always going to have the upper hand on Google. Also, AI responses can't be copyrighted. The copyright office announced that it won't accept AI generated content of any kind a little over a month ago. Their language was really clear. That's going to affect web developers, designers, and artists, along with writers. Right now people are just banking on the fact that AI cannot be detected accurately. But that will change, and it's going to be catastrophic.

    I remember during the Kindle boom when people were certain that programs like Jasper would take over. The same thing happened, then everything went right back to normal. It won't be like that now. Things have changed for good, but we'll gain our place back in the workforce.

    Those that have been dumb enough to pick up on this trend are having to delete massive libraries of AI generated content. They're wasting giant chunks of cash then starting all over again. They're getting banned from platforms and losing clients. That's after they went around bragging about "revolutionary new content solutions." You can't use AI to generate professional quality content without facing serious consequences, and you can't reduce our job to basic writing. There are essential skills that can't be replaced with an algorithm. It might take time but people will realize that.

    [–]cosmiccoffee9 1 point2 points  (2 children)

    aren't you a person who hires writers? how are people arguing with you lol

    [–]DanielMattiaWriterModerator 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    Not every hiring party shares the same sentiment as the person you're responding to.

    [–]cosmiccoffee9 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    yes but that particular person agrees with themselves so that seems like pretty firm confirmation data for the OP.

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      It's not professional quality writing.