Announcing Freelance Writing Jobs Priority Membership
Today I’m announcing something new for Freelance Writing Jobs! All subscribers now have the option to take out Priority Membership. Here’s more information.
What is a Priority Membership?
Priority Members will receive Freelance Writing Jobs 24 hours early. It’ll go out to you on Wednesdays, giving you the quickest access to the best calls for pitches and paying writing opportunities, as well as listings directly from editors that you won’t find elsewhere. The same email will then go out to regular subscribers on Thursdays.
Why are you introducing this?
Freelance Writing Jobs has been completely free for subscribers since it started in February 2018. Its running costs have previously been covered by regular advertisers and donations. However, the pandemic saw a huge increase in subscribers and with it my newsletter service fees rocketed. It now costs me hundreds of pounds a month to send and I no longer have a regular advertiser. At the moment FWJ is costing me money to send each week and that’s just not sustainable.
What’s involved in creating the newsletter?
Freelance Writing Jobs takes a day a week to research and create, but that work is much more than sharing job listings. A lot of my time is spent working directly with editors to push rates up and disclose pay ranges. I secure low-income entry options for writing competitions, and help shape better opportunities for underrepresented writers. I believe in this work. It’s vital to improving our industry and strengthening the freelance community.
I also want to ensure that I can keep the Freelance Writing Jobs Fund going. It’s run for two years now and I’ve given over £1300 to writers when they needed it most, along with mentoring that’s helped writers secure further work. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with a large audience. I want to do good where I can.
How much is a Priority Membership?
I’m trialling a rate of £3 a month. Your subscription starts from the day you take it out and there’s no set subscription length — you can pause or stop whenever you like.
How do I sign up for a Priority Membership?
Select the Membership option on Ko-fi. If you’re already an active monthly supporter then you’ll automatically be moved to the Priority Memberships list.
Will the newsletters be exactly the same?
It’s really in my interest to keep the newsletters the same so I’m not rewriting an issue and giving myself more work! However, before Thursday’s newsletter goes out, I will remove any listings that are no longer live.
Is there a cut off time to sign up?
I’ll be aiming to get the Priority newsletter out by noon every Wednesday, so you’ll need to be signed up by 11am on Wednesday mornings to receive your Priority Membership immediately. Otherwise you’ll get Thursday’s email, and switch over the week after.
What if you skip an issue?
With the exception of a couple of weeks at Christmas and a holiday in summer, it’s very rare I don’t send a newsletter.
Sometimes I move days because as you know, freelance life doesn’t always go to plan. So on occasions the newsletter goes out on a Thursday, regular subscribers will receive their email on a Friday.
An increase in Priority Memberships would allow me to pay a freelancer to compile the newsletter for me if I‘m sick or need a holiday. (Please note: I’m not hiring at the moment!)
My Paypal email address is different to the address I’m subscribed with, what do I do?
Just email me with your payment receipt and the correct email address, I’ll make sure you’re on the right list.
I hate Paypal, can I use something else to pay?
Yes you can! Ko-fi also uses Stripe so you can pay with your card details.
Is this a stepping stone to a paywall?
I’m trying very hard to avoid a paywall and I really hope giving you the option of a Priority Membership means that I don’t have to close the newsletter completely.
If I stop paying for a Priority Membership will I be unsubscribed from the newsletter?
No, you’ll move to the regular list when your Priority Membership expires and continue to get your emails weekly on Thursdays.
If I unsubscribe from the newsletter will my Priority Membership payments automatically stop?
No. Email subscriptions and Priority Membership payments are currently run on two separate systems, and as your payment information may well be different to your email subscription information, it’s really important that you stop your payment manually. I will not issue refunds in this instance.
How do I cancel my Priority Membership?
You can pause or cancel through Ko-fi, or your Paypal account. Please don’t raise a dispute through Stripe or Paypal to cancel your Priority Membership — that would mean I get charged a fee. After your membership has expired (which depends on the date you subscribed), you’ll revert back to the regular subscription.
I don’t need a Priority Membership but I’d like to buy a sponsored subscription for someone else, how do I do this?
This is such a nice thing to do! There’s a little bit of admin involved so please email me in this instance rather than leaving a message on Ko-Fi.
I can’t afford a Priority Membership, how do I get a sponsored slot?
Just fill out this form to go on the waiting list and I’ll let you know when a slot becomes available. Priority will be given to UK-based subscribers. Sponsored slots are allocated on a first come first serve basis and there’s absolutely no need to give me your life story, I’ll take your request in good faith.
Can I just still donate without taking out a Membership?
Absolutely! All one-off donations are hugely appreciated and help towards the running costs of the newsletter.
I’ve got another question that isn’t answered here!
Sure, email me.
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you love the new Priority Membership option and understand my reasons for creating it.
Sian
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