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💰 What's your worth in 2025?
Published 3 months ago • 6 min read
Hello Reader!
I don't know if you know this, but surprise! I'm a freelance content marketer.
As such, I am often on the hunt for good job opportunities.
But, I've noticed a troubling trend on some of these job opportunity boards.
The trend? (AI didn't write that). Giving attention to extremely low-paying jobs.
I'm talking pennies per word. Or maybe a hundred or two for a detailed, long-form piece of content. And hourly rates that make even first-time teenage job seekers hurl.
In my estimation, these jobs don't deserve a spot on some of the most outstanding job round-up newsletters.
What they deserve is to be shunned.
Collectively. By us all.
And even called out.
I also keep pondering on the reason for these low-paying jobs.
I mean, it's AI, obvi.
It seems that some employers think that because AI can do something, it can do everything. Or it means that humans are doing less work.
If we're being honest, the AI content projects I've been editing haven't been any less work than editing human content or drafting from scratch.
Also, using AI as a companion doesn't make the end result you produce any less valuable to the brand.
I mean, I guess it circles back to the age-old debate of how to price services. Is it our time that is valuable on an hourly basis? Is it the years of expertise packaged into a retainer or per-project fee? Or is it the value of your work to the company?
Simply Business in the UK offers the idea that this is the year to INCREASE your day rate, and I agree:
Content jobs don't look the same even a year ago. I'd argue that they often require MORE from us than ever, including:
The same ol' writing skills we've always needed
Briefing skills. This is knowing what a good brief looks like, providing a brief if the client doesn't have one, and asking for extra details that may be missing. (I sell my content brief if you don't have one).
Editing skills to THE MAX.
SEO trend tracking (let's call it tracking???). Okay, I don't know what to call it, but SEO is BONKERS, and it's not easy to keep tabs.
An understanding of NLP and the role it plays in SEO
AI prompting
A deep understanding of grammar. There's a delicate balance between understanding the syntax AI uses and how to make any AI content not so dang boring, obvious, and gross. Meanwhile, you also have to balance NLP and how the SERPs process the words on your page. Because we have to be storytellers AND content markters.
Client management
Diverse CMS and project management system knowledge
What I'm saying is the load content peeps bear is BIG.
And, it's valuable.
AI isn't making our jobs less valuable (and often not that much easier). It's just one more thing to master (and we should add that to our prices).
Thank you for reading,
Ashley R. Cummings
Sponsor | Ranked
I just signed up for a new SEO service, Ranked. I'm loving it.
The team is attentive. It's affordable. The best part? I no longer have to do the SEO for my sites and am watching my rankings rise.
You can started for free today (rad, right? That's what hooked me). Then, it's only $99/month. Amazing.
Expert Interview | Carolyn Hall
1. Tell me more about yourself and your journey into content. My journey into content is a pretty recent one. My background is in holistic health, specifically massage therapy and palliative care plus a few other random jobs I’ve had along the way. After missing too many events on weekends or meetings at my children's school because of unsociable work hours, I realised that working for myself was my best option. I wasn’t sure what that would look like at first, but after a lot of research (and a few courses), I was drawn into content writing (and like lots of other people, wonder why I didn’t start earlier). Given my background, it made sense to start writing about holistic health, but that has naturally expanded into wellness and travel writing too. I now specialise in creating tailored content packages for wellness and travel brands including blog posts, product descriptions, web copy and newsletters. 2. How do you see the content marketing industry evolving, and what trends are you most excited to explore? Videos are everywhere! So video script writing is something I’d like to add to my services. They add another dimension to content and appeal to those who maybe have a shorter attention span, don’t have time or don’t want to read big blocks of text. I’m noticing more and more home pages with video content so I'm seriously considering doing that. And without wanting to get into the AI debate, it’s only going to get more advanced and more efficient. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing because it’s going to push writers to improve, get creative and use all their resources to produce content that’s richer and distinctly human. I think video content will play a big part in that evolution of content, giving us the chance to connect with audiences in ways only humans can.
Jobs
Announcement: The Content Connect Job Board is officially live. There are over 100 new job leads and it gets updated daily with the hottest jobs in content.
Here are some of the latest job leads, but click here for a full look:
Ashley's thoughts: Hard agree. Often the best way to level up is to get a second set of professional eyes.
The Best in Content This Week
I read 100s of articles every week and find the best (so you don't have to).
1/ 2025 predictions: 6 trends for freelance and contract work (Simply Business)
👉 The skinny:
Simply Business highlights six key trends shaping freelance and contract work in 2025, including the growing importance of AI skills, the introduction of the Fair Payment Code to address late payments, increased clarity for contractors under umbrella companies, rising day rates, potential cost increases due to changes in tax and insurance contributions, and a decrease in job vacancies. These developments could offer both challenges and opportunities for freelancers, prompting them to adapt to a shifting landscape while exploring ways to leverage these trends for growth.
👉 Why care?
Understanding these trends helps you make more money.
Pierre's shares strategies to engage passive buyers—95% of potential clients who aren’t ready to purchase but may in the future. The key is building top-of-mind awareness (TOMA) with educational, digestible content like LinkedIn posts or videos, rather than aggressive sales tactics. By doing so, you position your business to be a strong contender when passive buyers transition to active, triggered by external or internal factors like trends or competitor actions. Pierre emphasizes the importance of creating a content ecosystem to nurture passive buyers and being prepared to convert them through inbound or outbound efforts when they are ready
👉 Why care?
Yay! What we do matters to the bottom line.
3/ The Reddit Effect: How the Internet’s Most Authentic Platform Is Redefining SEO and Winning Google’s Game (AirOps)
👉 The skinny:
Reddit is a transformative force in SEO, redefining how content ranks and engages users on Google. Its authentic, community-driven discussions now dominate search results, bolstered by Google's prioritization of user-generated content. With over 1.2 billion monthly visitors and a 1,328% surge in visibility since mid-2023, Reddit challenges brands to adopt authentic, value-driven strategies that resonate with its audiences. Success demands a systematic approach: meaningful community participation, strategic content creation, AI-driven insights, and risk management. By embracing Reddit’s unique ecosystem, brands can capitalize on its rising influence and sustain long-term growth in the evolving search landscape.
👉 Why care?
Reddit is an outstanding source for authentic conversations. Build these into your pieces and thought leadership. It's also an exceptional distribution channel. Integrate Reddit into your content strategy in 2025.
Survey | AI in content marketing (ahrefs)
I saw this survey on LinkedIn and thought I'd share it. It's a great opportunity for us to all understand how AI is affecting our industry. Click here to take the survey.
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Subscribe now to grow your content marketing and writing muscles! Each week, you'll get an expert interview from a leading content marketer (free consulting—yay!), quick & actionable writing tips, and content marketing trends you may have missed delivered straight to your inbox. It's an easy decision—join 7000 other content marketers now!
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