I receive requests to write for free on a fairly regular basis. This is something my friends and students at various writing workshops I’ve taught regularly ask me about as well. The answer is almost always a definitive no, but there are always a few exceptions. If you’re contemplating seeking out free work, here are some questions to ask yourself.

Are you trying to save a few bucks by trying to get writers to help build your brand or business, while offering nothing in return?

If so, then you should probably  rethink your business model.

An obvious exception to this would be the non-profit organization looking for people to write on a volunteer basis about issues they feel strongly about. (Note: not making money doesn’t make you a non-profit organization.)

If you are offering exposure in return for writing, is this actually legitimate exposure?

Some people will write guest blog posts in exchange for a backlink from a legitimate site with a lot of readers and a high Alexa ranking. And they’ll  do this for a specific reason: to promote their book or product or event, to reach potential paying clients looking for coaching or a course they offer, or to build their Alexa ranking (assuming your site’s ranking is higher than theirs.)

This is totally different from offering people “clips” or “exposure” which you tell them will lead to paid writing opportunities (it doesn’t) or trying to convince people that a content mill-esque site will give them legitimacy (it won’t). Seriously, editors are not scouring the web looking to hire people who write for free on your site–I promise. And there are actually a lot of editors who will refuse to accept ANY work from content mill writers.

Also, if your site is riddled with ads and affiliate links and is no fun to look at, you’re probably not doing anybody any favors, including your writers.

Are you offering people future paid work in exchange for free work now?

Is that a guaranteed offer in writing? I didn’t think so.

Are you asking for any type of commitment?

Asking people to commit to a certain amount of posts or hours when they are working for free is pretty lame.

Are you paying some of your writers and not others?

Then you’re pretty much telling the person you’re asking to work for free that their work isn’t as good as that of your “real” writers. No matter how good the exposure or opportunity is, that’s a bit insulting.

And paying some writers double or triple the amount that you pay other writers for the same work is also pretty lame, though it does lead to some interesting conversations when content mill writers working for pennies a word learn that the same company is offering people a much larger amount to another writer for the same work.

Would you be insulted if someone asked the same from you?

If you would get angry or upset if someone asked you to do the same thing… then don’t ask someone else to do it. This is always a good rule of thumb.

Last but not least…

If you do find someone who wants to write for you because they consider the exchange mutually beneficial, remember that they’re still working for free. Not requiring endless rewrites, communicating with them quickly, correcting errors on your site as requested, offering a 2-3 sentence byline with a nice backlink to their site (using the anchor text they ask for), being grateful, etc… is always a nice courtesy.

Did I miss anything? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Compliments are far less pervasive than criticism is in the world of online journalism, so I’m always happy when someone has something positive to say. A fighter I profiled told me she finally read what I wrote about her months ago, and said, “It’s actually really well-written. Not that I didn’t think you are good at writing, but you’re the only one that’s actually accurate…”

I was gleaming for a bit, but then reminded her that many MMA bloggers are working for mere pennies (if that), and so it’s hard to expect everyone to double and triple-check all of their information. (Not that every underpaid MMA writer is incapable of this, but just that some don’t bother.) And then there’s the time crunch. I, too, have fallen victim to wanting to be first or even just wanting to get a certain amount of work done within a given timeframe, instead of waiting for someone who may not even respond.

Nevertheless, I started thinking about fact-checking. Has it become a lost art? Let’s step outside of the blogosphere and look into the world of professional media (print and online). The truth is that the gold standard of media is for publications to have their own fact-checkers, who will work their way through a list of references provided with an article. I submit an annotated copy of each article with footnotes, as well as a clean copy without them. I also print out copies of each study I cite (not the abstract, but the full study), and full names, titles, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for each source I interviewed, so that they may double-check quotes.

When I’m doing health or science writing, the rules are sometimes even more stringent. In some cases, studies must not only be performed on humans and with a large sample size, they must also be recently published in peer-reviewed journals. This level of scrutiny isn’t applicable to all types of writing, but knowing how to check facts is a useful skill. And since I’ve done some freelance fact-checking, I thought I’d share some tips which I use both to check other people’s work, and to fact-check my own writing if there’s nobody else in that position.

1. Prepare your sources for fact-checking ahead of time. If you are interviewing someone for your article or post, make sure to ask them if you can check back if any questions arise. Sometimes, there’s someone else who will do that kind of work for them, but often they will tell you to contact them directly. Ask them what medium works better for them. I’ve had people respond instantly via e-mail even after ignoring phone calls for days.

2. Look everything up. If you interview someone and they mention a story published on YahooSports in March, look for that story. If it was actually published in April, call them to make sure that you have the right story. This is also true for studies–someone may say there were multiple studies they mentioned in an article, for example, but you can only find one. Follow up with them. Look up stats, too. If there are discrepancies, you may need to mention this in your story–or at least follow up with your source.

3. Make sure your sources are credible. An anonymous post in a forum would, of course, hold far less weight than an article in a legitimate publication. That’s not perfect, either–many rumors are repeated in the echo chamber blogosphere–but it’s definitely a start.

4. If you find discrepancies, look into them. Professional fact-checkers often contact writers to let them know there are discrepancies between their article copy and their supporting documents. If you’re fact-checking your own work, you will quickly realize whether you made an error. If an error was from a source and you can’t get ahold of them, you can always work the new figure into your copy, with citation. (Example: “According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, …” Then work the supporting quotes from your source into the copy.

5. Make sure you have supporting proof for every statement given as fact. When you’re reading through the piece, imagine someone annoying saying, “Oh yeah? Prove it!” to everything written. Would you be able to? How? Even if you are not including links or footnotes throughout the piece, having them on hand if someone questions you is always useful.

6. Check spelling, grammar, tense and cases. Proofreading isn’t exactly fact-checking, but why not kill two birds with one stone? And who knows? While checking subject/verb agreement, you may come across something relevant. Like “studies indicates.” Then your job is to find out whether it’s just one study or there are several, and make appropriate corrections. (Again, get permission from sources before changing direct quotes.)

7. Go back and check everything. Quoting a famous writer? Go back and check that the quote is accurate. Listing a year of an event? Double-check the year. Writing an MMA article? Go back and check the fighters’ records. Writing about botany? Check those Latin names. Make sure, again, that your sources are credible. Someone’s facebook page may have a quote misattributed, for example.

8. Get both sides. While you can generally get away with publishing non-factual information when quoting someone directly, it’s good form to try to get a comment from the other side–and could lead to a much better story, if you’re willing to do a bit of reporting. And Wait for several hours, if at all possible, giving people time to respond. If I am worried that someone did not get back to me because they simply did not have the time, I often write that they “did not immediately respond to request for comment” rather than “did not respond to request for comment.” This can always be updated with a response later, should you get one.

9. Don’t misrepresent anything. Make sure our headlines, quotations, etc. are not misleading or do not highlight things out of context… even if you could get more hits that way.

10. Be accountable. Admit to any mistakes you make, and correct errors as you find them.

What are your fact-checking tips?

To follow up on yesterday’s post, which may have been unnecessarily complex, I thought I’d just write out some questions I’ve gotten and what the answers would be. If you don’t care to understand the nuances and intricacies of conflicts of interest (real or perceived) but want to know if I’d work with you on something, check the Q+A below and see if it’s on there.

I hope it is clear that I have nothing against individuals or the companies they own or represent, but simply that I try to keep editorial and advertorial writing separate. If I write copy for a magazine or website, I  am working for that publication and my goal is to provide a service for their readers.  If I write ad copy, I am working for and serving the company… and never the ‘twain shall meet!

Without further ado, here’s the Q&A. Feel free to send me your own questions and I’ll answer them in the comments.

Would you ever accept payment from me to write articles about my company or product in magazines (which are also paying you)?

No.

Would you consider ghostwriting promotional material for my company’s website, press releases, etc.?

Yes.

Can I sponsor your site in exchange for positive reviews or publicity disguised as a normal blog post?

No.

Can I send you a book or product to review?

Probably. You do, however, run the risk of me choosing not to review the product, or writing my honest opinion. If the review is on anywhere other than my blog, I also need to get permission from my editor.

If I pay you money, will you give me a glowing review?

No.

Can I let you into an event for free in exchange for media coverage?

Possibly, if my editor approves it. It depends on what kind of event it is and whether it is of interest to our readers–some events may not be, even if they are free. However, they can nix the article at any time, and I might choose to write my honest opinion, which may or may not be positive.

Can I reprint an article you wrote about me as a paid advertisement?

Absolutely not.

But I saw an interview of yours which was an editorial feature reprinted as a paid advertisement in a major magazine.

That was done without my knowledge, let alone consent.

If you tell your editor that I’m giving you free things, or that we’ve done work together, they may not want you to write about us. Can we just keep this our little secret?

No.

If I give you a percentage of the profits I made from product sales, will you try to get article assignments where you can mention the product?

No.

Will you write my college or high school paper for me?

No.

Would you consider proofreading my paper and tell me which parts need work and where there are errors?

Yes.

I tried to give you something for free, and you turned it down, stating that there was a conflict of interest. Does this mean you are being polite, and I should insist you have it anyway?

No, not unless it’s also available free for everybody else.

I know you can’t write about me for magazines since we’re BFFs and you have worked with me for 5 years and any magazine worth their salt would not give you the assignment when you disclose this information. But can I hire you to help me out with my own media strategy, copywriting or SEO work?

I don’t see why not.

Can you share with me any information you’ve picked up about my competitors from research you’ve done for articles?

No.

You wrote something about me a long time ago, and are now coming to me as a client and wanting to purchase training/a guest pass/a book/a ticket/another service I offer which you’ve raved about. Do I have to take you on as a client or hang out with you in exchange for the positive coverage, or in hopes of getting positive coverage in the future?

No.

I hope this clears things up! Again, feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

Just this past week, an individual asked me to accept payment to help him break into consumer magazines I write for. I turned the job down as a conflict of interest, trying to politely explain that it is unethical for me to compromise my relationship with my editors by acting as a PR agent in exchange for monetary benefit.

I will occasionally be offered some sort of freebie, and have to really play it by ear to see if it is acceptable. I will review free books on my blog (while disclosing to my readers that I did receive a review copy), but the sender runs the risk of either receiving a bad review or no review depending on how I feel about the book.

I can sometimes accept a free trip or attend a seminar to write a review–but again, I have to disclose this to my editor and receive approval, and often disclose the freebie my readers, and the seminar or workshop may not get a positive review (or any review, for that matter) depending on my experience.

The reason? My responsibility is to my editor and my readers, and it would be unethical to recommend or promote something when I don’t really mean it or don’t think it would fit my readers’ needs. If an editor believes a freebie would sway my opinion, I decline. If the gift-giver is trying to buy an insincerely positive review, I cannot oblige. And I will never, ever accept payment from an organization in exchange for covering them for a magazine or website which also provides compensation.

I’ve struggled with trying to explain these issues on many occasions, and my explanations are often met with confusion. The entire issue can be difficult, both because the face of media is really changing (gone are the days where newspaper reporters are not allowed to vote), and because often have to draw my own lines and voluntarily disclose information to readers (or pay for services and goods that are offered for free) as I face daily occurences of what I consider grey areas. But some of the situations I encounter are black and white.

Most recently, an article I wrote for a magazine was reprinted as an advertisement. I was livid, because it looked like I was working for the organization which reprinted the piece (a private company) AND the magazine which I was covering them for–a classic conflict of interest. (In reality, I turned down editorial work for the same company, citing a conflict of interest, though we had discussed the possibility of me editing and/or ghostwriting for the same organization. Despite appearances, the article was published as an ad without my knowledge, let alone consent–or payment from the company in question. Incidentally, some writers will not even do copywriting or any work in the same industries which they cover editorially, and I can see why.)

In any case, I’m hoping to try to clarify what exactly a conflict of interest is and why I sometimes turn certain opportunities down (and sometimes don’t). I’ll start with an explanation of what I believe a conflict of interest is. As I understand it, a conflict of interest is when a person (or company) has multiple interests, and one of them has the potential to corrupt their motivation for action in another. Let’s look to medicine for an example. Doctors are not permitted to sell the medicine which they prescribe. Patients must go to an outside pharmacy. This is because doctors could very well prescribe unnecessary drugs in order to make money. That is a conflict of interest. This conflict exists regardless of whether any wrongdoing has taken place. It is the potential/possibility of impropriety due to the circumstances that creates a conflict of interest.

As a professional writer, I am entrusted with a certain expectation of impartiality. A conflict of interest creates the perception that I lack impartiality, which kills trust and credibility (and often work, as many editors have no interest in dealing with writers who they think are incognito PR agents.)

Freelancing is a really difficult job, requiring a lot of different avenues of work in order to make a living. Last year, I wrote ad copy for businesses, did SEO consulting, taught classes, proofread manuscripts and papers, edited an online fitness journal, did a fair bit of test item writing, and wrote multiple articles for various trade journals, consumer magazines, custom publications, and websites. I also happen to cover health, fitness, nutrition, martial arts, and grappling…and exist in a world where I have my own goals and often am friends with various industry leaders, or train with interview sources outside of the context of my professional world. This makes it extremely difficult to avoid any conflict of interest. With that in mind, here are some measures I take.

I disclose any conflicts of interest, real or perceived, to my clients and editors–or readers, as necessary. For example, if I am asked to write about an organization I have done work with, I will mention this to my editor. S/he may choose to reassign the article, or to have me tell the readers what my connection is, and I comply with these requests. (I even sometimes offer the information when it is not requested.) I disclose potential conflicts of interest to my readers on this blog, For example, if I was going to plug a magazine I help edit on here, I would mention that in my description.

Similarly, I do not accept free trips or lodging without disclosing the gift to an editor, who may say no, or may ask me to disclose this to the reader. An exception is if this is for copywriting… Let me give an example. A fight promoter asked me to cover one of his events for a website I write for, and said he’d pay my lodging. I said no because it was a conflict of interest. First of all, I wouldn’t try to convince an editor that an event was worthy of coverage simply because I was getting freebies. (I’d also tell my editor about the freebies, and he’d nix the idea right there). Second, my readers would think I was covering the event due to its quality, but I wouldn’t, really–I’d be doing it because I got a freebie. This isn’t fair to the reader. However, if an event promoter wanted me to attend an event to ghostwrite promotional material for his own website, that’s a whole ‘nother story. (Again, though, note that there are a substantial amount of writers won’t do promotional work in the same industry they cover editorially, because things can get messy.)

If I am covering an event, such as a fight, and my mileage is being covered by a client…I will visit the gym where either of these fighters train (unless it is part of my assignment), both because it kills my semblance of impartiality, and because I don’t want people to feel like they need to hang out with me in their gym in order to get media coverage. (As mentioned, though, If an interview or gym visit is part of my assignment, that’s a different story.)

When I do visit a gym, I try really hard not to accept free classes in exchange for coverage, unless my editor and sometimes readers are aware that I got a freebie (which  may taint their view of my writing) and the gym owner is aware that the coverage may not be positive, and there many not be any coverage at all.

If I feel I cannot cover an assignment objectively, I will recuse myself from that assignment–unless there is an option to write an editorial, while disclosing my conflict in the article (usually in the beginning.)

I have in the past been an affiliate for certain products, such as Multipure filters, where I received a percentage of any items I sold. I  mentioned this affiliation in any blog posts where it existed, and also made sure to recommend more than one product.

If I am really confused and think my decision-making may be biased due to a conflict of interest, or I am worried about something which may or may not be a conflict of interest, I will ask an unbiased third party.

Lastly, I abide by any code of ethics available to me. One of my clients does not allow me to accept free food when reviewing restaurants. It can be challenging when the expense budget won’t cover a full meal, but I follow the rule and do the best I can. Another client allows me to accept freebies when part of promotional events, and still another actively tries to arrange for freebies.I do my best to follow both the spirit and letter of the law–working to eradicate the semblance of bias in my own writing, and abiding by any rules clearly laid out for me.

I hope this clears things up a bit. I will follow up with a Q+A on this issue, so feel free to add questions and comments or e-mail me directly.