Writing about TV for free - is it possible?

January 7, 2007 7:16 PM

How do I find people who'll write for my TV blog...for free?

I'm ready to dive head-first into the blogosphere by taking my TV blog all the way: ad placement, adding my site to every search engine available, posting more frequently, offering endless RSS feeds, and giving the site a much-needed redesign.

None of this will ever work if I don't have anyone to help me. I'm looking for ways, and people interested in being a contributor/writer for my TV blog.

I can't pay anyone (yet), and since I'm borderline-desperate, I'll take anyone with at least some high school English. I'm looking for all sorts of writers: editors, columnists, daily bloggers, someone HTML/CSS savvy, correspondents, critics, and plenty more. I'm running with the "I'll take what I get" idea here, so I won't be too picky.

Please, someone point me in a promising direction.

posted by watch_alot to media & arts (13 comments total)

Why so desperate when you've already got a long to-do list of things that need to happen before the site is even monetizable? Otherwise, lead by example and post enough to give people something to return to, maybe some of them will want to write.
posted by rhizome at 7:26 PM on January 7, 2007

So you're seriously asking where you can find free workers to help you make a profitable site? Sorry if I misunderstood you, but that's what it sounds like.

I suggest you start by doing some great writing yourself, posting it, and making the site popular that way. Then, once it's popular via your content, you'll find it easier to attract collaborators.

Note: I frequently collaborate with people without any expectation of monetary reward. But I would never do it just because they asked me to. I need to be inspired by them. I mean, if Larry McMurtry asked me to co-write a novel with him, I'd say "yes" instantly, without the promise of a dime.
posted by grumblebee at 7:33 PM on January 7, 2007

I would write for "free" under the right circumstances as grumblebee already pointed out. One such circumstance would be if I thought I was getting significant exposure and/or experience. It does not sound from your description that I would be getting that in this case. If I wasn't getting that, I would want some long-term incentive knowing you could not pay right now. Equity in the blog would give me the proper incentive to write my heart out.

If you are just looking for a warm body to post, I would list the position on Craig's list, at college english departments and on your blog. Maybe someone is desperate enough to help you build a for profit website without compensation. Good luck with that.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:52 PM on January 7, 2007

I agree with the bones of your plan as you've laid it out here, and disagree with the notion that you should wait till your infrastructure is totally set to start building your content up. Deep rich content means everything on a site like the one you want to create, and you'll be helping your SEO if you take advantage of that time instead of squandering it while the site gets redone. (Besides, you're coming up on February sweeps!)

First, you need to CYA and devise a reasonable sweat equity structure. "Once you've contributed 10 posts of 500+ words, and as soon as the site becomes profitable, you'll be entitled to X% of ad revenue or x/100 per 5 posts, blah blah."

And, you need to get a contractor agreement together as well, a basic "you're working for me" thing, addressing who owns the copyrights, etc.

Otherwise, the second you start to earn some money, your "free" writers will claim a right to some of it.

I know that all might seem like putting the cart before the horse at this point, but if you're serious about getting people to write for you, and you want to be a profitable publisher, then run it like a real business from Day One.

Then, I'd scout around on high-traffic television sites (AKA, hopefully your future competition) specializing in commentary and episode reviews. Those sites usually have public member forums, with hundreds of people already posting their pearls of wisdom for free. You can even browse the forums by the shows which you think might be most interesting to your own planned audience.

Then, look for prolific posters who can string a few words together (bonus points if their posting history appears to be drama-free, which would hint at a drama-free employee). Additional points if their member profile links to a personal website, where you can vet even more of their writing and persona. (But, do yourself a favor and triple-check that the posters aren't site staffers before you approach them, or you could end up banned from the site.)

I disagree with the previous comments that you can't possibly get anyone to write for you for free, or that the only ones who would are "desperate" or of no skill, which is incorrect. The explosion of people writing on the Internet proves nothing if not that people love to see their own blatherings in print... and the vast majority of those are self-publishing and not making a dime. Capitalize on someone's interest in being seen as a "legitimate" blogger at "the next big thing" site.
posted by pineapple at 8:20 PM on January 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I frequently collaborate with people without any expectation of monetary reward.

You're soaking in it.
posted by Dave Faris at 8:26 PM on January 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

the second you start to earn some money, your "free" writers will claim a right to some of it.

Do you suppose we all can get a cut of the revenue Matt makes off of AskMefi?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

I think you're being unrealistic to think that people won't blather on and on for nothing more than the ability to see their name in print on the screen, much as it is here on the multiple sides of Metafilter.

To the OP... don't expect anything to happen overnight, especially the ad revenue. Maybe after a few years, you will bite and tear and gnaw your way past the hundreds and thousands of other blogs that are doing exactly what you propose to do, but I wouldn't quit your day job.
posted by Dave Faris at 8:30 PM on January 7, 2007

Read television forums *coughtelevisionwithoutpitycough*, and if you see a commenter who consistently expresses a style and quality of writing that seems to match what you're looking for, write to them (you might have to join the forum in order to get a message to them) and make your pitch to them.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:42 PM on January 7, 2007

Do you suppose we all can get a cut of the revenue Matt makes off of AskMefi?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

I think you're being unrealistic to think that people won't blather on and on for nothing more than the ability to see their name in print on the screen, much as it is here on the multiple sides of Metafilter.

Sorry, Dave, but you are confusing a public free-for-all with a specialized niche content provider with a small staff of writers on an editorial schedule.

I've been on both the publishing side of the latter and on the contributing side of the latter (and also, obviously, the contributing side of the former) -- and the two are vastly different, as are the respective motivations of the people involved. Lots of people blather for free for nothing more than seeing their name in print... when the publisher has built an operation where people can derive non-monetary value from participating.

Whether this particular OP can actually do that is anyone's guess. But, it does happen all the time online, and is certainly a realistic goal.
posted by pineapple at 8:52 PM on January 7, 2007

I run a futures trading commentary site, and not only do we get expert commentators to contribute for free, but they pay us for the privilege. The reason being that the exposure they get on our site results in a lot of our users building up trust in them and eventually opening trading accounts with them or signing up for their newsletters/seminars.

As a new site, it would probably be very difficult to try that arrangement from the get go, but you should still be able to get plenty of free contributions from people that just want exposure to your audience - even if it is small or nonexistent at the moment - as long as you are confident (and can convince them) that the audience will be there soon.

I don't know who those people might be, because I'm not familiar with your industry, but they're out there.
posted by chundo at 8:59 PM on January 7, 2007

My friend Max at lotsofco.org runs Too Much Free Time, a TV-blog with collaborators. Ask him how they got started.
posted by web-goddess at 10:19 PM on January 7, 2007

Well, I write for a video gaming blog for the payment of one video game (of my choice) per month. Maybe until you get your advertising really going, you could buy something even cheaper for your writers... heck, even just one iTunes TV episode per month, with the promise of more as the site grows. It may only be a token payment, but at least it's showing that you intend to pay them and not take advantage.

Maybe on some TV show forums (TV.com?) you can find a prolific, well-written poster who would be excited to write for your blog.
posted by IndigoRain at 11:06 PM on January 7, 2007

So you're seriously asking where you can find free workers to help you make a profitable site?

Ask Eric Bauman?
posted by watsondog at 3:21 AM on January 8, 2007

Sorry, Dave, but you are confusing a public free-for-all with a specialized niche content provider with a small staff of writers on an editorial schedule.

This sounds to me like a valid point, but it occurs to me that if watch_alot went with the former model rather than the latter, he might be happier in the long run. I suppose it depends on what type of site he, ultimately, wants to honcho; ProfesionalTVCritics.com or TVFilter.com.
posted by Clay201 at 1:58 PM on January 28, 2007