Company Name: Barefoot Writer
Costs: $108/year
Do I Recommend Barefoot Writer?
Freelance writing is a viable way to make money and Barefoot Writer offers education and insight that can help in this field. Even though you make money with Barefoot Writer directly, some people do find the service beneficial.
Nevertheless, there are still some serious issues as well, including many upsells and unrealistic claims about income potential.
Are You Ready To Work Your Ass Off to Earn Your Lifestyle?
Are you tired of the daily grind? With a laptop and an internet connection I built a small website to generate income, and my life completely changed. Let me show you exactly how I’ve been doing it for more than 13 years.
That aside, there are much better ways to learn freelance writing if you plan to go down that path, including many online support forums. You can also make sustainable income by writing for yourself, through affiliate marketing, which is a better technique for many people.
What Products Does Barefoot Writer Sell?
Barefoot Writer focuses on the idea that you can earn money from home as freelance writer – and offers a service that is designed to boost your chances at doing so. The basic concept makes sense, especially as freelance writing is a legitimate field and one that is continuing to grow.
Basically, freelance writers are individuals that provide writing as a service. They may do so in a range of contexts, such as creating content for a blog, writing emails, preparing marketing copy and even writing books.
There is considerable demand for this service, especially as more people start to make money online. For example, ranking a website involves regularly creating content. Often site owners won’t have the time to do so regularly or they want to use their energy on other tasks. So, freelance writers are frequently used.
Knowing the ins and outs of being successful does also make sense, simply because there are so many writers out there. After all, most people are able to write to some degree or another. As a result, freelance writing is the first approach many people try when they want to make money online, especially as basic writing doesn’t require any unusual or unique skills.
This results in a very competitive industry, where earning money is easy to achieve but making a decent income is much more difficult.
But, Barefoot Writer goes beyond the idea of making money through freelancing. Instead, they are offering a service that is meant to offer amazing results. This includes content that talks about a ‘dream lifestyle’ and some people who make large amounts of money.
Likewise, their promotion page is filled with the traditional sob story and idea that somebody turned their life around with freelance writing.
Sales pitches like this are frustrating. Even if this type of pattern happened once, it’s not going to be true for everybody out there. In fact, I know many people who make a decent income through freelance writing but none of them are millionaires.
The hype focused on the idea of a ‘secret formula’ that makes all the difference, which boils down to writing letters, specifically in the advertising field.
And sure, theoretically this can work. But, it’s mostly hype. Very few people would ever be able to create and earn consistent royalties from letters like this. For that matter, most companies don’t even pay based on royalties.
What Barefoot Writer Offers
In some ways, Barefoot Writer seems to be at odds with itself. On the one hand, you have the hyped-up sales letter that I just mentioned, which talks about writing letters and the amazing potential for profit.
Yet, the actual site for Barefoot Writer doesn’t look like that at all. Instead, the information is much more toned down. The site also emphasizes freelance writing in general, rather than writing letters specifically.
This suggests that the letter-writing component is just one aspect of a larger overall focus and service. That’s fine, but the hype is a major red flag. I wouldn’t trust any company that makes such outlandish claims.
When you get down to it, Barefoot Writer is offering a membership, one that is meant to teach you how to be successful as a freelance writer. The site summarizes it like this:
With that in mind, the main things Barefoot Writer offers are as follows:
- Community support
- Advice and guidance
- Articles on writing and on finding work as a freelance writer
- Access to ‘opportunities’
- The monthly Barefoot Writer magazine
To get this, you have to pay $108 per year (it was $49/year at one point). This cost is on the high end but it is still reasonable if the information did help you to begin a new career. A good community is worth money, even if it’s just to get in contact with like-minded people for support, ideas, and exchange opportunities.
But, if you do plan to be involved, watch out for upsells. Members indicate that there is pressure to buy into other programs, some of which are expensive. This type of technique is extremely common. It’s easy to find yourself buying into multiple options before you realize that they will never live up to their marketing.
If you ignore all of the hype and just focus on the training and support, then there are some merits to Barefoot Writer. In particular, becoming a freelance writer involves a fairly steep learning curve and people often struggle to learn the best techniques for finding success.
Some people also really enjoy having information and tips at their fingertips, especially as they have access to a community of like-minded people. And, if you’re making a decent income in the field already, the yearly fee isn’t that excessive.
Nevertheless, you can find most of the same information online with a little bit of digging. For example, there are many different forums for freelance writers, along with communities on places like Reddit and Facebook. There are also some fairly decent courses out there, such as Side Hustle Writing, which teach many of the same perspectives, without all of the hype.
The end result is that Barefoot Writer teaches some useful approaches, although they are far from unique. For those who don’t want to spend time researching, the service could be worth using. But, the information isn’t radical and certainly won’t live up to the company’s hype.
Finally, many successful freelance writers simply taught themselves, rather than relying on programs like this. So, you don’t have to join a program to be an effective freelance writer.
Is Barefoot Writer A Good Business Opportunity?
Barefoot Writer isn’t really a business opportunity in its own right. Instead, it offers you information that you can use to be successful, along with a fair amount of hype and upsells along the way. As a result, it is basically a training site.
There’s nothing wrong with training sites and a good one can give you a leg-up in your chosen field. In fact, I recommend this type of education in many cases. Learning what you’re doing first can save you a considerable amount of time and helps make sure you’re putting your energy in the right place.
I’ve no doubt that Barefoot Writer offers some useful information. And, at a little over $100 for a year, it might be worth the risk, as long as you avoid the upsells.
But, if you’re considering it, make sure you have realistic expectations first. In particular, freelance writing is a competitive field and it can take time to break into. At the beginning, many writers end up earning far below minimum wage, as they are developing their reputation in the field and getting more experienced.
Most successful freelance writers aren’t making money hand over fist either. Instead, the process is similar to a job, although they are working for themselves.
There are exceptions, of course, and some people do have better outcomes than others. But, at the end of the day, finding success in freelance writing takes time, dedication and some skill. Barefoot Writer may make the process a little easier but it doesn’t change those requirements.
Freelance Writing Skills And Fields
One other thing to seriously consider is areas of emphasis. For example, the most successful freelance writers are the ones that focus on a particular area, such as medical writing. Doing so involves a more specialized skill set but there is greater potential for income. The same is true for areas like scientific or academic writing, and even writing for blogs.
In the case of Barefoot Writer, the service can’t seem to decide whether it is teaching copywriting or freelance writing in general. Copywriting is one distinctive field of writing and does involve a specific skill set and knowledge base.
For that matter, copywriting is decidedly more difficult, as you have to convince people to do something. That’s a big step from simply writing content – especially for people with no marketing, SEO or psychology backgrounds.
There is nothing to indicate that Barefoot Writer offers enough information to get people started as copywriters. Instead, most of the education they provide tends to be on the more general side.
How to Turn Writing Into A Business
Many people have a passion for writing and making money this way truly is a viable approach. But, freelance writing is never going to be as amazing as Barefoot Writer likes to imply. Instead, it is a process that takes time and energy. You’re also working for clients and/or companies, which can get frustrating quickly.
If you do want to get involved in this field, there are various strategies that you can follow to help you get started, without needing to rely on sites like Barefoot Writer. There are no doubt countless other writing communities that are FREE, like Facebook groups, Google+ communities, and even the comment sections of popular blogs.
But, you don’t need to freelance to make money from your writing. Instead, you can make money writing product reviews through the process of affiliate marketing. With this approach, writing becomes the way that you make money, rather than a service that you’re selling. By doing so, you avoid having to deal with clients and you can create a business that is much more sustainable.
This also gives you the chance to write on your own terms, rather than relying on anybody else. You also get to focus on a topic area that actually interests you and there are many different affiliate niches that you can choose from, including video games, makeup and even writing itself.
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
Leave a Reply