Curb your excitement at being a featured (free) writer long enough to read the fine print. That's where you discover that these sites own your work forever with the right to distribute it in any form, any language ,for any purpose without your permission. The site can sell your work and pay you nothing.
How does this happen? It happens because a writer does not know the meaning of various types of "rights". I recommend reading their excellent article with a simple explanation from the blog, The Blood Red Pencil. Look at the two part article on "Freelance Writing Rights".
The second problem is the "time limited pitch". Sites seeking to lure writers to work free have the long sales pitches which suggest this is a "now or never" decision. The pitch may say something like "claim your category now before it's taken" or "guarantee exclusive topic for you." Don't buy into this. You will spend hours writing what few see and lose the rights to your work.
The third problem is that these sites rarely deliver what is promised. Do you really think that "top Hollywood producers" sit in their offices searching free writing sites to find the next blockbuster script? Top paying magazines have work sent to them. That's why the editors have slush piles of freelance articles that have to be taken down by chain saw as the piles reach ceiling height each month.
Better idea: If you want to build a following for your work, start a blog and gradually increase followers. An added bonus is that you consistently practice writing. Like musicians, writers practice daily to improve technique.
How hard is it to blog? I am impressed with the ease of setting up this blog on Google Blogger and it’s free. Even if you can barely spell "HTML" you can use this blog platform which is a major plus. You own the work and have many ways to blog roll and link your blog to build a following. Blogging is free writing that has a direct benefit for you in building your “brand” as a writer.
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