The Barefoot Writer is the initiative of American Writers & Artists Inc., a very reputable name in the copywriting world. AWAI started this venture 17 years ago. Since then, The Barefoot Writer is providing a platform for writers to learn and earn.
Freelancing is no more a side hustle; it has become the bread and butter of millions of people worldwide. Most of them are writers, and competition is on the higher-side to avail the earning opportunities.
Freelancing platforms have provided this lucrative opportunity to work anywhere in the world while sitting at your home, through a laptop or computer and an internet connection. But it has also brought a lot of amateur freelancers in the marketplace with low-level skills. An online learning or educational industry has evolved into training these freelancers and equipping them with industry-standard skills. A lot of credible platforms and websites are teaching freelancing skills, including writing to aspiring freelancers.
At your first visit, you can't decipher what The Barefoot Writer does exactly. Is it a training platform for writers? A freelancing platform? A magazine? A community? Or all of that.
According to The Barefoot Writer website, “The Barefoot Writer is a club dedicated to helping writers from all walks of life achieve their writing goals and dreams. Here, you’ll discover steps, resources, and connections for launching a lucrative writing career. Our aim is to teach you all the skills you’ll need to become a professional writer and take advantage of all the money-making opportunities available to writers today.”
Whatever it is, you should know that it’s not a freelancing platform, and it's not a job site for writers.
In this The Barefoot Writers review, we will analyze the website inside out to test the veracity of the tall claims they make.
But before taking the plunge, let me explain why I'm writing this review.
Why Am I Writing The Barefoot Writer Review?
- There was a time when I also jumped at every opportunity of earning or every course, program, or community to hone my skills. But guess what? Most of these so-called opportunities have turned out to be either outright scams, pyramid schemes, or literally useless. Obviously, they shagged out a lot of money out of my pocket.
- I have taken my refuge in local lead generation, which pays me 4-5 figures monthly income. Even since I succeeded, I have made it my mission to pick the best-earning schemes out there and recommend my readers to join them so that they can take a ton of moolah home. And also to expose the scams and useless money-sucking schemes and to warn you about the red flags.
- Since 2006, I have been working in the field of online marketing. I know all the ins and outs of the industry and I paint the exact picture of any money-making opportunity, whether anyone would like it or not. So you can trust my judgment, I bring facts to the table, and the decision rests with you.
Disclaimer: This review is my 100% honest, unbiased, and professional opinion. I’m not associated or affiliated either with The Barefoot Writer or its parent company American Writers & Artists Incorporation (AWAI). I will get no benefit if you subscribe to this scheme or don't give a darn. My only purpose is to guide you to make a prudent choice and save you from scams.
I have spent a lot of time digging out details about The Barefoot Writer, its creators, terms, costs, what it is about, hidden facts, etc., that you need to know before becoming a member.
A Comprehensive Overview Of The Barefoot Writer:
- It's a learning platform for freelance writers, and it's also a subscription-based magazine. But it also portrays to be a community for writers.
- The primary purpose of this website is to enable writers to land better gigs and earn more money.
- On your first visit, they provide you a free guide about ”9 ways you can make a very good living as a writer,” which is basically a bait for obtaining your email address and an advertisement to sell you their paid subscription.
- They also hold writing contests among the members of The Barefoot Writer.
- Upon winning the contest, you will bag $100 or more, and also your article will be published on the website.
- They have an active presence on social media. The Barefoot Writer page on Facebook has more than 115k followers. Along with a page, they also run a private Facebook group with 5.3k followers. 3.2k followers on Twitter and 1.4 followers on Instagram is enough proof of their aggressive social media strategy.
- I have found that their training material is not as rigorous and detailed as it should be, which is a question mark on the effectiveness of this platform for learning the skill of writing.
- You also can't hold live discussions with the trainers, which, as an educational platform, they should provide.
The Barefoot Writer is banking on the good name earned by its parent company AWAI, and they don't allow you to forget this fact as you find it on every page. They also use this website to sell the expensive courses of AWAI. For instance, when you click on the resources and go to learn web copywriting, you will be directed towards a course of AWAI, which costs $597.
How Do You Become A Barefoot Writer? How Much Does It Cost To Join The Barefoot Writer?
- When you click on the ‘join the club' option, you're directed to a loooong landing page. At the bottom of this landing page, you find the subscription price set at $108 annually.
- After becoming a club member, they provide you free access to the previous versions of The Barefoot Writer magazine and some instructional videos about writing. Nothing fancy, just basic.
- They inform you about the new writing contests, and you can also take part in them as a member.
- After becoming a Barefoot Writer, they also occasionally send you reports about writing. Some of them are free, while others are paid.
If you're really interested in subscribing to The Barefoot Writer, then I will advise you to test the waters by wetting your toes and reading their free material first.
But if you think that by paying a subscription fee and going through some previous copies of magazines and instructional videos, you will become an in-demand freelance writer instantly, then think twice. I have found their lukewarm reports, guides, and videos as basic and maybe suitable for beginners. But if you want to have a market-level skill in writing, you've to buy their paid courses, which is precisely what they want.
Their shady marketing practices raise questions.
Is The Barefoot Writer Legit? Or A Scam?
- The straight answer is that it’s legit and not a scam. But there’s a big question mark on its effectiveness.
- I do not consider it a scam because of some solid reasons. You see, all the scams share some common characteristics. They usually don’t reveal the founder or creator. They also don’t tell you about the real identity of the team. They make tall claims about but deliver on none. They change the domains frequently. They promise you easy and quick money. The Barefoot Writer promises none of them.
- Its parent company AWAI is highly reputed and quite famous in the writing community.
- It has a substantial following on social media, and I cannot find any reviews about being scammed by The Barefoot Writer.
- Conducting contests among the members and paying money to the winners, and publishing their articles on the websites under their names is an excellent and encouraging thing.
- It is registered with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an A+ rating.
So, if you're passionate about writing and want to make a mark in the freelance writing, you can get your money's worth of value by joining this platform, which is not much, to say the least.
With this website, they're not deceiving people, but actually, they are marketing AWAI's services. They lure people into buying the expensive courses of AWAI to get ahead in the writing field.
But would you be able to take your career to the next level by joining The Barefoot Writer?
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How Easy Is It To Make Money By Subscribing To The Barefoot Writer?
- Honestly, it's not easy. Why? Because according to my findings, a subscription with The Barefoot Writer does not provide you much value, and it does not increase your writing skill.
- You see, successful freelancing demands not only professional skills but marketing, selling, and managing skills also.
- These free and paid videos and guides provide just tips and tricks for starters. But for getting success in the freelance writing world, you need much more than these tricks.
- You need to increase your skill level; you need strategies and how-tos and much more, which you're not going to get on The Barefoot Writer.
- Moving and interacting with the community always helps, but you don't need to pay for that. You can join the private Facebook groups such as Writers Helping Writers, and Reddit, and Quora communities for free.
Making a kill in freelancing writing is no more a child's play. Competition is furious. You're competing with the writers of the entire world. The Barefoot Writer would not help you much in this regard.
So if you’re after making good money with writing, don’t waste your time on The Barefoot Writer.
Do I recommend The Barefoot Writer?
- A big NO. I wouldn’t recommend you to get a membership of The Barefoot Writer. Why? Because it’s a poor use of your precious time and money.
- I have no beef with The Barefoot Writer. In fact, I appreciate and admire its parent company AWAI's contributions to copywriting. But I don't see any value in becoming a part of The Barefoot Writer.
- Also, I'm not too fond of the shady marketing they use to sell AWAI products through this website. They frequently try to upsell you their expensive courses.
This website does not improve your writing skills, and it does not provide maximum value for your money. You can get this content for free on YouTube or by following blogs or interacting with the community on Facebook, etc. You can also buy good courses from Udemy for less money.
Though The Barefoot Writer is legit and not a scam, I don't recommend it because of not providing value for your time and money.
Is There An Easier Way To Make Money?
- The freelancing writing world is very competitive and making a kill is quite challenging, and if you want to earn good money easily and quickly with writing, then God be with you.
- But I would suggest another way of making legit and consistent money without working your fingers to the bone.
- During my 15 years career as an online marketer, I never came across a more profitable and rewarding way of making online money than local lead generation. It means you generate leads for the local businesses, and they pay you a good commission for it. I'm currently earning 4-5 figures monthly income out of lead generation, and I vehemently suggest you have a look at it.
I run Facebook ads to generate leads for my clients. It's not easy to create successful Facebook ads; I know it. I didn't know to create them, but I learned this skill. And now it's as easy as pie for me. You can also learn this incredible skill through Local Marketing Vault.
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What Is Local Marketing Vault?
- It’s a lead generation through Facebook ads and sales funnels training program that teaches you all about generating leads for the local business.
- It's the most advanced, professional, and practical training program that equips you with the most valuable and profitable skills. I'm the living example of its effectiveness.
- It also provides you with pre-made funnels to implement them as they are to your client's business to increase conversions.
- You will also be invited to a vibrant private Facebook group of over 5k digital marketers.
Why take harder routes when there are easier and smarter ways available to make a ton of legit money. Do yourself a favor and join Local Marketing Vault right now!
CEO/Jack of all trades master of none! The Daily SEM
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Don't get bogged down by the bells and whistles out there.
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I studied the Barefoot Writer website for a few days and got lost in all of the “what I could earn,” but it was all fluff and I couldn’t figure out what they were really selling. It was very confusing. I finally decided to bypass them and just go straight to AIWA. I signed up for the 3 hour “crash course” and then I will see where I go from there.