The Barefoot Writer, part of American Writers & Artists Inc. (or AWAI), is a subscription magazine online that claims to help people like you to become a highly-paid and sought-after writer.
Their goal is to help people break free from the “starving artist” mentality, and to live the laptop lifestyle writing for cash.
But is it just another scam, or is it indeed legit? Let’s dive in!
My Review of Barefoot Writer
Website: www.thebarefootwriter.com
Owner: Paul Hollingshead
Price: $49/year + upsells
Our rating: 36/100
What is the Barefoot Writer and How Does It Work?
The Barefoot Writer is a website and magazine that helps anyone with a passion for writing become a professional writer.
The website is essentially just a sales pitch for the magazine subscription and the official Barefoot Writer’s Club, which costs $49 per year to join.
Also heavily advertised is a free report on 9 Ways to Make a VERY Good Living as a Writer.
Their free report requires your email address and name before you can access it.
My Experience with Barefoot Writer
Here’s my full disclosure: I am not a paying member at Barefoot Writer. However, I have dug through their free resources a bit and have done a ton of research on them.
Since their report on the 9 ways to make a very good living as a writer is free, I decided to download it to uncover the secrets inside.
Here’s what I found:
The report contained everything it promised. It showed 9 good ways to make money as a writer. However, all it did was explain what you’d be doing in each scenario, and then tell you how much money you could expect to make.
No guidance was given for actually getting into each line of work. That’s to be expected though. After all, it was a free resource intended to get you to sign up as a paying member of The Barefoot Writer’s Club.
Barefoot Writer’s Club Complaints
There are a TON of Barefoot Writer complaints online, but real testimonials of people living the laptop lifestyle because of Barefoot Writer are hard to come by, and the ones that exist seem strangely fishy.
I don’t know about you, but I would definitely avoid this opportunity and spend my valuable time doing other things like…blogging!
Anyway, let me try to break down the Pros and Cons of Barefoot Writer so we can visualize what they’re about a little better.
Barefoot Writer Pros vs. Cons
Pros
- They have some okay free resources available for people who want to make money writing – however, they’re not much help if you want to know exactly how to go about doing it.
- With their hyped-up sales video and casual claims that you can make THOUSANDS with just one article, they are quite the inspiration. (Not sure this counts as a pro? lol)
- They do offer a 12 month, 100% money back guarantee now – definitely a pro.
Cons
- Too much hype and too many false claims
- You can’t get any useful information without being a paid member which costs $49
- Apparently, you’ll be hit with up-sells to the tune of $150 after paying the initial price.
- They are selling the dream, and therefore getting a lot of attention from innocent people who just want to make a living writing. Why is this a con? Because there is absolutely no conclusive evidence that anyone has become successful and been able to live the dream due to Barefoot Writer.
Final Thoughts and My Recommendation
Barefoot Writer just looks like another one of those hyped-up products claiming you can easily make outlandish sums for rather simple writing tasks. Only the gifted writers can ever hope to be paid the amounts they claim anyone can earn.
I would have liked to see them be a little more up-front about how exactly they operate, because as a consumer I found it a bit too confusing for my liking.
Nothing was explained very well – it was mostly just vague descriptions and bold claims.
And, I just want to put this out there:
If you have been, or you know of, someone who’s become a successful full-time writer because of Barefoot Writer, then PLEASE for the good of everyone with a slight interest in joining Barefoot Writer, write up a detailed explanation/case study with real FACTS explaining your story. I’m sure we’d all appreciate something like that!
Have you ever used Barefoot Writer? What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to leave a comment below, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
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I am not a direct customer of awai and Bareffoot writer but I bought the licensed course of awai in German. Here myI unfortunately learned much too late about the Awai course, since I had the same in German already 2005 gebicht. The company had bought the license from Awai and sold it in Germany for almost 4 times the price, but without all the bonuses. The purpose was to train copywriters to write for their products and sell the sales letters. Unfortunately, for professional reasons, I did not have time to complete all the tasks to write the trial order.
I know some who have done awai in German and have been successful copywriters since 2005 and make more than a good living from it. If they managed to become successful copywriters with the fraction of the awai course, I don’t see what’s wrong with becoming successful with the complete knowledge from the course, if you put the knowledge into practice.
I know a very successful German copywriter and several others who have learned from awai. One who has been writing sales letters for big and well known companies since 2005 and now writes sales pages and emailfunnels for big internet marketers and sells his own products very successfully. Now he even sells his own copywriter course at Lunch for 2990€ in German which looks very similar to the awai course to me.
If I understood English that well I would have booked awai immediately as there is no better value for money with such good support and help all over the internet according to my knowledge. Especially in Germany a lot is taken from the English market and sold overpriced with lack of quality.
I think that there are over 95% people on the Internet who buy expensive video courses and coaching, but do not implement the knowledge. Many students leave the university with 30.000-50.000€ or $ debts, but nobody accuses the university of cheating just because they don’t manage to become successful and rich.
Everyone is responsible for their own success.
I’ll stick with it and learn copywriting now, I’ll sell my own and other people’s digital products and when I’m done I’ll look for clients to copywrite for. One is already waiting for me to write the test order.
Copywriters are wanted like crazy and paid well if you can do it right. As far as I’ve seen, only awai teaches the right kind of copywriting and teaches the architecture of copywriting. Much of what is taught there is foreign to other copywriters who have even studied.
In the meantime, I’ll learn English and then refer back to it later when needed. At the moment, unfortunately, it is of no use to me, as I might be able to translate the texts, but I don’t understand the videos.
If someone is smart then he would buy the license of awai and translate the whole thing and make the platform in German. Because here is a huge market that unfortunately still too many internet gurus exploit too much
I hope this helps someone.
Thanks for taking the time to provide your insights here, Ivica!
Hi, I paid the $49 for the BW? and it was good. But right away! they come at me with offers of courses and materials online etc. discounted from 199 to 149 and another line costing 49. I was hoping they would watch their rep. and start doing their promos about two weeks into it. Gives me time to get used to BW.. Another thing, that they are promoting writing, why don’t they set example of shortandsweet writing? Their sales page for the membership of $49, it was easily ten pages of round and round, and saying nothing really, but it got me to sign up for it, just to be part of it, and I thought I would use it just to the extent that I would, ie. not more than 18hours per week? This is not original action, this is following somebody else’s cue. eh?
I have no idea what Barefoot writer is, but upsell is a red flag. I remember my brother getting taken in by Carlton Sheets, the real estate flip guy from forever ago. I went through the materials he had received. From the initial pitch, to the last item he received, every pitch ended with “…and if you just sign up for this next add-on, you will have the ticket to your dreams…” And it never ended. There was never any real actionable appliable usable information. In the end there was no real information and the advice amounted to nothing more than what you could have figured out on your own for free. There is no such thing as a shortcut to success, or a free lunch.
I joined AWAI about 3 weeks ago, for a very low TEST DRIVE-only price and received their Accelerated to 6-figure program materials and let me tell you, it really is legitimate. So is the Barefoot Writers Club. They ARE totally honest, their materials and newsletter are excellent, that is, if you are paying attention and learning as you read, and because they ARE a business, each one of them and thus out to earn a living like any good old blog is doing, they are doing it and doing it well. You wanted to know, well, there you go. Sincerely, An honest customer, student and soon to be copywriter from AWAI and TBW Club.
The BW “scam” could go even deeper…
Already having written (paid work) many articles for a few
industries and published one niche book that received praise
(printed in the book and on websites) from industry leaders
I submitted an 800-word article to BW for pay – if they use it.
It’s been three weeks with no response so according to their
“two week” cutoff they s-u-p-p-o-s-e-d-l-y didn’t use my article.
However, since I’m not a subscriber (no access to paid content)
I can’t see if they used or will use the article behind their $$$$ wall.
Wonder how many other writers submitted articles that may not have been paid?
Why wouldn’t BW jump at the chance to publish articles from people who’ve “been there, done that” as independent proof (real life experience) that at least some of the principles (tips) they preach actually work for the average writer?
Here are a few articles from “Mindy” they show on their free side:
“Are You Even Ready to Write and Publish a Book? How to Know.”
“How to Write a Great Book”
I find it very odd that the majority of articles I skimmed were
written by “Mindy”. One would think that if BW is looking to bring
subscribers in the door they’d want not just “How to…” preaching
but articles from actual published writers that are not
one-in-a-million super stars but people BW’s subscribers could
actually relate to.
Further, I find it hilarous that many of her (Mindy) aritlces have NO comments.
Sorry BW, with all the upselling pressure and lack of proof of realistic results from real world (typical average writers) your sub fee is simply not worth it.
If in fact (which is a huge if) they do honor there 100% satisfaction guarantee, other than perhaps time spent/lost, it seems like there is no risk with enrolling in their program. As such, and in hopes of further developing a professional copy writing opportunity, I am taking the plunge! Whether it is the beginning of a nightmare, or the start of a dream, or whatever in between, I will keep y’all updated!
Sounds good Steve, do check back in sometime and let us know how it goes!
I was a long-standing member of Wealthy Affiliate, and also of AWAI. I liked WA and learned a lot. Ultimately I quit WA for the following reasons:
1) I realized they were ONLY teaching about websites
2) They OWN your website
3) I had a question about my website and no-one got back to me, even though I asked twice, and gave them time to answer
I also quit AWAI, but only because I couldn’t find time for it. And I rejoined when I found time. It is true that they don’t “hold your hand” but they are certainly supportive and helpful. They provide NUMEROUS ways to make a good living writing. You need to make choices. They help you do that, and provide detailed support and help once you do. But YOU have to choose. I find that difficult because they offer so much! They have ALWAYS answered questions, and promptly. And they have numerous discounts if you choose carefully and buy at the right time. I have found the PWA within AWAI a great buy, where your low monthly fee actually is translated into dollars towards courses, which you can buy at sale prices and take whenever you want! Additionally, there are so many materials available etc. that I always have tons of stuff to choose from. The only downside is I get tired of the sales emails, but I have the option of refusing them (I don’t, because I want to know what’s going on!) Also, they have a GREAT blogging course, and I own my own website. And it cost MUCH less than WA. Alice
Hi Alice. I’m curious to know, have you made money? (I’m talking from what you’ve learned from the course), also, is it well over and above what you have spent?
Susan
Well, Steve, it’s 12/22/21, and am wondering about your update from 11/17/2020. I, too, am contemplating the plunge and spending $49.99 to join BW. So, how was your experience? I am most interested and thank you!
Janice
I purchased the membership and quickly got annoyed with the fact that the membership just opened the door to be able to purchase their ‘courses’ for members only – courses at ridiculously high prices. Any freebies they offered were things easily found for free online, no membership required. I requested my refund, and surprisingly, I did get it. Though they left me access to their member’s only page and keep trying to get me to buy their courses, telling me that if I apply myself, I could easily make high figures in record time.
I did the same…haven’t started the program. Hoping I didn’t waste my hard-earned money. Good luck to us!
I’ve been to AWAI-sponsored events. I’ve met face-to-face the people that are giving testimonials. The reason why their names are not famous (except some in the copywriting world) is that they are copywriters, not novelists or journalists. Copywriters write the words on everything you see, from advertising to packaging to white papers to radio spots etc etc. There are assiduously tracked numbers behind their way of writing. They made mistakes along the way and yes, like any mentor, they charge for their words of wisdom to help you save time in your career. It’s a career that you get out of it what you put into it.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I downloaded the free report. Afterwards I googled ‘Is awai.com, Barefoot Writers legitimate? I am grateful that I read your review! Nipped that one in the bud.
Thank you,
Noël Figuerdo
I’ve tried it and it took my money. Don’t know how to unsubscribe. Should I cancel the card? I was thinking if it’s only a year… I have time to cancel or move on but… I can’t afford this kind of inconvenience.
Signed up to get Barefoot Writer emails and all I got was constant advertising and push to have paid membership. I finally clicked the link to have them stop sending me these annoying emails. What broke the camels back as they say. Well the latest email was titled “I’m Slamming the Club Doors Shut”. That to me is a very rude message to send at a time like this – massive unemployment so who wants to pay even $49 when they’re out of work and worrying about paying rent and for food etc. The owners of this email site say they’ll tell you how to write winning emails and such. Well that was certainly not a winning email message.
Wow! This just happened to you? This is ridiculous!
Will they keep taking my money tho ??
Hi, I took a free class that I thought was on getting started on writing but it was copywriting. It was a very good, fun webinar, but I didn’t want to commit.
AWAI sent me a few emails about their copywriting program that I didn’t respond to but decided to read the last one.
They bullied me about not repsonding andI’ve never experienced that after a free webinar. I told them that due to it being copywriting, I wasn’t interested and because of he bullying and guilt tripping I would unsubscribe. Which I did.
I’m glad I didn’t spend any money on them. I won’t be connected to anything AWAI in the future.
I found them through Writers Digest that was recommended by my writing teacher. I am happy with them but leery of clicking on any of their partners.
Tess
About to join ,but the fact that we have seen successful people in there,i choose to focus on the positive and see what i will get out of it.
I was going to purchase the yearly membership, but it’s $108 bucks. This is interesting to me, but I’m not sure what to do.
Before there was the Internet, there was something called FAMOUS WRITERS SCHOOL in Westport, Conn. I took their ‘writing test’, and received a letter a few weeks later informing me I ‘possessed an excellent gift of narrative.” I still remember being 18 years old (legally unable to sign any binding contracts). Thus, when the salesman actually drove up to our house in Tucson, and talked with my father, he never even bothered to speak to me. He simply stepped back into the car and, drove away. I am now 71 years of age. I majored in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University,. My studies included core courses such as Rhetoric/University Writing 101. Nothing can ever substitute for academic training which shapes the intellect, develops an individual’s authentic voice, and command of language in a disciplined, rigorous manner. Additionally I have had several short stories published, over the years.
That said: it pains me to see how many poorly-schooled naive hopefuls willingly plunk down money, for ‘hints and tips’ they believe will bring them success. I remember being merely curious about BAREFOOT WRITER some years ago; it took forever to get their persistent, aggressive e.adverts off my SPAM pages.
Yes, for many years before widespread internet there was a constant parade of courses on writing for children. I signed up for one and sent them a sample story page per their instructions, and was subsequently told I have a special gift for writing for children and would benefit greatly from their course. Can’t recall the price, but I suspected a scam; in the end it is buyer beware — the folks behind these great ‘opportunities’ are profiting from the sales of vaporware products and services. Imagine 20,000 folks forking over $49.00, and maybe a fifth of them or so forking over an additional $150. And the ‘company’ might consist of a couple of people living in a two-bedroom apartment with a mailbox rental.
I took the course on writing for children. I believe it was worthwhile. They did not promise that you would be published– they were quite clear about that. You were assigned a working author as your instructor/mentor. My instructor was very helpful and a good match. Unfortunately, my family went through a financial crisis and I had to take on a second job and writing fell by the wayside. However, I do not believe I was scammed by the school. I learned a great deal. Learning through correspondence/online is hard work but if you do the work you will learn. I don’t regret the time, effort or money spent on the course. As for BW, I haven’t a clue.
Max:
Really, really appreciate your blogs & “sage wisdom”!
Thanks, Ian!
Hey Max, I noticed that nowhere in your review did you mention the fact that AWAI offers a 100 percent money back guarantee for a full year if you decide the course is not for you. I know WA doesn’t do that as I was a member there. I don’t have a bad thing to say about WA but if your going to plug WA using this review you shouldn’t leave out an important fact such as the guarantee AWAI offers.
Hey Tom,
Thanks for pointing out AWAI’s refund policy. I’ve added it to the “Pros” section in the review.
Where do I find this?
Hey Max – is it ethical to write a review when you clearly have a stake in the company you’re recommending as the alternative? Do you work for them? Because honestly, it reads like an ad for the Wealthy Affiliate. I’ve learned quite a bit from AWAI’s programs and at a reasonable price compared to the dividends it pays. Some people who take the course will NOT be successful and some will always expect everything to be free and all will complain or cry scam the moment things don’t go their way. So, take these complaints with a grain of salt as I will this review.
Hi Mike,
No course will make you successful unless you put in the required work. However, every course is not created equal. I’m blessed to have become quite successful following Wealthy Affiliate, and I know of many others who became successful following WA’s training. I’ve done a lot of research and have heard from many people about AWAI, and while you can definitely be successful following their training, it’s significantly more expensive (with all the upsells) and I tend to hear more negative complaints about their training than I do positive experiences.
So, based both on my own experience with Wealthy Affiliate and all the research I’ve done, WA in my opinion is the better alternative. Of course, people are free to join whichever program they desire. I’m just trying to help point people in the right direction based on my research and experience.
Hope this makes sense. Have a great day!
I saw their cheesy ads full of tacky clip art from the 90s and ran the other way when I first came across their ads. There are many less expensive courses out there that are not as cheesy and dated and are short and to-the-point. The graphics have always turned me off and the name “artists and writers” makes no sense.
I did end up taking one course through them because Gordon Graham, “the white paper guy” teachers an in-depth white paper course and he is the real deal.
It’s a mixed bag. The inexpensive membership is there to draw you in and get you to sign up for in-depth courses. They have had a lot of reputable teachers who have taught courses for them, Ed Gandia, Jon Morrow, etc. I think they cater to an older audience who grew up with copywriting and advertizing from the Mad Men era.
Their image is dated and romanticized to draw in the older crowd. It seems like a lot of the people I found on the Facebook group for the white paper course just keep signing up for more and more of these long drawn out AWAI courses and never really get going with freelancing.
Hello,
I just joined AWAI for their trial month of $1 and $49 thereafter. I had missed the introductory offer by a couple of days, but their customer service team responded back promptly extending the offer for me. I paid the $1 and have a full month to look around, take some of the courses and decide if I want to continue or not. I was impressed by the young woman who got back to me immediately, and I will at least give it the FREE month trial. I will bookmark your blog and keep you apprised of my progress (or lack thereof).
I also tried “Wealthy Affiliate” and found it was not for me. WA turned out to be extremely confusing for me, but it did not appear to be a scam.
Thanks for commenting, and do keep us posted.
So how did it work out?
Thanks, Max. I’ve been ‘watching’ my inbox for some time without subscrbing or purchasing from AWAI… Your review confirms my suspicions and provides the tipping point that ‘its not for me’, at least not at this time. One thing the emails and ads did accomplish is to make me curious about writing copy, or copywriting… whichever. I would like to know more about how to investigate both the craft and the marketing of those skills to potential clients. I’m hopingto build an income stream that will transition into retirement from my current professional career, and also provide enough income I can devote time to writing short stories and novels. Any thoughts on reputable resources?
If blogging is of any interest to you, that is what I would recommend. You can earn pretty decent money through ads and affiliate marketing. If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend checking out this article.
I need to thank you for writing this review. The day after I purchased the Barefoot writer package for 1 year 108$ I woke up to do some reasearch if I made the right choice.
Soon after I discovered for myself that the information is outdated, might still work for some and doesnt give any writing training, as I hoped.
There are millions of hours of reading material on their site, but nothing to guide a beginner in their process.
That’s why I am so glad I clicked your link and joined WA, where they take you by the hand from start to finish.
Another anoying thing was the emails I got from AWAI, which is actually what you buy into when you opt in for Barefoot writers. This company is one big vague, sales commercial, that ultimately don’t deliver.
I’m going to opt-out (they have that 1 year guarantee – no questions asked policy)
I do know I want to be a writer and improve my copywriterskills. Just not with AWAI. Waste of time…
Glad my review was helpful. And I know you are doing very well in Wealthy Affiliate!
My issue is don’t lie to me to get me in the door…. don’t tell me all I have to do is pay $50 dollars if that isn’t the case. I know that nothing comes for free and a lot of people aren’t looking for free, we just want the truth. We want to know how to get started….. I need to know what I really need and if that’s $5000 dollars tell me that, so I can go on if I can’t afford it. Don’t take my last two dollars and crush my dreams. It’s wrong to do that to people, some people are looking for a way to make real money for themselves and their families, some people are using their last to make something happen and then they see that their last wasn’t enough.
Maybe this company does work for people who have a 500 dollars to invest right away, but some of us don’t have that and we were looking for away to make a little money to invest some money and build. I’m disappointed because they aren’t honest and upfront.
Yeah, sadly that’s how a lot of businesses operate…legit opportunities are often drowned out.
Have you heard of Wealthy Affiliate? It’s what I recommend for people interested in making money online. I’ve been a member there for almost 3 years and can vouch for it’s legitimacy/honesty.
Wealthy affiliate is straight up! I was a member for the last two years and will be again asap. They have great content as well as so much camaraderie amongst the members. I unfortunately did not spend as much time doing the courses (not even close) as I should have as it is amazing training. Thank you for sharing that Max as the owners of that business are two young fathers, and husbands that grabbed the bull by the horns and are helping others on a level that I have not seen before.
Kimann
Joined tbwc yesterday morning, and my payment went through immediately. However, to date I have not received any of the materials promised. Perhaps there was a posting glitch but somehow I doubt that in light of the payment clearing instantly. Am following up but may have to cancel out.
That doesn’t sound good. They should deliver it to you right away as it’s a digital product…the fact that they don’t is truly concerning. Do let us know if/when you hear back!
I agree with the comment made earlier that some people defending this program exhibit grammar that makes me cringe. You “didn’t understood”? That’s only one example. Apparently this program allows anyone to call oneself a writer.
Mary,
I don’t generally get involved in any forums(Ever) unless I have first hand knowledge of the actual product offered etc… However, I was researching this as I use to be pretty darn good at writing, (Decades ago) and my punctuation was perfect (need a refresher on that). Long story short… I saw the exact grammar issue that you did, but did you notice how the second paragraph was absolutely perfect? Having that particular grammar, and transforming it into perfect grammar and punctuation in the next paragraph…. Hmmmm????
I agree with so much of what the others say. The sales pitch goes on and on and on. I just started and I’m by no means a professional writer so when others said that AWAI was yammering about nothing, I had to laugh to myself. I’ll try it and see what happens, but I’ll be wary. Thanks.
Terri
Do people still read?Since audio books hit, it appears that reading may be something people might do if extremely bored or in prison.
I used to write on a site that got quite a few comments (between 10 and 85) but even that fell off and no one, except my close fans, bothered to leave feedback. Thanks for the interesting article.My head is hurting from so much reading……
Thank you for the first HONEST REVIEW on AWAI!!! I paid the $49 to join, have been SPAMMED every day 3 to 5 times from day 1!! I tried this other sales pitch to get better info and it was nothing more then a yammering on and on and on SALES PITCH!!! One ad they went on about was actually written in 1995!!! Doctor Christina Northrop was on the cover…the story was not about her but the funny part was I FOLLOW HER BLOG!!! So when I saw her photo from 25 years ago, red flags went up. Then the more I research their copy the more I saw how out dated much of it was. After this blog post, I had to say something…I am asking for a FULL REFUND now THANK YOU!!!!
No problem – glad you said something. 🙂
I have downloaded a couple of AWAI’s content pieces. One thing their emails and products remind me of is the way Bob Bly used to write. Early in my career, I bought a couple of Bly’s books about making money writing and they were similar to the way AWAI writes and operates.
I was turned off by Bly in the end because everything he wrote went on forever. He even said that the longer the piece, the better. That doesn’t fit with today’s ideas about scanning on the internet. AWAI reminds me of this in many ways. All of their emails, ebooks, etc. are extremely padded, in my opinion, and could use a dose of editing to get rid of the flab.
However, I cannot directly address the value of the course. I have decided not to buy it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on AWAI, Jody!
As a published writer and advocate for writers, I have learned one thing along the way – you can subscribe to every site and magazine out there, but it is still ultimately up to you to make things happen. The protocol is changing a little, self-publishing is not quite the stigma it used to be, bad writing gets published, good writing may never see the light of day, but unless you land a great agent, or get picked up by an amazing publishing house, no one holds your hand. I personally don’t think the Barefoot Writer is a scam – it’s another tool to use and make the most of it.
Very true, especially for services such as online training – where quality is variable and objective. Even the best training in the world won’t help if you don’t put in the effort. Everyone will have different tastes. For me, I can’t stand the hype and am always a bit wary when negative reviews prevail and genuine success stories are so hard to find.
I didn’t understood how could someone write an article wondering if (not really wondering, but strongly suggestion) “Barefoot Writer” was scam. But as soon as I read “I am not a paying member at Barefoot Writer. However…” I got it: you’re critisizing a paid service you don’t have ever tried. Nice. Let me tell you my story.
I joined Barefoot Writer for $49/year a month ago. I could immediatly have access to 9 Bonuses (including Mark Ford’s, aka Mike Masterson, “Archytecture of Persuasion” book and some other +100-pages valuable materials), in addition to all the past issues of that magazine, private Facebook groups and forums and some special offers: for example, being a Barefoot Writer member allowed me to buy AWAI’s Accelerated Six Figure Program (AWAI’s core copywriting course) for $197 instead of $497.
Scam? Are you serious? There’s something wrong with you, guys.
To each his own. I can’t ignore the many negative reviews of paying members as well. Glad you got some value out of it though, that’s what matters! Thanks for sharing your experience!
This is exactly what another person commented – word for word! Bad grammar and all!
I have been an AWAI member for 6 months. Yes it is cheap to join but can get costly as you learn depending on the courses you take. They do have an unsubscribe link that does work. I am an Infinity member which gives me access to a lot of secrets in copywriting that does work and free courses that are valuable in information that is very useable. Once a year you can meet all the other writers at a convention (they are very real indeed). However the more serious they see that you are in learning the more help you will receive. Look, I paid 65,000 for my college degree and no one calls that a scam. Education is not free. I have spent $2800 at AWAI and it has been worth every penny. I have learned a lot and you can very much use this learning to make a good income.
That’s awesome to hear, thanks for sharing you success! As you know, there are a ton of negative reviews as well which can’t easily be discounted. Everyone is different and will therefore by default have different experiences and opinions, even with the same thing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
AWAI Online is a scam. Don’t believe any of the favorable reviews. They were all written by AWAI Online itself. Don’t even subscribe to them because your mailbox will get flooded with ‘Last chance’ offers. And you can’t unsubscribe. I’ve tried 5 times and the email just keep coming and coming.
I can’t get rid of them.
No reputable company pesters the public with emails that keep repeating ‘last chance’ offers.
I didn’t join The Barefoot Writer Club, but I have taken some of the courses offered by AWAI and have attended some of their free webinars and here is what I’ve taken away from the experience. AWAI programs give you the copy writing basics, but don’t expect to learn everything you need to start your own freelance copy writing business just by taking a couple of their courses. Their courses require you to create actual writing samples which you submit for review and you do get an actual response from an actual member of their team not a computer. They write comments, offer suggestions, and explain to you where your copy can be improved and how to do it. However, you are going to need to do further reading and research on your own. Also, no matter what they claim about not needing to have any prior experience writing, you do need something. I co-majored in college in Elementary Education and English so it was okay for me, but if you don’t have any kind of writing background, you’re better off taking actual writing courses in an actual school. Bottom line: AWAI and Barefoot Writer can be useful resources when used in conjunction with other material, but you can’t full rely on them to launch a copy writing career.
Hi Tess,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of and experience with The Barefoot Writer! Very much appreciated. 🙂
Is it not mild ironic that the most positive reviews are also the most poorly written?
“I you do not understanding marketing”
” ‘Peaked’ my interest”
….. really?
Enough said, I think.
Haha! I have to agree.
Oh yeah.. and what exactly is “mild ironic”? lol
Thanks for your post about this company. I think you are right that all they are selling is a dream and a 6 figure one. The writing is terribly long and drawn out. It’s like being honked to death with a hammer and them telling you it’s great ! I have received about 15 emails so far which I find inefficient as well as laborious. I know they copied that template ? . Anyway I’m unsubscribing right now and going to focus on writing. All the best
I have to agree. Their sales page is ridiculously long, and because of that probably doesn’t even convert well. If it is any indication as to how you’ll be learning to do copy writing, I’d steer clear – valuable copy writers can write spectacular sales copy without drawing it out so long. There are much better alternatives.
I too unsubscribed after receiving tons of emails from them, though I continue to receive their emails in the ad section of my Gmail account….
Well..at first I was excited to give this a go but now I’m back on the fence..so many negative reviews..will need to give it some more thought for sure.. too bad
Well, Like Kim, I am giving it a go… I’ve been doing the research for the past few months trying to decide if I should purchase a program / module that has peaked my interest. And Indeed I have purchased a couple, for under $100 each, so not breaking the bank. Like AWAI has claimed, and is probably true for so many people like me, I’m in a rut at work and would love making another stream of income, eventually turning that into full time (copy writing) because I actually want to give it a go as a barefoot writer. The options that comes with is my hope as well. Hokey or not, I’m going to plug into their free webinars and get some insight to different topics, like how to get your first client(s), how to update your linkedin profile etc.
I hope this is a little helpful. I love writing and would like, for now, another stream of income, and would like to see where it goes, if anywhere.
I’m going to do more researching on Blog Writing as well. Thank you for the suggestion.
My Best! Tracy
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for sharing. Hope it turns out well for you! Be sure to update us on how it goes. 🙂
Hi Tracy,
I am considering pursuing this and I was wondering what your experience has been to date? Thank you for your time.
In response to your statement that very little info from people who have tried the course, I just recently paid my $49. In the short amount of time that I have been able to access the information available have learned more than I ever thought I could learn about copy writing.
Sure google searching can answer a lot of the questions, but if you don’t know what questions to ask how are you going to search and get helpful results?
$49 is a reasonable amount to pay for the guidance and direction that someone who is completely new to the industry might need.
I find it interesting that the person claiming to be getting treated with no regard is listed as anonymous maybe if he/she would say who they are someone from AWAI might actually look into it and make it right.
The information and people I have seen and will soon be meeting who are members of AWAI are not the type of individuals who need to scam people for money.
It’s such a shame that people feel it necessary to bash a company without having all the facts. I you do not understanding marketing or are not willing to put in the work that making money takes, no matter what you choose to do, just don’t, there is no reason for the negativity – isn’t there already enough in the world today?
KH
Hi Kim,
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with Barefoot Writer! I’m really glad to hear it’s working out well for you. As you have probably noticed, there are tons of negative reviews of the program online, and some positive ones as well. I think like with anything, it is the perfect fit for some people, and for others it’s not, and something else will work better. My aim with this post was to reveal my findings after a lot of research on the program, and share them with those who were unsure whether Barefoot Writer was worth the money or not. To that end, again, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I am certain many will find it helpful! Wishing you continued success! 🙂
Thanks for the warning. I am sure a lot of people get taken in by sites like this one, and $49 a year doesn’t actually sound like a lot to pay out.
However, with such a vague video and training, I don’t think they would keep their customers for more than a year anyway.
Yeah, $49/year doesn’t sound bad – but I’m not sure you’re getting your money’s worth based on some of the complaints. At least it’s not $250 like some sites.
There is very little information from people who have tried the course. It’s difficult to say whether Barefoot Writer remains vague even when you’re a paying member or not.
Have a great day Michel.