From the corner of my eye, I could tell my brother wanted to burst out laughing. Having told him I was about to send some cash over from my online PayPal account to my phone, he couldn’t wait. But immediately I switched on my PC, and logged in to my Freelancer account, the $27 balance stuck out like a sore thumb.
“This is awesome, bro!” It was agonizing, but he admitted it. I was making money online writing.
Looking back though, I could punch my tongue when I remember how I made $27 after writing 18 articles. It must have taken about two weeks? I was busy working on other stuff as well.
Apparently, Freelancer is not a content mill. But if my math teacher didn’t waste chalk in my classes, I must have been earning 0.003 cents per word—that’s $1.5 for 500 words. If this is not the stuff of content milling, then what is?
What in Writing is a Content Mill, Anyway?
There are content mills, and then there are content farms. Content farms mainly used for article submission. Webmasters use them to drive precious traffic back to their sites using link building techniques—to build up a credible web presence.
Content farms enroll you to a profit-sharing scheme if you are more interested in pay or don’t own a website yet. The higher views your piece receives, the better your chances of linking more traffic back to your own website or blog. Or earn from the ad money it generates.
You probably already recognize the following good examples:
– Hubpages.com
– Ezinearticles.com
– About.com
– Demandstudios.com
In this post, however, we are more interested in the websites that host ready-to-write client orders; websites that’ll pay you upfront to write. These are the content mills.
CMs produce or mill (hence the name) a huge amount of ready to publish articles that are generally considered affordable to requesters and low-paying to writers. Clients are mainly website and blog owners who need fresh and authentic content to publish on their sites to keep their readers engaged and probably seduce them to click the “buy now” button for a product they are selling. Call it copywriting for cheap.
The quality of the write ups also varies as everyone from the veteran to a newbie writer can try the sites out. Often with most CMs there’s rarely a bidding war for orders (like on Upwork or PPH). Authors just log in and choose an article to write out of a pool of many other open orders. Also, prices per word are standardized. Authors are paid amounts based on such factors as skill level and word count.
A few suitable examples include:
– Textbroker.com
– Textbroker.co.uk
– iWriter.com
– Needanarticle.com
– Greenlightarticles.com
– Crowdcontent.com
– Greatcontent.co.uk
– Freelancer.com (really)
Now “decent pay” is a very subjective phrase, many thanks to the fact that living standards across the globe and different writers vary wildly. For some writers a month’s toil from a content mill’s coffers is a bounty so beefy, it could cancel a few invoices and pay a good deal of bills in and around the home. Often times for other writers, it’s barely enough to buy a round of beers for themselves and their friends for a night or two.
Whatever your case, you might want to…write for a content mill. Now, just before you decide to Google my name and improvise on blunt metal to hang me up a goal post, hear me out.
Spoiler Alert: This could be controversial, but you could learn 5 reasons to write for a content mill.
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Learn to Write for the Web—and a larger audience
If you are new to writing online for pay, blogosphere or other internet-based write ups, there’s no other place that could be as resourceful as writing for a content mill.
Writing for Freelancer back when I did, I learned a lot. Writing for the web is miles and acres different from academic and brick and mortar publisher material. Big words don’t count. Long, unwinding sentences are a sore sight. And beefy paragraphs make readers quiver like cat whiskers. You can learn to do it the right way when writing for a CM.
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Get Back to Form
If you are a veteran with blue ink all over your thumb to show for it, you can benefit from sneaking in and out of a content mill once in a while as well.
Use a content mill to escape a chronic case of writer’s block. Use the content mills to gather up your expertise and confidence to send that guest post to the high-flying magazine you’ve always wanted to pen a feature for.
If you’ve been out of the creative synergy that writing is all about, use a (decent) content mill to rejuvenate your prowess with the pen before moving on to where you deserve to be.
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Test Your Writer Skills
Want to find out if you still got it as a writer?
Well, try writing for a couple of clients that can approve (and pay the little cash they do), or reject your pieces outright and leave you eye-tingeing, nose-tweaking and tear-prone. You want to find out if you can indeed rely on your skills to read clients minds on what they need exactly? Try most content farms. The clients can be least expressive of what they want, need or neither, but will want you to revise, rewrite and re-style the draft countless times.
The fantastic difference between writing for a content mill and doing it for a content farm is that the former not only pays quicker, but more importantly, you get to receive feedback back from the client concerning your writing skill.
If you do manage to suave your way across such mischief, you don’t deserve to write for no less than high value clients who appreciate your talented mind.
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Help with Self Discipline
If you want or are working as an online freelance writer full-time, then you know what to be disciplined means. You have to write what you have to, when you have to, whether you feel like it or not.
While a content mill customer may breathe down your neck and make unrealistic demands, when you write for a better one, you can learn to work for yourself as if you had a boss whose targets you must fulfill or risk being cut and run on hungry.
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Make ends Meet
Writing for content mills won’t make you rich and famous—it probably can’t help pay off a few bills. What doing this can do, however, is to help you fill in your schedule and maybe earn a hundred dollars or so.
When your repeat clients are not requesting as much as they usually do, or the industry is in a constant flux as far as workload is concerned, you can use a content farm to keep your creative flow churning. If you’ve been stuck with your computer screen blank after a time off writing before, then you may concur.
Making a one-off fee of $4.46 for a 500-word article over at Textbroker, iWriter or GNL could be floating your livelihood boat, but for some of you, it is asking too much of you—and your skills. If this last reason feels like treason against Writer’s World, feel free to pass.
Some other factors will also weigh in and directly affect what you earn at the end of the day too:
- Typing speed—the faster the better. Use KeyBlaze Typing Tutor from NHC free for training– if you need to.
- Fast-reading and researching skills—you’ll need to know what to find, where, why and how and then break it down and articulate your point of view in words, sentences and paragraphs that should flow logically and transition seamlessly. Curve out some social media time and use that to learn your way around Google pages and referencing sources. Online researching skills are a big deal in this industry.
- Workflow—just like in the brick and motor industry, freelance gigs are in plenty now and barely available at other times. Remember to make hay while the sun shines.
- Focus—can you maintain producing high quality content for about 10 hours back to back? Doubt it. You’ll need a break for coffee, a chat, some minutes in the bathroom, lunch time, you name it. Heck, I do take 20-minute naps in between assignments to reboot. What you think you can achieve will not always turn out to be what you achieved. Just be realistic with expectations.
Bottom Line
Make no mistake: I don’t recommend you to write for any content mill. But if you can once in a while sneak in to pen an article or two for one, ensure you are not used. Conversely, use the content mill to learn and sharpen your writer skill, get back your write flow, test and make yourself relevant to industry demands, develop discipline and for what it’s worth, make an extra $100 to spoil your creative buds. Will you?
Thank you Denis for the informative article and glad to see you writing for blogs also. Very inspiring!
Hi. That was very informative. I am just another curious writer trying to make a living on the net.Well do you know anyone who can assign me a project on the site just to squeeze a foot in the door. I have had an account for ages and need to begin getting work soon otherwise my profile there just looks like a ploy to snag appear more than I really am. Kindly assist bro. I do much of my writing for CM’s as well, especially upwork (odesk).
Thanks for your comment Blasto. You need to work on improving your writing skills and taking action. Better try and fail than not try at all. Make good use of your account and feel free to ask questions whenever you feel stuck.
Hi Dennis and walter
I always have a good read here
So now can i get sites that are not CM ?! i have been doing various activities for these sites , i guess its time to move up!
currently, i’m working on freelancer.com though I have to keep bidding. Fortunately, i got a client.
Congrats on getting the client John. Keep working hard, you’ll get there!
Hello there Michael,
Awesome comment!
On the point about CMs thinking only about their bottomlines and little about the struggles their signed writers have to endure through on a daily basis, I couldn’t agree with you more Michael. CMs are a biased lot. But forward-thinking writers can turn the tides and use them to further their agenda.
However, on learning to write while getting paid well…that could be just a bit naive. As a professional writer, you know that when you hit that “Send” button, someone’s on the other end hoping you did your best to front them as experts in their field.
It’s a ghostwriting thing, I think. It’s a work ethic thing too, where if you want to pull in a load of good rep and cash writing, you have to be deserving. Giving your best as a writer should not be a moral thing, but a business sense thing. And it pays to be a good writer. Repeat clients are a good-writers-only thing, and repeat clients not only provide constant work and cash, they ramp up your rating too. So the better you’ll be paid and the more work you’ll attract in future–within or without a CM’s ecosystem.
So how do you become a good writer? I think by practicing, largely. Good writers are not born. Unfortunately, good writers are not exactly self-declared. Often, the reader makes that important declaration. Writing and publishing on your own blog, or on a content farm, or for some article directories, doesn’t really give THE feedback that’ll help you rise faster or shed a critiquing eye on your own work. We writers rarely want to critique our own babies, our work.
Try writing as a starter for a client you just managed to win over (really?) from independent sites such as Craigslist, Indeed and Gumtree. Or even bidding sites such as PPH and Upwork.
The oft “serious” clients on these sites want tried-and-tested scribes for either their high-calibre clients or their very own websites. Browsing top freelancers profiles on, say, Upwork, you can tell clients are willing to declare you as their go-to writer if your skills deserve the appraisal.
Most good-paying clients are more than willing to skip up-and-comers who think they deserve better while their portfolios are freezing cold and lacking weight, for writers who have a trail–pen stars who have “Good job as always! I’d recommend this writer” kind of backup. Whether you’ve written before for a cheap client thanks to Textbroker or a corporate honcho over at PPH, may not really matter. What truly matters is what you can do for them now.
Again, I wouldn’t recommend an ambitious writer to stick around a CMs arena for long. But I’d recommend them as a stage in a writing career where you sharpen, hone and toughen up and know that the rest of the world doesn’t owe you a favor or living.
As for CMs killing creativity, I think only “copy n paste writers” should have a problem here. I believe any writer hellbent on improving their skill, can learn better ways to source and draft material.
You do make an infinitely great point in stating that writers–deserving writers–deserve better. I believe in that too.
Thanks for the tips Dennis. The info is useful as I’m seeking to hire freelance writers.
———-one of the seven plagues of the internet——–
I do get the arguments that you put forward- learning to type fast, research skills, test your mettle as a writer blah blah. . . but is this really the best way to learn as a writer….why not learn while getting paid..
Content mills are modern day guillotines- killing of writers faster that you can say $4.
I have written for content mills, and they sap of your creativity like nobody’s business…I would never ask anyone to try them out…plus the rating system, and the skewed set up–where clients are always right, and writers have no say–iwriter- makes writing for a content farm an activity designed to fast track carpal tunnel..
And what are content mills again?
It’s an eye opener and am always glad to read and learn from the experts.
Hello John G,
I’d be angry if anyone messed with my writer accounts, mad if there’s some cash I have stuck in there, and madly infuriated if they banned my account.
Could this have happened to you, and did you seek out Brad Callen to at least explain why?
Thank you Walter and Dennis for the good work of keeping us informed. However, as i read the article i din’t understand well as to how do i start? What do i need to start? Its my first time to hear about this and would be glad to give it a try. would please clarify to the lost sheep in this lesson.
Thank you
Hi Teresiah
There are many things that you can do online, such as article writing, blogging, transcription, academic writing, affiliate marketing…the list is literally endless. Which area do you want to venture into? You may also want to subscribe to my mailing list https://freelancerkenya.com/go/list
All the best
Always glad to read these nuggets from the Gurus themselves. Informative!
Great article though most of the firms you mentioned, require Native Speakers of English. True iwriter is the place for any fresh writer to start but be assured of th subjective responses from the requester s and the rude way the firm will ban your account just when you have $18 in their account. Of course they will not pay if the account is banned before you hit the $20 minimum!
Very good article. It’s educative. Can’t wait to get started.
Most welcome, John.
Please tell us more. Are you started yet?
The article is educative, thank you for sharing this valuable information.
Hello Dennis Sir,thanks for this valuable information for a newbie like me.Its a ray of hope and I shall now put in the best of my efforts in this field.
Try to differentiate these two: Its……….possessive and “It’s” a contraction for “It is”
This is a very informative and uplifting pieces especially, for newbies. We need more of these.
Thanks for the information. I am working hard to stop relying on content mills. I like the content farms idea. I agree content mills pay very low. They are a good place to start though.
Writing for IWriter was a nightmare. You start out on the standard level and most of the requestors ratings for approval were very low. Which means the chance of your article being rejected would be high. Also, you are not able to copy and paste your article into the IWriter submit page. The deadline time that you receive is not enough time, especially since you are not able to copy and paste your finished article. You also have to write 30 articles with good ratings in order to move up to the better quality level of premier or elite. You would be able to bypass the standard level if you are willing to pay 147.00 and send in an article that may be good enough to put you in the premier or elite level. The requestors at the premier and elite levels have much better approval ratings and the pay for your articles are much better than the standard level. If you are not willing to pay the 147.00 then you will have a headache at the standard level. I would not recommend IWriter to anyone unless you are willing to pay 147.00 and send in a great article to get approved for the premier or elite level. A requestor is the person who is looking to hire someone to write an article.
Hi Debra,
I feel you there.
The standard writer level can both be a headache and back pain all at once, but it can also be what you need to understand how the various content mills–and clients within–operate.
That kind of been-there-done-that knowledge can be pretty powerful in a short to medium while. Hang in there and ask for a hand whenever you feel stuck.
Hi Dennis, thanks for a great article,it made me re-think my stance on content mills. Walter already knows how much I detest them, I feel that they under value writers’ talents and pay them too poorly. However, they do have a role to play in a writer’s life. I am just starting out in my writing career and I will try them out:)
Hi Anne,
Initially, I didn’t like them either.
“They do have a
role to play in a writer’s life”. You said it best.
Success in your writing goal.
Anne that is very well said. CMs just killed my writing appetite!! I don’t how I can revive it, but my writing appetite is DEAD! No one made me feel poorer than a CM paymaster! I hate to be underrated…….more so after spending precious time doing my BEST!!!
I am happy with this post. Much happier when it’s my namesake. It confirms why I am constantly looking for challenging gigs, even if poor pay and even if I have lots of gigs to write, I am always searching for more. Therefore, there is no controversy with content mills. They can give you a posh life, especially when you live in economically affordable country. Online writing came at the right time, at least for me? Of course I hardened from freelancer.com.
Hello there Namesake,
It’s true what you have stated here and what it all really boils down to…Willpower. You push the button until something gives.
Great!
Hi Walter,
Thank you for a good post.
Reminds of when I started, the initial struggles of getting the first few articles done but $20 in my PayPal account at the end of the week was all worth it.
Content Mills give you the opportunity hone your research and writing skills before moving on to something bigger. As the saying goes “you can’t climb a tree from the top”
Thanks boss. All the credit goes to Dennis the WordMaster.
Thanks too but still everything to me seems confusing as a beginner,
Tuwaze, cool name!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts too:-)
Over time, writing for a content mill can really pay off if there’s a definite and progressive exit plan. “You can’t climb a tree from
the top”, I like that.
Walter, of course you are the best.
Well I haven’t done much writing lately and this just came at the right time. Very helpful indeed. Thanks!
I am not sure if Ezinearticles is a farm as indicated. I believe they DON’T pay for content. The company therefore falls under “Article Directory’
6. You acknowledge that we do not pay for submissions to our directory and we do not require publishers to pay you for their use of your article. The primary reason for submitting your article to our directory is for the chance to be picked up by ezine publishers or webmasters to be reprinted to their respective audiences. While EzineArticles.com receives many tens of millions of unique visitors monthly, there are no guarantees your article will be reprinted or viewed by anyone.
Hello Rob,
You are right, Ezinearticles.com is pretty much an article directory. But what you can do there is to use the site to build a credible web presence. Smart website owners and bloggers have known this open secret for some time.
However, one needs to ensure their content is top-notch, or the guys at Google HQ will have non of it.
Kind regards
Wonderful blog. Keep up.
Awesome, informative stuff!!
Very nice & insightful indeed. Similarly, to earn big in these sites, one must start at a very humble background, expect rejections as usual ( but if you are a type of a person that lacks patience, you are unlikely to succeed at this stage). “Practice makes perfect” and moreover, always believe you can do it. Recently, i wrote an article at iwriter, at the middle of the article, i had no words to add in. Actually, i almost cancelled the article because the time was running up, and there i was just seated gazing at my computer wondering what to write.
Finally, i finished writing the article but out of struggle. After it was reviewed, i got a message to rewrite the same article as it didn,t meet the client’s instructions. I rewrote it very early in the morning, and to my surprise, the client loved the article to the point of paying double from the current price! That’s how i learned to always concentrate when writing, and to write and read even more.
Hey Jeremy,
Awesome comment,
Being reasonably patient, reading to feed one’s writing and striving to write some more does work.
Thanks.
Kudos bear in mind the interest i develop rooted deep in my heart.please i urge for assistance.
I totally agree I tried with content mills and ran out of steam, probably because of the low compensation. But I think patience pays and by and by as one acclimatizes, things eventually smooth out. Thanks for the valuable info keep up
Hey Edgar,
Right! Perseverance, with the goal to advance your skill, does pay off.
Thanks.
Insightful words there from a very interesting writer. I can say am much more informed than before reading this.
Thanks Leonard,
You are most welcome.
Hi, I have actually been looking for how I can test my writing skills. With this article, I now know what I will be doing other than spending most of my time doing other things online. Thanks!
Hi Fridah,
Great to know this article has added value to your freelancing goal.
Personally, when I first started on my little online money making campaign, the question I remember asking was: how do Mark Zuckerberg make all of that cash yet he spends less time facebooking and tweeting like us normal folk. Boils down to how we use our time online, ha?
Reading through Walter’s articles right here is one way to access some of those great hacks most “insiders” don’t give out.
Spoiler alert, this comment is controversial. 😀
Your article is great, content mills would kill each other for your write-ups. On a serious note though, your reasoning is legit. However, making a living via content mills can be demoralizing. The mills are notorious for lots of work and low compensation. However, they are effective in developing the skills aforementioned. Great work Dennis, keeps it up!
Hello there Maurice,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Writing for content mills can feel like being turned into an article-churning machine–little is given in terms of oiling and maintenance, yet productivity is unfairly emphasized.
Thanks for the compliment..just made my day better!
Hi Walter and Dennis, this is really wonderful! thank you for sharing great sites like Greenlightarticles and textbroker that i new nothing about. I could not wait but rush there and create my Profile. Good work right there! Blessings
Most welcome Joy
Hi Joy and Walter,
You can’t put all your eggs in the same basket right?
GLA is one of a few alternatives to iWriter and accepts international writers. The firm says it is going through writer applications in the course of this week, so great of you to send your application.