Content mills have garnered a bad rap. Experienced freelancers bash them in forums and warn newbies away from them. But are content mills really that bad? No, they’re not, and if you haven’t ever written online, here are three reasons why you absolutely should write for one of these sites.
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1. Experience
When you first start looking for writing work online, you don’t have a clue how to do it. Even if you have a four year degree in journalism, you will soon learn that online writing isn’t exactly like the writing you learned in college. One of the easiest ways to gain experience is to write for a content mill. This is a site that basically pairs clients who want written content with writers who will write it. The pay is much lower than if you were to find clients on your own. But right now, you have no contacts and no idea how to find them. Start earning a part-time paycheck with a content mill and listen to all the feedback that the editors give you. They will help you learn to hone your new writing skills.
2. The Forums
The forum of any content mill is a great place to hang out in your spare time. The writers who contribute to these forums are talented and experienced in the world of online writing, and they have a lot of knowledge to impart to you. Each forum has its own set of rules, but some of them do allow mention of competing sites. This is where you can learn which sites are best and which ones aren’t worth your time. There are also threads that teach you how to find private clients and links to websites that will help you improve your writing. In short, these forums are your goldmine, or at least a stepping stone to finding your own gold.
3. A Paycheck
When you first start writing online, what you really crave is a paycheck. You want to be able to say that your writing skills have put money in your pocket. So even though you aren’t making the big bucks yet, the satisfaction of earning a paycheck, due completely to your fabulous writing skills, will empower and motivate you.
After writing for a content mill for a length of time, you will have gained valuable experience and insight into finding better paying clients. Put in your time and you will be rewarded. Disregard the naysayers who want you to market yourself and spend a lot of time and energy finding clients. First, gain experience at a content mill. Then, you will have the experience and knowledge to move forward.
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This article is great! I started writing for content mills and received immediate feedback and weekly pay. It increased my confidence and now, if I find a need a few dollars between other paying gigs, I drop in and pick up a job or two.
A good site for the very beginner is hirewriter.com (which pays weekly through Paypal and is reliable in payments). Then move on to crowdcontent.com which requires a higher level of writing skill with higher pay (again, very reliable in payments). I did not sign up for other sites so I can’t recommend them.
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice and the recommendations of companies to try!!
The site is hirewriters.com — I didn’t proof my work very well!
Hey Miranda,
Before reading this article I would have never considered content mills simply because of the stigma associated with them. You have changed my outlook and thanks for that. What I think could be more helpful is if you included resources as to where to find those content mills and which you have experience with, etc. I know that your reader Kathleen included some which does help. Like anything else there will be good, bad, and probably really bad content mills and I’d love to know which ones to use and which ones to stay clear away.
Thanks for the insightful information.
Best Regards,
Jim
That is a good point James. Here is an older article, but we could sure use an updated one as these companies are always changing. Keep an eye out for an article listing content mills to get started with, in the meantime check this article out: http://www.wahadventures.com/2013/03/10-freelance-writing-jobs-for-beginners.html
You can also browse through all of our writing company reviews here: http://www.wahadventures.com/category/job-reviews/writing-jobs