The WMF Archives: Content Mills: Climbing the Freelance Ladder

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Content Mills: Climbing the Freelance Ladder

10:50 AM

Content mills are a great way to step into the freelance writing world especially if you have no prior experience. They are also a great way to bring in a small, extra income. However, I believe if you stick with content mills for too long, you can actually be limiting yourself as a writer. You must climb the freelance writing ladder with content mills to earn a better living. I have had both good and bad experiences with content mills so I won't write them off completely, but there must come a time when you say good-bye to content mills.

The Pros

There are certain pros to working for content mills. When I began freelance writing, my first taste of the writing life came from Triond. Before I stumbled upon this site, I had always known I wanted to be a writer but had no idea how to get there. One day I stumbled onto Triond and submitted a couple pieces for publication. I was thrilled that they were accepted. This was before I had known they would accept just about anything. After a month of watching the pennies, slowly, slowly come in, a friend of mine told me about other means of making money. This included the use of content mills. Before this, I had NO idea this whole online world existed.

At first this seemed like the perfect thing. I could sit at home all day and write, and best of all, I would be making money. This satisfied me for a few months but once I plunged deeper into the online and off-line writing world, I learned content mills aren't all they are cracked up to be and I could make so much more money by other means.

Over the past year and a half, if you name the site, chances are I have worked for them, from Bright Hub to Helium. I believe working for content mills is a great way to get your feet wet and learn the ropes of being an online writer, especially if you have no prior knowledge or experience. Content mills are a great way to make money if you are treading the waters of freelance writing or encouraging a hobby. Even if you are looking for a little side money, content mills may be just what you need.

I have noticed over the past year, there are certain levels of content mills that you can write for. It's kind of like a ladder and as you gain experience you gradually climb this ladder to better paying content mills. At the bottom of this ladder are places like Triond and Helium. Further up, you find places like Associated Content and Textbroker. Later on, you can move up to places like Bright Hub and Quality gal. If you keep climbing, you can stumble onto places like Demand Studios and Wise Geek. The ladder and list goes on and on but the result is basically the same, the ladder ends at some point and so does your income potential.

The Cons

Now while I firmly believe content mills have a purpose and can promote a career, I also believe they can damage a writers career. I have to admit, I would be no where without content mills, but there must come a point in a writers life they jump from the ladder and move on to brighter seas.

If you stick around content mills too long, you can limit not only your income potential, but your skills as a writer as well. Content mills can suck you into a comfortable groove and cause writers to become distracted from their passions and limit their abilities to become the great writers they can potentially be.

Many content mills underpay and degrade their writers because they know just around the corner are 10 more writers willing to do the same job for the same pay. There comes a time in any serious writers life when you must confidently boot these content mills from your life. If you plan of having a successful career as a writer, you must leave content mills in the dust, especially those that under pay you. If you have made your way up the freelance ladder and are stuck in a groove, you are only harming yourself and your skills by sticking around for low paying content mills.

The bottom line is, learn what you can from content mills and gain all the experience you can. Once you have built your resume and your writing background, search for new endeavours. If you truly value yourself as a writer and your career potential, MOVE ON!!! You can make better money with private clients/companies than any content mill has to offer. If you have the skills and confidence required to be a great writer, why limit yourself with working for a content mill when you can find a private client that will pay you 2-10x's as much as a content mill for the same amount of work? Plus, the respect and acknowledgement these other clients/companies give their writers will make you run from content mills and never look back.

I know I will receive a lot of scrutiny for writing this, but I think if you take yourself seriously, you will want to make the most of your career. This involves taking risks to future possibilities. Once you are ready and confident with your decision, I encourage you to cut the ties with content mills.

Due to the Content Mill series, February's contest information can be found in the WM Freelance Connection Group!!

Labels: Alyssa Ast, content mills, Content Mills Week, the writing life

6 comments:

Carol Tice said...: Well said. I find a lot of the writers I mentor seem to get hooked on mill writing and forget to move on to more enjoyable and better paying assignments!

More on my view on Thursday...

Carol Tice
Make a Living Writing blog: http://www.makealivingwriting.com; February 2, 2010 1:39 PM
Laya Bajpai said...: Great article! I also wrote some article for these sites to get exposure, but I finally realised that you could spend as much time writing on a serious level and earn more.; February 2, 2010 2:17 PM
AKM said...: I am enjoying following the ideas and opinions expressed here. The fact that someone can give a critique without completely dismissing something shows great objectivity. I would love to hear how people jumped off the content mill train and found the better paying assignments. Keep up the great work.; February 2, 2010 3:42 PM
Alyssa Ast said...: AKM-- I am currently making this transition myself. Personally I have chosen to pursue job leads and private clients through forums and other job posting sites. I am also increasing my marketing. It is a transitional period that does require a certain amount of risk, but the benefits will pay out in the long run. So far things are working out well.

Thanks for reading!; February 2, 2010 4:52 PM
Sharon said...: I agree with you, Alyssa!; February 16, 2010 9:34 AM
Lauren said...: Thank you for such a balanced perspective, Alyssa. I think content mills certainly serve some utility, especially for individuals just starting out or uninterested in making a career of writing but hoping to make a little extra money. It's not for everyone, but it can be helpful.; May 21, 2010 1:21 PM