The WMF Archives: Content Mills: Why Aspiring Writers Should Avoid Them

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Content Mills: Why Aspiring Writers Should Avoid Them

6:00 AM

As many WM readers and readers of my Make a Living Writing Blog may already know, I am not a fan of content mills. I advise the writers I mentor to avoid them, and many of my mentees approach me with the specific goal of kicking their mill-writing habit.

I think there are many types of people for whom these sites are a superb option -- but in my opinion, those types don't include writers who're serious about building a good-paying, sustainable writing career. To clarify, I mean people who want to earn $50,000 a year and up from their writing. People who ultimately want to have unlimited earning capability from writing.

Let me explain why I'm down on content mills. In my experience, here are the career problems writers may experience who rely mostly on content-site assignments:

1. It does not teach you to report. Most of the stories on content sites are written with light Internet research or off the top of your head. They don't help you develop newsgathering abilities, which are a bedrock skill needed for most good-paying byline reporting and corporate writing work. You don't develop interviewing skills since you generally aren't conducting interviews. If you dream of earning $800-$1500 for a single article, mill writing is not helping you get there.

2. It does not teach you to research. A lot of good-paying writing assignments call for extensive research. I recently wrote a $650 article for a regional magazine about all the stimulus money our state got and how it was spent. I wrote a $1,500 article about where Seattle's trash goes and what happens to it. I'm doubtful that anyone cutting their teeth on mill stories will ever be able to write stories like these. Writing for mills does not teach you how to do investigative reporting, how to dig deep into documents, understand them, interpret them, or synthesize complex information. Copywriting as well can demand a decent amount of research and ability to dive in-depth into a topic.

3. It does not give you nurturing editor relationships. I would be nowhere today without two or three amazing editors I worked with earlier in my career. Editing at mills is usually cursory at best, and not the kind of close, one-on-one relationship you want where someone will really take you under their wing and take the time to show you exactly what you need to do to improve.

4. It does not teach you to market. Many mill writers have spoken in ecstatic terms of how much they love never having to market their writing. But marketing your writing is a key skill for those who want to earn big. Generally, you go out and find the really lucrative magazine connections and corporate clients yourself...they do not fall in your lap. Every week you write for mills is a week you don't learn this critical skill.

5. It does not enhance your reputation. While some mill writers have reported they were able to parlay their clips into better-paying assignments...I usually find when I nail them down that their definition of "better paying" and mine are very different. They often mean something like they've worked their way to $50 an article. Know that many editors at quality publications discard outright the queries of anyone who offers clips from mill sites, so this work can slam a lot of doors for you.

6. It's a model that may disappear. There's been much discussion online of the possibility that Google may soon find a way to screen out mill sites in its search results. If that happens, the entire article-aggregator industry, which sprung up to serve Google's ranking analytics, will disappear overnight. As it is, mill sites go out of business on a regular basis, taking any promised "lifetime" residuals they owe writers along with them.

If you write for mills, ask yourself how you would replace that income if this model goes away? What other client types could you find work with?

There's already signs that even if it survives, the content-site model is changing -- check out ProVoices, the new site that wants professionally reported articles for up to $250. The trend is toward rates going up, and more work being demanded of mill writers as these sites seek to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

If content mills are such a career dead-end, you may ask, how are writers to break in and start a freelance writing career? Plenty of ways. Tune in next week for my guide to better approaches for breaking into freelance writing and earning more sooner.

Labels: Carol Tice, content mills, Content Mills Week, freelance writing news and ideas

24 comments:

Alyssa Ast said...: Great point of view Carol! You make many strong points. Many od which I agree with, which I why I am trying to leave the content mills behind. Can't wait to see next weeks!

www.alyssaast.webs.com; February 4, 2010 9:33 AM
Carol Tice said...: Good for you, Alyssa. As I've said before, mills can be a good place to experiment, learn about style and practice your writing. But then, you're ready to move up and earn more.

Carol; February 4, 2010 9:50 AM
Angela Atkinson said...: Great post Carol--really valid points. Thanks!; February 4, 2010 10:00 AM
Laya Bajpai said...: Great article Carol! I like your confident style of writing. Whenever I read your post I feel I can make it.

Laya; February 4, 2010 1:34 PM
AKM said...: Carol, Some excellent points here. It's along the lines of the old adage "just because you can doesn't always mean you should." Thanks for all the info.; February 4, 2010 3:31 PM
Life And Death said...: There's some really great information in here and a motivation for writers to spread their wings and explore different venues. I do have to disagree with the points made about lack of research since I know that I do quite a bit of research for mine, but then I can't speak for all writers.

I think there's alot to be learned from the content mills. I've seen many writers bumble their way through those in the beginning, yet in the end they have found skills they didn't know they had. For these writers, they would be sorely put out if they had approached higher end clients before using a content mill to enhance their skills.; February 4, 2010 3:48 PM
Carol Tice said...: Oh, I'm not suggesting going straight to high-end clients. Next week, I'll be talking about the many other routes to breaking in that I think are preferable to writing for content sites.

Carol; February 4, 2010 6:15 PM
3ringquercus said...: Thanks for this, Carol--all good to know.

I write for a content mill (Examiner) because MSM magazines would never publish my articles criticizing certain practices in my industry. I view it as a public service, though it would be nice to make a little more money for my efforts.

Writing for Examiner has helped sharpen my short article writing, acquainted me with social media marketing, and allowed the public to hear a voice that would otherwise be squelched by industry-sponsored publications. All valuable skills and I'm glad for the schooling, but I do hope to graduate to more lucrative (and respectable) gigs sometime soon. Thanks for the hot tips!; February 6, 2010 2:04 PM
Carol Tice said...: You bring up another interesting facet to writing for mills -- an opportunity to write material on an agenda you have, that maybe wouldn't find a market elsewhere. Interesting strategy. As long as you're clear it's not about earning, I think that's great.; February 8, 2010 10:41 AM
T.W. Anderson said...: Depends on the individual.

I regularly use content mills in between traditional clients. I've actually had periods of time when I've done nothing but content mills. I think they are absolutely a viable option for writers, just as viable as pitching and querying and cold-calling. The time spent physically writing without waiting on replies back is time spent making money.

I just finihsed up a little writing experiment using 3 different content sites, including Demand Studiods. You can read more about it at my site, but at the end of the project I made 2010 dollars for 38 hours of time invested in the project, or 53 dollars an hour. Ironically enough when I stuck to Demand Studios only I made 75+ dollars per hour on average. This week alone I've been doing 3 DS articles every day at the end of my shift for an extra 50 bucks a day...and it takes a whopping 30 minutes of time.

50 bucks a day x 20 working days a month (on average) is a cool grand a month extra simply for plopping down 30 minutes of time. I don't consider that demeaning, low-paying, oppressive, or otherwise.

According to the Department of Labor in 2009 the average wage for an American citizen was just over 18 dollars an hour...or 35k a year. That's working a full time job. Places like Demand Studios allow people to come in, write a couple articles an hour, and make 30 bucks an hour without even batting an eye. 30 bucks an hour is close to 58k a year, if you choose to work an 8 hour day.

Personally, I generally make between 60 and 80 dollars an hour. I refuse to work more than 4 hours a day. Ever. I love content sites because it allows me to come in and make 50k a year for part time hours. Sure, I could break 100k a year if I wanted to work 40 hours a week, but why would I want to? Amount of money per year is not the only measure of success, unless your life is so meaningless that it's measured in dollar signs. Myself, I get to spend the vast majority of time with my wife, we travel around the globe on a regular basis, we have ever amenity we could possibly want, and we do it all on 50k a year.

To say that it's impossible or unlikely to make more than 50k a year writing for content sites only shows your lack of education on the subject. There are a great number of people out there, myself included, who make a significant amount of money using content sites to our advantage, and we won't be stopping anytime soon.

As to whether or not it's a sustainable market...no market is trully safe. Anyone who worked for Enron or invested with AIG or Madoff can tell you that. It's foolish to think that *any* market is trully safe.

Again, a largely uneducated opinion piece from an individual who has never actually spent any time writing for a content site, and the lack of actual factual evidence to support the claims is completely lacking.; February 10, 2010 6:51 AM
Carol Tice said...: Ahh...nice to hear from you, T.W. How IS the weather out in Bulgaria?

If it isn't obvious to you that most people are not capable of writing three articles every half-hour, nothing I say will convince you. I've said it before and I'll say it again, T.W. -- you're special. I love that you're able to make a great rate writing for mills on short hours.

Having at this point talked with scores of people who've written for mills, I believe you are a very big exception to the rule. Which is great for you...but doesn't mean the average new writer should expect to be able to make a living writing for Demand.

Did you see the post in this week about what one of our other bloggers is making? Pretty appalling. Quoting Demand's own management, their typical average writer is earning $300 a month.

But I think the main point you missed is in my title, "Aspiring." My mission is to help writers who want to do great things with their writing career -- achieve freedom to write for the best clients, win Pulitzers, or earn a great income, sustainably, for decades to come. I believe spending lots of time writing for mills can hinder that goal, not help it. I don't think that's your goal, you seem really happy with what you do right now. You're where you want to be. So that's awesome. Hope you have a solid strategy ready for when the mill model disappears.

Enjoy!

Carol; February 10, 2010 12:03 PM
Alyssa Ast said...: Wow TW,
3 articles in an hour! I would say I am impressed but most writers I have run across that provide QUANTITY over QUALITY lack certain aspects in their career. Not that I am saying you do, but if you are able to produce 3 quality pieces of work an hour, you need to share your success with the rest of the writing community.; February 10, 2010 12:13 PM
Carol Tice said...: No, no, Alyssa...T.W. said three articles in a HALF HOUR.

Carol; February 10, 2010 1:33 PM
Jenn Mattern said...: Just for curiosity's sake, doesn't Demand require all writers be U.S.-based? Or am I misinformed about that (it's been known to happen)? And if that's the case, then is T.W. an exception to that rule (and what makes someone eligible to be an exception), and how would that impact those writers' feelings of security with the company?; February 10, 2010 7:36 PM
Angela Atkinson said...: @Jenn--I believe you're correct--DS requires writers to be US based. (Though I know they are/were working to change that, from what I've heard.); February 10, 2010 7:50 PM
Carol Tice said...: Maybe it requires them to be U.S. citizens rather than U.S.-based, which would allow someone like T.W., an American living abroad to write for them...but maybe he'll tell us. Or maybe he has a Skype number and Demand thinks he IS in the U.S...?

Carol; February 10, 2010 10:44 PM
Lucy Smith said...: No, that's correct. You can only write for Demand if you're a US citizen, and (I think) have a US bank account.

I looked into it as a newbie, but as I'm based in New Zealand, obviously I was out of luck. No big deal; the way I see it, I'm forced to look for my own markets locally rather than be tempted to rely on those kinds of sites. Sure, it's taken longer to build up anything resembling a decent income, but it does mean you have to network, which stands you in good stead later on.; February 11, 2010 4:21 PM
Julie Scott said...: I'm sorry to inform you that you are misinformed. The information you present shows a certain lack of research on this matter. Over the past few months, Demand Studios has acquired a number of pieces of virtual real estate and at least one offline print source.

Their holdings include divisions of DS that have opened up to both Canadian and UK writers, acquisition of eHow, Answerbag and Trails as well as the more specialized LIVESTRONG site. Just last week, they broke the news that a travel column in USA Today is now part of their family of sites.

Writers can now choose from a plethora of writing styles and payouts for their articles and their database of titles is growing, rather than shrinking. I am not trying to convince anyone to come and write for a content mill, but neither should you write about them until your facts are in order.; April 20, 2010 1:25 AM
Carl said...: I notice most of you who are arhueing use demand studios as your counterexample. From my rsch DS is certainly at the high end- THE best mill to work for. But from what some of you say maybe I should be ashamed to admit I was rejected by them recently.

I do write for associated content, and have come to the conclusion that that is a strictly for fun enterprise. The rsch demands are pitiful- I do much more than is required so I can be certain my work is original, and so I can publish something worth showing off to my facebook and nyspace friends.

But often twelve other people will cover the two or three articles I'll write on an active day, and all of them have the same information- despite the wide latitude given in the assignments. Not surprisingly they usyally use info I come across on the first page if not the first link of my first search engine query.

I hope to be able to use my writing as a supplementary income untill I finish college, and maybe full time after that. Maybe 15,000 a year would make me very happy over the next fisical year. I hope following your blog- which I will begin now- will help.; August 24, 2010 8:55 AM
Anonymous said...: Carol--I'm a newcomer here. I have done quite a bit of writing for Demand Studios, and I gotta say, you hit the nail on the head.

I simply don't believe some of the people who brag about all the money they make at DS. No one--no one--can write three well-written researched articles an hour, let alone in half an hour. Also, having watched the DS forum for the past year, I can tell you that at least some of the braggarts, it turns out, are on food stamps, facing foreclosure, or living with parents or roommates in order to make ends meet. These things usually come out a couple of months after the brag, when the braggart has forgotten about the brag.

I've tried to lower my standard so that I can produce more articles, faster, but I have to admit defeat. It ain't gonna happen.; November 14, 2010 9:24 AM
Carol Tice said...: You do have to wonder about some of the people who say they're feeding their family of six on their DS earnings. I can only imagine that they live in a place where it's far cheaper than my neighborhood, or have a totally different standard of living. But I know what you mean about braggarts -- I had one friend from the LI chat rooms who talked a great game, but recently let me know she was declaring bankruptcy and had no work.

My focus is on finding clients where you can raise your rates annually. Since you can't on DS, I think they're not a good market.; November 14, 2010 3:13 PM
Anonymous said...: Demand studio is a low-paying grueling way to make money. The amount of work put into writing articles does not equal the pay that one receives. I agree with anonymous that those writers who brag and say that they're making enough money to feed a family of six are exaggerating; I don't know why they do it. However, it takes time to write even a bad article, never mind a good one, that will get by the editors at Demand. Throw in research, adding references and resources, and pictures and that's well over 2, even 3 hours. That's before the revisions are done. I don't believer anyone supports a family on Demand Studio payouts.

Demand writers may pay a few bills, but that's about it. Unless of course, they already have vase amounts of knowledge to write the "nonsense" that Demand posts on their sites and they're excellent writers who don't need to read or revise any content, and they have stores of information in their heads with just the right references and resources all memorized and they can blink their eyes and pictures will insert themselves into their articles, then maybe...; December 7, 2010 3:32 AM
Christina said...: looking at your blog posts, it's amazing how often you do write about content mills. Clearly it's benefiting someone. I write for Examiner and I love it. I love the flexibility and I can pretty much write about whatever I want. I have 3 pages and I also write for Yahoo and for another site. Examiner just teamed with Reuters and many of their writers are often quoted on CNN and MSN. I make a damn good living writing for content mills and I know a LOT of people who do. I also think it's a matter of choice. I also received an assignment for a major music publication so it certainly hasn't hindered my career as a writer. They've already asked me to do several more. See you on line folks!; January 20, 2011 8:43 PM
Lori Carpenos said...: Carol,
Do you know what would or could happen to my google ranking if I use the same article I have on my website and submitted to a local mag. if I also submit it to Ezine. I get so many different answers but the one that concerns me is that google spiders could read it as a plagarized piece b/c they don't "see" who the author is and it just apears as though someone plagarized an entire article. This same person sugggested tweaking a few words in each of the articles, but in my mind that would make it look all the more like it was plagerized? What do you think?; May 4, 2011 10:29 AM