Most new freelancers have heard of content mills but may not know what they are. What are content mills, and why should you avoid content mill jobs?
Content mills are large websites that offer low paying writing gigs. These jobs come from third party clients or from the website itself. These companies never proclaim that they are freelance writing content mills.
Today, content mills for writers are more of a marketplace which allows student or writer to offer their services to many customers. The system is centralized between the broker, buyer, and seller of writing services. All content mill jobs work in different ways. Some allow you to choose the jobs you intend to bid for as well as the rate you prefer for the job. Others are slightly different and may only assign jobs based on the level of expertise. Some allow writers to set up gigs and then take orders directly from the clients. In all these scenarios, you have to compete in a large pool of writers.
Writing For Content Mills May Have Some Benefits
As a new freelance writer with little or no experience, you may find it easier to find a place in writing mills. These mills may give you an opportunity to gain some experience and break into the world of writing. Sadly, it is very competitive to get into. When you succeed in getting in, there are thousands of clients searching for writers to handle a stream of steady content.
Such mills may help new freelance writers to improve their research skills. Lots of topics are assigned daily, and this means more research. You could write about pet supplies this week and write about work productivity during the next week followed by steps to get a mortgage loan with poor credit scores. Such constant research adds variety to your skills as you learn about so many things within a short time.
Freelance writing in content mills may also offer a steady income stream for new and inexperienced freelance writers. Some mills offer more pay for senior writers while others struggle with low paying jobs and are overworked.
Despite all these, content mills are not recommended for the following reason:
- Strict deadlines: most assignments in content mills come with short and strict deadlines. Sometimes, they could be as short as 24 hours to a few days. Slow writers may have issues with meeting deadlines. You may need to learn to type faster. This doesn’t guarantee quality work, as well.
- SEO articles dominate the sphere: many web pieces on these platforms require search engine optimization keywords. The keywords are often repeated in the article to appear natural and organic. This kind of work may be tasking and tiring. It limits the writer’s creativity and also offers a single method of structuring all pieces.
- Possible burnout: working for low paying mills can be financially frustrating. It means you will have to spend more time working to make ends meet. This can result in burnout. The best content mills pay better than others, but it would take some time to reach a comfortable level.
- It may not be enjoyable: the writing jobs on content mills may not be fun to work on. Most of the time, writers have to write on topics that they have little or no idea about. Some even have to write on topics meant for professionals. There are often unlimited revisions with picky clients that waste your time further.
There Are Better Deals For Freelancers Out There
As a freelancer, you can get better rates. You can write top content for sites like writingjobz.com offer higher pay for quality content.
Working with content mills may just be a bad idea even though writers feel like it gives them some experience in the freelancing sphere. However, it is important to note that opportunities from content mills do not give you bylines. You are unlikely to have a client publish your work with your name. this reduces your chances of making a name for yourself in the field.
Also, high paying websites do not use content mills to get articles, so you may be stuck writing for low-quality sites. In several constant content reviews, this has been shown to be true.
To find better freelance writing jobs, you need to stay away from content mills. Good writing jobs are not found on content mills. They are usually filled privately and may not even be advertised. Some companies ask for a recommendation from writers, and sometimes, they use LinkedIn to recruit.
Beefing up the profile and posting samples of your work may put you ahead of others in the race. You can also apply for freelance writing jobs at sites like WritingJobz.com.