Top 3 Content Sites for Working from Home

As promised, I am posting this update on my recent adventures in writing for content sites. I've done extensive online research and applied at several different websites, but I will only be reviewing the companies that have worked out for me. I've done the hard work for you by narrowing the list down to just these three:





Article Document


I haven't made much money yet writing for Article Document, but I really like it. I have written ten articles for them, and they included my "byline," which means my name has been published with each article. This allows me to have some writing samples to show prospective clients. The editors at Article Document are very nice, and I learned a new rule about using hyphens from their constructive feedback. I do not consider them a "mill" because they are so different from other content sites. Article Document seems like it would be better for your career in the long run since it's not strictly for ghostwriting.

The articles I have written pay through revenue sharing, meaning I get a few cents per view when people read one of my articles. Theoretically, you could make a lot more money long term with revenue sharing than with flat-rate projects, assuming that most of the articles continue to get a few clicks after the newness wears off. You could also hit it big if a post went viral, so I still may write a few more "brand building" pieces for them, using catchier titles to get more traffic.

Article Document may only be paying me a few cents a day right now, but I can't help but like the fact that they rated me a 9.67 out of 10. I recommend writing at least a couple of pieces for them as a way to perfect your grammar skills and start an online portfolio. As I am writing this post, I just got an e-mail from Article Document offering me a paid assignment, writing for one of their clients! I knew I liked this company! Stay tuned...

Blogmutt


Blogmutt pays $8 for a 250-word post, which works out to 3.2 cents per word. There is enough of a variety of subjects to write about that you can probably always find something to do there. There are no deadlines; you just write when you want to, and it's pretty easy to quickly come up with 250 words.

The negative is that it can take months for a client to accept your article, depending on where it is in the "queue," so I don't know yet what the acceptance rate will be. I read somewhere in a blog post written three years ago where someone estimated a ten percent rejection rate. If this is true, writing for Blogmutt could prove to be pretty lucrative for a work-at-home job since I could recycle any rejected articles by posting them somewhere else.

On my first day, I wrote ten articles, accumulating $80 in "future earnings." Doing about half that much each day for $40 would be a more reasonable workload for me right now. Yesterday I did $48, which didn't take me too long. I have yet to have any of my articles officially accepted by any of Blogmutt's clients, but none have been rejected either. I'm very hopeful about writing for Blogmutt, but the jury is still out on how lucrative it is until I start seeing some of my articles sell.

Textbroker


Textbroker was the first company I wrote for, and it's the quintessential "content mill," meaning they don't pay much at most levels. The approval process was quick and easy, and I got paid through Paypal about one week after sending Textbroker a signed W-9 form. This one might be your best bet if you are desperate for some fast money and don't mind writing for only 1.4 cents a word. I'm a Level 4 out of 5 with them, and I've read that it can be difficult to become a Level 5. A Level 5 gets 5 cents per word, though, so it would be worthwhile at that level. ManyMany successful bloggers who have written reviews about Textbroker are Level 4s, so who knows if  Level 5 is even attainable? I have found that Textbroker has two major drawbacks:

1. It's hard to find a good assignment to do.


Textbroker is okay, but it's a lot of their clients that are the problem. They either write in broken English or want you to follow very detailed instructions and do a ridiculous amount of research for a measly five to seven bucks per article. Since the articles are long, it can be hard to come up with that much to say about the limited subjects that are available.

2. The pay for a Level 4 is low at 1.4 cents per word.


The most I was able to make in one day writing for Textbroker was a little over $38.00, but it was nice when they sent me a Paypal deposit for my all-time total of $174.00. 

I read a post recently that said you should never write for less than three cents a word, and I halfway agree now that I have the hope of higher pay at other sites, but I do feel that Textbroker might be a good place to get your feet wet in the web content industry and maybe learn a few comma rules. If you can't find anyone else to pay you more, think of Textbroker as a stepping stone on the path to bigger and better things.



I'll post another update soon since I plan to continue with Article Document and Blogmutt...


Edited to add on 6/16/16:

I made a few changes to my original post here since I've decided to keep writing for Textbroker. Why am I still writing for Textbroker when it pays less per word? A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and nobody else has paid out so far. Textbroker clients only have three days to accept an article, and the clients are more likely to accept them than not. It's a great feeling getting an e-mail each time an article is accepted and knowing I'll get paid within a week.

With Blogmutt, I have articles scheduled for up to nine months out, and the clients have that long to accept them. Not just that, but more than one person can write the same article, and someone else's article may be chosen.  I'm also still waiting to hear back from Article Document about that journalist assignment.

Meanwhile, I am going to keep writing and try to get faster...


Edited to add on 12/16/2020

I no longer consider these to be the top content companies because I've been making a ton more recently with other content marketing agencies. That said, I appreciate what I learned while writing for the three sites I mentioned in this post. Everyone has to start somewhere!




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