Day 17 – Today’s topic; writing for content mills

For many established writer’s, the answer to this question will be no. Generally – I’d agree with them – and advise against writing for content mills as you earn peanuts, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, and in the long term, it doesn’t advance your career.

But there are times when it’s not a bad idea and for a beginner, I’d argue that It’s a good place to start. It allows you to improve your writing and gives you social proof when pitching to clients, and depending on the content mill you write for, you may even have clients reaching out to you.

I want to emphasise that it depends on the content mill you write for. This is important because certain content mills give you more exposure and credibility than others. Lifehack is one such content mill, and I want to share my experience with you.

I applied to write for them through a job board on ProBlogger. After following the process I became a paid contributor. Over a period of three months, I wrote 35 posts for them, earning very little (as of September 2016 I stopped writing for them). However, during this time, I worked on my writing skills all whilst gaining social proof (Lifehack is solid social proof).

The best thing about Lifehack is the exposure it gives you as a freelance writer. There are a serious amount of eyeballs on there. Sure, the quality of the content has become diluted and there’s some shit on there, but if you focus on improving your writing, you will stand out amongst the masses and you might very well have people reaching out to you.

Here’s one email:

Here’s my reply that kickstarted the negotiations.

Here’s her reply saying she’s happy.

Since then I’ve earned well over $1000 with this client.

Here’s another email:

I wrote a guest post for them. That guest post was followed by this email:

I knew I’m worth more than they’re offering, so I negotiated for a higher rate:

They obliged:

Again, I’m set to earn over $1000 with them in the next months.

So, my message is this. Writing for content mills may be a wise option if you’re a beginner freelance writer. It will allow you to refine your writing and give you social proof. However not all content mills are made equal or have the same clout, so choose wisely.

Lastly, know when to pull out to advance your writing career (I pulled out a month into Bamidele’s challenge as I landed a few clients) because it’s easy to get stuck in a rut.

Anyways, I’d love to hear your experience with content mills.

Have you written for them?

If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.

P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.

But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.

Cheers

Nick D