Crowd Content is just one of the many writing sites out there. It’s an online marketplace that supplies copywriting services for businesses and individuals. They basically are a two-way street that links (theoretically) talented freelance writers, and clients who are looking for budget-friendly copywriting solutions.
But the search for quality writing does not stop with Crowd Content! There are many writing sites out there that provide great opportunities for both enterprising freelancers and customers. Everyone these days needs great content pronto; there’s always some niche to fill, social media posts to get out, newsletter to send, or landing page to create. Turnover is the name of the game, and everybody’s scrambling for a piece of the pie.
But, one can lose perspective in the mad dash for beating deadlines. For starters, not all writing sites are equal — it’d be great if that were the case, and we’d all sleep safe knowing that it doesn’t matter what we choose out there. It would be like the world without lawyers Lionel Hutz imagined.
You know how reality tends to trample on Utopian dreams. If you want your content to be in good hands, then you’ll need to become discerning, and that requires information. Don’t worry, I’ll make this quick and easy to understand!
Let’s roll!
But if you prefer to watch a video instead, click here:
Understanding Crowd Content and Writing Sites
Crowd Content is one of the myriad writing sites out there. They market themselves as “the scalable content marketplace for agencies, small businesses, brands, and retailers.” First, let’s analyze how they work and see if there are any differences with other writing services out there.
They do business by acting as an intermediary between clients and freelance content writers. Say you need a piece of writing and require a reliable professional to handle it quickly and reliably. After all, you’re probably under stress and racing to meet a harsh deadline. You’ve got the general layout of what you need, but you need a wordsmith to put it all together.
How Does the Process Look?
- They take your order. It could be any type of writing under the sun, but’s generally marketing, sales, or branding-related.
- They connect you with a writer who can handle your order out of their talent pool.
- Ideally, their algorithm will pair you up with a well-rated writer who’s proven they can do similar jobs before.
- They start working on your order and strive to get it back in the specified timeframe.
- The writer completes the order and sends it back to you.
- If you like it, great! If not, you move on to the next step.
- You ask for however many revisions you need until you’re satisfied.
What Types of Content Do They Offer?
As per their website, they offer a comprehensive list of writing staples:
- Article writing
- Blog Posts
- Copywriting
- Ghostwriting
- Local SEO city pages
- Press releases
- Product descriptions
- SEO content
- Website content writing
- White papers
Does Crowd Content Work?
About as well as most other content writing services, yes. Generally, both clients and freelancers speak well of their automated process. The whole thing is designed to work with the minimum amount of hassle and human interaction. That doesn’t mean it’s quirk-free, but it gets the job done for a lot of people.
The way it’s built enables writers to get a steady stream of assignments. At first, they’ll be a little short on work, especially the high-paying kind, though. As they build their bonafide and start getting great ratings within the site’s star system (think Uber), they get more and better gigs, ideally.
But does it always work like that in practice? It depends on who you ask. Crowd Content has a pool of over 6,000 writers, so you can’t generalize from only a handful of cases. But, you can get an idea about how things are on the inside if you ask some clients and writers who have worked there.
Thankfully, we have Reddit!
“The Internet’s” Opinion
Now, you shouldn’t consider this the final say on Crowd Content by any means. After all, you’re going to find bad reviews and experiences anywhere you look. Even restaurants with 3 Michelin stars have off days (much to Gordon Ramsay’s dismay). “The Internet’s front page,” as Reddit touts itself, is not a certified authority by any stretch of the imagination. But it is great for checking out the inside scoop on things beyond pretty front pages and marketing bylines.
On the client’s side, user greatwhitebuffalo716 pipes in
I used to be on the client-side of Crowd Content, and know exactly how much they charge their clients for work, and how much they put their clients on a pedestal, often on the backs of the writers. I used to order anywhere from 5-15 350-word assignments a day. We were charged about $12 for a 2-star piece we used for SEO copy. The writers were well, pretty awful. We only used 4-star writers, compiled a team of the least-worst, and ordered 2-star content from them, which they were happy to receive regularly for easy money. Some of them even were allowed to make counterproposals and request anywhere from 25% to 100% more money on the assignment.”
They go on to say
that they even had to regularly edit material they got from writers. This same commenter states that most writers dealt in a very generic, boring copy. They also assured that many used article spinners — a writing tool that takes an article and rewrites it to avoid plagiarism checks — instead of writing themselves. They also said that anything below 3-star writers was generally unacceptable, grammar-wise and that they used very few of the references provided.
This commenter also stated that they became a Crowd Content writer themselves in order to see what the fuss was about. They thought they were going to make pretty sweet money. They even claimed that they wrote a great piece of sample content, but they still had to work their way up from just two stars. Finally, they completed their comment on their dismal experience by saying that most of the gigs were one-star offers that paid around a cent per word.
Other opinions from freelance writers ranged from positive to cautious. They said they found Crowd Content to be a reliable source of work. Those in the lower rungs (three or four stars) were not very happy with the pay, but they found that work kept coming in constantly. Those in the upper, four-star tiers were generally happier, claiming incomes of around $500 to $700 on an average week.
A common gripe by writers was that there wasn’t a unified process for payment. Some projects paid nearly instantly, while others paid out in 30 days. Others complained about the 24-hour revision period on some pieces because it cut into their weekend or free time.
Managed Projects vs Marketplace
Crowd Content also has different sites for writers. User LisaCC, a representative for the site, said:
Up until last year, Crowd Content was a straight Marketplace where writers interacted directly with the clients. In 2016, it added on a Managed Content side where writers and editors deal with project managers instead of the clients, and most projects are high volume.
While managed projects generally offer more organized work for writers, a few complained about liking the marketplace model better. Managed content required learning complicated, draconian templates and guidelines with extended review times because they go through a more in-depth QA process. Others found that the better per-word rates of the managed content were preferable in the end.
Is Crowd Content a Content Mill?
“Content mill” is a mostly-pejorative term for websites that pay writers low, or poor rates to write content. Writers used to employ this term to refer to sites that employed them for quick-and-dirty SEO or “viral” content to fool algorithms. They were also known as “content farms” at one point.
In the 2020s, practically every freelance writing site is referred to as a content mill. That’s because most of the content on writing sites tend to go along prescribed paths, or “genres,” if you will.
But, in the end, it seems Crowd Content is not better nor worse than any run-of-the-mill writing site. Some writers swear by it, finding reliable work and pulling good numbers; others don’t like the rating system and find the constant revisions and lower-paying gigs a waste of time and mental effort.
When it comes to being a client: better keep your eyes open! Always make sure that professionals are writing original, bespoke content, and not using article spinners. These charges should not be levied solely against Crowd Content. though; you’ll find this issue cropping up in most writing sites, or on freelancing platforms. You need to be especially mindful of the fact that these things have a “race to the bottom effect.” Writers that are desperate for work, even for dirt-cheap pay, will usually try to cram as much work as possible into a day to make livable wages. This is especially prevalent in low-rating, low-pay scenarios.
Long story short: you get what you pay for. Does that justify underhanded, immoral actions? No. But you increase your chances substantially by going for freelancers with better ranks and higher prices. it’s as true for writers as it is for cars: you don’t get a Testarossa by paying for an Oldsmobile.
What Should I Look for in a Writing Website?
These rules-of-thumb hold true wherever you’re shopping for content.
- You generally get what you pay for. Low rates and generic job requests get you low-grade, generic work.
- Conversely: higher rates net you more original, skilled writers, who will put in the time to make a difference.
- A vetted talent pool, with writers having to submit good sample content to get in.
- Make sure they put a premium on original content.
- Quality assurance. You want somebody in charge to look at the finished product before they send it your way. This makes the previous point much less likely.
- Reasonable turnaround times, depending on the length of the process.
- Some sort of guarantee that you’ll get what you want or get your money back.
There are plenty of websites that will promise you the world but fail on any, or all, of the above points. These things shouldn’t be a privilege for a client, but a right. These things are the bare essentials for a working copywriting marketplace.
Moreover, it’s not just about taking care of the clients but fostering an environment where writers want to work and feel that their contributions, thoughts, and issues are heard. There’s virtually no way to ensure quality content if the workforce is feeling underpaid, burned-out, or made to feel like they don’t matter.
It doesn’t hurt to look into the work culture at these places, is what I’m sayin’.
Bunny Studio as a Viable Alternative
Shocking, right? You’re thinking “this is the part where they try to sell me their own service over their competitor’s.” Yes and no. I’ll just say that Bunny Studio ticks all the boxes above, and leave it at that. It’s a viable, high-quality alternative that works just as well, if not better, than any writing site out there.
Speaking from personal experience, I’ve found their staff to be nothing short of personable, approachable, and empathetic when dealing both with clients and writers. One thing that I will vouch for on this platform is that there is a zero-tolerance policy for non-original, plagiarized, or spun content. There’s also a significant amount of QA participation in all projects; there’s no distinction between marketplace or managed projects — they’re all managed.
I’ve also found the talent pool here to be of a pretty high standard, capable of diligently handling a variety of different assignments. Does that mean you shouldn’t go with Crowd Content, or any other platform, for that matter? Naw. You can find great writers anywhere if you know what to look for and are willing to pay a reasonable amount for their services.
And I’m also saying that Bunny Studio takes a lot of the guesswork out of that search. The rest is your decision. We’ll be here when you’re ready for the good stuff!
