Must-Reads: On Content Farms and Beyond

I have done probably more than my fair share of writing for content farms. I’d guess that many freelancers coming of age in the past five years or so have done the same.

There are all sorts of these sites online and it seems like new ones pop up with regularity. Back in the day, I used to work for a site called Write for Cash (long-since defunct), then I moved on to LovetoKnow (I launched their Crafts site and wrote for more than a dozen other sites in my several years working there). I’ve done a few articles for Demand Studios, probably the biggest content farm out there right now, just to see what it was like.

I also wrote keyword-rich articles for other websites that might not exactly be called content farms, but the idea is the same: relatively brief articles stuffed with sometimes absurd keywords with the aim of getting good placement on the search engines.

An In-Depth Look at Content Farms

If you haven’t worked the content farm circuit, or if you’re thinking about signing up at some of these sites, or wondering about the reputation such sites have in the wider world of journalism, you need to check out the series happening at PBS’ MediaShift all about content farms.

There’s an overview of the major players in content production, from Demand and Examiner.com to AOL and Yahoo.

But more important for anyone who does this kind of writing — or who is thinking about doing this kind of writing — is the look at what it’s like to write for content farms. The writers mention cranking out stories on topics they don’t really know anything about but that they can write quickly for the paycheck ($15 an article; one writer says he made himself write three an hour for three hours a day, which isn’t bad money but certainly isn’t great content, either).

There’s also a look at how content farm writers are trained (though for most of my farming experience I wasn’t trained at all, or very little).

Are Farms the Future?

It’s possible that such sites are a sign of the new way forward for writing on the web — more efficient than traditional journalism, maybe not the most nuanced or in-depth information you could ever want, but fine for an overview of a topic.

That’s probably the best-case scenario, where people are actually writing about topics they care about and not just churning out information they found elsewhere but have no way of verifying.

For the writers, as with any other kind of writing, it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it. If you can crank out a bunch of articles in a short period of time and don’t care what your name is on (or use an assumed name, as many people do who write for these websites) then such opportunities can be worth it for you.

If you’re more interested in writing about things you’re, well, interested in, even if it takes longer and means you’ll make less per hour, then content farms are not for you.

I’d love to hear what you think. Have you or do you currently work for one of these sites? What did/do you think about it?

Know Your Market

One of the most important tips I know for successful article writing is to have as deep an understanding as possible of the market you are writing for.

Whether the publication is an online magazine, a print newsletter or a national glossy, knowing the publication’s style, its mission and its readers can help guide how you approach your article and how you write it.

Getting to Know You

Most writer’s guidelines suggest that you take a look at a few back issues of a magazine before querying in order to gain such an understanding of the publication. It’s good advice, because reading the text that the editor has chosen to be in the publication gives you a great idea of what the editor likes — and therefore what the reader likes — in terms of tone, vocabulary and content.

All writers have a particular voice that they are most comfortable writing in — mine’s all informational, relatively informal, a little chatty — and though we can sometimes switch it up to be more or less formal, our best writing will happen when we strive to work within that comfort zone.

That means, for example, that I’d probably be a lot more comfortable writing for, say Good Housekeeping than the Economist. (In terms of subject matter, too!) That’s good to know before I, or you, send a query. If you read a magazine and don’t think you can replicate the style, don’t send a query thinking the editor will love your idea anyway and accept the way you present it.

If you can’t mold yourself to the way the magazine speaks, you won’t get an assignment.

What to Look for When Looking at a Magazine

So how do you learn what you need to learn about a magazine by looking through it? Here are a few ideas:

• Look at the ads and think about what they tell you about who reads the magazine. Are they for upscale products (BMW and Gucci) or more middle-of-the-road fare (Ford and the Gap)?
• What sort of language is used in stories? Are there lots of contractions, interjections and slang, or is it more formal? Do the articles talk directly to the reader? Are stories full of personal anecdotes, or is the author of the story absent from the telling of the story?
• Are there lots of sidebars, subheds and other “ways into the story,” as we called attention-grabbers in my newspaper days? You’ll want to use (and offer in your query) the same sorts of content.
• Read the letter from the editor. What tone does she set for her magazine?

A Sample Reader

You might even want to go so far as to make up a “sample reader” of the magazine who you can think about while you’re writing your query and your article. Maybe the magazine gives you the impression that it’s read by a 30-something mom of two who stays at home with the kids, or maybe you think of a 50ish businessman who loves to travel.

Whatever you see in your mind’s eye, this ideal reader can be a big help if you get stuck when you’re trying to write. What would that one particular person want to know about your topic? If you write to them, rather than to the whole mass of magazine readers out there, you’ll stay a lot more focused in terms of content and voice, which is sure to make your editor happy.

Quick Tip: Remember to Reslant

Whenever you write an article or query, practice coming up with ways to reslant the piece for other markets. The same research that goes into an interview piece for one publication might work as a how-to for another (noncompeting, of course!). Or a similar idea to one pitched for a women’s magazine might also work for a garden or cooking publication.

Reusing your research — with some fresh material and quotes — means you’re spending a lot less time on the subsequent story or stories so you’re making more money with less effort, which is what we all want.

Quick Tip: Keep Up with Your Markets

Try to devote an hour — or an afternoon — once or twice a week to market research. This can be done with a market book, the market listings in writing magazines, an online markets database, the listings in writing newsletters or ezines, even just doing web searches or browsing the magazines at your local bookstore or library (or your coffeetable).

Challenge yourself to come up with at least four ideas you could pitch to each market, then follow through with queries as soon as possible.

Action Step: Applying for Freelancing Jobs

It can be a little scary to apply for a freelance writing job, even if you have some experience with individual writing gigs for publications. It’s sort of like applying for a real-life job, and there’s an extent to which you should approach it in the same way.

Just because a publication or website is looking for freelancers doesn’t mean it isn’t looking for professionals, good writers who know what they’re talking about and are able to meet deadlines. They’re looking for people who can do all that and be at least somewhat self-directed; they need to be able to rely on you to get the job done without a lot of hand-holding.

So while applying for a freelance writing job can be a lot like writing a query, you need to provide even more information about yourself to make it clear to the person reading the applications that you’re the person to take on this work.

As in a query you need to showcase your experience and your reliability. Because this is a more regular, hopefully longer-term situation than writing a single article, you can reference work you’ve done as a full-time employee more than you might in a query.

If you’ve written articles on the subject they’re looking for, give them the links. I always like to share a few story ideas if, say, it’s a blogging or column writing job, so they have an idea of what subjects I’m interested in and whether that’s a good match for what they’re looking for.

And, as usual, follow directions when it comes to applying for a job. Most of the jobs you’ll find online accept e-mail applications. Some will accept attachments, while others do not. Some want to see a resume, some clips, some both. You may be asked to provide a writing sample, which you may or may not be comfortable with.

Again, write up your letter of introduction, gather your materials and let the whole thing sit, at least for a couple of hours (you do have to work fast on some of these jobs, so you might not want to wait overnight, particularly if you’re replying to a listing that’s been up for a few days), read, edit, revise and send.

And then do it again. Keep getting yourself out there and you’re sure to get a bite (or more) eventually.

On Finding Freelancing Jobs

Writing individual articles for magazines, websites and other publications seems to be how a lot of people get started in freelancing, but if you want to make good, consistent money it makes sense to try to transition to writing jobs that provide regular sources of income.

Right now that’s basically all I’m doing, though I have started sending out queries again after a long hiatus.

The Benefits of Writing Jobs

Getting regular writing gigs is great because it helps establish you as an expert in your field, allows you to write on topics you’re passionate about day in and day out, gets you really comfortable with deadlines and gives you a little more security and stability than you might otherwise feel as a freelancer.

Having these regular gigs (I had three at the time I quit my day job, as well as regular project management and writing work from a content production company) is really what made me feel like I could quit my job. I basically knew what I could expect to earn from month to month (though all of them were and are still variable) and I knew that was more than I was making from my day job.

These days, knowing that I have regular work for the two websites I work for helps me plan my days. I know exactly what needs to be done from day to day and week to week, so that I can work ahead if I want (or need to, say, for a vacation). I also know that if I want to make more money I can write more (not all writing gigs are so flexible, you may have a limit of so many posts per day or week).

Where to Find Writing Jobs

There are so many great websites where you can find writing jobs that I don’t think I’ll ever include markets and job listings on this website. They’re already being covered amazingly well out there in the big world without any help from me.

Some of my favorite places to look for jobs include:

• Freelance Writing Gigs
• About Freelance Writing
• Media Bistro
• Writers Weekly

There are many, many others, of course, and these sites include markets as well as longer-term jobs, but they’re enough to keep me busy whenever I’m casting about for new work opportunities.

Stay tuned because later this week we’ll talk about telling good opportunities from less-good and avoiding scams on the Internet.