Writing for Constant Content

August 29th, 2011

Writing for Constant Content – Just Got Better!

I’ve been writing for Constant-Content.com since January 2006. Recently, Constant-Content added what it calls “writers pools” to the mix. These pools are for writing specific types of content such as press releases, blog posts, or even ebooks. You have to apply to join a pool. Once accepted, you will be eligible for these special projects.

While customers will continue issuing public requests for articles, they will now have writers pools for specialized projects – and these pools are currently quite small. For example, the Press Release pool has just 11 writers listed (and one of those is a test account). Like the regular request system, customers can issue private requests via the writers pool. If you’re not listed in the pool, you could be missing out! When a request goes out to the pool, each writer has the opportunity to “claim” it. This is different from the public request system. Whoever claims the article, is the one who is granted the project.

Here’s the notice I received confirming my acceptance to one of the writers pools. It explains the system:

Congratulations! Your application to join the Blog Posts pool of writers has been accepted! In the coming weeks you will start to receive notices of projects being posted for this pool of writers. You can also check the Requested Content page to see the complete listing of these projects. When one comes along that you would like to work on, please feel free to claim it. When claiming a project, you are agreeing to deliver the project to the client’s specifications within the listed timeframe. Once a project is claimed, it is yours alone to work on – think of it as claiming a Private Request.

You can also mark yourself as “available” or “unavailable” for requests which is great for when you go on vacation or have too much going on. If you mark yourself unavailable, your name will be removed from the list until you mark yourself available once again.

Applying is easy. Simply fill out a short form with your background, submit a sample of your work (this can be a link to an existing article on Constant-Content), and wait to hear back.

Constant-Content Adds “Writers Pools”

July 15th, 2011

Constant-Content recently added “writers pools” to the site and is currently accepting applications from writers to be considered for several different pools:

Articles
Press releases
Reviews
Blog posts
SEO writing
White papers
Copy editing
Sales copy
Ebook writing
Technical writing

In addition to the categories above, Constant-Content needs writers for pools covering different languages including: English, French, Spanish, and German. It also has pools dedicated to regional writing for the following regions: Canada, UK and Europe, and Australia.

I don’t expect this to replace the request system though it could affect whether or not a writer is considered for private requests. For example, newer Constant-Content customers may not know which writers to request articles from while long-time customers will already have their favorites based on past experiences. By creating writers pools, Constant-Content will be able to help newer customers find writers who specialize in a given area, are currently active, and who have demonstrated that they can consistently meet Constant-Content’s strict requirements.

In order to be featured in a Constant-Content writers pool, you must apply, send a relevant sample of your writing, and have a 60 percent article approval rating. The application process is straightforward in that it involves clicking the Apply button, filling out a Web form with your details, and waiting to hear back from Constant-Content.

As far as I can tell, the writers pool hasn’t been rolled out officially to customers. This makes sense as they must first fill the pools with writers. Have you applied?

Constant-Content News

May 19th, 2011

Looks like Constant-Content.com has been busy adding some new features. For example, did you know that when Constant-Content rejects an article for revisions, it’s no longer “purged from the system”? Here’s a quick snapshot of some of the changes I’ve noticed lately:

Article Revisions

In the past, if an article was rejected it was completely deleted from the Constant-Content servers. This meant that not only did you have to correct whatever mistakes the article may have had, you’d also need to recreate the short summary, article excerpt, word count, prices, keywords, and other details. Now, most of the information remains. From what I understand, you need to correct the document and reupload it to the server.

Summaries of Current Requests

Constant-Content now sends an email detailing the latest public requests along with “good opportunities.” It looks like CC defines good opportunities as requests that are over a week old with few articles submitted to them.

Customers Can Now Add Attachments

I like this one! Oftentimes customers will have documents (such as writers guidelines or source information) that aren’t appropriate to post on the Web or too big to copy and paste into the request form. Now, they can attach the files to the request.

Writing for a Constant-Content Public Request

March 27th, 2011

What’s the worst that can happen?

I noticed a few interesting public requests on Constant-Content.com today. If you saw them too but are hesitant to write for them, let me ask you this: What’s the worst that can happen?

One: Your article might not be accepted by Constant-Content.

Two: The customer might not buy it.

Sure, there’s a risk in writing for a public request on Constant-Content. The editors may reject it for typos, grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and so on. If the article isn’t acceptable as is, then it’s not ready for sale. Make the changes and resubmit. If you still can’t get the article approved by CC’s editorial team but feel it’s good enough to use elsewhere such as your personal blog or one of the revenue share sites, your efforts haven’t been completely wasted.

Because of the nature of Constant-Content’s public request system, there’s always a risk that the customer won’t buy your article no matter how well written or affordably priced it may be. When this happens, you can either leave the article for sale (other buyers do come around so all is not lost) on CC or you can remove it and submit it somewhere else. You could even offer if for usage rights on CC and then use it elsewhere under a non-exclusive license. For example, you could use it on EzineArticles, post it to Associated Content, use it as a newsletter article, or use it on your blog.

What’s the best that could happen?

Successfully selling articles to a public request means money in your PayPal account! Not only that, you’ve just made an initial impression on a person that buys content which could lead to future sales. Some of my best, regular customers are people who placed public requests and liked my submissions. Five years later, I’m still writing articles for them. In my opinion, that’s the best and well worth the risk!

Reviving Constant-Content Writing Challenges

February 10th, 2011

In 2009, I posted monthly Constant-Content.com writing challenges over at the CC forum. These were a lot of fun. After taking a break, it’s time to start up once again. This month’s writing challenge is to learn a new writing trick or technique and then submit an article using that trick or technique to Constant-Content.com.

Challengers can pick anything they want to learn. Whether it’s a new SEO technique, something to do with grammar, or adopting a different writing style doesn’t matter so long as it’s something that you need to learn. Here’s what I want to work on for this writing challenge: Defining a voice.

This comes straight from chapter 3 of the Yahoo! Style Guide. The chapter discusses different voice characteristics and developing a unique voice for a website. It includes what it calls “voice charts” that you develop to ensure that everyone who writes for the site understands the tone and voice to use. I always meant to do this exercise and stretch myself by using an entirely different voice than I’m used to using. So, here’s my plan. I want to write an article using a completely different voice than I usually do.

If you’re a Constant-Content.com writer, head over to the CC forum and join the challenge!

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