 Grandma has earned over $3,000 in one month writing for Textbroker. She shares her secrets to success in her book, Grandma's Little Black Book. If you want to learn the Textbroker ropes, this is the book for you.).
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A Demand Studios – Oops?
Felicia | Jul 23, 2008 | Comments 374
Recently I’ve received various comments to my recent post Demand Studios is a Keeper expressing some frustration and dissatisfaction with them lately.
I started with Demand Studios about 2 months ago and was relatively pleased with them. After all, $15 a shot for a quick article isn’t too bad considering some of the low prices people are offering for content.
Things were going along swimmingly for a little while. I would write a couple of articles, get them approved and receive payment by the end of the week. All was going well and then suddenly, it seems like someone poured sludge into operating system. Written articles sat awaiting approval for an extended period of time, weekly payment didn’t quite match the article count and bookkeeping became a little sloppy.
After this slow down, I too decided to slow down. I stopped writing as many articles as it was frustrating waiting to see if the articles were going to be approved and even more frustrating when payment was slow. Just one e-mail from Demand Studios explaining the problem would probably put a lot of the writers at ease. Since that didn’t come, I chalked it up to internal database problems and decided to work on some of my other projects.
Interestingly enough, last night I received this e-mail from Demand Studios:
Dear Demand Studios Contributor,
In June, Demand Studios experienced some technical difficulties that may have resulted in moderate to significant data loss in your articles. While we know this problem resulted in the complete loss of some articles and many others having to be rewritten, we are unable to identify exactly who and what was affected. The problem has since been resolved.
In order to compensate you for this inconvenience, we will be issuing you a one-time bonus payment of $15, courtesy of Demand Studios. We understand that this may not completely cover the loss you encountered, but we hope you accept this payment with our sincere apologies. The payment will be posted to your PayPal account today.
We thank you for your patience as we continue to improve Demand Studios. Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Sincerely,
The Demand Studios Team
Well, I guess a little notice after the fact is better than no notice at all. In view of this mishap, I’ve decided to better track my Demand Studio writings on a spreadsheet. Although I was not one of the writers who suffered a loss, I’d rather be able to recompile my article information rather than guess.
Lesson learned. Always know the status of your bacon (or tofu for vegans).
Filed Under: Demand Studios • Freelance • Self Employed • Working from Home • Writing
Hi Melissa and Kat,
Thank you so much for responding to my post. Your feedback is incredibly helpful. Melissa, I appreciate what you said about Textbroker. It’s great to get an insider’s perspective.
Thanks again!!
Abbey
Honestly, I applied and they sent me a copy writing test and I don’t remember why but I told them I wouldn’t take it (probably because of pay). Then they wrote me back and said I passed it.
They didn’t even read the copy test, so I never bothered with them.
Abbey,
From a writer’s perspective, I find that Demand Studios turns out the highest quality content. While I enjoy Helium and Associated Content, there is no editing of these articles, whereas, DS does edit the articles that writers submit. When it comes to content, quality matters. A lot of people want to be writers, and while these forums are great for personal expression, there’s a reason why DS pays more than other sites.
Texbroker: Not a fan. Namely, because some of the people who pay for articles on TB use them on DS and AC under their own accounts to make money, which is, IMHO, quite unethical. I wouldn’t touch that site with a barge pole.
I am very happy writing for Demand Studios. I come from a legal background and find that it challenges me and allows me to share my expertise in my areas of specialty. The people at DS are really great, too. Highly professional.
M.
Hi!
My name is Abbey Smith. I’m researching custom content vendors for Swift Communications, Inc. I came across this discussion in my research. Fascinating!
We are looking at Helium, Associated Content, Demand Studios and Textbroker. Swift owns local/community newspapers/news sites across the Western US. We need a vendor who can help us manage a network of local freelancers as well as provide quality custom and features content.
From a writer’s point of view, which of these vendors are the best deal for you? I’m interested to learn any other feedback you might have.
Thank you so much for your time!
Abbey
Hi Abbey and welcome to NJFM.
I’m going to defer to my readers to provide their opinion on Helium and Associated Content. If you do a quick search on this site you’ll find quite a bit of information on how writers feel about Textbroker and Demand Studios. I hope the information provided will help you in making your decision.
What did you send them as examples of your work? I was a staff journalist for an international news organisation for 12 years so had lots of hard news examples. But I sent DS some very light feature type pieces because that is more their thing.
If I were you I’d just forget DS I barely write for them now as the pay didn’t seem to be worth the effort. If you have the time building up a selection of articles to make residual income might be a better offer. NJFM has great examples of the different sites which do this.
Or have you tried bidding for work on elance.com?
.-= Lynne´s last blog ..Additional income sources for writers =-.
I sent them an email asking them to please reconsider my application only to be told they are not looking for my style. Ummmmmmmm….okay?????? What are they smoking? I know all kinds of hack writers with no real writing experience working for them. As far as writing goes, Demand Studios is a joke. Anyone know of any other good freelance sites?
Kenneth, Could it be that the editors were threatened with someone as good as you probably are? Perhaps it’s a complement!
Hey, I recently applied to Demand Studios and was not accepted. I have a journalism degree form Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and I have a year of experience reporting for a daily newspaper with hundreds of published clips. I am freaking pissed and dumfounded that I was not accepted for this. I literally had to beat out about 80 other applicants for my current newspaper position. Why in the world was I not accepted for Demand Studios?
Kenneth, don’t let Demand Studios get you too upset. With your qualifications there are lots of other legitimate sites that will be happy to have you.
I don’t know why some qualified people are rejected by DS. It doesn’t make sense.
I am considering trying some freelance writing work. I just left my position of many years as a pre-school director to be home with my new baby. I was an English major at a very good school and edited academic papers when I was in grad school. Seems like I ought to be able to do this. About how long do you find it takes to write one of these articles?(ie to earn the $15? Alternatively, at about what rate do you earn on eHow?
Hello Emily. Welcome to NJFM blog.
Regarding how much one can earn on eHow, check out My eHow Experiment post. As far as how long it takes to write an article for DS, it varies. It takes me about ½ hour, but each writer is different. Read a few of the NJFM posts and comments on Demand Studios. You’ll get a better perspective of how it works for different writers.
Hi, Autumn, Shirley.
I write for Demand Studios and have been doing so for about a month and a half now. I’ve had very few problems with rewrites and rejections. But I also think that what behooved me is that I have extensive research and writing experience in a very particular field. So it might not be enough for DS that a writer can write well, if you know what I mean. Honestly? I could probably make more money putting up articles at Constant Content. Everything that I upload sells within the day, and the articles take far less time to write than DS articles — and I get more for them.
Ken, Demand Studios needs to pay you CEs more. For what you have to do (edit AND fact check), $3.50 is just not enough. Everyone complains about the back-ups. Give editors incentive to edit full-time, not just when they need a few extra bucks. Just MHO on the matter.
Hi Autum, you’re welcome. I know I write for AC there fine with me.
Shirley
Thanks Shirley,
I agree with you. At least I have Associated Content to write for. I suppose you can’t always win. Autum
I write for several companies. And I applied to DS and was rejected also. They way I look at things it’s their loss. There are many places to write for some are very strict. And some editors will work with you. The main thing is proof read everything. And cross your fingers. I have found many editors to be very moody and if they do not like your work on the first impression they will not except you.
Do not give up its is their loss
Shirley
Hello,
Anyone here without a writing degree or years of work experience works for DS? I’ve had college education and took a couple of writing classes…Applied and got rejected. Tried again but they told me once was enough.
Just got accepted by DS (does anyone NOT get accepted?) as a copy editor. Forgive me if this forum is just for writers, but your comments are very helpful. I retired as a full-time magazine writer a couple of years ago, and have been exploring the freelance universe since then. DS pays copy editors $3.50 per article, so I don’t expect to get rich. But if it works out, the work will keep me from getting rusty. (Here, Rusty. Good dog.)
Congrats Ken.
Maybe you can come back later and shed some light. You can be the brave editor to respond to my open post to Demand Studio editors.
I have the feeling that you won’t get too rusty working for DS.
Not sure if it’s okay to start a new topic, but I know you’ve written on Oboulo, and wondered if you’ve ever written for them?
I’ve never written for Oboulo personally. From what I can see they are very particular about what they accept. There seems to be more rejected than accepted work.
(I’m going to attempt to move these comments to my post on Oboulo).
Hi, Felicia:
What an incredibly good site. I’m a writer, (mostly in print, not including my blog) and had been thinking of other online writing opportunities. This discussion has been extremely helpful. Now I’ve got to go check out your other sites. Happy to have met you!
Hello Lynette and welcome!
hey there, just wondering about how long it takes you guys to write each article for DS? i just got accepted, and need to email them for more info. i want to see a writing sample to see exactly what they want (since they have fairly specific guidelines) and need more info on how much/what kind of research is expected for each article. any advice/feedback for me would be much appreciated!
I can’t speak for everyone but when I write for them I spend about 1/2 hour on Demand Studio articles. If you select titles you’re familiar with it shouldn’t take too long.
I haven’t written for them in a while and their writers guidelines might have changed a bit. I think someone who is currently writing articles for them can better answer your question.
Thanks Felicia,
So it pays more to write a $15 flat fee to write for DS than get residuals for 5 years? That would make me think residuals don’t pay off very well.
What is the relationship between ehow and DS, and what kind of $ can you make from residuals on ehow? Are we talking a couple of dollars per article a month, or does it really add up?
I’ve been a professional writer and editor for 15 years – staff positions at magazines, newspapers, and a science organization. This web content writing is new to me, and though I’m very intrigued, I’m a little wary.
Thanks for running this forum! Great help.
Residual income is a tricky thing. With proper keywords and search engine optimization and great traffic, some articles do much better on a residual basis than an up front pay basis.
eHow is owned by Demand Studios. Check out the eHow site to get a feel for it. I’ve pretty much given up writing $15 articles for Demand Studios. I find that residual income works better for me. Some of my residual articles do very well (I’ve got one on eHow that has earned over $265 in 4 months) and some don’t do so well. The good thing about residual income is that the money keeps coming in. My article that earned $265 in 4 months stands to earn quite a bit over time. I’d hate to see the income stop because a 5 year limitation is reached.
It’s hard to tell which ones will be winners and which ones won’t. Over time you’ll get a better feel for potential money makers, but it’s part trial and error and part learning the ropes.
I post my eHow earnings on My eHow Experiment post. I’ve only been with eHow for a short period of time, but my online experience tells me that next year and the year after is when I’ll really see my eHow income grow. When articles have had a chance to stew online for awhile, they earn more.
Correction: I just looked at my stats. I wrote the above article 6 months ago so that’s an average of $44 per month or so. Let’s say the article continues at the same rate of earnings over for a period of 5 years, that would mean $2,640 for an article I spent 1/2 hour writing. The earnings don’t happen overnight, but I’d rather spend 1/2 hour and earn $2,640 over 5 years than $15 over the same amount of time.
Some other articles only earn $10 a month and others $20 and $30 a month. Some don’t earn anything. It’s a crapshoot, but overtime the earnings accumulate.
Hi there,
I noticed throughout this thread that everyone is talking about a $15 flat fee per article.
Has anyone ever written a “profit share” article for Demand Studios? If so, how did it work out? What kind of rates are they paying for profit share?
Hi Kimbra,
Since I write for eHow I never bothered to write a residual article for Demand Studios. They only pay residuals for up to 5 years. eHow continues to pay for the life of the article.
Anyone else have DS profit sharing experience they could share?
Felicia thanks so much for your informative comment. Based on what you have said it certainly does ential alot just to get an EID. As stated in my previous post, at this time I will not be pursuing one just so that I can work for Demand Studios! It’s a shame. I was offered work as a ‘writer’ and also as a ‘title proofer’, provided I passed the test.
I agree, it isn’t worth it. However, I want to give credit where credit is due. Nancy was the one that provided the info on getting an EID (thanks Nancy).
Part of the reason why I love blogging here at NJFM is that I like sharing what I learn, but I love the fact that I have the best followers on the internet. When I don’t have the answer for something I can rest assured that one of my readers do.
Coleen, have you tried Suite 101? They don’t offer an up front payment, but the residuals over time are proving to be worth while and they accept international writers.
Hi Felicia
thanks for your comment. After reading what you have said I can see that I am actually eligible to apply for an EID. Still, after pondering what I have been reading here the past few days, I have decided that working for Demand Studios does not appear to be as lucrative as it first seemed, given the ongoing issues with Editors.
A friend of mine in the USA has begun working for them and had actually pointed me in their direction, not realising at the time that DS only engaged the services of US citzens. I will now sit back, watch, wait and see what type of responses she is getting after submitting her work to DS.
This lady is an extremely experienced Ghostwriter, having written over 1000 ebooks as well as articles, blog posts, etc, so if they knock her work back, based on their ‘inconsistent’ guidelines, then it is for sure that those editors over there will knock anyone’s work back by the sounds of it. Whether the editors approve articles seems to be based on the day of the week, their mood and what’s happening on the day!!!!
Thanks for all of your comments. It’s been interesting reading this thread and I will continue to read posts on this subject as they come through to my inbox.
For Coleen: I certainly wouldn’t go through the trouble of dealing with the tax issues just for Demand Studios – while it seems to be a legitimate business, it hasn’t proven to be reliable. If you’re doing it for multiple businesses or your career, that’s a different story.
I do know quite a few foreigners who work in the U.S – they are designers, so a different field, but similar in the sense that many freelance. However, all the people I know had to find full-time jobs in the U.S. and find a company that was willing to legally sponsor them. I’m not a legal expert, so don’t know exactly what that entails, but I do know there is some financial obligation on the company’s part as well. Those foreigners pretty much had to stay full-time at that specific company until they qualified for and received a green card. Only then were they able to leave and freelance. I don’t mean to be a downer! – obviously I know foreigners who have done it. But I do believe, unless you’re being paid under-the-table or making less in a year than is taxable by the U.S., you might face similar issues.
Coleen, an EIN (employer identification number) is available only to businesses (including freelances who aren’t formally “businesses”) that pay taxes in the US. It’s allocated by the Internal Revenue Service–see http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=97860,00.html So, unless you plan on establishing a busines presence in the US and filing US income tax, you wouldn’t be eligible for an EIN.
I suspect DS doesn’t want to use ex-US writers because it’s easier not to handle any tax/business filing consequences this might entail and more than enough US-based writers are available.
I hope you find a good outlet for your talent!
Nancy, thanks for the informative post.
It seems that what I am consistently reading on this blog is that writers are experiencing all sorts of issuess with having worked accepted by the editors over at Demand Studios.
This leads me to wondering whether it is really worth pursuing an EID so that I can work in the USA….that’s if it is possible. As yet I still do not have a clear answer.
If the editors can’t get their own guidelines correct, how can the writers? It seems that Demand Studios may be more hassle than they are worth. What do you think?
Well said Coleen. I’ve all but stopped writing for Demand Studios for the very same reason (I wrote 4 articles in April). It’s not that I get many re-writes, but for $15 an article having to educate an editor on the subject matter in order for your article to be approved is just more work than its worth.
As far as the EID, I’m not sure. Since I’m a US citizen I’ve not come across that problem. If I find info regarding international writers acquiring an EID, I’ll share it with you.
I discovered Demand Studios a couple weeks ago and, since I’m an SEO writer by trade, thought it would be a great way to make some extra cash. I got accepted right away and started writing. I have to say that I was a little annoyed with the pages and pages of style guidelines but thought once I get the hang of it, it will be easy. Well, I’ve written 5 articles now. The first one got accepted within hours, but I’ve had 2 sent back to me for rewrites. And those rewrite requests have contradicted their official style guidelines (one asked me to add to an article because it didn’t meet the word count, when the guidelines say never to pad an article to meet the word count). I did the rewrites because I wanted to get paid, but honestly, their editorial system makes no sense to me. Are they just editors that sign up like the writers looking for extra cash? At $15 a pop, I think it’s a bit scandalous that they can even ask for a rewrite to an article that follows their guidelines, but I’m discovering many of these sites pay that little. I probably won’t continue writing for them, but it would be nice to hear from someone who works as an editor for them to find out what the deal is…
Hi there
Your comments are all very interesting. I take it you are all US residents because I found out after I applied for work with DS and was accepted that they only engage the services of US citizens. I am an Australian Based writer and I am wondering if anyone knows how I would go about obtaininga an EID so that I can do some writing for DS. I have worked for US based businesses and never been asked for one before, so it is interesting that DS have requested an EID or SS#. I also came across Ehow about a year ago but noticed that it was only avialable to US Citzens as well. I am finding this to be more often than not the case when it comes to the residual payment schemes on Articles written, so I am now thinking that it is worth my while pursuing the question of whether or not I am entitled to apply for an EIN to work in the USA as a non resident living in another country.
Just kind of checking in here and I still haven’t gone back to DS but might look at it again given things seem to be improving. I never had an issue with getting paid, I had an issue with editors who don’t play by the rules and then blacklist you when you call them on it.
My freelance stuff has picked up and I’ve been kind of busy these past few months, much to my surprise, so other than my Examiner.com site, I haven’t had time to do anything else.
Originally, I came here today to look things over since my blog is showing someone from Advance Publications visited here and moved on to my resume and blog. (Felicia, Advance Publications are the folks who publish Conde Nast, et al. Good visitor to have).
I am delighted to find this thread for two reasons. First, I do some freelance writing and editing and didn’t know about DS–could be an option. Second, it appears that content from my Storybook Quilts website maybe stored illegally on a protected area of the DS site. (All my SQs have US copyrights.) Since I don’t have an account, I can’t get in to check. There appears to be either text or images from my Maurice the Cat SQ on http://write.demandstudios.com. Any ideas on how I can check on this would be MOST appreciated!
Hi Nancy. Welcome to NJFM.
Did you try sending an email Demand Studios about the copyrighted material? See how they respond and then take the next step if necessary.
Not true this company will not just except anyone , I have been writing for months now gave samples of my work what a joke of a company they are. They did not even send me an email to let me know or a reason why I had to log in to check the application to see it showed not eligible they are very unprofessional and are not what they claim to be.
Sorry to hear about your experience Shirley.
It’s a good thing that there are so many other freelance writing opportunities on the internet. Thank goodness Demand Studios isn’t the only game in town.