Content Divas – Another Writing Opportunity?
A few weeks ago one of my readers asked me if I had heard of Content Divas. I knew the name sounded familiar, but I combed the NJFM blog to see if I had written about them but couldn’t find anything.
It wasn’t until I was cleaning out my inbox that I realize I had written to them inquiring about their need for freelance writers.
Start from the Beginning
Let me back up and give a little background on Content Divas (at least the little I know about them). Content Divas is a writing service. They hire freelance writers, editors, virtual assistants and customer service reps. According to their website they’ve been in business since 2007. They also seem to run a top-notch operation.
Their information seemed interesting so I contacted them to find out about employment opportunities. Here’s the response I received (which is probably the same response my reader received):
How this Works:
Content Divas aims to provide the best quality outsourced content on the Internet. Clients come to us with their content needs, be it for articles, blogs, e-books, reports, or press releases. We then decide which writer would be best suited to a particular project. To that end, we ask that you submit a list of subjects with which you are familiar, although you should be prepared to do research and write about unfamiliar topics as well.
The content we provide is written using LSI, or “latent semantic indexing.” In a nutshell, this means that we are looking for natural sounding articles that use verbiage related to the keyword rather than focusing solely on keyword density.
If you are accepted, you will be expected to write approximately 1,000 words per week day, per project.
Submission Requirements:
I need you to submit two 500-word articles of original, previously unpublished content (Content Divas has exclusive rights to all submitted materials.) You will find the submission details below. Please attach your samples to your submission email in .doc (Word document ’97/2000/2003/XP) format. Make sure to send your very best work. These attached articles will count as your job application.
1. Select one keyword from Group #1 and one keyword from Group #2 to write your articles:
Keyword Group #1: Email Marketing, SEO, Article Marketing, How to Drive Traffic to Your Website, Internet Marketing, Rogue Antispyware
Keyword Group #2: Puerto Rican Vacations, Debt Management, Diabetes in Children, Organic Gardening, Bento Boxes, Mortgage Refinancing2. Each sample article must have the keyword listed at the top of the document (above the title). The keyword must be used in the title and within the first two sentences of the first paragraph. You cannot change the keyword in any way.
3. Please write an informative article written for a general audience. It’s in your best interests to make certain that your writing is as smooth, error-free and professional as possible.
4. Each individual article should be saved as its own document (remember, .doc) and named in this format: Your name, Sample #, keyword used
Please send writing samples to employment@contentdivas.com.We have a great need for writers and plenty of ongoing work. We look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Content Divas
My Gut vs. My Brain
My gut tells me that Content Divas is a reputable site but my brain won’t allow me to write sample content without getting compensated for it. 
The parenthetical “Content Divas has exclusive rights to all submitted materials” sealed the deal for me.
After reading through the email a second time I noticed the expectation of writing 1,000 words per week day per project. I translate that to mean 2 articles a day, 5 days a week.
The one huge missing element in their response is “What do I get out of all this?” They do an excellent job of explaining what they want, how they want it and why they want it, but they don’t give as much as a hint as to how much a writer can earn.
Thanks, but No Thanks
Based on the information received, I decided to pass on this particular opportunity.
If you enjoyed this post, why not subscibe to NJFM via  RSS feed or by Email. Better yet, sign up for the NJFM Newsletter. |
Edward, I'm glad the book helped. As far as the NJFM blog goes, I'd love to take full credit ...
Hi Felicia,
Yes, I found it not long after reading this article. I devoured it in under three hours. I felt ...
Wonderful post. I also loved the analogy since we have six kids and I changed my fair share of ...
Peggy, I do not write that intensely all the time...only when there are a bunch of level 5 articles I ...
Comment by jen on 25 August 2009:
Great review! I’m curious to know, also, what the pay might be. If it is exceptional, it might be worth it. However, I have my doubts.
…anxious to hear from someone who might already write for them…
jen´s last blog ..It All Starts with Pennies
Comment by Sowmya on 25 August 2009:
This is indeed interesting! Frankly Content Divas was on my list of ‘potential’ buyers, but after hearing this I am not sure anymore. The ’2 original samples’ is one thing, giving up total rights is another entirely. I mean especially since they outright say it’s ‘free’ essentially! And there’s not a word about the paycheck, I mean come on writers need to pay bills too!
Whew! The nerve of these buyers!
Comment by Bill on 25 August 2009:
Content Gurus is another firm like this. They don’t tell you the pay until after you are hired. Content Gurus paid $3 per 450-600 word article and they came in groups of five to seven. You churn out maybe 1,000 words and get paid $12 for it. The deadlines are tight usually for companies like this.
The fun thing about these companies, is that after you write for them you can go searching for your work. I was paid $3 per article and found the article word for word on six unrelated sites. And its even more fun when you find your work as a blog entry from some expert.
It’s a good way to get started, and to learn how to stay on deadline. But if you care about what happens to your work, don’t bother.
Comment by Eve on 25 August 2009:
Excellent review. I absolutely do not like the fact that they retain the rights to your sample work. What exactly are they planning to do with it? From what Bill says, it looks like they’re paying Textbroker wages, and TB doesn’t require this amount of work just to write for them.
Eve´s last blog ..The People I’ll Miss
Comment by Tess on 25 August 2009:
I do work for Content Diva’s, and although I won’t say how much they pay, I will say that they are a very legitimate company that pays on time, every time. I have worked for them since February, along with my other ghostwriting clients. If you want a few extra hundred per month, it’s a very good (and continuous, if you do good work) site.
Comment by Felicia on 25 August 2009:
Thanks for your input, Tess. It’s good to hear from current Content Divas writers.
I’m still curious, however, as to how much they pay.
Comment by Rachel on 26 August 2009:
Hmmm. I think I would pass up this opportunity as well. Two articles a day seems like a lot to commit to. Thanks for the review.
Rachel´s last blog ..The Newspaper as a Writer’s Inspiration
Comment by wordygirl on 27 August 2009:
Hello, I am the one who asked you about this group. I did receive the same info you received above, but I also asked for more info about pay and this is what she sent:
Writing payments:
“We do a lot of full and half article packages.
Full packages are 22,000 words written over 22 days, 1,000 words submitted per day. The writer gets paid $400.
Half packages are 11,000 words written over 11 days 1,000 words submitted per day. The writer gets paid $200.
The CYR package are smaller than the packages above. When you divide the packages above it comes out to $18 per 1,000 words.”
I’m sure they are very nice people to work for, and I’m sure they won’t mind that I put this here since this is what they offer. But I only have time to write two articles per day, and I couldn’t live on $400 per month if I only wrote for them.
Hope this helps someone!
Comment by Felicia on 27 August 2009:
Thanks WordyGirl for the info.
After reading your comment, I did a little web snooping to find out how folks are making out writing for Content Divas.
It looks as though writers are generally happy writing for them according to this forum. The payment method seems a bit confusing, but writers seem to be okay with it.
Comment Edited: 8/28/09
Comment by Brad Carroll on 17 September 2009:
I’ve taken work from Divas since April or May 2008. Each project is 1,000 words a day. Full-size projects last for 22 days and half-size projects last for 11. They occasionally do sizes that aren’t quite 22K or 11K words, but this is how it generally goes.
The former pay $400 and the latter, $200, each with half paid up-front. As far as I know, they always start new writers out with a single project to make sure the writer does a good job, turns everything in on time, etc. As far as I know, they still pay more per word if you do an ebook, report, or other long piece.
They have enough work that several writers are able to make full-time income with them. Several others are working part time, moonlighting, etc.
I don’t write articles for them anymore but I do some press releases and virtual assistant work. My girlfriend writes and edits for them. They’ve alway been good to us.
When I -was- writing articles, two of their clients wanted to see samples of my writing before they put me on the job, and Divas paid me for the samples.
As far as for the initial samples, no, they don’t pay for them. It’s kind of like a “try out”. Knowing them as well as I do, I highly doubt they would use your sample content for a project without paying for it.
If I had been stingy or paranoid and not written those initial samples for them, I would’ve lost out on several thousand dollars AND consistent work. But to each their own, I guess.
Comment by Felicia on 17 September 2009:
Brad, welcome to NJFM.
I’m glad that Content Diva’s worked out for you. It’s good to hear that you have earned so much with them.
As far as providing free samples, I don’t quite find it paranoid or stingy. After many years as a writer and the last couple of years as an online freelance writer, I make it a practice not to give the milk away for free. I call it a business decision.
It’s quite obvious that Content Divas worked out well for you and I’m glad that you shared your success with us. We tend to make it a habit here at NJFM to uplift our fellow writers by sharing our experiences, both good and bad. This is a judgment free zone. Your decision worked out well for you as do my decisions work well for me.
The beauty of this blog is that we get to share our various experiences and different opinions which helps other writers to view freelance writing from different angles. There is no one right or wrong way to become a successful freelance writer.
Comment by Mary on 17 September 2009:
Very well presented. My reservations were the same as yours.
Comment by Mel on 18 September 2009:
I write for Content Divas…and yeah, not saying how much they pay was pretty weird. It was my first freelance writing job and I really wanted the work, so I just went for it and it has worked out fine. Apparently they didn’t mean to hide the information, but were just being a little ignorant. I hear it’s in the info letter now.
The company is run by a couple of work at home mom’s who seem to do most of the work on the night-owl shift, so email responses aren’t as timely as they might be and their “base camp” website where assignments are posted can be challenging to get started with so if you are really sensitive about that, you might not be too comfortable working with them, but despite the challenges, it’s a very legit company and they have steady work. The staff, editors and other writers have all been very nice and they have a supportive attitude towards their writers.
I’ve been writing for them for about six months, I think, and never had an article rejected. I understand not wanting to give away your work, but for for me, doing the required samples was a good investment.
Comment by julia kelso on 18 September 2009:
I also work for ContentDivas. This is my first experience doing freelance writing, so while I’m a little surprised by some of the comments on pay, it could be ignorance. There is plenty of time to research a project before it starts and as 1000 word article or 2 500 etc can be written in an hour, I think the pay rate is quite good. Yes, you have to get several projects to make this a full-time job, but still.
They are, in my opinion, really good to work for. I’ve never had to wait more than 24 hours for a response, which is less time than I’ve had to in offices and academia. They’re also quite supportive of their writers and seem to be working to evolve when it comes to dealing with questions, problems, issues, etc. The question of wanting to retain rights to samples has already been brought up by the owner and explained — they were getting cheated and she was trying to deal with it this way, but is seeking an alternative solution. In other words, they are human and unlike a lot of people I’ve worked for, willing to learn as they go and make changes where needed.
Comment by Heidi on 19 September 2009:
Any word on how much they pay editors?
Heidi´s last blog ..VIDEO: Shakira and Susan Boyle perform on America’s Got Talent finale
Comment by Autumn on 19 September 2009:
I have considered working for them, but the free samples and very low pay rate turn me off. That’s not even $.02 per word; I would consider editing for that rate only. I would guess it’s a good way to start off writing, though.
Comment by Brad Carroll on 22 September 2009:
@Felicia: I see what you’re saying, hope I did not offend. There are certainly a multitude of right ways to go about this. Reading your blog has made me reconsider Suite 101 as an option.
@Heidi full projects (22K words) pay around $100 bucks I think. Different sized projects pay proportionally.
@Autumn I understand about the pay rate, that is why I decided to stop on the articles. I did keep doing work for them after I stopped accepting anything less than $.03/word (now $.04) from other clients, because they were dependable, supplied consistent work (sometimes at higher rates), paid on time, and were generally easy to deal with.
As for the free samples, I just got word from the owner that they are not now considered property of Divas and authors are free to sell them wherever they can.
Comment by Felicia on 22 September 2009:
Thanks for the update Brad.
Your last sentence has changed my view on Content Divas. The fact that they have changed their policy on submitting free samples means a lot to me and other freelance writers.
As long as a writer is satisfied with the rate at which Content Divas pays its writers, from some of the comments I’ve received here, I think it sounds like a reliable writing gig. They sound like they’re trying to work WITH the writers to make the experience better for everyone.
Thanks again Brad.
Comment by Lisa on 22 September 2009:
I received my response from Content Divas last night. The first thing I noticed was how truly boring the “test” article topics are. I just could not find it in me to begin to choose from them. So, I went on a fact-finding mission and found all of you.
I will post the response I received from them at the end of this note.
The deal-breaker for me with Content Divas is the embarrassingly low rate of pay. I work for another site that pays OVER double what Content Divas is offering.
Here is the response I received from Content Divas last night:
Comment by Felicia on 23 September 2009:
Thanks for sharing the updated Content Diva response.
As far as rate of pay (I edited out your comment on writers and pay rate), it looks like Content Diva increased their rate.
I’ve given my opinion on freelance writing pay rates in my article: Why Some Writers Accept Such Low Pay Rates. Sometimes you gotta walk a mile in the other person’s shoes to understand how they tick.
Comment by Todd on 25 September 2009:
I appreciate the information here. I am considering writing for them.
I agree that the pay rate is almost offensively low, but as one other poster remarked, a 1,000 word article can be churned out in an hour if you have a good work habit.
Here is the thing to remember: they are called “content divas” and they are simply looking for that: content. They are not asking for articles of the quality that would be published in Vanity Fair or The New York Times or even your local small-town paper – they just want web content that is brief, intelligent, and factually correct. Why? So that people searching for information on certain topics will find their clients’ sites based on keywords…why again? so that the clients owning these sites can drive web traffic and therefore charge advertisers to place ads on their site. It is no different than starting a blog and driving traffic to it in order to monetize the blog.
The bottom line: you are just helping to drive traffic. That is why you see your material appear on so many sites.
The going rate for this type of writing is very low.
As a final point: the above post I just wrote was nearly 200 words and I did it in about 5 minutes – granted I did no research and did not edit it – but if you want to make such an assignment work for you, you have to be able churn it out, and it isn’t that difficult.
Regards,
Todd
Comment by Deborah on 25 September 2009:
I applied to them over a week ago and never heard anything. It’s probably for the best though if they only pay less than $10 per 1,000 word article. That’s incredibly insulting.
Comment by Felicia on 25 September 2009:
According to what was posted here, they’re actually paying $18 per 1,000 word article. If that rate is acceptable to you, maybe you should follow up with them.
Comment by Jo Upton on 26 September 2009:
I agree with you completely…too much work for too little pay. I have been doing freelance and other types of writing for more than 20 years. My first published work was written for religious organizations…non-profits who have very little money for materials, yet I seldom earned less than $350 for a 400-800 word article. If I decide to commit to 1,000 words daily, I’m going to be writing a book!
Comment by Marilyn on 27 September 2009:
I responded to an ad for transcribing, not writing, for Content Divas. I am curious to know if there are others who provide transcription services for them. It seems as though the pay is good for transcription and, I must be honest, I thought I’d check out Content Divas via transcription first, then I’ll see if I can write original articles myself for them. Thank you so much for this blog and all the responses.
~Marilyn~
Comment by Victoria Baziuk on 5 October 2009:
Well I finally got a response back from Content Divas and they said they didn’t have any positions for me that would suit their needs. Wow, what bummer. I was hoping to make some extra money! I guess I will continue searching. Thanks for writing about these leads though!
Comment by Felicia on 5 October 2009:
Sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you.
Well, when one door closes another opens. I’m sure you’ll find something else. There’s plenty out there on the internet.
Did you check out the opportunities in the NJFM Database?
Comment by Deborah on 5 October 2009:
They said my articles were not valuable and they had no use for them. Ouch! That’s alright though, since I’ve had a bit of a busy schedule lately and would not have been able to commit to that much writing each day. I’m waiting to see what about.com says. *crosses fingers* Wish me luck, guys. To everyone here, thanks for all the positivity and encouragement. I love to read everyone’s opinions about various opportunities.
Comment by Arvind Arora on 20 October 2009:
Hi Felicia,
It’s been a long time that I couldn’t come in touch with you, and I deeply apologize for the same as I was a bit too dabbled into some family affairs for the last couple of days. By the way, last week we had Diwali, the biggest festival of Indians, full of lights, crackers and sweets… So wishing here you a (bit belated) very very happy and prosperous Diwali.
Regarding the Content Divas opportunity, the above mentioned email that Lisa received from the site owners reads “Please note, we only hire US English as first language writers. If you are overseas, or an outsourcer, please do not respond to this email. If you are found to be so, after hire, you will be terminated immediately.”
I would just like to know, does it mean I or any other writer can’t write for Content Divas if we are from India?
Please try to look into the matter and let me know the truth. I hope and trust, as always, you will again emerge as a winner as far as helping the Non-U.S. Freelance Writers such as me are concerned.
Heartfelt thanks and regards again,
Arvind Arora
Comment by Felicia on 21 October 2009:
Hi Avrind,
A belated happy Diwali to you too!
From the portion of the email you quoted, it seems to be pretty self evident. It looks like Content Diva only wants to hire US writers.
Although Content Divas may not work out for you since you are in India, there are other writing venues. Check out my today’s post on Digital Journal. They accept international writers and they look promising.
Comment by Anita Saran on 30 October 2009:
Hi Thanks to this blog I found Content Divas. I am currently doing test articles for them and they said nothing about my being in India. I’m sure they know this from the bit about me I sent them initially. No harm in asking them directly, Arvind. They’re nice people.
Best
Anita
Anita Saran´s last blog ..Easy Ways to Increase Google AdSense Earnings
Comment by Felicia on 30 October 2009:
Anita, you have a point. It never hurts to go directly to the source.
Comment by Arvind Arora on 31 October 2009:
Hi Anita,
Thanks for your concern. By the way, I contacted Content Divas directly a few days ago, and this was what I received from them as a reply:-
“From – Employment Screener
To – Arvind Arora
Oct 21, 2009 1:40 AM
subject – Re: I would like to work for Content Divas
Hi Arvind,
We are currently only hiring in the US.
Thank you for our interest!
-Janelle
On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 12:58 PM, Arvind Arora wrote:
Hi there,
I am a freelance writer from India, and have been engaged in writing for various U.S. and International Clients upon a variety of topics since the past 4 years. I’ve got extensive experience in writing and editing, and know how to write for the U.S. clients in the style they need the content to be written in.
I would like to work for your company. Please let me know how can I join your team, and the test procedures I will have to go through for that, if any.
With heartfelt thanks and regards,
Arvind Arora”
I guess nothing is left now in asking them regarding the issue, when they categorically state they are not hiring from anywhere but the US as of now. Anyways, you may try your luck, my best wishes are with you!!
- Arvind Arora
Comment by Erin on 24 November 2009:
Hi Everyone,
I have been working for Content Divas for over a year now, and I have quickly advanced into a profitable, full time job.
The thing to remember is that they aren’t doing copywrite here. These are just social media articles. If I do work for a branding company, my rate goes way up, but so does my time that I put in.
I often churned out 4 articles per hour on some of these projects, and I love the schedule. It has also helped me be more productive in my research for articles with higher expectations. I know how to get extremely creative. I could easily write 30 brand new articles on the exact keyword a month. Plus, I have a broad range of SEO knowledge.
Thanks,
Erin
Comment by Sharon on 14 February 2010:
What an informative blog! I enjoy dropping by, and getting the skinny on content sites.
Comment by Chantelle on 26 April 2010:
Good Afternoon,
I was doing some research on Content Divas and came across this blog. I was interested in hiring content divas for a 22,000 word package. They charge $800 for this but if anyone was interested in charging less (through elance.com with a payment made to an escrow account for security), I would be happy to hire them. The articles would need to be broken up into 450 words each. I would need articles on bird watching/backyard bird feeding. I would use the articles to help rank for certain keywords. If anyone is interested please send an email to chantelle@yourbirdoasis.com. Look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!
Comment by Bianca on 13 June 2010:
From the above post, it looks like Content Divas charges clients $800 for 22, 000 words but only pays writers $400 for that work. I’m not sure I feel comfortable with a company that keeps 50% of the profits when the writer does the majority of the work.
Comment by Felicia on 14 June 2010:
Bianca, you must do what works best for you. As far as Content Diva’s pay scale goes, or any online site’s pay scale goes, I’m sure Content Diva incurs a lot of administrative expenses, not to mention the work put in soliciting clients in order to have work to pay its writers.
I don’t write for Content Diva, but I don’t begrudge them their 50% share. There’s a lot of behind the scenes work involved that we’re not privy to.
Comment by Gina on 28 July 2010:
I don’t know. $18 for 1000 words? Not when people are making $20 for 400-word articles. It sounds like a very legitimate business to work with, but I think you can find better rates somewhere else.
Gina´s last blog ..Make Money Writing and Selling 7 Dollar Info Products
Comment by Edward G Gordon on 1 September 2010:
Hi,
I am new to online writing and at present I am just gathering information. I have signed on to Words of Worth, an English company, but unfortunately they have a six month backlog. I have considered writing articles for the likes of Hubpages, Factoidz etc because I lack a) Experience and b) a portfolio of work, but I am not sure that this is the way to go.
I really need to work as I am unemployed at present. I just don’t want to get sucked into a low paying, demoralizing series of jobs. I am a natural English speaker and my writing skills are of a good calibre. Does anyone have any advice as to avenues that I might take in my search for an online income. Information on good companies to work for would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers and thanks in advance.
P.S
I have been looking for some writing advice for a while now but I have to say Felicia that this is by far the most interesting blog I have yet to come across. I am a fan.