Let’s face it, finding professional content writing in the USA can be a challenge.
You’d think it would be easy with so many large content marketing agencies out there, but every time you get your content delivered, it’s just not up to the standard of your website.
Today, we’re going to take a look at where the problem resides. We’ll pinpoint the problem and offer a better, more reliable solution.
Are you ready to solve all of your content writing woes?
Let’s do this.
What Are Some Of The Biggest Content Writing Agencies In The USA?
First, let’s lay out the targets of our study. When you head out to the web in search of professional content writing, you are inundated with sponsored ads from some of the biggest content companies in the USA.
Well, just who are these guys? If good writers are so hard to find, where are these guys getting so many?
First, let’s take a look at the big names. You’ve probably heard of some of these guys. You might have even tried a few yourself:
- Contently
- WriterAccess
- Scripted
- ClearVoice
- Verbilo
- Crowd Content
There are many more out there, but these tend to be the big players.
Now, what do these guys do, exactly?
They all follow the same basic business model. They connect freelance content writers with businesses.
You pay them for content, they find someone to write the content, and they pay the writer when the content is accepted by you. The content company keeps the spread between what you pay and what the writer gets.
This can lead to a few problems.
Problem #1: Poor Incentive Structure
This means that these companies are incentivized to charge you the highest possible rate and pay their writers as little as possible.
Because there is very little pricing power between these companies (See Problem #2 in just a moment) these companies must severely restrict pay to their writers.
And what happens when a professional writer of professional quality has their pay restricted?
They leave the platform.
The very economics of the business incentivizes content companies to chase away the best writers.
Problem # 2: The Race To The Bottom
Content creation, in general, is a commodity product.
What does that mean?
Content Company A and Content Company B sell identical products: Content.
They try to tell you that their content is different/better than their competitors, but it can’t be.
Why?
Dirty secret time: The same writers work for all of the content companies.
There is nothing stopping me from writing for each and every one of them.
And because the writing cannot be differentiated, the main factor in your choice of content is price.
The content company with the lowest price usually wins.
So each of these companies undercuts every other company until they hit the rock bottom price they can afford to charge.
Wait, isn’t that good for you, the buyer?
Yes and no. It’s good in that it saves you money.
But it’s bad because of Problem #1. As prices fall, writer compensation falls. And soon, the best writers leave the platform.
And quality craters.
Your bottom line will love it. But your brand will hate it.
It simply is not a good long-term solution for anyone. The combination of Problem #1 and Problem #2 do more damage than either one alone.
In fact, it has given birth to an elephant…
The Elephant in the Room: Content Mills
It’s such an ugly phrase. Content Mills. The content writer’s equivalent of sweatshops.
To be fair, not all professional content services are content mills. And I doubt that any of them started out with the intention of becoming a content mill.
But that race to the bottom and poor incentive structure makes it inevitable for just about all of the big content services.
As prices collapse, where do you find writers willing to work for so little pay? You find unskilled, inexperienced writers.
And you as a customer, get unskilled and inexperienced writing.
At its worst, this explains why you get work full of typos and awkward syntax. But it also explains why you get stilted, boring, soulless writing as well.
Even if you have the greatest writer in the world, how can you expect them to care about your company when they are working for $0.02 – $0.04 per word?
Are you a marketing agency looking for freelance services? You might want to learn more about how I work with marketing agencies as a freelance writer.
How Much Do Content Writing Agencies Charge?
According to WriterAcess’s pricing page, ‘5-star’ articles start at $0.08 per word and go up to $2.00 per word.
Keep in mind though that this is just one example. many of these services are not that transparent with their pricing (so kudos to WriterAcces for that).
Also, keep in mind that per-word pricing is not the only fee structure out there.
You might also pay on a per-project scale or hourly pricing. There are even some services that charge a retainer-like fee where you pay a subscription that gets you access to various levels of writers.
What Are The Benefits of Big Content Writing Services?
It’s not all doom and gloom for professional content writing services. There are some legitimately good companies out there. They have the potential to offer real value.
First off, the best of them will genuinely deliver high-quality content. These are services that pay high rates to their writers and work hard to retain talent. When a company pulls this off well, it can be hugely beneficial for everyone.
Likewise, the best of these companies will also attract writers who really know their SEO chops. You’ll get fluid, human handling of keywords (as opposed to the robotic spamming of keywords you see at content mills).
And finally, a good content creation service will give you the gift of scalability. If they are treating their writers well, they will have enough high-level talent to take on any assignment you can through at them.
What Are The Disadvantages of Big Content Writing Services?
Aside from everything we’ve covered so far, there is one last disadvantage that very few people talk about. It’s something even the biggest and best content companies can never give you.
Compassion.
It doesn’t matter how big, rich, powerful, or profitable a content company is, it simply can not give you a writer that cares about your business or your brand the way a freelance writer can.
Why?
The very structure of the business gets in the way.
These companies operate by being the middleman. They stand between you and me. When I write your content via a content service, I only see instructions on a page.
But when you work with me as a freelancer, you become my client. We chat. You tell me about your business. Your dreams. Your goals.
When I write this way, I have a real person in mind. I am not just writing for pay from a faceless company, I am writing to help someone grow their business. I write with purpose.
Something Is Wrong with the Content Writing Industry as a Whole
I have written for content mills. I write for large content companies. I do these things to pay the bills and feed my family.
But when I write for small business owners or content marketing teams that have shared their vision with me, then I am writing to feed my soul.
Does it affect my quality?
You better believe it.
Don’t get me wrong. I try to put everything into every piece I write. But when the content agency gives me instructions that say,
Write 1,000 words in a semi-professional yet authoritative voice focusing on the keywords “future of digital marketing”
My work simply cannot match what I produce when you give me instructions like,
Hey Sam, the team and I have sketched out a great plan for a new campaign! We want to talk about the future of marketing in the post-digital world. We want to talk about AI and VR, and we really want our customers to know that we are ready for whatever the future holds.
Are you in?
Heck yeah, I’m in!
A Better Option for Professional Content Writing
So you just need to ask yourself, which sort of writing do you want? Which one is going to deliver the most value for the longest time?
I for one will always choose the intrinsically motivated path.
Today’s consumer of digital content is just too savvy. They see right through BS. If the content isn’t honest, they’ll feel it.
So what would I do?
If my content was purely informational (meaning no human connection required) then I think content agencies (professional agencies that is… not content mills) are the way to go. You just need words on the page. You are making a commodity product. It’s good enough.
But if I needed a specialized product, if I need my writing to stand out, be alive, and capture the reader. Then I need a writer who is connected to my business. I would need someone with an emotional investment.
That’s when I need a freelance writer.