Problems with Constant Content

kohuether · Jul 17, 2012

Sigh. I am sure it is my own fault, but I have been having trouble getting articles accepted at constant content. They got sick of me trying today and suspended my account!

I am so happy that I have been a freelancer a long time so the rejection doesn't sting as much as it should.

Anyway, I should point out that the email they sent me to say I was suspended had a typo, and I've been seeing titles with typos that had been accepted. It makes me scratch my head. With the scrutiny I feel I am under, I would like to see a typo-free site, recent submissions included.

I had spent some time recommending them to others because I think they are a good site. I still do. I am wondering if I should change my opinion.

I find it odd that they are targeting website owners with their content, but they want us to write in a more formal style than what is accepted online. I think that this prevents me from writing well there.

Anyway, I am curious to hear if other writers here have been having trouble with them. I would also like to get insight into your experiences with them in general even if they are positive. I think if I hear at least one tale similar to mine, though, I might feel a little better about myself!

andiwrite · Jul 17, 2012

Honestly, it's because of hearing things like this that I have yet to use my account there. I'm so nervous!

Were you ever able to sell anything there? Or was nothing accepted?

kohuether · Jul 17, 2012

Well, they unbanned me because I wrote them a nice note saying that I am dedicated to figuring out what they want and will write to their standards.

Really, my problems stem from the fact that I don't always edit my work carefully enough.

I have had some articles accepted. I also made two sales. But that was back in 2009 and I didn't charge enough for them.

I don't know. I guess I will just plug away at it and see if I can get more accepted. I have so much trouble with it!

Ricardo · Aug 1, 2012

I've spent time submitting there in recent months, with a bunch of sales. But I've also had two articles deemed as "unoriginal content."

When I did a Google search of my text, I found some identical phrases, which didn't surprise me because the articles were about sports. So if you use something like "National Football League Championship" it will happen to some extent, but I have no idea why they thought the articles were unoriginal.

And I recently submitted the kind of satire they used to sell, but it was rejected. I guess they've moved away from that kind of thing.

Best of luck, kohuether.

Alwaysinspired · Sep 25, 2012

I've written articles at CC off and on for almost two years. Overall, my experience has been a positive one. My total article count at the site is seventy-nine. I've sold a total of twenty-nine articles since I joined at the end of September 2010. It is possible to make good money writing for the site, but unless a writer is going to really devote a large amount of time to turning out "grammatically perfect' material than there is the issue of rejection. They are sticklers for perfection and will kick back an article for the tiniest error. I also know from experience if they feel something is more of an opinion they will refuse to accept it. Honestly, I wish I had more time to devote to writing for them, but I can only stretch myself so far. If anyone's interested in checking out my profile, please do so. It might give those of you who are considering writing for them a general idea of the types of articles they look for.

https://www.constant-content.com/Author/46151-RoGoodman-details-0.htm

Susie · Sep 27, 2012

Sorry you had problems with CC, but great you got unbanned. That's a first that I know of. Way2go! I've had trouble with them, too. They had accepted my articles for several years and then all of a sudden, they wouldn't. I stopped writing for them because I didn't want to lose my confidence in myself as a writer. I'm glad I did that. It must be nice to write error-free. Wishing you all much luck.

Nostro · Feb 7, 2013

I've been with them for a month or two now. A lot of my articles have been accepted first time, but some are rejected for miniscule comma placement errors. I sometimes wonder if it's a good idea to continue submitting articles to them or try real freelancing. It feels odd to put effort into pieces that might take weeks to get accepted, and may never even be sold. Having said that, I have made two sales out of ten articles so far, so they do get sold.

Melina · Feb 7, 2013

Nostro said:
It feels odd to put effort into pieces that might take weeks to get accepted, and may never even be sold.

This is where a query letter comes in. Perfect the art of pitching, so you don't spend a ton of time on an article that may or may not end up being accepted.

NinjaFingers · Feb 7, 2013

That's not how Constant Content works. You write the article, upload it, then it sits until somebody buys it. Queries are, of course, awesome, but that site is for...well, really, I think a lot of freelancers use it as a place to stick stuff they couldn't use for whatever reason

.

Melina · Feb 7, 2013

Yeah, I wasn't talking about Constant Content. In the post I quoted, Nostro talked about doing "real" freelancing, and that s/he was worried about doing all the work for an article that might/might not sell.

ETA: Maybe I misunderstood Nostro--I though s/he meant "real" freelancing, as in magazines. And I was saying that's a benefit of "real" freelancing, because you query instead of doing the work and not getting paid.

Nostro · Feb 7, 2013

Melina said:
Yeah, I wasn't talking about Constant Content. In the post I quoted, Nostro talked about doing "real" freelancing, and that s/he was worried about doing all the work for an article that might/might not sell.

ETA: Maybe I misunderstood Nostro--I though s/he meant "real" freelancing, as in magazines. And I was saying that's a benefit of "real" freelancing, because you query instead of doing the work and not getting paid.

You understood me perfectly. I'm relatively new to the whole concept of freelancing, but as I see it, Constant Content is one of the few ways you can get alright money for your writing without putting a lot of effort into self promotion/querys etc. In saying that, I'm interested in stepping things up a notch and trying out some 'real' freelancing too.

Melina · Feb 7, 2013

Nostro said:
You understood me perfectly. I'm relatively new to the whole concept of freelancing, but as I see it, Constant Content is one of the few ways you can get alright money for your writing without putting a lot of effort into self promotion/querys etc. In saying that, I'm interested in stepping things up a notch and trying out some 'real' freelancing too.

Exactly--there's no rule that says you can't do both. For lots of writers, the content sites are great. For others, not so much. It's all about you and where you want to go with your writing. That's what's great about freelancing. You decide what's right for you.

blkrb0t · Jun 6, 2013

I started writing for Constant-Content a week back and had already submitted 6 articles by yesterday. Three of them were accepted, but the fourth one was rejected on grounds of grammar and writing style. It was the first review on the article, but my account was also suspended along with that. It is quite disheartening as Constant Content was my first foray into freelance writing.

lynnswayze · Aug 1, 2013

I write regularly for Constant Content and haven't had issues. I would recommend plugging your articles into "Pro Writing Aid" (free) before submission. It helps with grammar, spelling, passive voice, redundancies, etc. They are also more likely to accept articles that sell well (business, technology, gadgets, careers, finances).

lynnswayze · Aug 1, 2013

Nostro said:
I've been with them for a month or two now. A lot of my articles have been accepted first time, but some are rejected for miniscule comma placement errors. I sometimes wonder if it's a good idea to continue submitting articles to them or try real freelancing. It feels odd to put effort into pieces that might take weeks to get accepted, and may never even be sold. Having said that, I have made two sales out of ten articles so far, so they do get sold.

I use the site for my writing ideas that I wouldn't put on my own sites. (I don't do pay-per-click.) That is, instead of making blog posts for ideas that have no relevance to my blogs, I'll just write it up and submit to CC. I do not spend more than an hour on any one article, and I price high enough to be worth my while. (Usually $25-$85 for full rights.) But that's me. I also use it as a way to say..."hey, I CAN write on this topic" without creating work for nothing. I've sold 9 articles out of 22, and that's all been in the past 6 months and without marketing of any kind.

Layla Nahar · Oct 9, 2013

kohuether said:
Really, my problems stem from the fact that I don't always edit my work carefully enough.

le sigh. I know what you mean.

lynnswayze said:
I would recommend plugging your articles into "Pro Writing Aid" (free) before submission. It helps with grammar, spelling, passive voice, redundancies, etc.

Wow. That sounds incredibly useful. Thanks for sharing that.

Ralyks · Nov 5, 2013

I used them a few years ago, sold several articles, and made some decent money. But then I found fewer and fewer of my articles getting nibbles, and my per hour rate dropped in half as a consequence, and I didn't deem it worth the money anymore, and so I haven't logged in in two years.

TheHungryFreelancer · Nov 11, 2013

Constant Content is a fantastic site to work for if you can get into one of the writer pools. Once you start writing regularly - at least 50+ articles a month, from what I can tell - you'll probably get invited into a writer pool. The more you write, the more you're going to sell. I figure that I'll sell about 1/3 of the articles I write fairly quickly, so I base my rates off of that. It's nice to have a website that will pay $30+ for a 500 word article, rather than some content sites that offer $5 for the same amount of work.

Ralyks · Nov 18, 2013

But they take 35% of that $30+. Still better than $5, sure. And since I can typically pound out an article in a little under an hour, when I actually sell an article (as I did recently, because I went back for a bit after reading this thread and submitted to a request), I make about $20 an hour. The thing is, I only sell about 50% of the articles I submit, so we're talking $10 an hour. Not horrible, but not good considering what I make as a freelance editor and writer for private clients.

Problems with Constant Content

kohuether

andiwrite

kohuether

Ricardo

Alwaysinspired

Susie

Thanks, special friend for my avi!

Nostro

Melina

Getting better all the time

NinjaFingers

Melina

Getting better all the time

Nostro

Melina

Getting better all the time

blkrb0t

lynnswayze

lynnswayze

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Ralyks

Untold stories inside

TheHungryFreelancer

Ralyks

Untold stories inside