Content Mills Improve Writing Speed, Accuracy and Confidence

Content mills are the most maligned of all paying writing markets because of their low pay and low standards, but they can help aspiring or rusty writers gain speed, accuracy and confidence if they are considered fill-in work and learning tools rather than a viable career path.

Website content writers who ignore content mills are making a mistake. While their benefit to freelance writers is limited, they're an important and growing source of assignments for some writers.

If you're interested in making money online as a writer or eventually developing a passive income writing, the content mill experience can make you better at your craft and make you some money along the way too.

What Are Content Mills?

The term "content mill" is really a slang term, but it has quickly caught on because it accurately describes companies that turn out a large volume of website content quickly and cheaply. They offer accepted writers a list of simple assignments that the writer can accept, write within a few hours or days and submit for payment.

Almost anyone who has a basic grasp of grammar can get accepted at some of the less picky content mills. These include Textbroker (www.textbroker.com) and The Content Authority (www.thecontentauthority.com). Other content mills are more selective, declining even professional writers when they don't need the help.

Why Don't Writers Like Them?

Content mills are controversial because they pay their writers very little -- often less than one cent per word -- and make a large profit for themselves by charging their clients much more. They are also known for turning out average to poor quality content, but clients continue to use them because of their quick turnaround times and low price.

Most content mills have some kind of review process, but articles often aren't carefully edited or proofread. Mistakes are often allowed to go through, and in many cases, clients only want filler, not articles with genuinely useful content that adds to the general knowledge about a topic.

Writers also criticize content creation sites because some of them have very low hiring standards. They often accept people with no writing experience. While some see that as a threat to the status of writing as a professional skill, others see these lax requirements as an opportunity to build their writing skills.

How Can Content Mills Benefit A Professional Writer?

There are four important ways this despised underworld of the writing profession actually help writers.

First, they help writers increase writing speed. Articles often have tight deadlines, but more importantly, finishing an article quickly means having time to write another one. With their low pay and large supply of assignments, writers are motivated to work quickly, increasing typing skills and creative speed.

Second, they help writers gain accuracy. Despite content mills' low standards, writers must follow assignment directions related to word length and the frequency of key phrases for acceptance. And since the low pay make it impractical for a writer to proofread work more than once, writers have to create articles that are near-perfect the first time.

Third, they build confidence. Almost anyone can be a published writer in just a few hours if they sign up for a content mill. While they won't get a byline and may not know where it was published (unless they later do a Google search for some key phrases in the article), the words will be purchased and used, making them a professional writer.

Fourth, they really do pay. That makes them viable alternatives for filler work. Despite everything else people say about content mills, they usually pay when they say they will. Writers without any other assignments and without much hope of finding any in the short term can turn a losing day into a productive one by writing a few content mill articles before they day is done.

When used properly and sparingly by new writers or writers who are in a slump, content mills are useful, paying players in the professional writing field.

While I think they're the Walmart of the field instead of the Saxs Fifth Avenue, there are lots of people who benefit from having Walmart in the world.