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The Day The Content Mills Died

10/29/09

Are you ready for the beginning of the end of content mills that pay writers peanuts? Good, because it happened this week: Demand Studios announced that it is going to start offering some sort of healthcare plan to its freelancers. Details are yet to come -- Demand is supposed to say more in November.

This news is like the shot heard 'round the online writing world. Because here's what it means: We've hit the bottom and now these writer sites are headed back up again.

There's enough competition out there for good writers that Demand felt a need to offer a perk -- something the other writing sites didn't have. Competition being what it is, this will likely be countered by another improvement at another site, and so on, hopefully until rates become more in line with a living wage. Where we've been in a race to the bottom the past few years, now that scenario is turning around. And it's about time.

I would imagine that given the state of healthcare in this country, there'll be a stampede to Demand by writers who write for other mills. After all, if you're the type of writer who's willing to write for one of these sites, why should you write anywhere else? Freelancers are always so hard-pressed to find healthcare.

Demand's very savvy to put that on the table. It also helps them forestall the inevitable, which is going to be higher rates, maybe at first just for the best and most qualified, but probably eventually for everyone.

Obviously, we've got a long way to go, but this is a very promising development. There's still ultra-low paying mills such as Amazon Mechanical Turk. One social-media expert I recently interviewed told me she teaches her clients to go to this site and pay $.25 an article for content. I about threw up.

But Demand has thrown down the gauntlet -- the field is crowded, and the only way to distinguish your site in future will be to offer writers a better situation. The economy is turning, and the pool of people willing to write for $10 an article or less -- in America, anyway -- is about to start drying up. Hallelujah.

Can't wait to see who ups the ante next.

What do you think of Demand's move? Leave a comment and let me know.





Comments


Benjamin Hunting -- October 29, 2009, 2:32 pm
Great analysis of the situation - I had not considered the motivation behind Demand's decision. Very perceptive.


Lisa -- November 5, 2009, 1:38 am
There is a tenure requirement and also a per-month article written requirement in order to qualify for Demand's new "Access to healthcare" program. Not many of their providers will qualify.

But it sure does make them sound good, doesn't it? Ah, ya gotta love PR.


Carol Tice -- November 5, 2009, 9:07 am
Hi Lisa -- I'm quite sure it won't apply to everybody. It's just the fact that management at Demand felt they had to sit down and come up with something to say, something that would make them seem like less of a sweatshop...that's a very positive signal in the marketplace, I say.

Thanks for writing!

Carol


Wendy -- November 8, 2009, 4:55 am
I wasn't impressed by their move to add access to healthcare to their plan. If they truly want to move out of the sweatshop branding they have, then they know what it takes to do that. I would've been more impressed by the healthcare option if they raised the pay rates and cut down on their tons of writers and editors first. They can add all the window dressing they want, but they won't get out of the sweatshop mentality until their rates and workforce numbers change, at least in my eyes.


Carol Tice -- November 9, 2009, 8:12 am
Hi Wendy --

Oh, certainly this move does not suddenly make Demand into a desirable market. It's just that the additional of a perk -- the decision that they need to offer something MORE than what other sites offer -- is a very positive sign that the marketplace has hit a new phase where competition is beginning to drive up the offerings. It's a tiny beginning, but I'm hopeful that it will lead to counteroffers that will include rate hikes, and that an upward cycle will begin. Here's hoping I'm right, for the sake of all the starving writers out there!