Textbroker review

If you have spent any time in the Online freelance writing business, you are sure to have heard about Textbroker, although, what you may have heard about the site certainly varies from forum to forum. It is often referred to as a content mill.


Textbroker, is that you?



For anyone who isn't sure what exactly that entails- think of a water mill, as seen in the pretty pastoral image above, then replace the water with content. Yeah, it's not a pretty image, because instead of whirling cogs and wheels you have writers furiously pumping out content.




If you look close enough, you can see the tiny writers in the cogs.


I see Textbroker as one of those places where you can earn a little beer money without having to put in too much effort. But if you want to make enough money to pay bills, you are going to have to do a little sweating.

As with a lot of low paid work, there is a danger that you will focus all your attention on making sure you are earning minimum wage, or enough to be able to say, I bought this (insert product here) with the money I made writing on the Internet! Textbroker is like a lot of minimum wage jobs in that it requires a lot of effort to make your money. And by the time you finish working for the day, you'll be too tired to do any other writing.

Still interested?

Here's how it works.

How do you become a writer for Textbroker

You sign up and submit a writing sample. The editors will get back to you in about a week or less and assign you with a  number from 1 to 5. These are the five different levels of writing you can do at Textbroker and each one comes with its own word per cent payment. Depending on their writing capabilities, most people are assigned as either a level 3 or 4. There are very few jobs at level three, so you have to prove your merit by writing your very best content. This will usually bring you up to a level 4, this is where the majority of writers on Textbroker end up. If it doesn't you need to read some grammar books and revisit your highschool writing rules. There is a fabled level 5, where you can get paid up to $30 for 500 words, but the criteria for entry to level 5 is pretty much kept secret.


Pay rates

Level 2 writers earn a miserly .07 cent a word


Level 3 writers earn a slightly less miserly 1.0 cent a word


Level 4 writers earn the princely sum of 1.4 cent a word

Level 5 writers earn the astronomical sum of 5.0 cent a word. Break out the champagne!


The editing process

When you sign in, you are presented with the job board where you find article assignments. When you see an article that doesn't numb your brain with the inanity of its subject matter, you have the choice to claim it for 10 minutes and read the requirements set out by the client. If you choose not to do the job, you can simply click back to the job list.

If you pick the job, you have a time frame set by the client in which you have to complete it. These are usually a day or two days long. As you can only claim one article at a time, you have plenty of time to write it. After you complete the article, the client has three days to accept it or ask for a revision. They cannot reject it until they have asked for a revision at least once.

And what do you do when a client asks for a revision? It depends on their revision request. If it's so extensive that it would require a complete rewrite of the article, you have to ask yourself is it really worth it. If it isn't you can cancel the process and send the article back into the writer pool for another writer to take a try at it.

Once the client accepts the article, you are paid. Textbroker pays out every Friday into your Paypal. The Textbroker editors then rate your article on their 1-5 system. The cumulative ratings of your articles determines which level you will be writing at in the future. They sometimes leave comments that help you improve your writing. Or highlights their obsession with commas.


Is it for you?

Once you are signed up, Textbroker is a hand way to make some quick cash. If you have a fast typing rate and an ability to pump out 500 word article after article on stimulating topics like Wall Bracket or Stand: What's Best for Your Flatscreen TV, then this is probably your dream job. For the rest of us, it can really sap your love of writing.


Textbroker writers after a long day's work.


To end on a positive note. If  a client likes your work, there is the possibility that you will get direct orders from them at a rate that you set.


30 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post. I recently decided not to go down this route with another content site (blogged about it a few days ago, on the subject of when to say no.) It can indeed sap your love of writing. Unless you are one who loves simply exercising word craft regardless of subject matter or inspiration. I know there are excellent writers who take pride in being able to do this.

    I learned that I am not one. When what I write isn't coming direct from my own heart I end up pretty unhappy with how I've spent all that time and energy.

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  2. Hey, Kyla,

    I'm glad you liked it. It's definitely hard to strike the balance between writing what you really want to write and writing something that will resonate with an audience, especially when that audience is paying you. I think you've given me an idea for my next post!

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  3. Thanks for your post Mark,

    I already did bookmark sites like eHow, Helium and All Experts didn't yet have Textbroker in that list....,

    Only currently I am thinking more in the direction of Review Writing and Using a Blog as a - Platform - to Work from

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  4. Hi Hpvandurren,

    Thanks. Those are mostly sites where you can build residual income. With Textbroker you get paid within a day or two of writing your article.

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    1. Thanks for the info,

      To be able to deliver a high quality level with
      a better pay rate, I was wondering if it might possibly be helpful to use special software such as Stylewriter or Autocrit, or possible other Software.

      'What do you think, do you use special software or have exprience with using such or similar software...?'





      Delete
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  6. hello, can someone be having a textbroker account for sale?
    inbox me at nsalasia@gmail.com

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    1. If you got somebody who sold you this account please direct me to him so that i can also get one Abellimo81@gmail.com

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  7. Hi Mark,

    Thank you for providing your insight. I have been writing for Textbroker for quite some time, and I just recently posted a Textbroker review of my own on my website. I was searching for other writers' experiences with Textbroker, and stumbled upon your blog.

    I found Textbroker's review process to be very frustrating, because they allegedly adhere to the AP Stylebook, but many times, their editors' "suggestions" contradict it. I found the pay rates to be shockingly low, even for a content mill.

    Anyway, thanks for your review and I look forward to your future posts! If you're interested, my review is here.

    -Monica

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    1. Hi Monica,

      Thanks for stopping by. Their pay rates can be low, but sometimes there are team orders with alright rates, you just have to check what's available every now and then. And with direct orders you can set your own rates.

      I haven't had too hard a time with their review process, but they do seem to have issues with commas! I'll be sure to check out your review.

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  8. That's why I was wondering if there's anybody out there that has any experience with -, and knows about any good online websites, or software for Editing/Proofreading?

    Or for example if anybody has bought a licence for, or has experience with free versions or trial versions from sites such as Smart-edit.com or Grammarly.com ?

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  9. I just signed up to textbroker.com for my site www.joelcastillo.me. Does anyone know how good the writing is?

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    1. Hi Joel, Thanks for stopping by. It's good but not as good as mine ;)

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  10. Does anyone know how they go about assigning your writing level? I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there who think their writing is better than it truly is. Perhaps I'm one of them. At any rate, I was shocked at the level I received. Perhaps I'm not an "expert" but I know I'm not terrible.

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  11. I guess I'm one of those people who can happily churn out boring content without getting sad about my lack of soul. Textbroker has been good to me.
    To anyone worried about a low starting rating; don't sweat it. I started out with a three-star rating and got bumped up to a four after a week of diligence. I think the three-star rating is a default starter these days.

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  12. Even though I started at level 4, my experience so far writing for TB has mostly felt like doing other people's homework for minimum wage.

    Some of the assignments are somewhat interesting, some are very dull. At level 4 your are providing researched, well-written original content with keywords and references for minimum wage or less. The positive side of TB is that you can usually find an assignment, you have at least a day to complete it, and you can get paid weekly as long as you have $10 in your account. The disadvantages are the very low pay for what you're providing, and that some of the buyers ask way too much of you for such a low fee (beware of assignments asking for images - seriously WTF you want me to write a 500-word SEO article AND include two original photographs on your topic for seven friggin' bucks? Ridiculous.

    My advice to writers looking considering TB is to view it as something you can do for a few of hours a day for a little extra money if you really need it.
    I've learned to be selective in assignments and read the instructions thoroughly before starting on it. I've not had any rejections or revisions yet (knocking on wood), but watch out for requests for a Time feature article with infographics, interviews and other bullcrap that they should be paying real money for. Find articles well in your knowledge wheelhouse, that you can crank out after a few minutes of scaffolding and research, 20 minutes of focused writing and 10 minutes of editing and hyperlinking. That is the only way to make writing for TB anywhere near worth your time. At least that's my 1.4 cents (per word) worth.

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    1. Thanks for the succinct comment, Billy. I've never done one of those articles that request a photo as well, it's pretty cheeky to request that when you're paying so little! We have a similar strategy regarding only writing articles you know you can write pretty quickly.

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  13. It's a rip-off of writers with bizarre management practices. DO NOT work for these creeps.

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  14. In my experience, the trick is writing subjects you know well and can pump out quickly. So, if I can write that 500 word article in 15 minutes, it's like I'm being paid $28 per hour. Obviously, this won't be the case for most articles, but if a person can find a couple of those per day, you can make some OK money on the side doing very little work.

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  15. In their most recent company newsletter - Textbroker expressed their TRUE feelings about their 3-star writing pool. http://www2.textbroker.com/webmail/20042/246964917/e65af81b6555242ef4df4010c62bb745 This was something that should have been discussed in private between their Client and Support - NOT ran in their company newsletter. When a company displays this level of stark disregard and disrespect for their writing pool - maybe they don't deserve a writing pool?

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  16. I am regualr user of Textbroker and earning more than 150o dollars a month. It is all because of you my dear friend. Thank you.

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  17. Textbroker is a disgusting rip off of writer with totally arbitrary "quality" standards. I HATE them.

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  18. its nice post and i am enjoying to read this post.

    Assignment Help

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  19. Thank you for posting this review. I'm always looking for new website to write for. I loved the graphics by the way. The last one perfectly captures a hard day's (sometimes night) work after writing a series of articles on princess graphics or urban chicken farming.

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  20. A content writer is important for his/her various qualification.He/she write various important things.If you content writers needed, you can contact with us.

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  21. She is more concerned about getting and keeping her latest boyfriend, no matter how he treats her or Walter. rate my writers

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  22. Appreciate with this article having lots of sites that help too one of the best site I ever like when I need the Essay Writer

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  24. NO ONE should waste their time at textbroker. We were all beginners at some point, but this company demands FAR too much for the dark ages pay they offer.

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