5 Important Lessons I Learned Writing for Content Mills

Over the years, content mills have gotten a bad reputation, and it's not all undeserved. They pay rock-bottom prices. Much of the material they publish is inaccurate or just plain incomprehensible, they stifle any glimmer of creativity shown by their writers, and they value quantity over quality.

That said, I'm not ready to grab a torch and lead the townspeople to burn down the nearest content mill. I actually started my writing career working for content mills. They have helped pay off my student loans, sent me on more than one fabulous vacation, and helped me keep my utilities on when cash was short.

Although they're no longer my bread and butter, I'll still zip over to one of the mills and churn out a few articles if business is slow.

I would also be remiss if I did not give content mills credit for five of the most valuable lessons I've learned as a writer.

1. Writing quickly. I used to be a slow writer who agonized over making each word perfect, but when you're racing a six hour deadline, it doesn't take long to replace perfect with "eh...good enough." Now I always pound out my first draft as fast as possible, often within a matter of minutes. Of course, my first draft is not my last draft, and revisions can be a painstaking process, but at least I've learned how to get my initial thoughts down on paper where I can play with them and reword them to my heart's delight.

2. Writing plainly. When you document in a medical chart, you say a patient "ambulates." When you write for a content mill, you say she "walks." I once got into an argument with an editor about whether or not I had used a word correctly. "I found it in the dictionary," I emailed. He shot back, "You don't understand. Our readers don't want to have to go to the dictionary." Point taken. I made the revisions he requested.

3. Using SEO/Keywords. The early content mills practiced keyword "stuffing," which involved cramming a keyword into an article as many times as possible, whether or not it actually made sense or flowed smoothly. But when the search engines caught on to that tactic, the content mills wised up as well. The keyword strategies that most content mills currently teach writers will give you a competitive edge long after you've moved up in the freelancing world.

4. Researching quickly and accurately. The Internet is chock-full of information. Unfortunately, at least half of it is pure crapola. The most reputable content mills (if that isn't a contradiction in terms) provide a list of reliable websites to use for research, or at least a list of websites not to use. While I must admit to being amused that one of the biggest content mills considers its own articles a "banned" source, those lists of recommended and prohibited sites have helped me quickly and accurately research many other projects.

5. Considering the big picture. Sure, it sucks to pound out mindless articles for low pay, but if you give each job your best effort within the limitations allowed, your work may attract the interest of a private client who is willing to pay much more than the mills do. Although it's not an everyday occurrence, I have had well-paying clients who first became familiar with my work browsing articles that I'd written for a content mill.

If you don't ever write for one of the mills, that's wonderful. But if you, like me, write for them now or have written for them in the past, you don't need to be embarrassed when you're among other writers. The mills are good teachers, and the words you compose may just land you the client of your dreams.

P.S. Hospice Tails just garnered another great review, this time from Tara at Book Babe. Thank you Tara!