It’s been a while since we last announced new features here, and that’s in large part because we’ve been working on some substantial improvements to the site that we’ve just released. I wanted to post here and describe some of these changes.
Revamped Request System
How we handle requests has been changed substantially. The old writer pool system has been replaced with a new system we’re calling Targeted Requests and an accompanying new form that clients use to place requests. Please feel free to check that out here - https://www.constant-content.com/articl ... ng-service. Essentially, clients will enter Content Types, Certifications, Areas of Study, Country, etc, that they’re looking for when entering their requests, and the system will send the request to writers who have entered those credentials in the new Edit My Request Settings page https://www.constant-content.com/account/a_requests.htm. So, it’s really important that all the info you have in that page is up to date to ensure you have the best access to requests. Be sure to update your request settings today!
On that page, you’ll notice a section that tells you if you are eligible for requests and what your access level is. To be eligible, you must have at least 10 articles approved and be given an access level. Your access level determines how soon after a request is issued that you will be able to claim it. Access Level 1 has the first opportunity to claim a request, and each subsequent level will be able to after a short delay if the request has not been claimed.
What determines your Access Level? It is built around a number of factors which include the number of articles you’ve had accepted, editorial feedback, attention to deadlines and profile completeness. The best way to increase your Access Level is to submit high quality, error free content regularly.
You’ll also see Expert Group requests on the new form. These groups are teams of writers who have demonstrated expertise in certain fields. To join an Expert Group, visit the Edit My Request Settings page and click Apply next to the group you wish to apply to. An editor will review your application and you’ll get a response soon after.
These types of requests are how a lot of the requests on the site will come through going forward. You’ll still see Public Requests, Project Requests and Private Requests, but they’ve been updated as well. Here are how the types of requests will look going forward:
- Call For Articles – customers inviting all writers to submit articles to them; articles that aren’t purchased are added to the catalog after 3 days. These were formerly called Public Requests.
- Casting Call – customers inviting writers to message them to express interest in working with the customer. This will replace the emails sent directly from Constant Content on behalf of clients and you’ll now be able to directly message clients.
- Expert Groups – if you’ve applied and been accepted to write in an expert group you’ll be able to claim these requests.
- Targeted Requests – requests that you can claim and work on exclusively. These will be identified based on how the customer targeted the request. You will see Area of Study, Category, Certification, and Country. You will only see Managed Requests if your Request Settings match what the client has targeted.
- Private Request – requests sent to you directly by a client. Please note that all private requests now need to be claimed, and can also be marked as complete to get them out of your queue.
- Project Request – requests that are associated with a client’s Project. Only writers they have added to their teams will be able to claim these. You can visit the My Projects page and select the project from the menu in the top right of the screen to see an overview of the project and any shared files.
As mentioned above, we’ve added a new page called Edit My Request Settings that lets you enter all certifications and credentials you would like included in the matching process the targeted request system uses to send you requests.
We also heard the feedback that we should allow writers to enter their own certifications, and you can now do that. In the Certifications section of this page, just choose the parent category your certificate belongs to and then write the name of your certification.
Revamped Requested Content Page
If you visit the Requested Content page you’ll find it’s more consolidated and has a few new features. All types of requests will now appear on one page and you’ll use the filters in the top right to see different types of requests (Targeted, Call for Articles, Project Requests, etc).
We’ve also added a Search to this page that lets you search the titles of requests in your list.
Writer Search
We’ve revamped how customers search for writers with this release too. The first thing you’ll notice is that only Available writers will appear at the top of search results. If you don’t login to your account for sometime, you’ll be set to Idle automatically and won’t appear in Search Results.
Customers are now able to search for a writer based on the credentials you enter on the Edit My Request Settings page, including Area of Study, Area of Expertise, Certification, Country and Content Type. Again, having as many of these set as possible will offer you the best chances of being found by a potential client.
Finally, we’ve updated writer profiles so that customers will need to login to see your credentials and certifications.
We hope you’ll find these updates improve your experience with Constant Content and earn you more sales. If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear them.
Thanks!
Eric
