Constant Content

Hello everyone,

Today we're adding a new feature to writer accounts that will let you apply to be included in pools of writers who can write different types of content.

To qualify to apply for these pools, you need to have at least 10 articles approved and at least a 60% acceptance rate.

To make an application for a pool, just visit this page

http://www.constant-content.com/account/poolSignup.php

and click on “Apply” next to the category you'd like to be included in. You'll then be taken to a form where we'll ask you for your qualifications for this pool and a sample of your work within the category.

The pools you can apply to include:

Press Releases
Reviews
White Papers
Copy Editing
Sales Copy
Blog Posts
ebook Writing
SEO Writing
Technical Writing

French Content
Spanish Content
German Content

We'll be considering applications for these pools over the next few weeks, and in the near future will be displaying these pools to customers looking for these types of writing. Being included in a pool will give you a great chance to be selected for the type of project, and only writers who are included in the pools will be given access to these types of requests.

So, please take a moment and apply for some pools that interest you! If you have any questions about this update, please send us an email at support.

Hi there. Can you clarify what CC's long term intentions are regarding writer pools? For example, does this mean:

- public requests will no longer be public, but restricted only to pool writers of the subject concerned?
- submission of existing articles to buyers making requests will no longer be possible?
- normal on-spec submissions will be phased out in favour of commission-only work?

Sorry if I'm getting the wrong end of the stick on this. I think I can see the intention around having specialist writers in each subject area to assure quality for buyers, but the reactive nature of these requests (implied by the 'how quickly can you supply?' question in the sign-up form) makes it unsuitable for me as I operate very much on an on-spec basis with CC. It's the main feature that attracted me to the site and I'm sure many others as well.

Peejay, I think these are good questions. While Constant has encouraged us to email support with our concerns, I think it would be helpful if questions could be answered in this public space. You aren't the only one wondering how this will all play out, particularly for those of us who mainly write on spec, but would still like to be apprised of public request opportunities.

Yeah, I am a little confused by it as well. Can the samples we submit be from our existing author profiles, or do we have to supply something completel new? I haven't gone through any of the application processes on these, but if it asks how quickly I can supply something, that is not something that can really be answered. As freelance writers, we all know that how quickly we can provide something largely depends upon the amount of work we currently have. For example, I have recently had to turn down some work that I would normally love to do because I am currently swamped with work on another site. On the other hand,once I finish the work, I may have nothing next week.

I also wonder if this eventally will put an end to public requests, on spec selling, etc. Anyway, more info on this would be appreciated by many I imagine.

Thanks!

I am puzzled too. They are all good questions and I hope that they will be answered soon.

I hope that C-C means that only Private Requests will be restricted to those in the Writer Pools.

Yes, great questions. I notice there is a pool we can apply to called "Article" which is not listed specifically in Constant's post above. It almost sounds like all of us must "re-interview for the job", so to speak. I hope that's not the case, but if it is, I'll do it!

This looks like an attempt to structure pools of writers that can attract new(ish) types of content on this site. For example, no one is going to put whole e-book up as a public request. However someone might pick a writer from a pool of pre-qualified writers able to write e-books. Hope this works... now which pools to join?

There have been some very good questions raised here so I'm going to list them out and answer them.


Will public requests no longer be public?

Many public requests will still be sent out as they are today, and customers will still be able to choose to send public requests if they like. They will also have the option, if their request falls into one of the categories covered by the Writer Pools, to send their requests to just that pool of writers. In general, requests that ask for more general articles that could be easily sold to other customers are likely to be sent as public requests.

Most of the pools of writing deal with a type of specialized writing that can sometimes be difficult to sell to another customer should the requester not purchase a writer's article. Press Releases, Ebooks, Copy Editing, Reviews, etc would all be difficult to sell to other customers. Most of these requests will be sent to the Writer Pools.


Can existing articles be submitted to buyers making requests?

As long as the customer has issued their request as a Public Request, you will be able to submit your existing articles for them to consider.


What will happen to on-spec submissions that are listed in the catalog?

Submitting articles to the catalog will not be affected in anyway by the introduction of Writer Pools. The catalog will continue to operate as it does today, and will even see some improvements in the coming months. The catalog is very important to Constant Content and we are totally committed to it.



Do samples included in applications to Writer Pools need to be completely new?

No, we just want to see a sample of some work you've done that would demonstrate your ability in the type of writing the pool covered by the pool you're applying to. So, feel free to submit existing material you have.


What will the delivery time field do?

We've asked you to provide a delivery time so we can help customers find writers that can deliver within the timeframe they need. Fast delivery time is a very important factor for many customers, and we want to help them find writers to meet their needs. If your delivery time changes, we'd encourage you to update it so that customers will be aware of your current situation.

Hi, thanks for the answers and the reassurances. I've been on holiday for a few weeks and haven't been able to see the forum. From a personal point of view, CC's commitment to their catalogue and the ongoing ability for it to grow organically through on-spec writing and submission is very encouraging as this is the only real option open to me for writing at CC; something I enjoy immensely on my own terms.

Many thanks and here's to the continued success of CC.

Paul.

I applied to a few of the pools over a week ago. They still say "Waiting."

I applied a couple of weeks ago (or longer...can't remember really) to a few of the writing pools. They all still say waiting. Does anyone know anything about this? Has anyone else completed the process? Also, has anyone noticed all of the spelling mistakes and typos on the page? I would overlook one or two, but... I'm not complaining at all, I love CC. I just wonder what is going on with it.

Mine now says "leave" which I assume means that I've been accepted and that I can leave at any time. I can now specify the turnaround time which I couldn't before.

I see a blue area at the top that says "quit pools." I am afraid to click on that. Under the areas I applied, it says"waiting." Is this where yours says "leave" Celeste? It's still all a bit confusing. I was able to change the turnaround time a week or so ago, though that still will really depend upon the circumstances at the time an order is placed (length, topic, amount of other work, etc).

It says "leave" where it used to say "waiting." And yes, those typos and errors are horrendous. "Custome writiting?" Hopefully that's just the Web guy putting some placeholder text on the page until someone has a chance to finetune it.

lol! At some point between that last post and now, mine changed to "leave!"