Scripted – A Writer’s Review

As I continue to try out various online content brokers for fit, I was led to Scripted as a potential viable option.  Reviews tended to be positive, with praise given for fair compensation (as far as content brokers go) to writers.  I decided to give it a shot.

Overview

Scripted advertises the ability for businesses to order content on demand, without minimum, to be developed by “matched” writers within the company’s specific industry within five business days.  Additionally, companies may solicit pitches from writers to generate content ideas.  All content is edited by Scripted editors, and companies may leverage an additional round of revisions as needed.

On demand content pricing starts at $99 for a standard writer, and $149 for a specialist.  For companies with high volume needs, a managed services package can be built.  All pitch solicitations are free.  Scripted editorial review along with included revision rounds provide the company ample opportunity to request changes as needed to help ensure the delivery of a quality product.

Writer Compensation

The pay depends on several factors: the type of assignment, the client, and the specific Specialty.  I’ve seen standard blog posts of 350-450 words paying anywhere from $28-$60 so far.  In my real-life experience, I’ve been paid anywhere from 7 cents to 14 cents per word.  In comparison, WriterAccess pays its 5-star writers 5.6 cents/word and its highest 6-star writers 7 cents to $1.40/word.

Payment is distributed on the 15th and the last day of each month.  A bit inconvenient is the fact that Scripted does not use PayPal, only Bill.com.  Signing up is easy, however, and there is an option to receive payment electronically similarly to PayPal.

Hiring Process

The process to get started is relatively simple.  Create an account online with basic name, email, and password information, and you’ll receive an email asking you to complete your online profile before applying to Industries.  At that point you can select an Industry you’re interested in, such as Lifestyle & Travel, Medicine, Healthcare & Science, Food & Beverage, Customer Management Tools, Coding – you get the picture – the sky is really the limit.  I believe there have been some changes made since I applied, meaning that you now only have to apply for Specialties instead of actual Industries.

You will be asked to fill out an online application and include a writing sample specific to the industry to be reviewed.  I learned the hard way that the writing sample must be published online with your byline to be accepted – posts or articles that were ghostwritten or not published online will not be accepted.  Once your application is complete, Scripted will review and get back to you with a decision within a few days (I have heard that this can take up to two weeks, but I received my response back within two days).

Once approved, you will be assigned a rating (on a 1-100 scale) based on your writing samples.  This rating determines how quickly you will receive the opportunity to claim new jobs.  Writers with the highest ratings have first dibs on pretty much everything so that clients are receiving top quality content.  Important to note is the fact that your rating remains fluid.  This is good news if you want to improve it – but once you’re at a rating you desire, you have to work hard to maintain it.  Failing to submit work by deadlines and/or receiving negative client feedback can hurt your rating.  Likewise, submitting work well before due dates and receiving client accolades will increase your rating.  Clients who really love your work can “favorite” you, meaning that you will receive first right of refusal on any future jobs from that client.

Finding Jobs

Scripted makes this easy.  Your dashboard will list all Unclaimed Jobs that you are eligible to accept.  All pertinent information is included: what the assignment is, what the pay is, how long the article must be, due date, and any additional specific instructions (usually included as an attachment).  Once you find a job you’re interested in and eligible for, you can accept it to begin working on it.

You may also pitch jobs for clients looking for article or blog content ideas.  They will share a general idea of the type of content they’re looking for, and then you can pitch a few sentences of your ideas for review.  I’ve had success with this and there always seems to be quite a lot of work to pitch.

Something that confused me in the past with Scripted is the difference between Industries and Specialties.  The two seemed distinct yet overlapping.  But I am happy to report that Scripted recently made changes that did away with Industries altogether, so that now writers must only apply to Specialties of interest.  The more Specialties you are approved for, the better your odds of receiving work.

One aspect of Scripted that I really appreciate is the daily summary email that goes out.  It lets you know what jobs are available, what jobs have been paid, and other interesting tidbits or opportunities related to you.

Submitting Content

Once you have accepted a job, it must be completed by the deadline listed or your rating will drop.  Likewise, if you complete it well ahead of deadline, you will automatically have points added to each of your Industries/Specialties.  Although I opt to create my content in MS Word, you could easily create it directly in the Scripted text editor – it is intuitive and auto-saves every few minutes.

Scripted formatting does have some nuances to become familiar with – for example, how various types of headings are used.  If the client has requested an image, writers can select from free domain images right from within the Scripted platform.

Once the writer is satisfied with the content, it can be submitted.  It will be run through spellcheck along with an automated plagiarism checker, and any issues with either will be presented to the writer to either edit or override.  Once the piece has been successfully submitted, it will go to a Scripted editor for review before being sent to the client.

So far I have mixed feelings about the Scripted editorial process.  At times I hear nothing – but no news is good news!  Other times, I have received very helpful feedback regarding formatting or the way something is laid out or presented.  But I have had a couple of instances where I have received feedback that was unclear and/or simply opinion based (e.g. nothing was wrong, just the editor felt I should write a portion of the piece differently).  It seems that there are a variety of editors reviewing work and your experience will likely depend on who is reviewing your piece.  Interestingly, I seem to receive most editor revision requests in the evening (Pacific Time Zone).

Client Response

Once a client has reviewed and accepted your article, you will receive an email from Scripted letting you know and confirming that payment will be processed on the next pay day.  I have not yet received revision requests from a client, but do know that they are entitled to one round.  I do like the fact that Scripted will review any articles rejected by the client for a determination of whether the rejection reasons were valid – this gives the writer the benefit of the doubt and helps shield a rating from being decreased when not appropriate.

I have noticed that the editor and client turnaround at Scripted is not as fast as at some other content brokers – I have waited anywhere from several days to several weeks for a piece to move out of editorship.  This doesn’t really bother me, but may be something to consider for writers who are depending on more immediate payment.

What I  Like

• Fair compensation for a content broker – I’ve received anywhere from 7 cents to 14 cents per word
• Payment distributed twice per month
• Ability to pitch ideas for various clients,  with pitch opportunities always available
• Opportunity to increase writer rating for work submitted ahead of deadlines and for client accolades
• Opportunity to be “favorited” by clients who love your work, for first right of refusal on future projects
• Emails letting writers know when a high volume of jobs has become available in their Industries/Specialties
• Emails providing writers the opportunity to take over jobs that other writers were unable to complete
• Fair deadlines, usually at least a day or two out

What I Don’t Like

• Longer editorial and client review/approval turnaround than for other content brokers I work with – I have experienced several days to several weeks
• Having to apply for various different Specialties individually – in my opinion, a strong writer should be able to research and write on a variety of topics, and understand which jobs are best suited for them
• Payment via Bill.com, which is a slight inconvenience when others all pay through PayPal
• Writing opportunities seem a bit sporadic – feast or famine within my Specialties; although this may be remedied by continuing to apply for more Specialties
• Editorial process largely contingent on the specific editor assigned to review your work
• No writer attribution (standard with content brokers)

Conclusion

I absolutely recommend adding Scripted to your content broker stockpile.  Pay rates are some of the best I’ve seen for this type of writing, and the assignments I’ve taken have been varied, interesting, and inclusive of the appropriate level of detail to develop a quality article.

On the flip side, there is a relatively longer editorial process and payment via Bill.com as opposed to PayPal.  But I feel that these can easily be overlooked for the type of work and compensation available.

As with other content brokers, I would recommend adding Scripted as a strong complement to all of your sources of work.  Without being approved to write for many Specialties, there simply aren’t enough jobs to provide the likely income desired.  But the jobs that do become available are high quality and enthusiastically endorsed by me.