WRITER A: There are still a lot of places out there that want to take your work for no money, or ten bucks an article. You bust your ass and you go nowhere fast. It’s easy to feel like [you are walking in circles], working all hours to get out this content and then you have to hound the people to get paid, it's ridiculous.

Whether you consider Demand Media a content farm or not, they are going to find people who are reliable because they have to answer to these major brands. It is a business, so it depends on how serious the writer is. I’ve had a great experience with it. I am always paid on time and they have reasonable deadlines, and whether or not the company ends up using my work, I still get paid. So I’ve never had a problem or felt exploited by them. As a writer, I know what I'm worth. I’ve been through it. I’ve done the assignments just to get the byline and [to get] my name out there, and eventually I hit the point where I feel like my name [is] out there and [I] deserve more [for] assignments.

Everybody is still learning about the digital space. It is changing every day. There are moms out there now blogging and earning a full-time salary from their computers. There are just so many different branches to explore. The only downside to it is that you have to make sure that you are not being taken advantage of. There are so many people out there who will try and take advantage of you if you let them. You have to fight for how your talent is going to be represented.

I have been treated well by so-called content farm companies like Demand, but I have had bad experiences getting work through opportunities you'll see on Craigslist or other editorial sites seeking writers. Most people pay very little. I've written and edited articles for $10 a pop, or for nothing at all; just a promised byline and that's it – you know, “build up your portfolio.” Can you believe that or imagine any other industry out there expecting this? It's like saying we'll give you a business card, but not pay you. You'll have the title, but no pay to credit your hard work. It makes it difficult to be a writer, especially if you're determined to make it your full-time profession. I have friends who are writers as well (living at home or with loads of roommates), working for some really nice publications, and the rates for an article really aren't anything to marvel at, maybe $50-$150 a piece. I mean, can you imagine how many you have to write to earn a decent salary?

WRITER B: When I started writing, it wasn’t unheard of to be paid less than a dollar per article. But in those cases, it was often locally based clients located in the Philippines. Since I didn’t know anything about writing online or how I should be compensated, I accepted the low fees. When I discovered that you could earn a lot more, I was able to start getting better rates. I began being able to directly connect with clients, as opposed to being connected to a team. Cutting out the middle [man] allowed me to earn a higher rate. So I raised my rates as far as I could get away with, but, at a certain point, I realized that there is too much competition in the industry and that I had to settle with lower rates to keep working. There have been numerous instances where clients settled for another writer who [had] a lower rate. The main problem keeping the rates low is still competition. There are too many people offering the same skills. The only way to increase your rates is to learn additional skills that are related to content writing, like SEO, social media marketing, and Google Ads. The industry in the Philippines is growing by the minute because, while we aren’t native English speakers, we can speak and write in a manner that is readable.

Most of our clients are from the U.S. and other English-speaking countries like Canada and Australia. It’s not good, per se, when we think about outsourcing because people from the U.S. are not getting the jobs. I read the news. I know how difficult it can be that jobs are being outsourced. But, from our perspective, it is a good thing, because we are able to earn a decent living. I am earning 3 or 4 times more than I was getting when I was working in the call center. Although it is a pretty common scenario in the Philippines, I am not supporting and extended family. It’s just my husband, my daughter, and myself, and doing this work allows me to [help pay] our bills.