Getting Started
How do I apply to be a writer?
First, create a new writer account by filling out our simple form. You will receive an email with instructions to log into your account and complete your application.
How long is the application process?
Give yourself 20-40 minutes to complete.
Does it cost anything to join?
No. There are no fees to sign up and take writing jobs.
Am I required to submit a writing sample?Yes. One of the final steps of the application process is to submit a writing sample. This can be either unique or previously-written. For this, we have you answer a question within one of your expert topics you selected earlier. This writing sample will be reviewed by an editor and you will be assigned an initial rating of 2-5 stars (5 being the highest). All unique writing samples will also be published on YoExpert so that you can demonstrate your expertise to potential clients.
What if I'm not happy with my initial rating?
If the rating isn't quite as high as you'd like, the best thing to do is focus on writing the best quality content you can in the future to earn high ratings from editors and clients. If you believe a mistake was made, you can use the support message board from within your account to notify us.
YoExpert
What is YoExpert and why am I required to join it?
YoExpert is our answer site, where readers can ask questions and get answers from experts in various knowledge categories.
During the application process, we will ask you to select a few specific categories that you have expert knowledge in. We do this so that clients can have the option to search for writers with very specific experience with a given topic. Your YoExpert account is designed to showcase your expertise in those fields.
As stated during the application process and in the writer agreement, we post all initial writing samples on the YoExpert website. This is done so that clients can see a unique sample of your work and to prove that you really do have deep knowledge of that topic.
Occasionally, visitors to the YoExpert site will read these sample articles and request answers to questions. If you have a question pending you will be notified and asked to answer the question. Once the question is answered, your account will be reactivated. This answer article is unpaid; however, the revenue we earn from YoExpert helps us keep our service free for all writers (unlike other writer platforms that charge writers a monthly fee or require them to purchase bid credits to get jobs.)
Knowledge Areas
Why am I asked to choose knowledge categories?
When clients post titles to the job board, they must choose which writers they wish to give access to their jobs. They do this by selecting the knowledge categories and average quality ratings.
Sometimes, clients choose to only allow writers with specific knowledge in a particular subject matter to write their jobs. Other times, they will allow all writers in all categories to take their jobs.
We only allow writers to designate themselves as experts in 3 main categories in order to ensure true expertise. However, as explained above, just because you are not designated an expert in a subject does NOT mean you will never have an opportunity to write in those categories.
Can I change my knowledge categories later?
At this time there is no way for writers to change their expert categories, so it is important to choose your knowledge areas carefully at time of application. We may allow this later, when we have a larger variety of jobs in different categories for writers to choose from.
Payments
How will I be paid?
We pay all writers by Paypal. You must have a valid Paypal account in order to be paid.
How often will I be paid?
Pay dates are the 1st and the 15th of each month. Payments will be deposited to your PayPal account on, or up to three (3) business days after, these dates. You are paid for any earned income in the previous pay period. You can view your upcoming payments, as well as your complete earnings history at any time within your account.
How do I set a different pay rate for one specific client?
Your standard pay rate is set on your profile screen. However, sometimes, a client may request that you work at a different rate. You can set a client-specific rate on the client's profile screen (click on "My Clients", search for client, and click the client's ID).
How much money can I make?
There are many factors that will determine how much money you make. The biggest factor is the number of available jobs that match your writer profile. Another factor is the price you charge, and your writing experience listed on your profile. Other factors include how quickly you write, and your ability to submit high quality work and build up a good quality rating.
How do you make money?
We retain 30% of the total amount paid by non-affiliate clients. For example, if the client offers to pay 5 cents per word for a title posted on the job board, we will pay you 3.5 cents and we will keep 1.5 cent per word. Or, if you set a client-specific rate of 5 cents per word for a specific client, you will be paid 3.5 cents, and we will keep 1.5 cent per word. (In other words, if you wish to end up making 3.5 cents per word, you will need to set your client-specific rate to 5 so that you will make 3.5 cents after the 1.5c commission is removed.)
Commission Percentage for Affiliate Referrals
Our new affiliate program has the potential to help us dramatically increase the number of jobs available to our writers, and help drive revenue for the company as well.
However, the only way we can afford to pay our affiliates is by paying them a percentage of the revenue we receive from any affiliate-generated jobs. Therefore, for any jobs that are a result of an affiliate arrangement we will now be required to keep 30% of the client’s payment, rather than the previous 20%. This additional amount will NOT be kept by Interact Media, but will be forwarded to the various affiliates responsible for bringing in the job.
The total amount paid to the affiliates will be 10% of the buyer’s payment, which means that for affiliate jobs writers will always receive 70% of the payment paid by the client. We have no plans on ever increasing this amount in the future. In fact, once our revenues increase, we hope to reduce our commission rate and allow writers to keep a higher and higher percentage of the client’s payment.
This will NOT affect the majority of the jobs currently being posted in the system. You will continue to receive 80% of the buyer’s payment for all those jobs.
How do I handle taxes?
As an independent contractor, you are responsible for reporting all taxable income earned through the content marketplace. If we pay you more than $600 per year, we will send a 1099 form.
For more information, please refer to the IRS website.
Pay Rates
Who determines pay rates?
The pay rate for each job is determined by the client. Clients have a wide range of rates from which to choose when deciding what to offer writers. Interact Media does not determine the rates that writers are paid for available jobs.
As mentioned above, you may also set client-specific rates based on requests from, or negotiation with, clients. This client-specific rate will apply to all direct assignments. PLEASE NOTE: client-specific rates may be changed by clients or editors at the time of direct assignment, per agreement with the writer. Clients may ask for this change in rate for a variety of reasons, including an increase in the rate for job complexity, or a decrease in the rate for a bulk order.
Can clients offer me tips?
Clients have the option to offer writers tips for exceptional content. This will be additional money, above and beyond the agreed-upon payment. The amount of the tip is determined by the client.
Taking Jobs
How many jobs are available for me to take?
The amount of jobs available to a writer depends on several factors. The primary factors are writer rating and knowledge categories. Clients may choose to restrict jobs to writers with certain ratings and areas of expertise. They may also open up their jobs to writers with knowledge in areas outside of the client's topic. So, most writers will have opportunities to take jobs both in and outside of their knowledge categories.
As the number of clients grows, the number and variety of jobs will grow. We are adding new clients every day, and expect the number of jobs to increase rapidly.
How do I take writing jobs?
There are 2 ways that you can get writing jobs:
1. Job Board. Clients can post writing jobs to a job board. For these jobs, clients make a price offer and then post individual titles to writers who match specific criteria selected by the client (expertise and quality rating). If you see a job you like, you can click to review the details and reserve the job so no one else can take it. Once you accept a job from the job board, you must complete the job before the designated due date, or else the job will be returned to the job board so another writer can take it.
When you accept a job, it immediately goes into your Pending My First Draft folder. This is located on your Manage My Jobs page found under the Jobs tab on your User Dashboard. Click View, and then click on the title to access the content box where you can start working on your page.
When you are finished, do the spellcheck then hit the submit button to send your content to the client or editor for review.
2. Direct Assignment. Clients can also choose to assign jobs to an individual writer directly. For these types of orders, clients will pay the rate you set on your public profile. Often, clients will use the job board to sample writers. If they like your work, they can add you to their "Favorite Writers List", and assign future orders directly to you.
Currently, you may only reserve one job from the job board at a time. Once you complete and submit a job, you can then take another one from the job board. If a client requests a revision of a page you previously submitted, you must also first complete that revision and resubmit before taking another job from the job board. In the future, we may change this to allow writers to reserve multiple titles from the job board at once.
Clients may also choose to assign a batch of titles to you all at once using the Direct Assign feature. In this case, you can accept many titles all at once.
Am I notified when new jobs are submitted?Yes, but in order to avoid overloading you with emails, we will only notify you IF new jobs have been submitted in the previous hour that match your profile and have not yet been taken by other writers. This means that writers who are logged in and checking the job board periodically may see new jobs appear BEFORE other writers are notified by email… and if all the new jobs are taken before the hour passes, you will never receive an email notification.
Keep in mind that jobs do go fast, and are often already taken before writers get a chance to check the job board. Also, clients often restrict jobs to certain categories of expertise and writer rating levels.
If you would prefer to not receive email notifications regarding available jobs, you can turn off this feature in your account settings. You may also request notification emails only when jobs hit a certain rate.
Deadlines
All stated deadlines are Eastern Standard Time. For the convenience of writers in other time zones, a "countdown clock" will keep track of exactly how many hours and minutes are left until the deadline expires on an accepted job.
How long do I have to complete each assignment?
When you review the details for each job (each page is an individual job), it will show a due date for each job. We calculate this due date based on the maximum word count requested by the client.
Once you accept a job from the job board, you have 24 hours to complete the assignment for each 500 words per page. After that, you will get an additional 24 hours for every additional 500 words.
For example:
0-500 words: 24 hours
501-1000 words: 48 hours
1001-1500 words: 72 hours
When you are direct assigned jobs, you have 24 hours to accept each page. After you accept a page, the above formula applies.
You should only accept jobs if you are sure that you can complete the job by the due date. If you do not complete the job before the due date, it will be automatically returned to the client or the job board so another writer can take the job.
Is there a penalty for missed deadlines and cancellations?
Writers who cancel and/or miss the deadlines for more than 10% of the jobs they accept are subject to a suspension penalty, and will be unable to take further jobs off the job board. Each subsequent time they reach the 10% threshold, the suspension time grows--eventually up to 30 days each time it happens.
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The first 10% threshold of cancellations and/or missed deadlines = 3-day suspension
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The second 10% threshold = 7-day suspension
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The third 10% threshold = 14-day suspension
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The fourth and all subsequent 10% thresholds = 30-day suspension
The 10% threshold resets to zero after each suspension. However, the system keeps track of the overall total missed deadline and cancellation statistics, which appear on each writer's public profile.
Mobile Functionality
Can I access my account from my mobile device?
At this time we offer only limited mobile functionality. You may be able to access your account; however, you may not be able to submit or perform other tasks in the system from your mobile device.
Keywords
Why are some jobs associated with keywords?
Most clients not only want great content... they also want it to rank high in the search engines for specific keywords that people are searching for. When clients set up each content project in our system, they start out by building a list of keywords (otherwise known as page topics). Then, they create individual page titles around those keywords. They then have the option to ask writers to optimize their pages for a given keyword. If they do choose this option, they will also choose the keyword density level they want to use for their content.
When the titles are submitted to you as a writer, our system checks to make sure you use the keyword the correct number of times to fit within the given keyword density.
What if I can't fit the keyword into the content without sounding awkward?
While we try to incorporate basic search engine optimization principles into our system, in the end, we are writing for humans - not robots. It's more important to always write high quality content that builds trust with readers than optimizing the content to rank high.
Sometimes, you may find it impossible to use the keyword naturally in the body of the content. In these cases, we give you the ability to disable the keyword density requirement for a specific page. This way, you can change the keyword slightly to make it sound natural within the content.
Editing and Review
Are all pages reviewed by an editor?
No. Only pages that are ordered by one of our agency clients... and only if that agency chooses to have one of their editors review the page before sending it to their client.
Do Interact Media editors review/edit each page?
No. Interact Media only reviews the FIRST sample page you submit when applying, to assign you an initial rating. Our editors do NOT review or edit subsequent pages you submit for clients.
If a job you have accepted has an Editor Review stage, the content will be reveiwed by an editor who has been hired by the client or agency. THIS EDITOR IS NOT AN INTERACT MEDIA EDITOR. Therefore, all inquiries about editing must be directed to the editor/client. We cannot provide answers for page-specific questions.
How long before each page is reviewed/edited?
If the client is a direct client (not through an agency), there is no editorial process. The client reviews their own content. If the client is the child client of an agency, there are two reviews: one by the agency's editor, and another by the agency's client.
Clients have 5-7 business days to review content before it is auto-approved. The length of time depends on the client's account setting. If the editor or client request further revisions, you will be notified and will be given instructions about what changes are required. Once the page is approved by the client (or auto-approved), the funds will appear in your writer account and will be transferred to your PayPal account on, or within 3 days after, the next pay date (as shown in your My Earnings screen).
Direct clients must review content within 5-7 business days. However, if they request revisions, the total amount of time can extend beyond that. Also, if it’s an Agency client, the time for editing could be far greater as well since the agency editor AND client both review the content.
It is our policy not to interfere with projects, and we encourage you to contact your editor or client regarding project-specific issues. If you believe there is a problem, contact Support and we will research it.
Do I get paid for words that are edited out?
Writers are only paid for the amount of words that are approved by the client. During the review process, some of your content may be removed. You will not be paid for this content. The client will only pay for the amount of content that they can use.
Ratings
How do writer ratings work?
Your rating determines which (and how many) jobs are available to you. Clients set certain criteria for writer quality when posting their jobs in the system. In general, a higher writer rating means access to more available jobs.
Your initial rating is determined by Interact Media editors at the time of application. At that time, you will be assigned a rating of 2-5 stars. After that, your rating is determined by an average of both editor and client ratings over time.
Will missed deadlines and rejected content affect my rating?
No, the only factor that determines your rating is your average rating from editors and clients over time.
How do I increase my rating?
The only way to increase your rating is to consistently produce quality work.
Many writers find that they can increase their ratings by becoming a "favorite" writer for clients who like their work and rate them highly.
Communication
If I have a question or issue, who should I contact?If you find a system glitch or have any question about the software system, click the "Contact Support" link under the Support tab.
Interact Media cannot provide support for client projects. If you have a question about a project or page you're working on, please contact the client.
How do I contact/communicate with clients?
There are two ways to communicate with your clients:
1. Each client has his/her own profile which includes a private message board for private conversations. You can access client profiles by clicking on their client ID from Manage My Jobs screen or the My Clients screen.
2. In addition, you can also communicate with clients about page-specific matters on the page-specific message board located at the bottom of each page of content.
Can I put a job on hold while I wait for an answer?
Yes, you may put a job on hold. If you have a question for a client, leave a page-specific message then check the box indicating that you want to put the job on hold. This will stop the deadline clock until you receive an answer. Once the client answers the question the deadline clock will resume.
What if I have a tech support or billing question?
For all tech or billing issues, please contact support using the support tab in the top right of your account.
Remember that all messages related to a specific job or project must be directed to the client, not to support (for agency-managed jobs, the agency editor is the client). We cannot provide support involving specific client or project issues.
Content Rejection
What should I know about content rejection?
Clients have the right to reject content that does not suit their needs. If your content is rejected, it will go into your Not Approved folder and you will receive an email notification stating the reason for the rejection.
In the Marketplace, clients are trying out writers to determine who will be a good fit for their projects. Therefore, the first page that you write for a new client should be considered a sample page that may or may not be accepted. You are trying to prove yourself to that client so that they will add you to their Favorite Writer's List, and assign you more work in the future.
The Marketplace is designed to allow clients to try out writers until they find the ones who they want to work with. Likewise, writers can try out clients to find the ones they want to work for. Not every client will be a good fit for every writer and vice versa.
What happens to rejected content?
Writers are not paid for rejected content, and the client has no access to content that they have rejected. The rejected content remains in your Not Approved folder and is permanently accessible to you, to use for whatever purpose you choose.
You have full exclusive rights to rejected content and the client cannot use it or have access to it. You own this content until someone pays you for it.
Can I get anything for rejected content?
Clients have the option to offer writers a lower amount for rejected content, as an acknowledgement of time spent on the content. If the client chooses to do so, you will receive an email notification. You can then choose to accept the offer or reject it. If you accept, the content becomes the property of the client. If you reject, you retain ownership of the content.
Content Ownership
Do I retain ownership of the content I write?
Writers only retain ownership of content that is rejected by clients. The only exception to this is if you accept a client's offer of a reduced amount for the content. If your content gets rejected, it is returned to you in your Not Approved folder. You have full exclusive rights to it and the client cannot use it or have access to it. You own your content completely until someone pays you for it.
Content that is accepted and paid for by a client becomes the property of that client. You no longer own it and cannot use it in any way.
Right to Terminate
Can my account be terminated?
Interact Media reserves the right to terminate any writer account for reasons including, but not limited to:
reports of plagiarism
rude or inappropriate communications with clients, Support or on the forums
account fraud
client solicitation
any violation of the writer agreement
Account termination may occur without warning, and without regard for work that you have pending in the system. This means that any unapproved work in progress at the time of termination will not be paid. We strongly recommend that all applicants and writers in the network read the Writer Agreement and this FAQ before taking on jobs. Once an account is terminated by Interact Media, the writer may not re-apply.
Writers have the right to terminate their own accounts at any time, for any reason.
Affiliate Program
What is the affiliate program?
Our affiliate/referral program allows anyone, including writers, to refer companies or agencies to our platform and receive a commission of all the revenue generated by that referral. Refer them to Zerys, and if they sign up, you'll receive 10% of all revenue they spend with us for the entire lifetime of that client.
More information about the affiliate/referral program can be found here:
http://www.zerys.com/affiliate-referral-program/