3 Reasons to Reconsider Textbroker in 2015
Ah, Textbroker. If you’ve spent any time working as a freelancer, you’ve likely heard the name tossed around, often with a few expletives thrown in for good measure. Few sites have as many detractors as Textbroker, the once-thriving content mill that has watched a large portion of its market share dissipate over the course of the past few years. While there is no question Textbroker no longer enjoys the success of its heyday, the platform continues to attract new users and many amateur freelancers wonder whether or not Textbroker is still worth trying in 2015.
A large segment of the population will tell you not to go anywhere near the beast with a ten foot pole, but I happen to think Textbroker can still be useful. Consider the following three reasons I encourage freelancers not to overlook the aging platform.
1. Direct Orders Still Offer Earning Potential
It should come as little surprise that striking it rich on Textbroker is nothing more than a pipe dream, but Direct Orders can generate a substantial chunk of change. Of course, the only way to show clients what you’ve got is to jump in headfirst and start churning out content. Before you jump at the first opportunity to write a blog crammed with keywords, however, I’d certainly advise taking some time to pick your targets. Choose clients with detailed instructions and write about more complicated subject matters—if you do the job well, you could find your inbox is full of direct order requests. At $25 for every 500 words or so, these orders are nothing to sneeze at.
2. Translations Pay Top Dollar
If you’ve got foreign language chops under your belt, you could be earning a significant amount of pocket change translating on Textbroker. Translation services are one of the lesser-known options Textbroker offers to its clients. I’ve performed a couple of translations on Textbroker, transforming text from French to English. My last project was just over a year ago, when I was contacted by a member of Textbroker’s team to see if I would be available for one of these translation assignments. As you can see, I earned a cool $257 performing a translation that took me about two hours…that’s over $125/hour!
3. Plenty of Clients Still Use Team Orders
I don’t necessarily pay a lot of attention to Textbroker on a daily basis, but I do feel surprised when I get a notification that a team I joined years ago has jobs available. In some cases, Team Orders pay $.07 $.08, and $.09/word. Are you going to buy a luxury car with those earnings? Certainly not—but I can’t really fault a client that pays $45 for a quick blog post.
I’m not advising anybody try to start a freelance career using Textbroker tomorrow, and certainly, much of the criticism directed at the system is well-deserved…but I think the platform still offers earning opportunities beyond the $3 or $4/article most people associate with the service.
What are your thoughts? Am I totally crazy or would you consider logging on for a gander at Textbroker’s latest offers from time to time?