If you are looking to make $1000 a week as a freelance writer and would love to write a wide variety of topics, Scripted.com is a great place to work!
For starters, and this is important, Scripted is very big on transparency. Where many sites hide what they are charging the actual clients, Scripted doesn’t. You know right upfront that you are making half of the money from the sale. They continue this transparency throughout their site and in regards to your interaction with the clients. You always know who you are writing for and how much you are going to be paid.
Because the most important thing on the mind of every writer is how much he or she is going to be paid, I’ll start with the minimum: $24.50 per 400-word article. If that sounds good, keep reading.
Ghostwriting
It’s important to note here that all of the articles you are writing you are selling to someone else and they will not generally carry your byline. This is Ghostwriting but at least it pays well. Some places actually want your byline and the client will request your permission to use it. You are free to decline if you wish.
Applying to Scripted
Applying to Scripted is quick, easy and completely painless. You just sign up. Basic information and you have an account. You can’t work until you apply to your specialties.
Scripted has the topics set up in different categories and you apply to each category individually. This may seem like a pain initially but one you start working it’s fantastic. Instead of wading through pages of topics that you have no interest in writing, you only see those for your specialty. You can apply to as many specialties as you want. Everything is covered here, from mechanics to gardening to law. If you have an interest it’s probably covered.
Once you select a specialty to apply to you will be taken to an application page. This is one of the greatest formats for applications on the Internet. In gives you the sub specialties and even shows you a sample of what they are looking for to help you prepare a sample.
You copy and paste a sample and, if it’s living somewhere on the Internet, you can also include a link. You hit the submit button and you wait for it to be reviewed. This is the only downside to Scripted; the review can take as long as two weeks.
You can only apply to each specialty once so be certain to submit a sample of your best work. Because of the delay in acceptance, consider applying to several specialties at once. Some are approved faster than others and you can get started while waiting for new permission to come on board. Note that you can only apply to a specialty once, so make sure each application is as good as possible.
Your Dashboard
Once accepted at Scripted you will have a writing dashboard. When you login to the site you will automatically be taken here. This dashboard is one of the best setups of any writing site I have seen. It has everything right at your fingertips. It even has a calendar that keeps track of your deadlines; how cool is that? When you click on pitches you see the available titles along with the format and pay rate.
Another click on your dashboard shows you what articles have been approved or where they are in the editing process. You will also be sent an email for article approval, editing and pitch acceptance.
Pitching a Topic
Once you have been accepted in a specialty you will automatically log into your dashboard and be able to select topics. When you find one that sounds interesting, click on it and you will find more information about the kind of article they want and anything in particular that they do or do not want listed. One series I worked on wanted prices included. One did not want any mention of trees.
If you have an idea for an article, you pitch the topic. After the information listed there are two blank boxes. One asks for the title you would give to the article. The other asks for a summary of what the article would include. One recent one I did was on living in luxury. I pitched the title of ‘The Most Luxurious Pet Spas in America’ and for the summary I wrote, “This post will discuss the most luxurious spas for pets in the US.” That was it and I was assigned the topic. You have a week after being assigned a topic to complete writing it. You can actually get bonus points for completing the assignment ahead of schedule. These points can put you in the running for early notification of top assignments.
Interestingly, and going back to transparency, other accepted pitches for the topic will generally be listed below the pitch box. Most clients contract for several articles at a time and this is a great way to see what is being accepted and can give you a better idea of what the client is looking for in a pitch. It’s also possible to submit more than one pitch per topic.
Writing Your Article
You can write your article in Word and copy/paste it into the writing platform but this isn’t necessary. Scripted employs an automatic save feature that prevents losing your work. It also counts your words for you. Once you reach the minimum you can submit the article. Some articles request photos and you can insert photos into the text easily.
It’s extremely important to read the instructions again after your pitch is selected. The client may have made changes or may have left you a message. Sometimes they like your pitch but prefer you use a specific angle or even source for your information. You will save time by double-checking this information before you start.
Off to the right of the writing area is a message box so you can dialogue with your editor and the client. This is unique because in most cases the client and writer never interact; the site acts as a go-between.
The Scripted Editing Process
After you submit the article it goes in for internal review. This is essentially a check for originality and then it’s sent for review to the client. If the client requests edits then they will tell you what it is that they need to have fixed. You have 5 days to complete the edits.
This is where it gets really interesting: Scripted respects writers. If the client rejects the article, Scripted reviews it and if they decide that you met the criteria you will be paid at least half of the promised accepted rate. This is often called a kill-fee. Scripted is unique in this, I haven’t seen any other site that pays writers for rejected work.
Scripted is also a stickler for deadlines on both sides. You are expected to meet your deadline and so is the client. Scripted will automatically approve your article 3 days after you submit it unless the client has requested edits. You will be automatically approved 3 days after edits as well. Most of the time the clients approve your articles within 24 hours.
The editors are great and will often defer to the writer if you can explain why you are presenting something in a particular way. Often the clients are as well because they might not have thought of a particular issue before. There is great communication here, take advantage of it. However, it’s still important to remember that at the end of the day the client is right. If they insist, go ahead and do it the way that they want.
Writing Formats
There are several writing formats on Scripted based on what a specific client wants. What this amounts to in practical terms for the writer is that some articles are longer than others; the longer the article, the higher the pay.
The smallest format is the short blog post, which runs 400 words. White papers can be as much as 25,000 words. The 400 word blog posts are a minimum of $24.50. Most posts average between $30 and $45. It doesn’t take long to earn serious money on Scripted.
Getting Paid
Every Friday. Ok, now that I have that out of the way, here is how it works: You are paid through Paypal every Friday for all approved articles that week and Scripted pays the Paypal fees. This is important: You must use your Paypal address as your email address on Scripted. That is where they send your money. No exceptions.
As a personal note and because some people wonder, when I say you get paid on Friday I mean early on Friday. I’m generally paid by 4am central time.
Tips on Working with Scripted
- Sign up for as many different specialties as you can. This gives you more options and ensures that you have a steady supply of topics.
- Pay attention to deadlines. Scripted expects you to meet them.
- Pay attention to client requests. This makes the entire process easier on everyone. If you need clarification or have a question about a request, use the comment area to ask it well before the deadline.
