Three Reasons Not To Buy From A Content Mill

I’ve seen a lot of businesses who look to get cheap content from a so-called content mill. These are websites or businesses that offer blog posts and website pages for cheap prices. While costs are important to consider in any business, you must also think of other factors when outsourcing tasks.

In my opinion there are several reasons why you shouldn’t buy products from content mills. If you are thinking about it, here is some food for thought.

1. Low Cost = Less Time Spent On Content

When you start a business, it’s always about how much your time is worth. This creates the basis of your pricing strategy. The same theory needs to be used for your purchases. When a content mill charges you 2.5 pence a word, the writer might only get one pence per word.

For a 600-word article, that means the writer is being paid just ￡6. Let’s assume that the writer works for minimum wage, that means they will only spend 48 minutes on your writing. This must include researching, writing, editing, and delivering your content - a lot to fit in within such a short timeframe.

However, the average copywriter working for a company can be paid ￡10.93 per hour. Therefore, if they want to maintain those earning potentials, your writer is probably spending 33 minutes or less on your piece.

This isn’t long enough for any writing to be delivered to a high enough standard. In our experience a standard piece of writing should take at least two hours to complete, if not more.

2. You Don’t Know Who Is Writing Your Article

One of the most important decisions you should make when choosing a copywriter is knowing the person who will put pen to paper. This relationship will eventually determine the success or failure of your projects.

When you start on content mills, often you don’t have a choice of writer. It is the first writer to come along who writes your piece.

This can sometimes be successful, but it might not be.

In addition, content mill writers can sometimes be a little less reliable for long-term contracts. Therefore, you should consider whether you are looking for a one-off piece or a service that is more consistent.

Long-term relationships offer several benefits for your brand. Also, having these relationships allows you to call the writer and speak about the piece and describe ways you would like to see it improved. While interaction is allowed through content mills, it is often less fluid.

In addition to this, because you have little control over the person writing your content, it can mean that you can have a writer who has limited knowledge of your niche. This can mean that your articles fail to demonstrate your brands expertise and your blog could become too generic.

3. You’re Paying A Middleman For Little Work

Let’s be honest, when you have a middleman in a relationship there’s going to be challenges. The problem with content mills, is that the actual mill does little work. They have an automated system that collects the information from you, sends it to the writer, collects their work and then delivers it to you.

Generally, their work is associated with paying the writers and marketing their services. They add little value to your content – but you are paying them a lot of money.

It’s not like when you hire an insurance broker to look after your business insurance. In that case, the insurance broker is legally obligated to provide you with accurate information. If they don’t, they could be fined or taken to court. That is why brokers charge for their services – they offer value to the products you are buying.

If you don’t get the best writer or content, the content mill doesn’t lose a thing – not even time. Is that something you want to be paying for?

Do You Want To Buy From A Content Mill?

Content mills aren’t the best investment if you are looking for content. They tend to be staffed by writers who are on poor rates or willing to write content they have limited knowledge about. In some cases, those on content mills are not native speakers, therefore the quality of their writing is poor.

Instead, you should look for a professional writing company. You might have to pay more, but it is worth the investment in the long-term, when you realise you have better quality articles and a relationship that delivers results.