Writing for content generators can be a nice little handful of cash in a pinch, but it’s worth considering if the work involved is worth it in the long-term.

Before we roll up our sleeves, what is a content generator you might be asking? Generally, those are publishing mediums that put out content on a regular basis, whether it is a print magazine or online, a regular blog, a newspaper or journal – you get the idea. It’s a publisher of some kind that generates (prints/releases) new content on a regular basis.

*Whatever you write, make sure you have a contract with the publisher that clearly defines what your rights are for everything that you submit.

• Is there an exclusivity period? For how long?
• Where is your work being printed? In what countries or territories is your work available?
• Are exclusivity rights specific to a particular region?
• Is there any consideration for royalties? (Don’t count on it.)

Whatever the terms are, make sure you understand every sentence of that contract, and make sure that you are happy with it before you sign and submit.

The Pros

Generally speaking, writing articles is a fairly easy way to get content in the world and be paid for it. It’s a fantastic way to start building a name for yourself and developing some experience while gaining a track record of publication. If you are the sort of writer that’s self-conscious about people reading your work, I can think of no better opportunity to make yourself do it then when you submit a query on a whim, they say yes, and then you have a deadline hanging over your head with an editor that you don’t want to disappoint.

As in Benefits of Blogging, and Writing Short Stories and Articles, writing articles is fantastic practice for developing your craft, including focus and revision skills.

Depending on the topics that you write about and your credentials, the pay can vary from 7 cents a word to as much as 25 cents per word or more, with wiggle room around the spectrum. So, that could mean an article could pull in anywhere from $70 to $400 depending on the length and rate. If you can push an article out everyday, it doesn’t take a math wizard to see the potential for a decent side hustle.

Each article, because they are shorter in length, also gives you the writer a lot more opportunity to diversify the things that you write about. If you’re anything like me, you like writing about lots of different things, which means that as a freelance writer for magazines/journals, you could be writing about yoga, animals, your favorite sport, local organizations, whatever sets your heart on fire provided an editor says yes.

Writing these pieces is also a fun way to regularly get new work in the world that you can share and show off to friends and family. They do well to pad the resume, and can make your LinkedIn profile look like you’re keeping busy.

The Cons

After you’ve started getting a few articles in the world, you start to appreciate creating written work that is scalable for the long term. Most content generators will pay you a one-time fee for your articles, often with a short-term exclusivity period (ex: 3 months), and then they withhold the right to feature it and display it beyond that. But once the exclusivity period is overwith, you are allowed to publish it elsewhere. (Make sure the contract is clear, and that you obey the terms.)

Especially in the digital age, once you have written an article for, say, an online magazine, that online magazine (most likely) has the rights to keep your work on their website indefinitely for no extra cost.

So essentially, you get paid once, but they can use your work for their own gain and marketing for years to come, and the publisher will more than likely have wordage in the contract that defines as much.

So as you can see, writing for content generators does not contribute to a scalable income. Creating scalable income is creating work that will continue to work for you and generate a profit for you in the years going forward. Articles such as these are more of the “one and done” type.

After a while, writing articles can start to wear on you simply because there is no long-term gain from it, and you have to keep writing new articles to continue making profit. Very easily, it gets discouraging and can lead to a burnout, or you simply run out of ideas. And then what?

If you write enough content in the same genre or topic, you could theoretically start collecting them into some kind of a book, but you would have to confirm the terms of the contract will not be violated by doing so.

After weighing the pros and cons, I strongly feel that getting a few articles out is excellent practice for new writers, and especially for those who want to become staff writers. The street cred is great to have, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to practice querying and getting over nerves about the publishing process in general. If you are new to writing and publishing, there is no greater feeling in the world than seeing your name in print for the first time, so if you’ve had an idea that you’ve been thinking of pitching to that magazine that you love, if you were waiting for a sign from the universe to submit your query, this is it.

Have I missed any pros and cons that you can think of from your own experiences? Leave them in the comments!