Quiet times here at Constant Content?

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HiredGun
Posts: 311
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:45 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HiredGun »

UKWriter101 wrote: For me, the scrapping of usage rights has meant that sales of recently published articles have taken a major hit too.
If you like selling usage rights content, have you thought about posting pieces on platforms like Gumroad? You could sell full-rights content on Constant Content and usage-only content on Gumroad (or a similar platform). Best of both worlds? :)
UKWriter101
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 7:58 am

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by UKWriter101 »

HiredGun wrote:
UKWriter101 wrote: For me, the scrapping of usage rights has meant that sales of recently published articles have taken a major hit too.
If you like selling usage rights content, have you thought about posting pieces on platforms like Gumroad? You could sell full-rights content on Constant Content and usage-only content on Gumroad (or a similar platform). Best of both worlds? :)
Thanks for the tip! I haven't heard of this service before, so I'll definitely take a look. :-)
HiredGun
Posts: 311
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:45 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HiredGun »

UKWriter101 wrote:
HiredGun wrote:
UKWriter101 wrote: For me, the scrapping of usage rights has meant that sales of recently published articles have taken a major hit too.
If you like selling usage rights content, have you thought about posting pieces on platforms like Gumroad? You could sell full-rights content on Constant Content and usage-only content on Gumroad (or a similar platform). Best of both worlds? :)
Thanks for the tip! I haven't heard of this service before, so I'll definitely take a look. :-)
You're welcome. Since Constant Content no longer lets us sell usage rights articles, hopefully they don't mind me referring you to an alternative. Just do a web search for "sell digital downloads" and you'll find plenty of platforms. Gumroad is just one of many.

Still seeing PLENTY of usage rights sales in the 'recently sold' section of Constant Content, so clients definitely still want usage only. Guess they're just too much work to babysit for CC (bylines, etc.).
cherylannej
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 3:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by cherylannej »

I wasn't sure whether to begin a new thread for this, but it does fit into 'quiet times'.

I have not used CC for six years and I only have a dozen articles for sale, but two were approved earlier in the week and gained 9 and 5 views on the day after acceptance.

Since then, there have been no further views and I am wondering if this is a common pattern and roughly how many views--if it can be averaged--you'd expect before selling the article. Articles I wrote 6 years ago, only needed 5-10 views before selling, but has this changed?

Gumroad sounds interesting... good info, HiredGun.

Annie.
Gauderbock
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 8:26 am

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by Gauderbock »

I look at 10 views as an average before sale, but that's not scientific. And of course it can vary hugely either way...

When I had less articles in the catalogue I'd start reducing the prices if they got to 20 views without a sale, but tbh that just got too time consuming, so now I just set and forget...
cherylannej
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 3:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by cherylannej »

That's brilliant, Gauderbock. Thank you for answering my post!

I also started revising prices of one or two items and then had a cold moment of shock and horror, thinking 'what if this alteration sends the thing back into review'? I'm not even sure if altering the copy does that, but I assume so.
Lysis
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Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2009 2:08 pm
Contact:

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by Lysis »

I thought of this thread yesterday when I sold two articles. For me that's $180 in my pocket. Not a lot but I'm happy with a few sales a month when I'm not uploading anything. Then, I get a return today. It's BS considering I post the full text of my article so there aren't any surprises when you download.

I should probably check to see that they weren't stolen.

I had a private request yesterday too and the sale warmed me up a little, but meh gonna tell him no deal.
HiredGun
Posts: 311
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:45 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HiredGun »

HiredGun wrote:Sales might be better if there was an easy way for clients to search for articles within a specific writer's inventory. For clients who have previously purchased from a CC writer and like that person's writing style, it should be easy to search for a keyword/keyword phrase but limit their search to only one writer. Unless I'm missing something, I have yet to find a way to search within a writer's catalog. Scrolling through page after page of articles hoping to stumble upon niche-specific content isn't a viable solution for busy buyers (especially when their preferred writer has thousands of articles for sale on CC). :(
Just discovered a way for clients to search within a specific writer's catalog:
constant-content.com/area/browse.htm?start=0&author=44015&keywords=content marketing&docSearch=true

Replace the 44015 with your Constant Content writer number (find your number here: constant-content.com/account/referrals.htm) and change 'content marketing' to whatever topic your clients are looking for. All search results will be from your inventory of articles and not the entire Constant Content catalog. :D
HRDoubleU
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:52 am

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HRDoubleU »

I know that this thread was started in 2016, so I was wondering if things have improved. Is Constant Content a viable option for earning some cash or would my efforts be better used elsewhere?
HiredGun
Posts: 311
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:45 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HiredGun »

HRDoubleU wrote:I know that this thread was started in 2016, so I was wondering if things have improved. Is Constant Content a viable option for earning some cash or would my efforts be better used elsewhere?
Summer can be slow here. Now is an excellent time to beef up your catalog with seasonal content that will sell over the coming months (back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). You'll be amazed at how early seasonal content starts selling.
HRDoubleU
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:52 am

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HRDoubleU »

HiredGun wrote: Summer can be slow here... You'll be amazed at how early seasonal content starts selling.
Okay, but during non-summer months would you all say that you're making a regular income or more like extra spending money? I would really like to gauge just how much return I can expect to see from my efforts.
HiredGun
Posts: 311
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:45 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HiredGun »

HRDoubleU wrote:
HiredGun wrote: Summer can be slow here... You'll be amazed at how early seasonal content starts selling.
Okay, but during non-summer months would you all say that you're making a regular income or more like extra spending money? I would really like to gauge just how much return I can expect to see from my efforts.
That depends on numerous variables:
- how often you add new content
- topics you write about
- CC customers you build relationships with
- how you promote your inventory

Some writers make pocket change on Constant Content, while others earn significantly more. It all comes down to time, effort, and business development.
LMasterson
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:48 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by LMasterson »

HRDoubleU wrote:
HiredGun wrote: Summer can be slow here... You'll be amazed at how early seasonal content starts selling.
Okay, but during non-summer months would you all say that you're making a regular income or more like extra spending money? I would really like to gauge just how much return I can expect to see from my efforts.
Not every writer here has noticed a slow down in sales during the summer months. I can't say the money I earn here is my full-time income, but I can definitely say it's a healthy part of my regular income paid twice a month, so it's always handy. I have a number of private clients outside this platform and also submit work to print publications in various countries as well, so the amount I contribute here varies based on external workloads.

There are writers who frequent this forum who will happily tell you the sales and pay rates are better everywhere else outside of CC, but they always end up back on this site and posting on this forum, so it makes you wonder sometimes what's really happening and why they keep coming back if they find it so terrible here. There are also some very prolific writers on CC who *never* post on this forum, but who obviously sell huge amounts of work every month and continue to submit new content regularly. It's easy enough to search for those prolific writers by searching for various types of content by category. The same names pop up often and their profiles show massive sales numbers that keep growing each month.

I think HiredGun is correct. Those really prolific writers who sell lots of work tend to submit lots of articles regularly and play the numbers game. They submit across a range of categories, topics and price ranges, which attracts a variety of different clients. Many of those clients may become private clients over time, which could also account for those increasing sales figures on their profiles.

Take a look at some really prolific writers like beconrad (https://www.constant-content.com/Author ... ails-0.htm) or Word Gypsy (https://www.constant-content.com/Author ... ails-0.htm). I'm nowhere even remotely close to these guys, so I can only imagine what they earn. Much of my own income on CC comes from orders from various writer pools I'm in, private requests, and the occasional random article submitted to the catalog just because I felt like writing something different.

Every writer here has a different story. It's just a shame the forum is so quiet, otherwise I think we could learn plenty from those really successful writers here who sell a lot of articles on a regular basis.
HRDoubleU
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:52 am

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HRDoubleU »

Thank you for the in-depth response @LMasterson. You really gave me a lot of very useful information. I guess that I was just kind of put-off by the comments in this thread and the fact that the Recently Sold list always seems to have so few articles listed in it per day. It kind of made me wonder if the site was even a viable option for earning. However, after reading your comments, I can see that it's worth at least giving things a try.
HiredGun
Posts: 311
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:45 pm

Re: Quiet times here at Constant Content?

Post by HiredGun »

LMasterson wrote:
HRDoubleU wrote:
HiredGun wrote: Summer can be slow here... You'll be amazed at how early seasonal content starts selling.
Okay, but during non-summer months would you all say that you're making a regular income or more like extra spending money? I would really like to gauge just how much return I can expect to see from my efforts.
Not every writer here has noticed a slow down in sales during the summer months. I can't say the money I earn here is my full-time income, but I can definitely say it's a healthy part of my regular income paid twice a month, so it's always handy. I have a number of private clients outside this platform and also submit work to print publications in various countries as well, so the amount I contribute here varies based on external workloads.
That's why I said summer CAN be slow here, not that it IS slow here. :wink:

If you're looking at the Writing Ideas section (https://www.constant-content.com/accoun ... ontent.htm) to see what has sold, you won't find Private Requests that have sold. (Don't think Writer Pool sales are noted there either).

Category inventories can give you an idea of topics that aren't saturated (https://www.constant-content.com/account/categories.htm) and if you search by category here (https://www.constant-content.com/freela ... nt-writers), you will find who the most prolific writers are in each category (this doesn't necessarily mean who has the most sales, just who submits the most content in each category).

Best advice I can give is write about what you know and enjoy, bearing in mind who Constant Content's buyers are how Constant Content came to be in the first place.
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