Thanks for checking out my OnlineWritingJobs.com review.
Have you ever met a writer who doesn’t dream of working from home… or from a coffee shop or a beach? Some content providers can make that dream a reality, but others use it to fuel excitement and rip you off.
Which kind of content provider is OnlineWritingJobs? Are they a scam or a legit place to kickstart your writing career? In this review I’ll go into detail and discuss the following topics…
- What Is OnlineWritingJobs?
- Is OnlineWritingJobs a Scam?
- How Does It Work?
Writer Categories
SEO Content
Copywriting
Bloggers and Influencers
Subject Specific Experts
Registration
Requirements
Writing for OnlineWritingJobs.com
OnlineWritingJobs Pay
Tips - OnlineWritingJobs Reviews and Complaints
- What I Like
- What I Don’t Like
- Final Thoughts
Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not a member or an affiliate for OnlineWritingJobs.com. This review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not to apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info
What Is OnlineWritingJobs?
OnlineWritingJobs is a content provider (also known as a content mill or farm) who matches freelance writers with clients who range from independent bloggers to large businesses. Like Freedom With Writing and Textbroker, they help freelance writers find jobs.
Founded in 2006 and located in New York, they were once known as QualityGal but rebranded themselves when they secured the domain name onlinewritingjobs.com.
Is OnlineWritingJobs a Scam?
No, OnlineWritingJobs is not a scam but there are a few reasons they may get mistaken for one.
The first is that some might be confusing onlinewritingjobs.com with online–writing–jobs.com (using dashes between words) which are two different websites and two different companies.
I’m not familiar with the other company (online–writing–jobs.com) and I can’t say if they’re a scam or not (as the reviewer suggests). To be fair, their website looks legit and as far as I know, they are too… but clearly some people disagree.
The second reason is that the concept of making money online often seems like a scam. It’s still a mystery to many and when you tell your friends you make money online, they're intrigued, but they also look at you strangely… as if you said you saw bigfoot or a UFO. 😀
They may also get defensive, thinking you’re about to sell them something… an experience I'm familiar with.
The third reason, and this is just my personal opinion, is that their website looks a little dated. I’m biased because I review so many products and programs… but it seems that more often than not, when I see a website that looks like it hasn't been updated in the last ten years (like this one), it turns out to be a scam.
But that’s not the case here. OnlineWritingJobs is completely legit.
How Does It Work?
There are four specific categories you can apply for.
Writer Categories
- SEO Content
- Copywriting
- Bloggers and Influencers
- Subject Specific Experts
SEO Content
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a unique style of content that most writers are not accustomed to. It requires that you understand and know how to use keywords when you write. Knowledge of external links and anchor text is also helpful.
Copywriting
Good copywriters drive sales. They understand emotional triggers and use the “tools” of persuasion and pre-suasion. Copywriters also work with clients to establish and strengthen brands using a unique and consistent “voice”.
Bloggers and Influencers
When writing for bloggers and influencers, being knowledgeable about their niche is key. If you’re a fitness writer for example, you probably won't want to write for a financial blog. A degree in a specific field is a huge advantage… allowing you to pump out article after article with minimum research.
Subject Specific Experts
Similar to writing for a blog, “industry” specific projects are another avenue. An electrical company for example may require an electrician to write content for their website or newsletters, or a dentist may need someone to write monthly emails for their patients. Product descriptions can fall into this category as well.
Registration
Like most content mills, writers will need to register by filling out an application and submitting a writing sample… but there’s a twist here.
OnlineWritingJobs will pay you $10 if your writing sample is accepted. I don’t think I’ve seen that before…
Currently, they are requesting that you write a 500 word description for New York Yankees flags, banners, and pennants, specifically optimized for search engines and using your best copywriting skills.
The website you’re writing for is Gettysburg Flagworks but depending on when you’re reading this, that may change from time to time.
OnlineWritingJobs also requires that you submit a W9 tax form, valid ID, and proof of US residency with your application.
Additional writing samples you would like send in are optional.
According to their website, your application will be processed within 1-3 business days, and if you’re not accepted right away they’ll hold your application for 90 days. If you’re still not hired, you can reapply again 6 months from the date your original application was rejected.
Requirements
All experience levels are welcome to apply, however… you need to be at least 18 years old and a US resident.
Of course, you’ll also need a computer, internet connection, and a comfortable (distraction free) place to write.
Writing for OnlineWritingJobs.com
Finding Jobs – Projects are not assigned to you at OnlineWritingJobs. Instead, you choose the projects you’d like to work on.
On one hand it’s nice to have that choice. On the other, it’s a pain if you’re constantly competing for the popular topics.
Editorial Review – Content submissions must go through a strict editorial review and some writers say they’ve had articles turned down for minor punctuation or spelling errors.
Of course, a minor error might be the reason “they believe” their work was rejected… it’s also entirely possible it just wasn’t good.
Deadlines – You will also be working with deadlines which vary by project. Your content must be submitted by 3pm Eastern Time on the date it's due and you won’t be paid if your submission is late.
Clients – Another challenge is that you can’t communicate with clients directly.
In fact, OnlineWritingJobs does not disclose who the client is, and you’ll be asked to sign an agreement stating that you will not work with the client directly if you find out who they are (using a Copyscape search for example).
Support – For writers who have a day job, it may be difficult to contact customer support as they are only there Monday through Friday between 8 am and 5 pm Eastern Time.
OnlineWritingJobs Pay
According to OnlineWritingJobs, pay-per-project ranges between $10 and $27. I’m a skeptic when it comes to a company’s word on income expectations, but it’s the only thing we have to go on. I couldn’t find any OnlineWritingJobs members who have enough experience to provide additional income information,.
As far as method of pay and frequency, OnlineWritingJobs pays every Friday by check or through PayPal. It’s not automatic though. You’ll have to invoice them as you would a regular client.
Tips
- When writing your 500-word sample you can read what others have written. Your task is to write specifically for a product category on Gettysburg Flagworks’ website which has hundreds of other flags with descriptions you can draw inspiration from… many of which may have been written by other OnlineWritingJobs applicants.
- Earning decent money as a freelance writer requires speed and efficiency. Editing tools like Grammarly are worth investing in. A timer and anti-distraction apps like FocusMe can also help you become more effective with your time.
- Another tip, which may seem obvious (but took me a long time to learn from experience) is to set up your work space to promote proper posture. Don’t spend hours upon hours (and months upon months) hunched over a laptop screen. A large external monitor at eye-level with an ergonomically correct keyboard may seem unnecessary if you’re just getting started… but after a few hundred thousand words… your back, neck and shoulders will be thanking you. 🙂
OnlineWritingJobs Reviews and Complaints
There’s not much chatter online when it comes to OnlineWritingJobs. Usually you can find hundreds, if not thousands of reviews on sites like Glassdoor or Trustpilot… but it's strangely quiet when it comes to these guys…
There’s a small community on their social media pages such as Google+ and you can find some comments there, as well as recommended resources such as writing for SEO or the proper use of punctuation.
There are also writer testimonials that OnlineWritingJobs has put on their website. But, as much as I’d like to say they’re true (and maybe they are)… they aren't really helpful for this review.
Because OnlineWritingJobs is a relatively generic term, there may be some confusion when searching for and reading reviews. For example, you may land on Write App Reviews or Paid Online Writing Jobs.
What I Like
- Choose your own assignments.
- Weekly pay.
- All experience levels are welcome.
What I Don’t Like
- Only available to US writers.
- You can’t communicate directly with clients.
- Support is limited to weekday hours.
- No passive income potential when writing for someone else. You only get paid once for each assignment.
Final Thoughts
I usually recommend writing for yourself rather than someone else, but pay-per-project has its advantages.
The pay comes sooner and whether it’s full-time or a side hustle, you can do it whenever and wherever you want.
I wouldn’t recommend OnlineWritingJobs as your only income source, but it could definitely be one of them. A successful freelance strategy depends on opportunity, and the more doors you can open, the better… and there are hundreds of opportunities out there.
I appreciate you stopping by to check out my review of OnlineWritingJobs and if you have any comments, questions, or experience with them… please share in the comments section below.
I like to know the name of the company, am going to work before signing the contract for security purposes on my side to search if the company is legit or scam.
I don’t believ that it is real that you can get money online, so that is way i’m here.
Hello this site explained a lot and helped with my curiosity about if this is a scam or not. What I would like to know is how do you cancel if your not happy with the way things are working and how do they take there payment after your member ship enrolment is it by your credit information or off your pay cheque that you would earn for writing. I received an email from this company so I want to be sure before I decided on taking this opportunity. Thank you 🙏🏽
Hi Amanda, I’m not certain I understand your question. If you’re a content writer working for OnlineWritingJobs, they should not have your credit information, nor should they be charging you for anything. I might be misunderstanding or misreading your comment and question though.
What is your company name
The company online job writers is fake are real… Clarify my doubt..
Please read the review
Thanks for clearing my doubts.
“No passive income potential when writing for someone else. You only get paid once for each assignment.”
I don’t understand this explanation, Who is “someone else”? How could you get paid more than once for an assignment?
Hi Joe, that’s a great question. What I mean by getting paid only once when you’re writing for someone else is that they pay you a flat rate to write something… an article or email for example. Once it’s written and they pay your for it, your job is done.
Now, if you compare that to a book author or blogger for example (which is writing for yourself rather than someone else), you can earn passive income by getting paid many times over for the work you do. An author only needs to write a book once to get paid over and over for many years. When a blogger writes an article, that article can bring in traffic for many months or even years, and if monetized properly will generate income over and over again. But the author/blogger only had to write it once.
And to be a little more specific, what I mean by “writing for yourself” is that you are the boss. The actual content you are writing is still written for someone else. An author writes a book for others to read. A blogger writes articles for their audience.
However, when you treat your writing as a business, you are the boss (the business owner) and are therefore working for yourself and your writing then has the potential to create passive income.
Hope that helps and thanks for reaching out and taking the time to ask your question 🙂
Online writing jobs is TERRIBLE. They may not be a scam, but there are NEVER any jobs available. I’ve been a member for over a year now. After spending several hours writing their initial trial article about a state flag, in order to gain acceptance to the site, I have NEVER once been able to log in and find any work available. They offer the $10 pay for the first article if you are accepted, but you can only collect it once you bill for your first project. Total waste of time. It is a horrible site.
We’re sorry you haven’t been able to pick up work, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any. Like with any business, our workload ebbs and flows based on what our clients need: Sometimes, we have lots of work, and sometimes, it’s a bit quieter. We do post new projects regularly, though when it’s relatively quiet, they tend to get snapped up quickly.