Top quality content is vital to the success of your marketing in 2022. In 2021, 82% of marketers were actively using content marketing, a 70% increase from the prior year. And with blog articles continuing to be a primary form of content, having access to custom-written content has never been more essential to a successful marketing strategy.
Finding the time to produce that top-notch content, of course, is nearly impossible. The good news? You’re not alone: most marketers outsource content creation. Which means that, alongside the rise of content marketing, there has been major growth in the number of platforms and services available to provide folks with outstanding content.
As a leader in content creation, we’ve written hundreds of thousands of articles for a wide variety of clients across nearly every topic and industry. We know better than anyone what high-quality content looks like in today’s saturated world of content.
We also know there’s no single best solution for everyone, which is why we look at the pros and cons of each option to help you find the best service for your business needs.
What is Content Writing?
As you might guess, content writing is an incredibly broad (and somewhat vague) term. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll define it as developing any type of written content that helps to execute your content marketing strategy. Often, this is content that will be optimized for search engines, making it easier for your target audience to find relevant content and web pages.
A wide range of writing types fall into this definition, including:
- Blogging
- Landing pages and website content
- Copywriting for ads and social media posts
- eCommerce product descriptions
- Long-form content, like white papers and case studies
- Press releases and other media relations efforts
Across all these types, content marketing offers invaluable benefits to brands, such as increasing audience trust and improving conversion optimization. Fully taking advantage of these benefits, however, requires finding the right content platform to partner with.
You’re Looking for a Platform
Although freelancers – either through individual contracts or within large marketplaces – are potential options for outsourcing content creation, it’s likely working with a content creation platform is your best bet.
Individual freelancers bring a personalized touch to the table, but they can create mountains of contractor paperwork and have limited bandwidth to support you as your needs grow. Large marketplaces (like Fiverr or Upwork) are cheaper and take paperwork off your plate, but offer no potential for long-term engagement and little quality control.
Content creation platforms are a Goldilocks solution: a marketplace for your writing needs, but with the potential to build long-term relationships and at least some quality control thrown in.
| Pros of Using a Content Platform | Cons of Using a Content Platform |
| Full suite of writing services, from SEO websites to blog writing and more. | Often the most expensive option. |
| A pool of writers that allows for faster turnarounds and more volume. | Less flexibility if you get locked into a contract based on specific volume. |
| Value-added services, like editing, plagiarism checks and formatting. | Finding the right service can be complicated if you don’t know what you need yet. |
| A single contract that simplifies paperwork. |
All content creation platforms work a little differently, and they all have nuances we’ll describe in more detail below. But they all have in common the potential for long-term, regular engagement, often executed via a pool of writers that takes care of your copywriting needs.
The Top 8 Online Content Writing Services
1. Verblio
Overview: At Verblio, we truly believe in the power of content marketing – which informs everything about the way our platform is structured. From the start, businesses create their account with detailed instructions for the type of content they need, including their industry and brand nuances. Next, our pool of 3,000+ writers is able to browse and compete for available topics, with editing and rejection options available for the business prior to purchase and payment. Our value-added services include anything from topic brainstorming to SEO formatting to video content, providing you with the flexibility to get what you need.
Pricing: Our pricing model is flexible, and it’s based on agency and enterprise brackets. While a minimum order starts at $100, subscription plans are also available based on word length and volume.
With so many writers available Verblio has someone who’s worked in almost every industry under the sun available. When I’ve had very specific needs I’ve been able to reach out to the Verblio team, and they’ve been able to help me find someone who knew exactly about the subject we needed.
I also very much like the ability to get submissions from multiple writers for a single piece and then buy only the one we like best. It makes content creation a little more economical when we’re not having to pay to wait for rewrites or pay for something that’s going to have to be heavily edited in-house.
Verdict: Our service is truly subscription-oriented, optimized for those businesses who regularly need new and varying content. Our extensive pool of strong, vetted writers makes Verblio an excellent choice for companies in any niche seeking quality content on a regular basis.
2. Writer Access
Overview: As with many content creation services, Writer Access offers a wide range of digital marketing content created by US-based writers. Writers are ranked via a star system, with higher-quality freelancers costing more per word and submission. Clients can also view writer portfolios to ensure they are selecting the correct writer for their needs.
Pricing: The basic subscription plans start at $39 per month, and this does not include the price per word of the pieces you buy. Typically, per-word rates are negotiated by the writer, and they can range from $0.02 to $1 and more per word.
I now have a couple of excellent writers through WriterAccess who can match my knowledge in my website niche. I’m scaling up without losing the quality my readers expect. Honestly, I can now give them an assignment as simple as “give me an article like the last one, except with this new focus,” and it comes to my email in great shape. It’s like magic!
Verdict: A great, accessible, and affordable way to hire out and scale up your content efforts. Performance ratings help inform you of writer quality, while the Copyscape integration helps deter plagiarism. Writer Access requires a higher level of client involvement thanks to its writer-level negotiations, but it is still a solid solution overall.
3. ContentWriters.com
Overview: Launched in 2013, ContentWriters is one of the oldest dedicated content writing services around. Thus, the company has leveraged its longevity to refine its processes for writer vetting and client services. Individual assignments are created and claimed on an ad hoc basis: upon submitting an order for an article and paying the fee, it’s made available for assignment. Each submission gets two revisions, and refunds are only provided after revisions if there is something tangibly wrong with the content.
Pricing: Self-service articles start at $99 per piece of content. Alternatively, the managed service alternative adds dedicated account management, unlimited revisions, and other perks. Pricing is customized for each individual client.
The onboarding system for projects is extremely simple and minimal – it requires no confirmation on the backend, just filling out all the information you’d like to give the writer and the blog shows up a few days later, as expected.
Verdict: The self-service option is great if you require flexibility and aren’t sure how many pieces of content you need per month. For true quality control and consistent content throughput, the managed service subscription is a must – and might get expensive.
4. Crowd Content
Overview: On Crowd Content, the name of the game is flexibility. Writers are ranked based on a star system, with content ranging significantly in price (and quality) based on which writers you want to work with. You can get any type of written content you need, from press releases to single tweets. To get started, you simply have to add some funds to your account, then place an order. Next, one of the 6,000 available writers will claim it and get to work.
Pricing: The most commonly used model is the Marketplace model, where you pay between $0.02 and $0.12 per word based on the writer’s rated quality. You can also sign up for the enterprise-level managed service platform, with custom quotes available upon request.
I’ve worked with Crowd Content Marketplace platform as well as Enterprise support for a number of years and with a number of websites. I have been constantly impressed by the quality they bring to my SEO ventures.
From accounts that needed 50+ articles a month to several thousand-word articles that required specialized research and writing, Crowd Content has been able to meet my copywriting needs. Working with their enterprise support has been an absolute pleasure.
Verdict: Crowd Content’s biggest benefit is the size of its writer pool, which makes it a good fit for niche industries and clients seeking a high volume of content. The per-article pricing model is great to try out the platform without a major commitment. While the company has received some mixed reviews on third-party sites like G2, it has worked with large clients such as HomeAdvisor, 3M, and Lowes.
5. Word Agents
Overview: Compared to some of the above services, Word Agents is focused on niche content. Just over 500 writers produce content for this service, working through a streamlined process that promises delivery in seven days or less. The writers here specialize in blog, web, eCommerce, and SEO content. Because of its focus on niche content, the scope tends to be smaller, but the platform promises to make up for it with high-quality content.
Pricing: Word Agents structures its pricing based on word counts. A 1,000-word article costs $120, while a 20,000-word order will cost $1,200 for a one-time purchase. Alternatively, clients can sign up for monthly subscriptions at the same levels, resulting in a 5% discount per month.
The team at WordAgents was a pleasure to work with; they delivered exactly what Vin promised and on-time – a big plus as a link building agency owner. The quality of their writer’s work was better than I expected and their writers also took feedback and direction extremely well on pieces they needed help with, a very refreshing thing to see in the current content marketplace.
I’ve used them to also write content for my own affiliate and business sites and would highly recommend them to anybody that needs to outsource their content writing!
Verdict: Where many content delivery services shine with volume, Word Agents focuses on personalized, white-glove service. The founder directly works with both clients and writers, making this a great service if you’re just starting out in the content game or have a limited volume to turn around.
6. Compose.ly
Overview: SEO is the focus area for Compose.ly. The platform markets all of its content as search-engine friendly, and even its case studies highlight exactly how current and former clients have seen increased search traffic as a result of their partnership. The company allows content orders for blog posts, articles, product descriptions, press releases, newsletters, and white papers. Word counts range from 200 to 10,000.
Pricing: If you’re just getting started, Compose.ly offers a per-project option that starts at $75 for a single, 500-word blog post. The platform encourages the managed service subscription, which comes with a dedicated team of writers as well as a client-side manager, along with keyword research and analysis, all for a whopping $999/month and up.
Compose.ly is my go-to for long form content. I’ve trusted them with some of my most strategic organic content plays for years now. Their writers are dependable, attentive, fast, skilled, and adaptive — attributes you don’t see with most content resources. I would (and have) recommended them to anyone in need of skilled copywriters.
Verdict: Compose.ly becomes expensive quickly. However, if you’re in need of regular, long-form content to strategically enhance your content marketing strategy, that high price is a good investment. If you need to try it out before committing to the subscription, the one-time order is a great way to get a sense of the writing quality and client experience on the platform.
7. ConstantContent
Overview: One of the big names in the writing services space, ConstantContent’s offering is unique in that you can do more than order custom content. Clients also have access to an archive of more than 100,000 pieces of pre-written articles, which they can purchase if it fits their industry and niche. Volume is ConstantContent’s selling card, thanks to more than 100,000 writers. Their value-added services include a team of editors that checks content before clients see it and a partnership with Shutterstock that provides access to relevant images.
Pricing: Because “every piece of content is unique,” ConstantContent doesn’t have a set price per word. A pre-written 500-word article is around $40, while custom content averages around $120 and can go up to $250. Writers have the freedom to set their prices here, giving it a wide variety of pricing options.
As a purchaser, I love the site. It gives me great, unique content for my blogs. Of course, the articles need fine-tuning, so I don’t purchase them expecting them to be post-ready, but, when you are having writer’s block, these articles can jump start your creativity and get you on the right track… I love that I can preview the article before I buy it to ensure I like the author’s writing style and can work with the content.
Verdict: ConstantContent offers a great compromise on volume and price. The pre-written article archive is especially useful if you’re working on a limited budget that makes some other options on this list difficult to afford. The per-piece ordering process makes it easy to check the quality before committing to larger orders.
8. Express Writers
Overview: Compared to most other services on this list, Express Writers is a boutique shop. A cadre of about 100 writers delivers content for blogs, web pages, email copy, social media posts, press releases, or what the company calls “authority content.” The setup for clients is similar to an eCommerce site, where you select your type of content and submit your order. Next, your content is shared with the group of writers, and they get to work. Express Writers guarantees content quality through an extensive vetting process for its writers that includes submitting a resume and writing samples.
Pricing: The price you’ll pay for your content depends largely on the type of content you order. Blogs, for instance, start at $0.09/word, while authority content goes up from $0.30/word. You can also select specific content packages, like the website launch package for $1,400.
You get what you pay for — and you also get what you put in. We had well-developed content strategies and briefs for each piece, and Express Writers delivered to a T. Very happy with the results. Their leadership and management team really cares. Make sure you know your content goals and are ready to send in detailed briefs and guidance.
Verdict: On a per-word basis, you’ll pay more at Express Writers than most (if not all) services on this list. In exchange, you get the client treatment you’d expect from a boutique shop, with direct and personal attention to guarantee the content quality is excellent. The wide range of content and pricing packages available are great for businesses and agencies looking to expand their content strategy.
Finding the Content Writing Service to Meet Your Needs
There you have it. Finding an online content creation platform is about more than simply seeking out the best one. It’s about finding an option that best matches your situation. Here’s the thing, though: that best option might end up being Verblio.
And if it is, why hide it? Instead, you can learn how our platform works in under two minutes, or see how we stack up against other platforms like those mentioned here.
Whether you just need a 300-word article or a suite of white papers, we can help. So let’s get started.
