Contently: Topnotch Content Marketplace for Writers

What is Contently?

Contently is a marketplace that connects companies looking for copy with writers willing and able to produce it.

How it works

To start, you register, posting a profile, which includes links to your past work.

The site’s editors then evaluate your qualifications. If the site’s editors think you’re qualified to write for one of their clients, they will contact you with the offer and details.

Clients determine the pay. And the jobs are not all high paying. But they fall into a reasonable range and are clearly described so each worker can decide whether the pay is worth the time the project will require.

Contently review

Contently offers content marketing solutions for business by enlisting freelancers to sign up and post portfolios. It then connects freelancers with appropriate experience with clients looking for work.

But what makes this site special is that it does not allow writers to bid against one another, which tends to push prices into the basement. Instead, it establishes a price for each piece and then offers the jobs to a group of writers who would be qualified to complete the work.

Getting gigs

The challenge with finding work through Contently in 2025 is that AI is being increasingly employed to do content creation. It’s cheaper than hiring a writer and it often does a fairly good job. As a result, writers complain that they’re getting less work here.

That said, if you have a niche in a more technical field — science, health, business, technology — you raise the chance of getting a gig because AI tools get many details wrong. Still, you could have a portfolio on Contently for years and never get matched. So, don’t spend too much time updating your portfolio here. But don’t hesitate to sign up, either. It’s good work, if you can get it.

Pay

Rates generally fall into the following ranges, according to the site:

• Articles with secondary sources (300-700 words) pay $380-$630 USD
• Reported stories with primary sources (400-700+ words) pay $570-$890 USD
• Multi-source stories with 3+ primary sources (400-700+ words) pay $1,140-$1,400 USD
• White papers (1,000-5,000 words) pay $1.70/word USD

Publishers are typically required to accept or reject a writer’s work within 15 days.

Getting paid

Contently will then collect payment from the client and transfer the money to the author within 30 days via direct deposit or PayPal.

Recommendations

The main complaint about the site are that it can take time before you’re offered a writing gig, so you may not be able to use this site as your main source of income.

Still, given the reasonable pay and terms, Contently is among our favorite choices in the writing category. Another platform that offers similar work is Skyword. Writers may want to consider ServiceScape and Reedsy. You can sign up with Contently here.

What their users say (from Reddit)

When I wrote for them, they paid me $0.75 to $1.00 per word. I wrote for clients who were pharma companies and other large brands. It was a very professional operation and when I onboarded with Contently, I was interviewed and the platform was demo’d for me.

I’ve written a few articles/blog posts for Contently and they paid in the ballpark of feature rates. My only gripe with them is that their method of matching writers with potential clients is really a puzzle to decipher.

Contently is not a content mill. The pay is around $750 for 1,000 words.

I’ve been using the platform for almost a decade now I think! The work is great (if you can get it). I used to get matched to new clients fairly regularly but since the pandemic this hasn’t been as much the case.

From G2Crowd:

This site is an amazing tool for journalists who want to display a portfolio. It’s especially great because it is free. Stories are laid out in a crisp, clean format and look fantastic.

And

Carol Tice, author of MakeALivingWriting.com, did a thorough review of Contently here.

FreedomWithWriting also did a Contently review.

Took a Year, but now I’m a fangirl

*Updated 3/21/2025

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