Scripted

What is Scripted?

Scripted is a content mill that enlists freelance writers to write blog posts and other copy for corporate clients.

How it works

To sign up with Scripted, you’ll need to verify your Linkedin profile and provide at least two published writing samples. You’ll also need to take a writing and grammar test.

If you’re accepted to the platform, you’ll be able to get assigned jobs and be able to pitch posts of your own.

The site suggests that you do both to move up its writing “tiers.” Generally speaking, new writers will be added to Scripted’s lowest bronze tier, where they get access to the fewest jobs and get the lowest pay. But they can move up to silver, gold and platinum tiers if they produce lots and lots of copy.

Scripted Review:

Everyone wants to have a website in the digital age. And web gurus will tell you that if you want that site to show up in Google search, you’ll need to constantly add to it by “blogging.” The challenge for many a professional is that they may be brilliant at their day jobs but they’re not natural writers.

Content mills, such as Scripted, offer an answer. Claiming to provide a bridge between businesses that need ghostwriters and the freelancers who can do the work, Scripted once offered low rates for individual posts. However, the site now works on a subscription model, where clients pay upwards of $199 a month for an unlimited number of posts.

In the past, the bulk of that copy was written primarily by freelance writers. However, Scripted is increasingly producing the needed copy with AI.

Going downhill

Writers who have worked for this site for years say that Scripted used to be a decent place to find work. There were plenty of jobs. And, as long as you wrote about topics you knew well, you could write fast enough to earn a decent living here.

Pay rates ranged from about 5 cents to 10 cents per word. In other words, writers would earn between $25 and $50 for a 500-word post.

But as AI writing tools improved, Scripted embraced an increasing AI-centric business model. That is apparently cutting the amount of work available for freelance writers and causing the site to pay less across the board.

Several long-time freelancers said they’d been “downgraded” into lower-earning writing tiers. And jobs are reportedly scarce.

Getting paid

Among the unpleasant consequences of getting downgraded here is that you not only get lower pay — closer to 5 cents per word vs. 10 cents — you pay fees and get paid less often.

Lower-tier writers pay 20% of their earnings as a commission to the platform and get paid twice monthly via Bill.com or PayPal. Gold and platinum-tier writers do not pay commissions and they can get paid once weekly.

However, if Scripted decides that a writer has violated its terms, it can boot that writer from the platform and “refuse to process [his or her] withdrawal.

Recommendations

It’s a rare writer who can kick out copy fast enough to make a job like this pay even minimum wage. If you’re using this site to develop your writing skills and a personal clientele, it may make sense to spend whatever time is necessary to create a portfolio good enough to land you better-paying jobs in the future. But using Scripted as a long-term source of income is a ticket to poverty. You can find Scripted here.

But we think you can do better with other writing platforms and job sites. Some we recommend: Contently, Skyword and Robert Half.

You can find the full range of reviewed writing platforms here. Those with ratings of $$$ or more are the best opportunities.

What their writers say:

Some of the most descriptive reviews of working for Scripted came in response to a post called Scripted and the Continuing Death of Good Writing at Stunt and Gimmicks. It’s long, but worth a read, if you’re considering work with a content mill.

“For a standard blog post of 350-500 words, you’ll normally get paid between $22-25, and for a long post, $29/30 typically. As a writer for Scripted, I always put in the same amount of work as I would when writing for newspaper articles with my byline on them. Sometimes I wonder if all the effort is worth it. ”

…Same crap pay for killing yourself. It’s a bit like playing the part of Conan on the labor wheel while someone whips at you.”

From TrustPilot

Writers Beware: I wrote for Scripted for over a decade. When I started, they were writer-friendly. Over the past few years, they have been difficult and erratic. I was a platinum-level writer with a 4.7 review average from 1261 reviews when I quit. The work became spotty, and the administration would randomly demote me for unspecified complaints (never offering examples) that postponed my payments. The editors would sometimes force me to make incorrect changes to my copy. Then they would restore my platinum status in a month or so, and we’d move on. Recently, I wrote 8 blogs for a new client. After I had submitted my drafts, Scripted converted the job to AI with an editor and tried to stiff me completely. After some persuasion on my part, they paid me half. Unethical does not cover it. I will never work for them again. Writers, stay away. They are now an AI mill.

Abysmal pay

I truly wish I had better things to say but in my years with the company, they don’t treat their writers very well and the pay is abhorrent. You are better off going with a private company (not a content farm) that needs a writer. That’s what I ended up doing and as a freelancer. I am being paid more than double what Scripted paid me.

Scripted is a decent platform to make some extra cash. However, it’s very unpredictable. Clients are usually looking for the cheapest price. So if you charge your worth, you probably won’t get many jobs. Timing is also very tricky. The jobs begin as soon as the client accepts your pitch, even if you pitched the job weeks ago. Deadlines are very quick also, which doesn’t usually leave sufficient time to research. So stick to topics that you know well. Good platform for making some extra cash, but just know that it will not be consistent and you don’t have much control.

from Glassdoor:

“Scripted has changed a lot over the last year. They shortened all deadlines without exception by two days, made most jobs invite-only and restricted to a pay rate demanded by the customer. That’s usually half of what I prefer to charge. Plus they have way fewer jobs available and their support has gone down the drain. If you hear back from them at all, they are late or can’t help you. Also, the revision requests have become even more unreasonable and bizarre than they used to be. Only now there is no way to negotiate about it. And Scripted specifically says to just get over it and do what you’re told. As soon as I can find another job, I’m leaving Scripted for good.”

“I’d been with them over seven years. I had a 98 percent approval rating, over 200 clients had favorited me, and no rejections. I was put on suspension for a supposed client complaint. They would not tell me why or who. After 30 days with no word, I asked and was told they were letting me go. Again, no reason why. I think it was because I was making a lot of money and they could hire newbies.”

Rewrite requests

“Miscommunication between project managers, clients, and writers can sometimes lead to rewrite requests. Some clients have unreasonable expectations like multiple revision rounds that go on for months for a piece that pays less than $100. And management allows clients this leeway.”

“Very rarely any work. You can usually pick up one or two gigs, but there is very rarely enough to make a living. The work takes a long time for very little pay.”

From Reddit

They used to be decent, but lately they reduced the rates and now have an extremely short turnaround time. I was usually paid maybe 8 to 10 cents per word and the deadline was in 72 hours. Now it’s suddenly 48 hours and the rates are closer to 6 or 7 cents per word for most projects I see. They also have higher expectations now, where they want meta info and images in nearly every article, and the editors and clients seem pickier than ever. Fortunately, I’ve found a few higher paying clients so I’m moving on. I’m guessing I’m not the only one. The site is ok as backup for slower periods, but I wouldn’t recommend putting in much effort to write there anymore.

Scripted also has this strange hybrid thing going where they directly help some regular customers while also allowing random people to put up jobs. As a writer, you don’t get to see all job, only those Scripted think you deserve to see based on your experience with them. This means starting out all you will see is scams, and clients who have accidentally asked for “sample jobs.”

Updated 5/3/2024