Are Upworks and Reedsy content mills? If so, why do so many say not to go into content mills? It seems like it might be a good way to hone your writing skills while getting at least a little bit of pay. But I don't any experience there, though I often wonder about such opportunities.
I've never heard of Reedsy. But I would say that Upwork counts as a content mill.
People warn writers away from content mills because the fees are usually feeble. You can get some well-paying clients there, but it often ends up being close to minimum wage.
You might, for example, be asked to write a 1,000-word article on pet care for $10. And if you want jobs like those to translate into a reliable income, it becomes more of a typing job than a writing job.
It can be a great way for a new-starter to get some experience and get some pay while they learn and improve. But the problem is that you're usually not creating a network or an online reputation that can lead to bigger and better things. Lots of freelancer copywriters on Upwork, for example, find it hard to break away from the constant grind of churning out low-quality articles and blog posts. They need to hack out five or more articles a day to make a decent income – and when you have to rush through every article to meet a word count, the quality of your work won't really improve.
So in the short term, it can be a great little side hustle that beats picking up a part-time job at the deli.
But if you're serious about providing a freelance writing service, you're better off doing things on your own: finding businesses with reasonable budgets and a desire for high-quality content, and charging them five times as much per hour as you might earn on a content mill.