$4 content writer revisited...Talking with a "low budget" writer...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

After reading my recent interview with Pawan Bahuguna, a "wholesale" supplier of inexpensive content, Anne Wayman decided to find someone who wrote online content at those rates.


She found Mike Siebar, who answered a series of questions on "low end" writing for her. You can read the interview with this $4 article writer at The Golden Pencil.

The interesting part of this whole thing is that I might have approached Pawan differently had I realized he was talking about 250 word pieces. Don't get me wrong, that is still "low budget" but it isn't as bad as I had anticipated (I assumed 500-700 word pieces).

I do enough "front page" content and "direct sales"/copywriting work that I don't spend as much time in those market segments right now, but it's still an income source. It's also a trough to which I will go to feed again, I'm sure.

Depending upon the topic and the buyer expectations, I can make an adequate per hour equivalent from some "low budget" jobs.

However, I enter into the process knowing that there are more lucrative rates available to me and that I am making a conscious decision to spend a few hours to make a reasonable sum and that I am intentionally trading off some of the more enjoyable aspects about writing in exchange for the convenience and ease of the lower paying gigs.

There is an upside, though. I enjoy the challenge of producing meaningful material on a range of topics. There's some masochistic part of me that likes being forced to keep my eyes on the screen and my fingers on the keyboard, working hard. The tight deadlines and substantial output often required by these jobs is also a sure cure for writer's block. The pressure and nature of the jobs teaches one to work without the benefit of a muse on the shoulder.

I'm also making decisions based on the subject matter and my ability to utilize my skill set to produce content at a profitable rate. If the topic is going to require substantial research or has some unique twist that adds to the time required, it won't be a Content Done Better project at a truly "low end" rate.

I think Mike's observations at The Golden Pencil reveal a somewhat different approach. It almost seems as if he is working under the assumption that those are the only opportunities currently available to him. I'm in no position to assess the accuracy of that assumption, of course, but I view these markets differently...

The bottom line is that working for a few cents per word CAN work under the right circumstances and can even be enjoyable if the process matches up with your mind-set. I'll never call a low-cost buyer a "cheeseball bottom feeder." I won't begrudge Pawan for taking $4 article orders. I won't criticize Mike for writing in that market segment. As long as everyone is happily volunteering, understands what they are getting and why they are getting it, and feels good about the results, I am fine with it.

Now, we've talked with an inexpensive content wholesaler and an inexpensive content writer. Guess that means either Anne or I need to dig up an inexpensive content buyer. Now THAT might be an interesting discussion... Their real expectations, why they're comfortable with the rates they offer, why they don't (or can't) offer more, whether they've noticed a dramatic quality differential when they've paid more, etc... Maybe next week.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Adjectives and copy...The amazing, unparalleled, fantastic power of those incredible, irresistible, persuasive adjectives...Or not...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

Here's an actual headline from a squeeze page supporting a tool that promises "hypnotic sales copy that writes itself":

"Master Copywriter Mr 'F' Reveals The Revolutionary Push-Button Technology He Uses To Create Killer Sales Copy That Makes Millions of $$$ For His Clients..."

MASTER copywriter
REVOLUTIONARY technology
PUSH-BUTTON technology
KILLER sales copy

Whoever assembled that page was following the old maxim that adjectives produce results. That's a common attitude.

Al Martinovic would certainly agree with that strategy. He writes:

"Even single words can invoke a reaction in some people that can be used to add "punch" to your sales material. I call these power words. Some power words to use in your marketing include:

Free, Powerful, Incredible, Easy, Shocking, Cheap, Revealed, Best, Uncovered, Hidden, Proven, Results, Revolutionary, Profits, Fantastic, Inside, Learn, Enhance, Hottest, New, Improved, Unbelievable, Ultimate, Offer, Master, Scientific, Private, Breakthrough, Save, Guaranteed, Tricks, You, Love, Limited, Special, Secrets

You can use power words to add punch to a headline, sentence, a short ad, or whatever fancies you."

The bulk (though not all) of Al's "power words" are adjectives.

Neither the squeeze page author or Martinovic are making this stuff up, either. They've come about the belief honestly. For years, copywriting gurus and English teachers have been encouraging the use of adjectives as a way to add pep to writing. Adjectives make things interesting and powerful, they say.

Daphne Gray-Grant sees it differently. Her article (discovered via The Copywriting Maven) "How Adjectives Can Kill Your Conversion Rate" argues that over-reliance on those so-called "power words" can backfire.

Gray-Grant maintains that the adjective use we see in many sales letters suffers from imprecision and creates a "hard sell" feel that trims sales instead of encouraging them. She advocates choosing verbs that will do the job and provides recommendations for doing just that.

My opinion? Gray-Grant is on to something. We tend to latch on to adjectives as writers because it is easier than choosing the best possible verbs. In discussing split infinitives in an earlier post (see: "Doing the splits..."), I noted that kind of laziness can lead to an overreliance on adverbs, too. Too often, writers heap on the adjectives in hopes of dressing up an otherwise dull sentence. We're better off making the right decisions and using language to our advantage in the first place.

However, there is a role for adjectives. Adjectives exist for a reason and there are times when mentioning a "big house" makes more sense than using "mansion." There are times when a headline will benefit from the use of the right "power adjective" instead of an alternate version with better verb selection.

As with so many things, moderation is the key. If you buy a Content Done Better sales letter, you might get a headline with a few adjectives. You might not. It will depend on the circumstances. There are times when adjectives enhance precision and there are contexts in which a more "hype-y" approach will be more effective than the alternative.

And that's all I have to say about this fascinating, thought-provoking, one-of-a-kind, intriguing, red hot topic that sheds massive, undiluted, clarifying light on the essential, critical, crucial art of copywriting.

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Freelance content writers--why be a traveler when you can be a destination? Promoting yourself to a full schedule...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

This is one of those posts that other writers will probably find more interesting than will prospective content buyers.

Here are a few things I have noticed recently...

One commenter to the post containing my interview with Pawan from Pee Bee Info$y$ lamented the fact that so much web content work is "automatically" outsourced to non-US/UK/Canada (should I add Australia to that slashy list?) writers, depriving stateside talent of opportunity.

Content writers at a popular writing forum are again swapping lists of alternatives to Associated Content in hopes of finding some other source of regular business.

At least two talented and experienced content writers with whom I have worked have complained about the never-ending feast/famine cycle and how they hate the lean times when they don't have work lined up.

Writers discussing just how miserable the bid boards are in terms of quality opportunities and the difficulty of competing on a playing field where <$5 articles are becoming a norm.

I have a solution for all of these people. Okay, maybe not ALL of them, but I do have an answer to the troubles many content writers experience. It's called marketing.

If you want to stay busy at rates that fit your needs and expectations, you have to successfully market your writing business. It's that simple.

I'm not going to claim to be the world's greatest self-promoter. However, I have a made a point of promoting Content Done Better and that's paid huge dividends. Meanwhile, I see plenty of talented writers who don't do much in terms of self-promotion at all. There is a weird irony in that, considering the fact that they want to write content for clients who are generally interested in marketing sites and products...

I do look for clients once in awhile, but those rainmaking forays are relatively limited. Instead, I invite clients to find me. That does take some work, but it avoids the feast/famine cycle and probably requires less effort than spending a significant portion of my schedule searching for jobs.

Like many content writers, I started by hunting down jobs. After landing a few, I decided it wasn't my cup of tea. I wanted to create a situation where people would start hunting me down. After reading a Tom Peters article and some similar material, I decided to make promotion, branding and marketing a core element of what I do.

I get business via word of mouth referrals, by being discovered at this blog or via Content Done Better's primary website, by networking with others in the content, SEO and internet marketing communities, and other promotional means. It beats the hell out of scouring the boards, etc. in hopes of drumming up jobs. In fact, it can even be a little fun.

If you are sick of going to the mountain, convince the mountain to come to you. That's my completely unsolicited advice to freelance content writers who are yearning for more work.

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Getting it backwards on latent semantic indexing and online content...

Google uses latent semantic indexing (LSI) to help determine search results.

Thus, some SEO "experts" and content providers are advising webmasters to use LSI-compatible or LSI-friendly text on their sites to improve SERPs.

They have it backwards.

Let's start at the beginning. Latent semantic indexing, according to Dr. Ralph Wilson, "is an approach to understanding keywords in the context of the words on the entire webpage." In a sense, it is a mathematical approach to interpreting content based on expected themes.

It offers real value to the search engines. If you have a page that keeps mentioning "cards," for instance, LSI will help Google determine if you are writing about "playing cards," "greeting cards," "business cards," or the "St. Louis Cards" by evaluating the surrounding content. LSI methods should help create a more accurate means of information retrieval. It's also a big part of the reason why you can get a great result for an "automobile" page even when you used the word "car."

To understand why the people hyping "LSI content" have it backwards, you need to consider the impetus behind Google's decision to use LSI and, more importantly, their primary function for existing in the first place. As much as some folks in the SEO and content industries would like you to believe otherwise, Google's #1 mission is not making it more difficult for you to rank for your keywords. They bought CIRCA and its LSI methodology in order to produce more accurate and meaningful search engine results. Their primary function is to serve up good results to users.

So, what constitutes a good result? Putting the information people really want on their monitors as quickly and easily as possible. If Google can broker successful searcher/information deals, it will continue to flourish. If the SERPs becoming meaningless or get too crummy, Google is in trouble.

Thus, all of the algorithmic tweaks Google undertakes are designed to keep the SERPs clean and meaningful. They change the secret recipe in order to improve the overall quality of the searcher experience and to put people and information together as efficiently as possible.

It's easy to see how latent semantic indexing can help, isn't it? Google can give you the recipe for a great homemade catsup even if you were looking for "ketchup." Google can better "understand" context, which can prevent it from sending out incredibly off-base search engine results.

Some people have maintained that Google is also using LSI as a filtering technique. They might claim that G checks for your keywords and if it DOESN'T find corroborative terminology via LSI, you will be punished.

I am not going to claim to be the world's foremost "nuts and bolts" SEO expert. I have no idea if that is true or not. Based on what I have read from sources I tend to trust the most and from what I've been able to glean from some pretty compelling, more academic assessments of LSI and information retrieval, I have my doubts.

Thus, the "you need LSI-ready content" arguments are, in all likelihood, bankrupt. However, even IF Google made significant use of LSI as a means of downgrading pages that didn't seem to make sense "contextually," that isn't a reason to buy content from someone who claims they have somehow figured out the latent semantic indexing formula and are capable of providing writing that will "pass through" some ostensible "LSI filter."

That's because LSI, and everything else the search engines do in terms of algorithms, is designed to put good information and users together. That's still the bottom line, as we discussed. We know a few of the reasons why Google uses LSI and we may or may not believe the idea that it uses LSI as a mechanism for punishing contents that lack expected surrounding context. Either way, the goal remains the same: Get good information on top of the SERPs.

People continually fail to recognize that Google's algorithm isn't a game for its own sake. It is a device designed to automate a uniquely human process--information assessment. The best way to fall into G's good graces as those efforts are improved and fine-tuned? Good content.

Guess what? If you hire a good content writer to prepare an article on a particular subject, he or she is going to produce and informative, factually accurate and readable piece on that topic. He or she will naturally use appropriate synonyms and contextually relevant terms and phrases. The material will flow through any real or imagine LSI filter easily because it will be good, not because someone tried to reverse engineer the LSI system.

If hire Content Done Better to write articles on a certain kind of automobile, you can bet your last dollar those articles will have the "right" associated words within them. That's not because I am a student of LSI or an algorithm code-buster. It's because I am a writer capable of producing quality web content. The right things are going to happen organically and the artificial technology of Google is just as likely to recognize that as it is to recognize some sort of "LSI-compatible" material.

Those who watch Google and then try to respond to its alterations are working backwards. Chasing Google is little more than stepping upon some kind of SEO treadmill. You look for angles, take them, Google adjusts for them and you start looking again. It never ends.

However, if you start where Google starts--with the goal of quality content and information, everything else falls into place. That "magic" keyword density (which, by the way, is bunk)? That use of appropriate phraseology in surrounding text to comport with LSI expectations? You don't need to worry about them. You need to worry about supplying good content that will actually match user needs. You can meet G's expectations and your own without worrying about KD and LSI.

Additionally, you gain the advantage of potential organic backlink creation (another staple of quality SERPs) with good content. Stuff people want to read. In fact, that's why Google values those links in the first place.

Chasing after LSI adjustments is just another example of approaching the content issue with respect to search engines backwards. Instead of worrying about how Google is trying to get better at finding quality content, consider simply dedicating yourself to actually securing good material.

This shouldn't be read as an indict of all SEO activity. There are things you can and should do to improve your search engine results. One of the most valuable ways--and one that allows you to avoid being sucked into crazy claims about minute algorithmic tweaks--is to invest in quality content.

Additional Reading from Randfish at SEOMoz.org...

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CDB Blog miscellany...Just in case you care...

Just in case you're interested...

I plan to use creepy photos to accompany all blog entries until the official conclusion of Halloween. I have a few other things planned or in progress that have nothing to do with my favorite holiday.

• I'll be updating the "$125K Challenge" numbers on November 8. That will be the three-month mark for this effort and I thought a quarterly update seemed like a good idea. I'll need to be at $31,250 to be on pace!

• I'm thinking about trimming my blogroll down to size. I'll be keeping the AW blogroll as is, but I've noticed that a lot of the blogs to which I'm personally linking haven't updated in months. That's not very helpful to visitors... Have I missed you? If you're linking to the Content Done Better Blog and I'm not reciprocating, drop me a line.

• I finished the groundwork on the "easy money" plan. Now, all I have to do is wait to see how much it actually earns. I should know with certainty within two weeks, but I might be able to get a pretty good projection earlier than that. I'll keep everyone posted. If it works, I will make a copy of this nearly hassle-free way for writers to make a few hundo freely available to anyone who makes a charitable donation of $5 or more to the cause of his or her choice.

Content Done Better Report...A note to subscribers...Nov. 8 sneak preview...

The first issue of the Content Done Better Report, a free newsletter for those with an interest in the online content industry, was released on Wednesday the 25th.

As probably should've been expected, there were a few glitches in delivery. Some subscribers didn't get the newsletter. Thanks to all of you who took a moment to let me know about difficulties.

It appears as if the delivery failure for some subscribers was a result of one of X things. Some people thought they missed out and then "found" the newsletter in their spam folders. Others apparently subscribed (or thought they did) during a one-day period when the subscription form wasn't working. Some people did successfully subscribe, but only after the newsletter was mailed--I beat deadline by a few hours. A few people simply failed to respond to the confirmation email and one person, for reasons that will never be understood, couldn't get things to work with one email address but had no problem when they used an alternate addy.

Hopefully that should provide you with some clues if the first issue snuck by you.

The good news is that most people did receive the Content Done Better Report without any problems.

Subscriber totals continue to grow and I am looking forward to the next offering on November 8. If you haven't signed up yet, now is a perfect time! You can use the subscription form on the right sidebar...

I have two great feature articles lined up for the next issue and thought I would share a sneak preview of one of them with you. Corena Golliver is a frequent content buyer. She's been on the purchasing end of literally thousands of articles and has some great input for those in the industry. She's supplied a fantastic article and I think everyone will find it interesting (and pretty amusing). Here's an excerpt:

"I'm looking for a writer than can produce great content on time. I don’t care if he or she looks like hairy lumberjack or has an odd propensity of writing in high heels while wearing a thong and sipping foo foo drinks--all while having two fingers n a cast. The world of Internet content can be a very strange place. All kidding aside (and without actually divulging any of my writers' personal and private propensities) what I, as an Internet content purchaser am most concerned with is timeliness. The content world moves at the speed of lightning. Trends come and go. If a writer cannot turn over a project expeditiously, I am dead in the water."

Have a great Saturday and do subscribe to the newsletter if you have a moment. Oh, and if you did miss the first issue, you can read it in the archives (although you will have to subscribe successfully first, I believe).

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Kids as content...I learned about mommyblogging...

Today I learned a little bit about mommyblogging and I can't say that I was really impressed with at least one segment of the scene.

I have this habit of checking Technorati throughout the day to see what's on the "popular" list. It's a good way to stay "plugged in" with respect to breaking news of interest to those (like me) who make a living online.

Today, I noticed "Sweetney" was in the top ten. I recognized/understood the other hot topics, but the term "Sweetney" was new to me. I investigated.

Sweetney is a mom who blogs about her kid(s). Unless your kid happens to be an elitist attending an upper echelon junior college in Singapore like the current #1 Technorati champ, Wee Shu Min, it's hard to really imagine what would be so incredibly interesting about the child to vault a blog up into Friday's "red hot" list.

As it turns out, the kid really isn't at issue. Well, sort of. Apparently, someone who is sick and tired of the mommyblogging scene decided to photoshop a picture of the blogger's kid and then made a comparison of the child's physical attributes with someone who suffers from a particular medical condition. They then posted the photo on a blog which seems to primarily exist for the sake of mocking mommy blogs.

Anyway, the mom/blogger is up in arms over the whole thing and it turns out that another mother/blogger who has a site focused on the raising of her child has been stung by the same mean person. "Amalah" saw her little girl photoshopped so as to appear to be holding something that most of us would prefer not to hold in order to imply that the chocolate all over her face may have been something else.

Yeah, this little foray into new parts of the web wasn't necessarily akin to reading Proust or debating Noam Chomsky on linguistics or anything.

So, you have some jerk out there mocking these poor mommybloggers, stealing pictures of their precious little ones, and manipulating the photos hatefully. Observation: The attack blogger is a dope.

However, within all of that mean-spirited nastiness lurked a little kernel of truth. No, the kid wasn't really eating you-know-what. The surrounding attacks on the act of mommyblogging, however, did have some resonance. There is, apparently, a relatively large population of so-called mommybloggers. I would say "parentbloggers," because some of them are men, but it seems as though "mommyblogger" is the more common handle. These people drive a fair amount of traffic to their parenting blogs and use those same blogs as a means of generating some extra income. You know, Adsense, affiliate links, hyping their own online moneymaking endeavors, etc.

The kids are content (note, I mean "content" as a noun, not an adjective). Pictures of cuties with chocolate on their faces. Pictures of toddlers doing those cute things toddlers do. Stories about the latest funny thing to come out of the little angel's mouth, etc. People are coming for the kid pictures and the kid stories and the mommybloggers are at least trying to make some money off of the whole thing.

I am not one to begrudge pursuit of profits. I have no issue with the monetization of blogs. I think it's nifty if a stay-at-home parent wants to find a way to try to generate some extra income. All of that is AOK.

However, converting your children into traffic bait in the hopes that it will make some money is a little creepy. Okay, it's a lot creepy. So, although I think the nonsense with the manipulated photos was a little over the line (though not the Sign of the Impending Apocolypse many within the blogosphere seem to think it is), that jerk who likes to do mean-spirited things with pictures does have a legitimate argument against for-profit mommyblogging in some of his/her posts.

Lessons learned: Kids are content for some people. Mommyblogging is more pervasive than I would have thought. Some people really are obnoxious. Some other people are obnoxious, too, just not as obviously so.

Oh, and don't think I'm like totally against blogging about your kids. However, if you are pimping out your kids' cuteness in exchange for nickel Adsense clicks, it is a little unsavory. My wife and I have a blog with pictures of our little girl (who, in my humble parental opinion is cuter than any of the kids I saw during my march through mommyblog land), but it's not public. We give the URL to people we know, trust and who care about our family.

If you want to use contextual advertising and blogging to put money in the family coffers, you might want to find a way to do it without involving and/or exploiting your kid, I guess. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just doesn't seem right to me. It also, as illustrated today in mommyblog land, runs the risk of some real nastiness.

Kids aren't commercial content.

EDIT: According to comments on this thread, I am confused about Amahla's role in all of this. Guess it shows that I'm not an "insider." Apologies for the error.

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Free press release distribution options...Alternatives to PR Newswire and a word of caution...

I write press releases. I don't, however, deal in the distribution end of the process with any regularity. I'm better at writing than I am at filling out submission forms and, quite frankly, penning them is a more enjoyable and lucrative way to spend the day.

I know that many of my clients have utilized PR Web for press release distribution. Some of them have paid accounts enabling maximum exposure through the service. Most of them, however, have relied upon the free submission option. That's no longer happening. PR Web has ended the free service.

PR Web wasn't a perfect distribution tool, by any means. Press releases usually generate PR most effectively when there is careful targeting of appropriate media outlets and the passive/untargeted nature of PR Web never accomplished that completely. It did, however, offer the potential of pretty good exposure. I've had clients who experienced great success with releases distributed via PR Web--even when using the now-departed free option.

Now that option's gone and I have a feeling people are looking for alternative means of free distribution.

This list may not be comprehensive and I haven't checked every site on it recently, but here is a list of free press release distribution services:

http://www.free-press-release.com/
http://www.prleap.com/
http://i-newswire.com/
http://www.pr.com/press-releases
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/
http://www.prfree.com/
http://express-press-release.com/
http://www.1888pressrelease.com/
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/index.shtml
http://www.free-press-release-center.info/
http://www.free-news-release.com/
http://www.przoom.com/
http://ecommwire.com/
http://www.pr9.net/
http://www.prurgent.com/
http://press.arrivenet.com/
http://www.press-base.com/
http://www.addpr.com/addrelease.php

You can set up free accounts with these sites and send your press release out into cyberspace at no cost.

Wow, if you sent your press release to every one of those nineteen sites on the list, you could undoubtedly get some real mileage out of the process, right? Not necessarily. That's where the word of warning comes into play.

Press releases, as the term implies, are designed to spur press (I prefer "media," but you get the idea) attention and to encourage journalists, et al, to cover your story. They are not advertisements. They are not articles. They are press releases. They serve a pretty specific function.

For the sake of this post, let's assume you have a well-written press release that will do a great job at PR-creation if put in front of the right people. It's hard to underestimate how important that really is, by the way. Consult with a professional, do your homework and hire someone with press release experience (Content Done Better, anybody?) to make sure you really are in that position.

Okay, so you have a great press release. You could print it and frame it, but that won't help in your PR efforts. You have to get the word out. You need to get it in front of the folks who can make your project, site or statement into "news."

That means that the only press release distribution options that really make sense are those that will either send the release to media or who are actually regular stops for those digging for story ideas.

Are the sites in the list capable of doing that? Some of them probably are (under just the right circumstances with some luck thrown in for good measure). Many of them, however, really aren't. Either their free package has so many limitations on distribution that it really won't help much or the press release site is actually little more than an article repository in disguise.

You see, the word is out with respect to press releases. What was once something of a semi-secret is now common knowledge. Everyone wants to grab free pub by using a press release. So, there are a lot of them out there. Every single one of them is full of words. Those words feed search engines. They also serve up Adsense ads. Getting the picture? Many of the free PR distribution sites are Associated Content without the payment. They are the equivalent of free article distribution sites; you are just trading your content for potential exposure instead of viral backlink generation.

Does that mean you have to buy the upgrade for all nineteen of those sites or at PR Newswire? No. Does it mean that you shouldn't bother submitting press releases to those sites? No. If you are going to submit the release somewhere, you might as well maximize its utility and get the word out everywhere. In many cases, it won't do much more than score you an occasional backlink and create a new listing people to see when they Google your name, but the time commitment required to submit the material is minimal. So, if you have a few extra minutes to burn, send it to the next place on the list.

However, broadcasting the release to those nineteen sites using only free options is unlikely to make you the lead story in tomorrow's papers. To be honest, it probably won't even get you in to the weekly shopper that gets dumped off at the laundromat. Yeah, you might get some online cache from the process but you aren't going to experience the power of a good press release unless you either pay one of the big boys to do it right or design and execute your own carefully planned distribution strategy.

The world of online press release distribution has changed. There is a glut of press releases out there vying for attention and it is easy to disappear into the crowd. Those who could put press releases into use as part of the online media are more likely than ever to utilize different options to generate story ideas and leads.

I am a believer in press releases. I have seen them work again and again for my clients. I have seen some of them fall flat, too. The difference has been in the distribution. If you have a good press release and work to get it out there in the right way, good things can happen. If you have a lousy release or a poor distribution scheme, that's a different story...

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Who supplies those $4 articles? Q&A with Pawan Bahuguna of PeeBee Info$y$...

Interview with Pawan Bahuguna (left) of Pee Bee Info$y$

The freelance content writing rate debate is always raging. How much should writers demand? What is their work really worth? Invariably, the discussion, at some point, turns to non-U.S. content writers and their willingness to provide materials at a rate most of us wouldn't think of offering.

Some of us lament increasing competition. We feel hamstrung by a global economy that allows writers in India and elsewhere the ability to charge rates lower than what we can reasonably provide. Some of us question the legitimacy of so-called "cut-rate" providers and assume their product is the byproduct of cutting and pasting instead of writing. We question the quality of the work produced by those in some parts of the international marketplace.

I've never had a problem with the competition. Unlike some, I welcome it. I do wish that we all took to the keyboards on a more level global economic playing field, of course, but understand that isn't about to happen any time soon in the writing industry or elsewhere.

I have, however, questioned both the legitimacy and quality of incredibly inexpensive content.

Recently, I stumbled across a sales letter for a company offering articles for $4 each. Usually, I just shake my head when I see these offers and click away to something else. This time, however, I decided to take advantage of the discovery. I wrote an email to the head of the outfit making the offer, Pee Bee Info$ys$.

I asked Pawan Bahuguna if he'd be willing to answer a few questions for me. I explained what I do and about this blog and told him that I thought it would be interesting for me and the Content Done Better Blog readers to get an "inside look" and some direct answers from someone in his position. He agreed to an interview, which was conducted via email.

Here's the text of the interview:



1. What convinced you to get into the content business?

Pawan Bahuguna: Content is one such area that boosts the overall impact of a website. Meaningful content is what a visitor looks for when he clicks on a website in a search engine. That’s why I decided to offer what is in demand and has a huge scope to grow, in fact grow in multiples.

2. I found out about your service yesterday. How long have you been offering it to the public?

Pawan Bahuguna: Earlier we were writing articles for Indians and few Americans only. But since last 8 months we have expend our business globally.

3. Are things going well? Are you keeping busy with Pee Bee Info$y$ article orders?

Pawan Bahuguna: By the grace of GOD and our GURU JI every thing is going smoothly.

Yes, of course we are busy and in process of expanding our staff due to increase demand of unique and quality content, manly for Bulk articles. We are trying to rope in more quality content writers available in the industry to cater to our client’s requirements.

4. You offer $4 articles on bulk orders (50+ pieces). How long are the articles?

Pawan Bahuguna: Mainly from 250-300 words and if you want more then that then you have to pay extra $2 for every 100 words.

5. Are there any topics your writing team can't handle? Any special areas of expertise?

Pawan Bahuguna: Our team is well experienced and adept to write on any subject or topic. We can write articles on all possible thinkable topics including Porn.

There is no special area of expertise. Our team of content writers is that of experienced professionals in the industry and is capable of handling every project with perfection.

We can also write a sales letter if required, but for that you have to contact me directly on pawan@peebeeinfosys.com

6. Some people cling to the belief that inexpensive content is likely to be plagiarized. What kind of protections do you offer buyers with respect to content originality?

Pawan Bahuguna: I will only say if you find our articles as JUNK or COPIED then I will refund your whole money including Paypal commission PLUS your REWARD.

Lower cost does not mean that you will have to compromise on quality. We provide quality and cost effective premium product in form of articles and sales letters. No article is copied as it is from the source; the general information is gathered from various resources and compiled into a comprehensive article in a different tone and style altogether.

Every article is checked on COPYSCAPE (Duplicate Content Finder) that’s why we are giving you the Copyrights and Master rights also.

7. As you are no doubt aware, there are many web-focused writers who can't understand how or why it's possible to offer new content at such a low price. How can Pee Bee Info$y$ get things done so inexpensively?

Pawan Bahuguna: If you compare the price of our articles globally then you will find our articles are very inexpensive. But for INDIAN peoples the prices are normal.

We are based in India which is a known centre of knowledge and talent around the world. Here the talent is much inexpensive when compared to other European countries in the world.

India is a proven destination of cost-effective solutions related to any industry like IT, BPO, Medical Transcription etc. And content industry is going to be the next big outsourcing thing to India. That’ why the prices may sound unexpectedly lower as per general market trends in the international markets but as per the Indian industry, the prices are very much O.K.

8. There are many writers and webmasters who believe that low-priced content inevitably suffers from low quality. How would you rate the quality of the $4 Pee Bee Info$y$ articles?

Pawan Bahuguna: It’s a common man thinking that if he will invest less then he will get less. I will again like to say that “Lower costs don’t mean that you will have to compromise on quality.”

But this thinking is not applicable here. Just give me $4 and I will give you the article of $40.

9. Do you offer any quality or satisfaction guarantees?

Pawan Bahuguna: YES we do. If you find our articles as JUNK or COPIED then I will refund your whole money including Paypal commission PLUS your REWARD.

10. In our earlier email exchange, you told me that buyers won't get a "rocking sales letter" or "junk articles." You described the content as "simple and meaningful." What kind of uses do you feel these articles have? How can they be best used?

Pawan Bahuguna: Our articles have the information of your Keyword, It won’t be a rocking sales letter. If you want articles about CONTACT LENS then the article contains general information like its usage, types of contact lens, its price range etc.

The article will be stitched around a keyword or topic with understandable and non junk information. The article will purely be meant for relevant information purpose.

11. Many writers are frustrated by international competition. Many American writers, for instance, are very concerned about competition from India and elsewhere. They feel that many non-US providers have an unfair advantage because they can afford to work for less due to the nature of the global economy. What are your thoughts on that subject?

Pawan Bahuguna: It’s absolutely right. We are also taking the same benefits from our economy. If we can earn enough profit from $4 and our customer are satisfied with that rate then why we charge high.

Competition makes the economy healthier and helps it grow. It harnesses the need of innovation and new thought process to excel. No one will become a competition if the quality and costs are competitive.

As I said earlier, if we are getting what we want, we will not be grabbing other’s clients or will steal their ideas. When I am satisfied with my clients and my clients are satisfied with my quality and rates, there is no point that I will change both at any cost. Because I have to stay alive in the market.

12. I'll be honest, when I look at your rates for bulk jobs and do the math, it isn't a price Content Done Better would be willing or able to match. Do you think Pee Bee Info$y$ is in competition with those of us who charge a higher rate or do you think we are really going after different markets and providing a different kind of service?

Pawan Bahuguna: It is very obvious for some one to accept such a quote. I know its unbelievable and surprising also. But that’s what we offer. Yes we are in a fierce competition form India as well as from other countries.

But I could attract a customer initially by projecting the low cost, but I give you the satisfaction guarantee. The long lasting relationship cannot be based on fake promises. And that’s why we have clients returning to us with more orders once they get the work done for us.

13. Is there anything else you'd like the readers of the Content Done Better Blog to know about Pee Bee Info$y$ and what you're doing?

Pawan Bahuguna: We can provide the following other services too:

1. Articles in your own language.
2. Sales Letter
3. Search Engine Optimized Articles

JUST GET 1 ARTICLE WRITTEN BY US, I WILL BET YOU WILL BUY ANOTHER ONE.



I'll be honest. I personally believe that most low-priced content produced in India and other similar non-U.S. locales does suffer from a relative quality deficit compared to the English language content written stateside and in the U.K.

I think that most of this blog's American readers will probably feel similarly after reading Pawan's responses. He can obviously communicate his ideas in English, but you can tell that his mastery and understanding of the language is different from what we expect of "native" English writers. I don't say that to denigrate Pawan or what he is doing with Pee Bee. I also think it's worth reminding everyone that Pawan runs Pee Bee Info$y$--he isn't necessarily a content writer.

There are some great Indian content writers out there, of course, and Pawan may have many of the working for him, I don't know. I do, however, know that in most cases a good U.S. content writer is going to produce more useable and readable material than will an Indian writer. There are situations in which that matters a great deal to buyers and other situations where it is less important. It all depends on the buyer's business model and plans for the content.

I also tend to believe that Pawan and I are not really in direct competition with one another because of that. I think that my client pool and his probably don't overlap much, if at all. I think that those interested in the bulk purchase of $4 articles probably wouldn't even consider paying my rate for an equal number of pieces. Pawan didn't seem to see it that way, but I see Content Done Better and Pee Bee Info$y$ as offering two distinct products that aren't really interchangeable.

What I really enjoyed about our emails and his answers to my questions the most, however, was being reminded of our similarities. Pawan expresses dedication and willingness to put his money where his mouth is with respect to plagiarism concerns. He's concerned about developing good customer relations and shares some thoughts similar to my own with respect to the global marketplace and international competition.

I guess what I am getting at is this... When some writers complain about rates and begin to talk about non-U.S. competition and the challenges it might present, there is a tendency to vilify those folks on the other side of the globe. When you take the opportunity to read what they have to say, however, you really start to see them as people with whom you share some common ground and less as part of a faceless horde of would-be business thieves and enemies.

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Content Done Better Report sent... Problems?

The first issue of the Content Done Better Report went out yesterday a little ahead of the five o'clock deadline. If you subscribed, you should certainly have your copy by now.

I've had two people tell me that they didn't get it.

The first person's email address wasn't on the subscriber list. They may have failed to appropriately confirm their intention to subscribe to the newsletter or they may have attempted to use the subscription form during part of one day when it was not functioning correctly. Hopefully, they can give it another shot and get on the list.

The second person mentioned the lack of receipt in a comment at this blog. She didn't leave her email address, but she did leave her first name (which is pretty distinctive). I found an email address that I'm 99% sure belongs to her on my list. So, I have no idea why she didn't receive a copy unless she either subscribed after the newsletter went out or just decided to try again after leaving the comment.

The stats for the newsletter show three subscriptions "pending." That means people began the subscription process but failed to confirm their interest in the newsletter. The service I'm using makes sure that all subscribers go through that double opt-in process in order to prevent any risk of perceived spamming. It does make subscribing a little tougher than just going through a one-click process, but I appreciate that concern and their compliance with various anti-spamming regulations and conventions.

It's also possible that the newsletter may have been snagged by a spam filter for some subscribers. If you didn't get your copy of the Content Done Better Report, check your spam folder. Your email service may have been a little bit too discerning this time around!

I received my own copy of the newsletter and a previous test post sent just to myself worked, so I have every reason to believe it was sent successfully. However, I haven't received confirmation from other recipients, so it is hypothetically possible that it disappeared into some nasty black hole.

If you DIDN'T receive your copy, please comment on this thread so we can get to the bottom of the problem.

If you DID receive your copy and can spare a minute, please comment that it went through. I'll feel better when I know at least a part of the subscriber list got the goods!

Oh, and if you still haven't subscribed you can do that right now. The subscription form is on the right sidebar.


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