Writer FAQ

Exactly what are these articles used for? The articles you write are primarily used by customers (clients) as web content.

Does TCA guarantee work? Due to fluctuations in the content industry, The Content Authority does not promise a minimum amount of weekly paid work nor does it guarantee the level of work requests you will be assigned.

Can anyone be a writer for TCA? No.  It takes a certain skill level to become a successful writer at TCA.  Having said that, anyone can apply.

Are there any kinds of training resources for new writers? Yes, there are.  Once you log in to the writer’s portal, you will see a tab for “docs”.  Click on this tab and you will find a link to “New Writer’s Orientation”.  This will give you some basic information for writing standard articles.

What is the rating that I receive as a new writer? Each new writer begins at Tier 1. A person is given a rating based on the quality of writing that we have received and acts as a way in which we can watch your work before we move you up to a higher rating.  After completing five Tier 1 articles, your account will be reviewed for a Tier upgrade.

What is all this talk about Tier articles and Tier Writers? All articles are ordered based on a Tier Level.  Our Clients order articles based on Tiers 1-4.  Our writers are also assigned a Tier Level of 1-4.  A Tier 1 writer is only allowed to work on Tier 1 articles, but a Tier 4 writer is allowed to work on all Tier level articles.  The better quality work that you produce the higher potential pay you will receive.  As you submit consistent quality work, you will then gain access to work orders that require higher quality content.   The majority of the content requested from buyers’ falls within Tiers 1 and 2, but that should not dissuade you from trying to gain a higher rating. You will be paid on what quality is requested NOT what tier level you are.  Therefore, if you are a Tier 2 writer and receive Tier 1 work, you will be paid at the Tier 1 rate. This is important when calculating how much you hope to earn each day/ week as a writer with us.  However, if you are a Tier 2 writer and you pick up a Tier 2 order, you will be paid the Tier 2 rates.

Am I limited to how many articles I can write after my first five? Am I required to write so many articles in a specific time period to remain a writer at TCA? No and it is encouraged to write as much as you wish.  You are not required to write a specific number of articles within a time period to remain a writer.

How can I become a Tier 2 writer? Tier 3 writer? You can earn a promotion to higher tier levels by consistently writing well-written articles with zero or few mistakes.  After you complete 5 Tier 1 articles, your account will be reviewed automatically for a Tier upgrade.  If for some reason you have not been upgraded after 5 articles, please contact support@thecontentauthority.com and request a review.  Those currently writing at Tier 2 or above can request a review for a higher level.

I submitted all five articles, when will I be considered for Tier 2? After your first five standard articles (rewrites do not count toward the first five), you may contact support@thecontentauthority.com for a review to see if your writing shows that you are ready to be promoted to a higher tier level.

Common Writing Questions If I am only writing a Tier 1 article, how good does it really need to be? We expect all of our writers to write to the best of their ability no matter what Tier level article they are working on.  Each article should be informative, factual, well researched, and interesting to read as well as follow any specific directions the publisher may give you.  It is imperative that each article include proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and paragraph breaks.  If you fail to produce quality articles that follow these guidelines, you will be removed as a writer.

What type of software should I use? The most common software our writers use is Microsoft Word, however, you can use any word processing software.  You will want to make sure it has spelling and grammar check to maintain the quality of your work. Some writers like to use Voice Recognition software, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, and dictate articles. If you use this type of software, be sure that you read over the article before you submit it, as there may be errors in the text that need to be corrected.

Is there a standard format for writing the articles? Yes.  The first determining factor is the desires of the customer (publisher). Read their instructions carefully.  Some publishers want a certain amount of paragraphs or will indicate how many sentences they want in each paragraph.  The other point to remember is to follow simple writing structure.  This means an opening paragraph, giving the reader a general idea of the article, then paragraphs identifying the main information and of course, the closing paragraph to summarize the information.

Once I write an article, what do I do? The first important thing to do is to check your article for any errors.  It is advised to run your spelling and grammar check along with a quick read-over for any typos.  Then you need to copy your article into the TCA article box and submit. We also recommend that you keep a copy of your article on file on your personal computer system.

Can I use bulleted lists and headings in my articles? You can as long as you also provide written content.  If you use bullets, you must have an opening paragraph and a closing paragraph.

Do I have to write exactly the number of words or can I go over? You can go over, but you will not be paid for anything more than the minimum word requirement.

Will I be asked to write about things that I find immoral or offensive? No, you absolutely will NOT! We want you to be comfortable with the subject matter and keywords you are writing on.  We want you to be comfortable with the subject matter and keywords on which you are writing.

Will I retain the rights to the articles written? No, you will not.  The articles you write become the property of the Client and cannot be reused for any purposes.

General Writer Portal Information How do I check the status on articles that I have written to see if they are pending or approved? Once you are logged into your writer account, go to My Account and scroll to the bottom of the page.  Under “Earnings”, select the date range of the orders in question.  Your completed orders will show up and if they are accepted, they will say “Yes” under the “Approved” column.

Why are the articles in red a priority? Orders that appear in red are over 72 hours old and considered a priority.  In order to provide the best turnaround times for our Clients, we strive for a 3-day turnaround for all articles in the queue.  When they are over 3 days old, they are highlighted in red and must be completed first.

Can I choose which article I want to write, or do I need to do them in a specific order? Typically, when you log into your writer’s account you will see a list of articles from which to choose.  You may choose to complete any of these articles in your list, in any order you wish.  However, if you see an article highlighted in RED we ask that you please complete it first.

Why does it say I must be approved before I can write another article? When you are first hired to be a writer for TCA you will be required to write five Tier 1 articles that must be reviewed by an editor before you are released to write as many articles as you wish.  This helps us keep the quality of articles at the highest standards.

Can I change my mind on writing an article after I accept it? Yes, you can.  After accepting an article, you may unassign yourself from that article by clicking on the link “Unassign me from this article!” at the bottom of the acceptance page.  We urge each writer not to abuse this feature as it delays articles from being completed.

The keyword the customer requested is misspelled, should I correct it? No.  Customers are very specific on their keyword selection and many purposefully target misspelled words.  Please use the words as they appear in your order.  The only exception for this is many publishers will not capitalize proper nouns when listing the keywords and you should always capitalize proper nouns.  This is more professional and the customer will expect it, as it does not change the nature of the keyword for their purposes. Some keyword phrases may be written in a very awkward manner. Though it will be uncomfortable for you, please keep the keywords in the order in which the client asked them to be written.

What if a client does not capitalize keywords that are proper nouns? Proper nouns must always be capitalized in articles. Please note this is an exception to the rule is that keywords must appear in articles exactly as they are written by the client even if they contain grammar or spelling errors. Keywords are not case sensitive and are to be capitalized when needed.

Should I use all of the keywords the customer requested? Yes, this is VERY important to the customer.  You need to follow ALL of the customer instructions exactly.  These keywords will eventually be used to increase traffic to their websites and they must be used in their exact forms, except you will need to capitalize proper nouns.

What is the “Phrase Density”? Phrase Density is the percentage of times a certain phrase is used in an article.  The percentage depends on the total number of words the article is, but typically, our customers do not want to see a phrase density of over 2%.  There are times when a customer may require a phrase density over 2%, if this is the case, you may need to put symbols within the keyword in order for it to pass the density checker.  At the top of the article, put a note to the editors to draw their attention to this.

After I accept an article, how long do I have to write it? Eight hours.

If the article is rejected by the customer, what happens? The rejection enters a dispute and an editor will rule on it.  If the dispute rules in favor of the complaint, then the article will be sent back to the writer for corrections, otherwise it will be sent back to the Client.

If the editors send my article back, how long do I have to correct it? Twenty-four hours.  If the article is not corrected in 24 hours it will be reassigned to someone else and you will not be paid for it.  It is important to check your account at least once a day for this reason.

How long do customers have to approve my article? What if they do not approve it within the time frame? To be paid for an order, it must be approved by the customer. If the order is not approved or is reassigned to another writer, you will not be paid. Customers have 72 hours to approve an order or request a revision. If the customer does not act within 72 hours, the order will be automatically approved. If an order is not approved by payday (Monday), you will not be paid for that order until the following week.

How many days does a buyer have to accept or reject an article? Buyers have 3 days after the receipt of the article(s) to request revision.  If revision is requested the articles will be returned to the writer for correction.  If the buyer does not request revision within the 3-day period, the articles are considered “approved” by the buyer.

How long should the article take to be approved by the editors? This depends on the amount of articles in the editing queue, but typically, articles are edited within a few hours.  The exception for this might be articles written during the hours of 10pm and 8am EST.

What is the Rewrite Tab for? Rewrite orders are articles where you rewrite an existing article provided by the publisher. When you choose one of these articles, you use the text provided by the publisher and rewrite sentence by sentence (or whatever method you choose) until your article is completely unique. You do not need to research for rewrites. Attention: we have automatic features that prevent duplicate content and submitting articles too similar to the original.

How do I send back a rewrite if I change my mind and do not want to do it? You can click the unassign or assign to another writer link, which will put it back into the writer’s queue.  It is advisable to let the editor know you are doing this prior to this in order for the editor to reassign it quickly to another writer.

What is the purpose of the Direct Order Tab? Direct orders are orders requested by publishers to be specifically done by you. There are no traditional time limits for these writing orders except that they must be finished within one week of receipt or they will be removed from your queue.

How do I set up the Direct Order Profile? You need to click on the Direct Order Setting found on the Direct Order Tab within the Write Content area and  fill in the requested information. Publishers have the ability to choose particular writers as their “favorite.” This allows them to make direct orders to you at a rate of your choosing. Your writer profile helps determine the characteristics of direct orders you will receive as well as determine your pay rate. Direct orders you receive must be written within 7 days of notification.

Payment How often are writers paid? Payments to writers are made each Monday by 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time, based on all approved articles received into the system by 12:01am on that same day, Monday. PayPal is our only method of payment. To be paid for an order, it must be approved by the customer. If the order is not approved, you will not be paid for it. Customers have 72 hours to approve an order or request a revision. If the customer does not act within 72 hours, the order will be automatically approved. If an order is not approved by payday (Monday), you will not be paid for that order until the following week. You must have a minimum of $25.00 of approved articles in your account to be paid for the week. You can track your earnings in the “Earnings” tab when you first login.

How do I know if I have been paid for a completed order? Go to My Account and scroll to the bottom of the page.  Under “Earnings” select the date range of the orders in question.  Your completed orders will show up and if you have been paid for them, they will say “Yes” under the “Paid” column.

What is the rate writers will be paid?

 Will I be paid for the sample article submitted? No, but as soon as you start working through the site you will be paid for every accepted article.

Is it really as simple as writing for cash? Yes. However, you should be aware that our Clients have the right to reject your article and if it is not corrected by you in a timely manner, in which case you will not be paid for the article, as someone else will have to write it instead.

Can I really make $10-$25+ per hour? Yes, with the proper research and writing tools a typical 400 word well-researched article can take around 10-20 minutes to complete. Therefore, at a base tier, you could make $16.80 and at the third tier, you could make $48.00. Results will vary but we try to work with each writer to help them earn the highest end of potential earnings.

Am I paid per word or a flat rate per article? You are paid per word but not for going over the requested number of words – if you are writing a 500 word article and you write 503 words, you won’t be paid for those extras.

Am I paid if the article has been previously rejected and I pick it up? If you write an article and the publisher accepts it without having to be rewritten by another writer, then yes, you will be paid for it.

Does TCA send a 1099 at the end of the year? The Content Authority considers each writer an Independent Contractor and as such, it is the writer’s responsibility to report all earnings to federal, state, and local tax agencies. At the end of the calendar year, you will be sent a 1099, if your earnings are greater than $600, or based on the most recent IRS Tax code requirements. Please consult a tax professional if necessary.

Disciplinary Procedures Will I receive a warning before being let go as a writer? If your article is returned to you for poor quality or plagiarism, you will receive a warning.  A second rejected article will result in the loss of a tier level and a third rejection will result in your removal as a writer from the company.  Please note that multiple infractions on the same day can result in a quick dismissal.  We strive to provide our Clients with the highest quality articles and cannot afford mistakes on a continued basis.  If you do not understand why your articles are being returned, do not hesitate to contact us at support@thecontentauthority.com

Miscellaneous Information What is the Writers Forum? The forum is an area for writers to share ideas and tips for writing. You will need to register for the forum and can access it through your writer’s account.

What is the TCA Blog? The TCA Blog is a great place to learn more about SEO marketing. This site contains numerous articles explaining the latest trends and news for SEO and web content.

I have a friend who wants to write for you, too. What should I do? Please have your friend submit a writer’s application by filling out the form on our main page: http://thecontentauthority.com. We will be happy to review his/her application and consider him/her for a position as a TCA writer.

Support How do I get in touch with someone if I need help? Email support@thecontentauthority.com with any questions or technical issues. The email will be forwarded to the appropriate person who can help you with your issue. For writer’s issues please email Writer Support at support@thecontentauthority.com If you have other questions you feel should be included in the FAQ list, please send your ideas to: support@thecontentauthority.com and put FAQ questions in the subject line.