Textbroker Review: Good Way To Make Money Writing or a Scam?

What is Textbroker?

Textbroker is a website that pays you for writing articles.

Clients post the orders that they want, and you write them. It’s pretty simple!

The articles are about all sorts of topics, from entertainment to food and beverages.

How to Write for Textbroker

In this section, I’ll cover how writing for Textbroker works.

Here’s my step by step guide to freelance writing with Textbroker.

Step 1: Sign up (How to sign up and who can join?)

Visit this page to create your account. Click “Sign me up as an Author.” And then you’ll be taken to a form you’ll need to complete.

Once you complete the form, you should receive an email containing an activation link. If you can’t see this email, just check your junk mail folder.

You’ll need to activate your account.

Once you’ve done that, log in to your account on Textbroker, and you’ll be asked to submit a short writing sample and connect your payment method.

Now, you don’t need a degree to write for Textbroker or any special qualifications. You do however need to be at least 18 years old and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

You may be asked to provide additional documents for verification.

Writing for TB when you’re not in the U.S.

“is textbroker available in Kenya?“. “is textbroker available in India?“. I see questions like these on forums and social media from writers living in countries around the world. So I thought I’d answer it here.

Due to the U.S. tax regulations, Textbroker.com can only accept U.S. citizens or residents legally authorized to work in the United States as freelancers.

Does this mean you can’t work for the company?

Heck no!

If you’re outside of the U.S. you may still be able to write for the site.

Just head on over to Textbroker.co.uk.

It’s the sister site of Textbroker.com.

Textbroker.co.uk accepts writers from:

• The UK
• New Zealand
• Australia
• Canada
• The Republic of Ireland

You can sign up as a writer on Textbroker.co.uk here.

Step 2: Write articles

Once you’re approved as a writer, you’ll be able to start making money writing articles for the site’s clients.

There are a few article types:

OpenOrder

OpenOrders are available to all TB authors.

The OpenOrders you have access to depends on your star rating.

All writers on the site are given a rating out of 5 stars. This rating can increase as you deliver more articles on the site.

When you go to the OpenOrder section, you’ll be able to see articles posted by clients in lots of different categories. Not all articles are available to all rating levels. For example, a client may post that they want an article about skincare to be written by authors who have four stars for example.

You can preview orders, and you have 10 minutes to accept that order before it goes back into the pool where other authors can see and accept it.

If you do accept the article, only you can access the order. You’ll get a time frame in which to complete the order – which is represented by a ticking clock.

If you don’t submit the article in time, it will expire and go back into the pool.

You can cancel the order if you decide you don’t want to do it, and it will go back into the pool.

You can pick up an order again once it goes back into the pool – but you can only pick up an order a maximum of two times.

DirectOrder

A DirectOrder is when a client assigns their orders directly to one author – hence the name!

So you aren’t choosing it from a pool of articles.

If a client is impressed with your work, they may contact you with a DirectOrder. If you really liked writing an article for a client, then you can contact that client using the messaging system and offer your services via DirectOrder.

You can set your own price per word for DirectOrders. You can even specify a different price per word for each client who wants to work with you.

You can use the site’s internal messaging system to contact clients and negotiate prices. The site says you should keep its commission in mind when negotiating prices with clients.

TeamOrder

Sometimes, clients work with teams of writers on articles – these are called TeamOrders.

You can write a TeamOrder when you join or are accepted to a client’s team.

A client can personally invite you to a team. Or you can apply to one. Just go to the TeamOrders tab in the Assignments section and click on the “Open Casting Call” tab. There you’ll be able to see a list of all teams that are requesting applications.

The application requirements and team conditions vary, so just check the details before you apply.

A client may invite you to a private team. Clients often send their invitations based on your author profile and work you’ve done for them in the past.

Clients set the price per word they’ll pay you for TeamOrders.

You can only accept one team order at a time.

Step 3: Get Paid

You can withdraw your earnings once you have a balance of $10 or more on your account. That’s a pretty low withdrawal limit, which is good.

The site pays through PayPal. Once you have enough money in your account, you can request a pay-out. You must do this by 11:59 PM PT Sundays and Wednesdays. Payouts are processed on Mondays and Thursdays, even if it’s a holiday, like July 4^th.

You can choose to request a payout for both pay-out dates in a week, but you’ll be charged a $1 fee. If you only request one pay-out for the week, there are no fees charged.

Any requests you make after the deadline will roll over to the following pay-out date.

How Much Does Textbroker Pay?

Textbroker pays you per word.

How much you earn depends on your star-rating and what type of order it is.

Here’s how much you’ll earn for OpenOrders:

• 2-star rating: $0.007 per word.
• 3-star rating: $0.01 per word.
• 4-star rating: $0.014 per word.
• 5-star rating: $0.05 per word.

Here’s what you earn for other order types:

• For direct orders, if you have a rating of 3-stars or above you earn a minimum of 2¢ per word.
• For team orders, if you have a rating of 3-stars or above you earn a minimum of $0.01755 per word.

So, for example, you’d earn $7 for a 500-word OpenOrder article if you were a writer with 4 stars.

You get paid according to the level of the assignment, not your rating. So if you have a 4-star rating, but write a 2-star assignment, you’re paid the rate for the 2-star level.

Is Textbroker Legit?

I know from personal experience (and from reading other people’s reviews and ratings) that Textbroker is legit. It actually pays you for writing. It’s not one of those scam sites that promises a work at home job and never pays you.

It’s a legit company with a customer support team. Now, while it is legit, is the site actually worth your time?

Let’s take a look at some pros and cons

Pros & Cons

In this section, I’ll cover the benefits and the disadvantages of writing with the site.

Pros

I’ll start with the pros.

Anyone can sign up

For some writing sites and jobs, you need experience, and if it’s in a specialized field, you may also need a degree.

If you’re new to writing, it can be hard to know where to get started.

That’s why websites like TB exist. When I was new to writing, these types of sites gave me a way to get started that didn’t require a ton of experience or a degree (which I didn’t have!)

All TB requires from you is a writing sample showcasing your ability to write.

That’s all.

So really anyone (well depending on where you live of course) can get started with TB.

It pays you

I’ve gotten many payments from the company.

And, I’m not alone; a few people have stated their positive experiences with the site, like these reviewers on Indeed.com:

• “I love this job, which is fully remote and offers some opportunity for advancement. The compensation can be really low at the 2-star and 3-star levels, but increases significantly as you progress into the 4-star and 5-star levels.”
• “You take jobs as they’re posted and what you’re interested in. You can work as much or as little as you want. Depending on how selective you are, you can make competitive pay versus many jobs, and the flexibility can’t be beat.”

It’s good for giving new writers experience

TB can give you experience as a writer with:

• Working to deadlines
• Writing content that fits a client’s brief
• Creating articles on a range of topics

If you’re just starting out, this can be really helpful. It can serve you well later in your career.

Cons

There are lots of pluses to working with TB. But the site does have its downsides too:

The pay can be pretty low

While it may be legit, is the site actually worth it?

It does pay out, but it could be argued that the pay is just too low unless you get to the 5-star level.

One reviewer on Indeed.com thinks so, saying:

• “Textbroker is one of the lowest paying freelance writing companies online. They start by paying around .01 cents per word. A little over a year later, and I make almost .02 cents per word. They take commission from bonuses as well. The flexibility of the job is great, however, the pay is terrible.”

A writer on this Reddit thread echoes this sentiment:

• ““My advice is not to bother unless you’re terribly desperate for some cash. For one thing the pay literally can’t get much worse. Even at a 4-star level, you make less than 2 cents/word.”

Like I said above, if you have a 4-star rating, you’d make $7 for a 500-word OpenOrder article.

$7 is very low for a 500-word article.  It takes time and research to make a good article. You have to think about your time. If it takes you two hours to do a 500-word article, you’d make just $3.50 an hour. Of course, some writers are faster than that. But if you’re a slower writer or writing about a complicated subject, writing an article can take hours. So the pay might just not be worth it.

Of course, if you can move up to the 5-star rating, the pay is $0.05 per word, which is pretty good!

However, that’s not always easy, which brings me to my next point…

The ratings system is difficult

Another issue is the rating system.

Many writers have complained that they find it difficult to increase their rating or that their rating is dropped for minor grievances.

On the Reddit thread I mentioned above, one writer says:

• “If you make a mistake such as using a comma where Textbroker doesn’t think there should be one, you’ll get knocked down a level – for just the one mistake. Getting knocked down a level means you’ll have access to fewer assignments and paid less.”

Another TB writer says on Trustpilot:

• “If you’re a gifted writer and think becoming a five-star writer will be a piece of cake, think again. You have to pass a very difficult exam before the editors will even consider reviewing your last 10+ articles, which can take months. And after the long wait, they will probably tell you that they’re not going to promote you because they noticed that you did or did not use an Oxford comma, for example, in one of those articles.”

I know myself that moving up through the site’s rating system is incredibly difficult. The site expects perfection from writers if they are to progress and considering the pay is so low at levels 2 to 4, is perfection something its writers should be striving for?

Is it Worth it? (& Textbroker Alternatives)

You may want to consider writing for TB if you:

• Are new to writing and would like to get experience and start making money writing online.
• Are low on work for other clients and really need some extra cash to fill in the gaps between other work.
• Manage to become a 5-star rating and the pay is worth it for you.

Otherwise, the site may not be worth your time.

I started writing for the site in 2012 but stopped in 2015.

Instead, I focused on finding clients to work with directly. I’d suggest this to you as well.

Sure, content mills like TB are great when you’re starting out, but after a while the pay just isn’t worth your time.

What’s annoying with these types of sites is that they put these rating systems in place as almost an excuse to pay writers less. And it seems really tough to actually increase your rating and get paid a better rate.

So, I’d suggest these two sites for finding private clients:

• UpWork
• PeoplePerHour

I also wrote a post recently with some Textbroker alternatives, which you can read here.

Hopefully, this Textbroker review helps you to decide whether the site is for you.

Overall, I’d say it’s a good starting point for new writers, and if you’re really strapped for cash give it a try.

Otherwise, you’d be best looking for clients who’ll pay you better rates – unless you’re fortunate enough to be awarded that elusive 5-star rating.

Have you ever written for Textbroker?

Let us know about your experience in the comments section below.