Writing is one of the fastest ways to start earning side income while working a day job.

Why?

Because there’s millions of websites who need quality writers to create content for them. 

One of my favorite phrases goes like this: “When there’s a gold rush, be the person selling shovels.” 

Writing content is in my opinion being the person selling shovels. 

The problem? 

There are a lot of ways to get burned trying to write for these website owners, and if you’re not careful you’ll get caught creating free content without getting paid. 

This is especially true for beginners looking to enter the field of freelancing. 

That’s why sites like Textbroker exist. To provide writers with direct access to clients who will actually pay. 

My goal with this review is to give you a fair and balanced look at Textbroker as a possible side income hustle. 

If you want to get paid to write, then keep reading. 

What is Textbroker?

Originally founded in Germany, and now headquartered in the U.S., Textbroker is an online marketplace to connect freelance content writers with clients. It’s only devoted to writing related projects like blog posts, technical writing, news stories, product descriptions, etc. 

Textbroker is a content mill. Which means they act as the bridge – middleman – between the two parties (the freelancer and the client). 

At no point will the writer really interact with the client except for clarification on revision requests. 

They make money through arbitrage. Basically they charge the client more per word than what they’ll pay their writers per word.

Side note: It was actually one of the first platforms I used when I started working as a freelancer myself. 

Is Textbroker Legit?

Yes – Textbroker is a legitimate company who pays on time. Although I recommend you only work with Textbroker if you’re a brand new freelancer. (More details below!)

You have every reason to be suspicious. A lot of work-from-home or make money online opportunities smell like week old bunt tuna. 

Stinky.

Textbroker however has been around since 2007, and they do have a decent track record in the community. With venture funding, and millions of clients, they’re going to pay on time. 

A lot of content marketplaces will try to find creative ways to skim their writers. That’s just the nature of humans doing business. 

Textbroker however has proven to have the integrity to pay their writers. It’s just they pay really, really low. 

Like every other gig economy marketplace, you’re going to be considered an “independent contractor” when working with Textbroker. 

They will only pay you for the work provided on a per-word basis and nothing more. 

Who Will Be Successful On Textbroker?

If you like to write, like, seriously enjoy writing, Textbroker is a good opportunity. 

If you are an aspiring freelancer, and want to get your feet wet without the hassle of finding clients, Textbroker is a good opportunity. 

If you’re anyone else. I would recommend staying away from Textbroker. 

Why?

Because professional freelance writers get paid between $100-$1,000 per post or piece of content they create. 

The only reason you would want to work for a content mill like Textbroker is if you don’t have the desire to pursue getting clients. 

My recommendation: if you’re serious about building a freelance business, but don’t know where to start, work for Textbroker for about 2-4 months. Build a portfolio of your previous content you’ve created. Try to get testimonials or feedback, and then bounce to higher paying gigs. 

Currently Textbroker are taking authors from these 10 countries: 

• Brazil
• Germany
• Spain
• France
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• UK
• USA

Getting Started & Working With Textbroker

The entire process from beginning to end is relatively simple. It involves only 6 steps on your end. 

Step 1: Register

Depending on your location you’ll need to pick the country you want to apply from. For example, I’m based out of the U.S. so I applied via the U.S. portal. 

Important: You must be 18 years old and a citizen of the country you apply from. They do this for tax purposes. 

Here’s a quick screenshot of what you can expect: 

As you can see you’ll be asked questions related to your profession or field of study, your expertise, and then you create your user and password. 

You’ll receive an email verifying the account where you can then log into your textbroker account to submit your first writing draft. 

Step 2: Submit Writing Sample

Textbroker operates on a rating scale (more details below). They’ll need you to complete an initial writing assignment – unpaid of course – in order to rate your ability. 

It needs to be a minimum of 200 words and ideally you should write about something you’re familiar with. Let’s say you have a background in education. I would recommend writing about this for your trial run. 

It’s important you do you best on this writing sample. How you get rated initially will go a long way in producing more income for you quicker. 

If you get accepted, you’ll then be asked to provide your photo ID, payment, and tax information. 

Step 3: Get Rated

Like I mentioned above, Textbroker works on a rating scale to determine how much they’ll pay writers, and equally how much they’ll charge clients. 

They use the star rating system which ranges from 2-5 stars. Textbroker will use the rating system to determine how much you should be paid per word in the beginning. The rating is determine by a variety of factors which include: 

• Grammar
• Spelling
• Knowledge Depth
• Test & Aptitude Scores

Not only will they rate you initially, but usually every 3-5 articles you write will be spot checked by editors who work for Textbroker. 

To get to a 5 star rating you need to submit high quality content on a regular basis. (From speaking with a lot of writers, I’ve only ever met 2 writers who got to 5 star ranking.)

Here’s the star ranking broken down further: 

• 2 Stars (Average Content Quality)
• 3 Stars (Good Content Quality)
• 4 Stars (Very Good Content Quality)
• 5 Stars (Excellent Content Quality)

Once ranked you’ll now be able to find projects. 

Step 4: Find Projects

As a beginner – you’ll need to search for projects through the open pool section. With more experience you’ll find additional ways to get more work. 

Clients will submit projects through Textbroker with instructions and the quality level they need. You’ll get access to the pool of projects available, and you can pick to write it. Usually it’s first come first serve.

Over time as you begin to build relationships with the clients, you’ll get the opportunity to write “Direct Orders.” This is when the client only wants you to write their articles, and you can negotiate a price-per-word directly with the client. This is a great way to build brand reputation in the space. 

Here’s the exact breakdown of the process:

1. You log into Textbroker and you’ll pick a topic you want to write about. They’ll be ordered based on the quality level. 
2. When you pick the topic and click to view the assignments, you can pick the title you want to start on. 
3. Preview the assignment to see the instructions which include keywords, days to complete, number of words, etc.
4. Once you preview the assignment you must choose if you want to write it within 10 minutes.
5. If you accept, you begin writing about the topic assigned. 
6. Once complete you submit for proofreading and repeat the process. 

Step 5: Write The Order

I debated on adding this section because I thought it would be self-explanatory. However, if you’re a beginner here are some tips to help make the writing easier. 

• Consider using a tool like Grammerly. It’s immensely helpful with making your writing crisp and clean.
• Build an outline before you write. (This one trick has doubled my productive writing sessions.)
• Always write in Word or Google docs to keep your content. (You can’t publish the content anywhere else, but I always keep my writing pieces for portfolios and reference.)
• Read. Read a lot.
• Use bullets, italics, bold, and other formatting techniques to make your writing easy to read, but still impactful. 

Step 6: Get Paid

After you complete the article, you now have to submit it to the proofreader. 

Quick note: the editors at Textbroker will often give you feedback about your writing. They can be rather direct and blunt about it. Don’t take it too harshly, if anything accept the constructive criticism and move on. 

When the proofreader accepts the article, the client has 4 days only to either ask for a revision or accept the offer. If the client forgets to accept within the 4 days then it’s automatically accepted via Textbroker’s rules. 

Once accepted by the client you get paid! 

What Does Textbroker Pay?

Textbroker’s pay is why I recommend you only work with them if you’re an absolute beginner. You’ll never earn enough to be a full time writer for them alone. 

Depending on how fast you write, and the quality, will determine your hourly pay. I recommend you look at how long it takes to complete the articles and what the pay comes out to. 

How Much Does Textbroker Pay Freelancers?

Here’s a quick break down: 

• 2-Star – $.007/word ($7 per 1000 words)
• 3-Star – $.01/word ($10 per 1000 words)
• 4-Star – $.014/word ($14 per 1000 words)
• 5-Star – $.05/word  ($50 per 1000 words)

As you can see – going from 4 to 5 stars is a lucrative jump. Here’s the problem though, from what I’ve heard only 3% of writers actually make it to 5 stars. Textbroker is very strict about who ranks for 5 stars, and there’s no clear guideline to learn. 

How Much Does Textbroker Charge Clients?

Typically Textbroker is going to make between 30-45% margin on the content. That’s a lot for you to lose especially since you did the hard work of writing the actual article. When you break down the math, it’s just not worth staying with them long term. 

Here are the fees the client will pay:

• 2-Star – $.013/word ($13 per 1000 words)
• 3-Star – $.018/word ($18 per 1000 words)
• 4-Star – $.024/word ($24 per 1000 words)
• 5-Star – $.072/word ($72 per 1000 words)

Textbroker Pros & Cons

Pros

• No experience is necessary to get started. 
• Ideal for beginners to learn about making money online for the first time. 
• Textbroker pays consistently. You can get paid each week if you make a minimum of $10
• Direct transfer to your bank. You won’t get slapped with payment fees. 
• Solid community and support staff. 
• Good feedback mechanism for writers. 

Cons

• Pay is abysmally low. 
• Sometimes there’s a limit to projects available. 
• Multiple revisions can be required by the client. 
• Clients can be abusive sometimes. 
• Very difficult to get into 5 star ranking. 

Executive Summary – Final Review Of Textbroker

If you’re a beginning freelancer I recommend taking a swing at Textbroker. It’s a safe place to play where you’re guaranteed to get paid if you complete the work. Trust me – in the world of freelancing getting paid is the thing that matters. 

Use Textbroker as a way to build your confidence and portfolio. It will also help you determine if writing is your vehicle for earning side income. 

After 2-3 months of writing though, you’ll want to leave onto greener pastures. Yes, you can earn between $9-$12/hr writing for Textbroker (only if you can write quickly with high quality!). 

However, your time is worth much more. Most freelance writers only accept $.05/word minimum. Write until you’re confident you can charge this rate, then go strike out on your own!