More about writing for Interact Media

Interact Media, also known as the Zerys Content Marketplace, is a content broker, similar to Textbroker. Last month, I saw their ad on Craigslist, but didn't know anything else about them.

Today, I saw a discussion on the Demand Studios forums and learned that when you apply to Interact, you have to submit a 500-word sample that Interact keeps and publishes -- without paying for it.  That sounds very uncool. (Edited 11/30/12 to add: This is no longer the case. Interact now lets applicants use a previously published article as a sample, according to the comment from Beth Hrusch, Senior Editor at Interact, below.)

Aside from having to provide a freebie, which, of course, no one liked doing, opinions on the forum were mixed.  Some people thought there wasn't much work at Interact, and what there was, paid too little. Others were finding more work and thought it was worth it on a dollar-per-hour basis because the assignments were easy, and they could do them quickly.

One person said that most of the gigs paid less than a penny/word (ouch), topping out occasionally at 3 cents/word.  Several people said they made more by getting on clients' "favorite" lists and getting direct orders.

For me, having to give a freebie to get in the door is probably a dealbreaker. (Edited to add 11/30/12 -- Again, this has changed since I originally wrote this post, and Interact no longer requires writers to provide a freebie, according to the comment from a company editor below.)

Interact/Zerys -- another article marketplace in the Textbroker and WriterAccess mode

I found this site (Interact Media, aka Zerys Content Marketplace) through a Craigslist ad.  It's another site, like Textbroker and WriterAccess, that brings together writers and clients for specific assignments -- some open to all writers, others direct assignments. It even uses the same two-to-five star rating system.

This is the ad. (They use the name Zerys on the ad, but Interact Media on the site itself -- I think Interact is the parent company):

The Zerys Content Marketplace is an award-winning content management platform developed for the purpose of bringing together content buyers and providers. We post thousands of jobs each week, and our client base is growing rapidly. We need experienced writers to join our network and become part of the content marketing revolution!

With our unique system, buyers use specialized set-up tools to create a list of titles they'd like to have written, along with writer instructions and other job details. Then, they can either post these titles to the writer job board, or assign them directly to you. When buyers order directly from you, they pay you the per-word rate you specify in your profile, or any rate you negotiate with them.

When you first apply, we will review a unique writing sample from you and give you an initial quality rating of 2-5 stars. After that, your rating will be based on buyer ratings. Buyers can search writers by quality ratings, so the higher your rating, the more likely you are to get higher paying jobs. 

During the application process, you will enter the pay rate you wish to charge per word for direct assignments. Payments are made every 2 weeks through your PayPal account. 

If you're interested in becoming a writer in the Zerys network, please apply here: 

http://admin.interactmedia.com/apply.aspx

Thank you!

Here's their writers' FAQ page.  Other than what I saw in the ad and on their site, I know nothing about this company.  Has anyone worked for them?  If so, what was it like?