Tips for applying to Demand Studios

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  1. PurpleOne profile image78
    PurpleOneposted 13 years ago

    I am taking a four month leave of absence from work and really need to increase my online earnings to help cover as much lost income as possible.

    I have heard good things about Demand Studios - at least that they pay $15 upfront for articles and I would be more than happy with that. However, I hear that it's really hard to get accepted as a writer. Just wondering if anyone here could please offer a few tips on the process! They request a resume as part of the application but the only site I have ever written for is Hubpages - I don't really have a "writer's background." I've read a few things online about how you should show that you have a niche when putting together your resume. How should I go about doing that?

    Thanks so much to anyone who can help me!

    1. couturepopcafe profile image61
      couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Demand only wants to see that you are a good writer, not necessarily an experienced writer.  You hubpages articles will suffice if they are good.  You only get to give them two pieces in the application.  Check and double check your spelling, grammar, link, and structure.  They won't read very far if this stuff is not correct. 

      Create a real resume.  Under the section "Hobbies/Interests" is where you will put anything you are good at or very interested in, sports, cooking, kids, crafts, whatever, even you past job if it is something you can write about.  They want people who can write well, succinctly, with good grammar.  Don't use any modern language like text talk, slang, ebonics, or whatever. 

      Go for it but make sure everything is in order before you do!

      1. PurpleOne profile image78
        PurpleOneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Thank you so much for your response! You must write for DS yourself, do you?

  2. rmcrayne profile image90
    rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

    Reach out to lroher.  She can give you the inside scoop on Demand Studios and multiple other paid writing sites.

  3. Uninvited Writer profile image80
    Uninvited Writerposted 13 years ago

    I have applied 3 times and have been denied. I wonder if they are actually taking Canadians as they said they were. I agree lrohner knows her stuff, she sent me a lot of info on how to get in but I haven't applied again.

    I have mixed feelings now if I want to work for them after hearing so many things from others.

    1. lrohner profile image68
      lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You know, UW, funny you should say that. I've run into a bunch of new writers from the UK, but not Canada. I'm going to post on the DS forums and see if there are any there. Maybe they're just a quiet bunch? smile

  4. lrohner profile image68
    lrohnerposted 13 years ago

    Demand Studios doesn't necessarily need/want the next great American novelist. They want people with varied backgrounds, experience and knowledge who can write simple, straightforward articles. Put any writing experience you have at the top of your resume -- even if it was a simple newsletter for the PTA, a personal blog or even HubPages. At the very end of your resume, add a list of hobbies or other bits you have experience with, like automotive repair, natural health remedies, quilting, pet training, etc. Seriously -- fill this one out pretty fully. They want to know that you can pick up a variety of titles that you have some background with.

    I would suggest that you don't use a HubPages article to apply. Go to eHow and look over their "How To" articles. I would really, really suggest that you write a simple How To. My daughter was recently accepted and How Tos are the only things I think new writers have access to.

    Don't get complicated with your article. Keep it simple: "How To Clean a Sink" "How To Wash a Car" are the kinds of things I think you should apply with. My daughter wrote "How To Use a Flat Iron."

    Feel free to run contact me through my profile if you have any questions or want me to look over your article before you submit.

    And good luck!

    Edited to add: You should also apply to BrightHub. You can use your HubPages articles there. In their content edited channels, you get $10 upfront plus RevShare for the life of the article. RoseMary and Susan -- You both should hook up with BrightHub too.

    1. rmcrayne profile image90
      rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this



      Lisa I've been meaning to write you for several weeks now since seeing a forum post where you wrote about BrightHub. 

      I was really bummed about getting rejected by Demand Studios.  The hoops and process for reapplying just felt overwhelming and I never followed through.  BrightHub sounds more appealing in the application process as well as editorial processing. 

      One of the reasons I’ve drug my feet is that I have returned to work.  Even though I’m prn/part-time, it’s still been quite an adjustment.  My hubbing has practically come to a halt other than HubMob roundup hubs.

      I am interested in diversifying a bit though.  My mindset seems to have become ‘hubs are long, well researched &/or well thought out’.  Perhaps starting fresh with BrightHub I could write much shorter (& less time consuming), but still good articles.

    2. PurpleOne profile image78
      PurpleOneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Irohner, I couldn't help myself and just applied for DS last night before you had a chance to respond here! I wish I had put a hobbies section at the bottom of my resume but I did not. However, in my resume I went on a bit about how I used to be a travel agent and am now a medical laboratory technologist and how these things alone provide me with enough of a background to write about quite a few topics, blah blah blah.

      At the start of my resume under Writing Experience, the only thing I have listed is Hubpages because it is honestly the truth and did not feel right about padding it. I did put that I have experience editing resumes and papers of friends and co-workers at their request. Not sure if that will help me any!

      I did not write a brand new article to apply - just used one of my HP articles about tips for making your fine hair look thicker but I did completely revamp it and try to take out all essence of opinion.

      I really hope that I can get accepted but realize that my chances are slim.

      Thanks for offering to review my writing sample! Wish I had waited for your response before I applied. sad

      1. travelespresso profile image69
        travelespressoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Good luck PurpleOne!  I hope you are selected.

        I might post my question regarding About as a separate post.  Sorry - didn't mean to hijack your thread.

        1. PurpleOne profile image78
          PurpleOneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks! You were not hijacking my thread, no worries! smile I've also wondered about About before too.

      2. PurpleOne profile image78
        PurpleOneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        I will apply for BH based on your suggestion, Irohner! I need to start diversifying I think.

  5. lakeerieartists profile image64
    lakeerieartistsposted 13 years ago

    I have applied twice and been denied as well.

  6. travelespresso profile image69
    travelespressoposted 13 years ago

    Does anyone have any experience working for About.com?   

    There's a topic available that I'd like to write about.  Any tips about the application process (or anything else to do with About) gratefully received!

    1. Uninvited Writer profile image80
      Uninvited Writerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      According to what I've read on the Suite101 forums there is a huge backup of applications for About.com. People have applied over a year ago and haven't heard back yet.

      1. travelespresso profile image69
        travelespressoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Thanks for that info UW.  It seems they select a topic or topics every week and then go through the applications they have on hand to decide who to try out.

        Given there are many topics available then I imagine it would take some time.  I think I'll write my application anyway and see how I go.

        Thanks also Irohner.

  7. Brooke Lorren profile image60
    Brooke Lorrenposted 13 years ago

    Are they actually taking writers right now?

    My husband was accepted for Demand, about two years ago.  I have 11 years of online writing experience and I was turned down.  I even have eHow experience, and even have a letter that said that I would be automatically accepted into their program when they merged eHow with Demand.

    I was accepted to Textbroker and was given an initial rating of four stars, which I guess is hard to get.  When I was turned down, my husband guessed that they might not be taking new writers at the moment.

    1. lrohner profile image68
      lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. They are taking on new writers and editors.

  8. lrohner profile image68
    lrohnerposted 13 years ago

    @Rosemary-I'm one of the editors in the Health channels, which is where I assume you would write. We NEED good med writers!!! Just let me know when you apply and I'll let my Managing Editor know to watch for your application. At BH, btw, you can only write 5 articles per month at the beginning until they start getting pageviews, so that shouldn't interfere with the job.

    @Travel - I do know some folks who write for About. I've been wanting to apply there, but just haven't had the time. Good luck!

    1. rmcrayne profile image90
      rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this



      This is very encouraging.  I guess I really was looking for a nudge.  I had previously visited the site and saw there are 3 options to sign up for.  I have a really busy week next week with 4 (pediatric) evaluations, which are each pretty grueling writing projects!  I wouldn't expect to write any articles, but maybe I could press ahead with the application next week.  Any tips?

      1. lrohner profile image68
        lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Yup. Forge ahead with the app. There are no minimum number of articles to write. Just use some of your medical hubs in your app if you want to write in the Health channel. You can c/p, as they don't publish them or anything -- it's just for the app. It first goes to the head office, but I think they just check for whether you can actually write in English! smile Then it goes off to my ME.

        Whatever channel you apply for in Health, let them know that you're willing to write in other Health channels. Really important as some of them are pretty full with writers right now.

        BH only pays once a month, so no worries if you can't write for another week or two. You just may not find a lot of titles then. But you can pitch articles if you want and if you can't find titles -- just make sure BH hasn't already written that title and that you've done a little bit of keyword research. That's it! Look forward to seeing you join up!

        BTW -- Once you've written a couple of articles, there are a gazillion other channels you can request to get into as well. I think I write in all of the Health channels as well as some home decorating-type channels.

        1. rmcrayne profile image90
          rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this



          I think I'll initially apply to "arthritis and related".  It's showing now as "opportunties available".  That's an easy topic for me to write about.  I have 4 arthritis-specific hubs that are quite thorough/long.  You're saying you copy/paste, not post links for the application?  If so would you recommend to edit down, or break into multiple articles?  And submit how many?  And initially, just submit arthritis content?

          1. lrohner profile image68
            lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I don't think it makes a difference. If they ask for links, give the links. If not, c/p the text. And just submit one. They won't look at more than that. I think any health-related content is fine, but if you already have arthritis-related hubs, you might as well use those. (BTW, I've already alerted the ME and told her you are AWESOME!) smile

            Oh, and it could be up to two weeks before you hear anything, but it's usually less. So don't worry if you don't get a response right away.

  9. lrohner profile image68
    lrohnerposted 13 years ago

    UW - How are you doing on Suite? I have an account there but haven't written anything yet. Any advice?

    1. Uninvited Writer profile image80
      Uninvited Writerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I actually haven't written an article since June. I'm still earning on 22 articles but it's like $2 a month.

  10. PurpleOne profile image78
    PurpleOneposted 13 years ago

    Yay, I was just accepted at Demand Studios and if I can do it, so can anyone! There must be more of a demand for writers right now otherwise I don't think I would have made it.

    Uninvited Writer, maybe they are looking to expand their writers from Canada at this time? I figure that might be why I got in. Like I said, if I can do it, anyone can so they'd probably accept you if you apply again. I don't know anything about DS though, I will be learning as I go.

    Irohner, as an ultimate beginner, how many articles do you think I could realistically write in a week to start out with? I will be in Costa Rica on my four month leave of absence from work so time should not be an issue for me.

    1. lrohner profile image68
      lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Before you do anything, you have to write three articles to be reviewed by one of the senior editors. Those three articles are your last "test," so to speak. Do well and you're in. Flub up and you're out. smile (Don't worry too much... You'd have to flub up pretty badly.)

      Realistically, if you can get a good handle on ALL of the guidelines, blacklist and templates to where they are second nature to you, you could easily do 8 to 10 articles per day. I know some folks who do more, but I suspect your brain would turn to mush after 10.

      It's just very important to adhere to the guidelines, otherwise you risk getting rewrites and rejections that can very, very quickly bring your productivity and income to a screeching halt.

      If you're only in this for the four months, just get through it as best you can. If you want to write with them beyond that point, pay attention to your scorecard. Once you have several hundred articles under your belt AND you keep your scores up, you can qualify for other publishers where you make a significant amount more per article.

      Hope that helps! I'm also lrohner on DS, so just PM me if you have any questions.

      Oh -- Get your bio done really quickly. That could hold you up over there as well.

      1. PurpleOne profile image78
        PurpleOneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        Irohner, oh dear, I just took a look at the title selection and I don't think there is a single thing that I could write about. sad Mostly everything seems to be about home repairs, how to build this, how to fix that, etc. I can't find a single realistic article in the health category to write about. This is initially very frustrating but maybe I am not searching properly?

        1. lrohner profile image68
          lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          It's a rite of passage for new DS writers. smile

          Seriously though, my daughter is having the same problem. If you have a medical background, I would suggest you apply to the Health channel on BrightHub (let me know when you apply and under what name).

          With DS, just find whatever it is that you can write to get some titles under your belt. Then ask to be put on the LiveSTRONG project. Most of my articles are for LS. They pay more than the titles you're writing, and there are sections for health, diet and nutrition and fitness.

          For now, filter your search by Health & Fitness and you should find some things there. You can also try using keywords. Save your searches and click the email updates box. Good luck!

          Edited to add: Feel free to PM me on DS if you have more questions instead of taking up all this forum space. smile I'm lrohner there.

 
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