Is Contena a scam? Can freelancer writers actually make any decent money with this freelancer platform, or is it just another “race to the bottom” content mill?
Let’s take a closer look and find out…
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Company Name: Contena
Owner: Heroic, LLC
Price To Join: Varies
My Rating: 3/10
~ Contena Reviews ~
What Is Contena?
Contena is an online freelance writer job board kid of like ProBlogger, only you have to pay fees to be granted access to apply for the writing jobs, whereas ProBlogger is totally free for freelancers.
Individuals and companies needing something written post their job briefs on the Contena site, then freelancers apply to do those writing jobs.
There are loads of freelancer sites out there, and your classic low-paying content mills such as Upwork. Most charge fees, but some don’t (as in ProBlogger). Fees are usually a percentage of the money you earn, but in the case of Contena, they charge you a monthly fee to be a part of the platform and allow you to keep 100% of any money you earn.
There is a free membership, but it’s pretty limited and you can’t access much on the site until you become a paying member.
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How It Works
Contena lists the advertised writing jobs within appropriate categories on their site (I assume they charge advertisers a listing fee as well), then freelancers can access those jobs and apply for them. Jobs are updated daily and there are tens of thousands of jobs listed at any given time.
Some popular categories include:
- Finance
- Entertainment
- Education
- Tech
- Health
- Lifestyle
- And loads more…
As a paying member you are able to filter your searches to find jobs that suit your knowledge and skillset. If you love writing about tech type stuff, then you will search for listings within that category, as well as inputting details such as fulltime, contract etc.
Note that you don’t actually work for Contena at all. They just supply the portal so freelancers can connect with advertisers. You work with and deal directly with the client yourself.
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Contena Academy
Yes, Contena actually has a freelance writer training academy that teaches you how to run a successful freelance writing business. The course consists of 9 training modules, which comprise video, written lessons and handy course materials that you can download.
Much of the training focuses on making the most of the Contena platform, from how to get started on the site, to landing the highest paying writing gigs, pitching clients, improving your writing style and so on. Depending on which membership you choose, you may even get a personal coach who will guide you every step of the way.
This training is more aimed at beginners in the freelancing marketplace and not those who are experienced.
How Much Money Can You Make?
How much you can make really depends on the advertised jobs and what the “employers” are willing to pay. Fees always vary quite wildly in the freelance writing world. You might earn $10 for 500 words of copy with one advertiser, or make $250 with another. It also depends largely on the nature of the writing, as in what kind of writing job it is and whether specific skills are required or lots of research. For example, a case study will generally attract a much higher fee than writing a simple blog post.
Whatever you might be able to earn through Contena, you have to remember there are Contena fees to pay, so it has to be worth your while after paying your Contena membership.
We’ll go through the various memberships and their prices below, so you have an idea of what you are looking at and what you get.
The Memberships
- The Gold Plan (All Tools + Academy) = $99 per month for 6 months. This gives you a full year of access to the site.
- The Platinum Plan (All Tools + Academy + Coaching) = $199 per month for 6 months. A full 2 year’s access to the site.
- Gold One-Off Payment = $497. You get access to the site for one year.
- Platinum One-Off Payment = $997. Full access to the site for 2 years.
It’s all quite expensive when you look at it like that. Sure, you get some training, but unless you are a complete beginner in the world of freelancing, that training is not going to prove all that valuable to you.
Target Audience
This is more targeted at beginning freelancers in my opinion, because much of their focus is on training to get you started. Also, they use the training and coaching as a way to justify charging high fees to become a member of the site.
What I Like
- Possibly you could make some decent money from some of the jobs on Contena
- They have a lot of gigs on the site at any one time
- There is a lot of variety in the kind of work advertised, so something to suit every writer
- They offer training to help beginners get started
What I Don’t Like
- The cost of membership is very high for freelancing
- The training is only of use to beginner freelancers
- Other job boards charge freelancers no fees whatsoever
- There’s no guarantee you will even get any writing jobs after paying for membership
- This seems like a way to rort budding freelance writers out of a stack of cash
- There are a lot of positive reviews about Contena out there because they have an affiliate program, and affiliates are talking it up so they can get people to join and earn commissions
Is Contena a Scam?
I think the fees for membership to Contena are exorbitant and taking advantage of budding freelance writers looking to get started. That’s just my personal opinion, but I’ve been in the freelance writing game since 1985, so I know a bit about it.
I’m not saying there’s nothing good about the Contena website, but if you go on there, they don’t even explain how things work until you join. There’s no FAQ page to access information easily. The company is not very transparent at all.
If you are just starting out and want to learn how to get started in freelancing, there is plenty of free information available on the web to point you in the right direction.
If you are an experienced freelancer, then most of the fees you’ll be paying Contena are to do with their training, which you likely won’t need. So mostly a waste of your money.
I don’t personally recommend the site. But like I said, that’s just my opinion.
Another Way To Make Money With Your Writing
If you enjoy writing – whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro – have you thought about putting your writing skills to good use in your own business, where your income potential is not limited and you can actually earn both residual and passive income from your writing?
When you do work for a client, you get paid once for the work you do and that’s it. There’s no more earning off that piece of writing. However, if you write your own content for your own website, and monetise that content with affiliate promotions, you can potentially keep earning from that piece of writing for many years to come.
I do affiliate marketing for a living these days. I’ve done a lot of freelancing in the past, but these days my writing focus is on producing content for my online business. It’s a way more profitable direction to take, and the lifestyle it gives me is awesome.
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Darren Burton
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Hi Darren – great review on Contena – I had never heard of it and will not take too much time on it other than to say – thanks for the warning! Those prices are sky high to use a service that may or may not make you money. I will steer clear and keep with my niche – I do affiliate marketing too. I am glad I found your blog. I’m looking forward to reading more of what you write.
I couldn’t believe the prices Contena charge. I mean, as a freelancer you’re looking to make some money, likely just part-time on the side to supplement your income. But at Contena’s prices it makes the whole process very unattractive.
Glad to hear you’re doing affiliate marketing. It’s an awesome way to make money for yourself from your writing efforts and build a business online.