Trying Something New At Demand Studios

Date: Nov 12, 2009 Category: Demand Studios, Freelance Advice, Web Content

Yesterday I posted a message on Twitter that I was all about new experiences. Contrary to popular belief, it was not anything dirty but was related to Demand Studios work. Demand Studios, the greatest freelance writing gig one could get accepted for, has several style guides and strict rules to follow. I have done How Does, About, Fact Sheet and Strategy styles for Demand Studios. The format I am most comfortable with is Strategy. Recently, most of my work has been Strategy articles. Yesterday I was brave enough to try something new; Quick Guide and List.

Demand Studios has over 100,000 titles to choose from in different style formats. Despite the variety, titles can get boring or all the good ones will be picked through. I decided to try something different both for experience but also for a chance to write about interesting subjects. It was scary but I tried my best…

Quick Guides are fairly new to Demand Studios. I attempted one months ago but their search function was broken. I searched for “water fountain” and got results that had nothing to do with water or fountains. Now that he issue is fixed, I can find relevant and interesting articles to include in my Quick Guide. I also found a picture that was both cute and relevant. The article was about non-profit organizations, so I picked a picture of a smiling kid. Then the search for articles began… so how do I choose what to include?

My non-profit organizations Quick Guide could have been done in a variety of ways, there was not anything specific the title asked for. So I figured that Overview, Abouts and How to information on non-profit would be helpful. I lined them up so that guide covered everything informative about non-profit organizations such as what they are or classifications of “not for profit”. I also included how to start a non-profit, about tax filings, exemptions and donations. Then I figured non-profit organizations always run fundraisers and accept donations, so I included information about that aspect as well. Overall, I found 15 relevant articles and wrote a quick overview. I like Quick Guide overviews because we have more freedom and flexibility. We can spice it up and make it sound really fun, while engaging the reader.

This morning my first Quick Guide was accepted and I received a very nice compliment. The editor found my article to be informative, helpful and even called it “excellent”. Trying and succeeding at something new felt inspiring.

My List article was a fun topic, but required research and more writing. List articles are different from Strategy, requiring little more in-depth and rigid information. I probably wrote more than what was required and explained in detail. The article was accepted however without a rewrite. I read it again this morning and it seems just fine. There was no “awesomness” or comments from my editor. I might try another List style today just to get familiar with that format.

5 Comments »

Hi Nina. I checked out Demand Studios and realized it’s something that you must be accepted into. Do you know how much work they’re looking to see on your resume before accepting you? And is it very competitive? Thanks for your time! Another great post btw. I love reading your stuff. I always find out so much.

Comment by thefreelancescribe — November 12, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
You have to have a writing resume. Include education and previous employment, but also include any writing gigs (Associated Content, Textbroker, etc).

I included a section in my skills, about blogging, SEO…

Then you also have to have a writing sample. It can be something published, but it has to be evergreen. No newsy topic or a Google Trend.

They will also ask for links to your work, such as AC contributor page, blog link, etc.

DS is not “competitive”. You pick your own assignments and do them following guidelines. They do want you to follow the rules and have a good scorecard. Some have been cut off or “fired” for breaking rules or poor ratings.

Hope that helps!

Comment by Nina — November 12, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my comment!

Comment by thefreelancescribe — November 12, 2009 @ 4:08 pm
Hi Nina,

I did my first Strategy today. Let’s see how that goes! List, Quick Guides are not opened for me yet. Perhaps, those have some minimum requirements. Also, were you familiar with the AP Style of writing or did you purchase the style book? Is there any website you visited to grasp the style. My grammar scores are slowly building, but it’s still just average.I spotted a few mistakes and make sure not to repeat those errors…

Thanks!

Comment by Reena — November 12, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
I don’t have that book. I plan to purchase it eventually, but I found my info online. There’s info on AC about AP styles as well. Free is better than spending money

Comment by Nina — November 12, 2009 @ 7:49 pm