ScreenRant Offered to Pay $10 Per News Article. It’s Ridiculous.
Another popular media company that exploits writers.
My love for anything TV show and movies are something that doesn’t come through as much when I write on this platform.
Even the big writers here admit they usually cater to what people would rather read, and then write a little bit of what they like. Honestly, me too.
Although I have tried if it’s going to click on here, I’ve learned to usually connect it with writing.
Like this article I wrote about the creator of Family Guy and American Dad!:
If you scroll down my profile you’ll see an article about Game of Thrones. Now that one tanked to the ground, but I still love it and I enjoyed writing it.
Getting a slot as a freelance writer at ScreenRant seemed like a really amazing gig. That’s until I received their offer.
What is ScreenRant?
ScreenRant is an entertainment website with a global operation. They write anything and everything about TV, film, and even video games.
They are supported by Valnet, a worldwide digital media publishing company that according to Growjo has $490.2 million in revenue per year.
Funnily enough, both ScreenRant and Valnet have bad reviews on job-hunting platforms. One even said Valnet was paying $75 per 3,000 words.
Ridiculous.
ScreenRant’s offer
Yes, Leodie is my real name.
More importantly, how does a company with a popular name with the money to back them up offer such low ball pay?
Now, they didn’t specify how many words per article they would require but from the sample articles they provided, I’m guessing it’s around 1,000 words.
So if we do the math, it’s $1 for 100 words.
Are you kidding me?
ScreenRant generally gathers 1.12 million views each day but even if they give you royalties per x amount of views, it’s never going to be sure that your article will get those views.
I’ve been writing on the Internet for 4 years, and I know no matter how big your site is, your views will vary from article to article — drastically.
As a freelance writer, nothing makes me sicker than companies who exploit other writers for their own monetary greed.
ScreenRant’s fake news problem
According to SiteJabber, ScreenRant ranks 159th among movie sites. From 92 reviews, they have received a customer rating of 1.33 stars, which shows that the majority of customers are generally disappointed with their purchases.
ScreenRant has a problem with reliability, which is something important if you’re going to sell yourself as a news company.
Any platform I look there is a complaint about them: Youtube, personal sites, and even Reddit.
Someone even said they’re the Buzzfeed for TV shows and movies, which is ironic since I also landed an interview for Buzzfeed (and blew it):
4 years ago I would’ve taken the offer
This article is not a jab at anyone who is willing to accept the pay. Although I strongly believe if you can write well, you shouldn’t.
Obviously, I would not be telling you what to do. What I would tell you is this: I was working with shitty companies when I first started freelance writing around 4 years ago.
I was living in the Philippines, getting paid in US dollars. That seemed like a dream to me at that time. If it was 4 years ago, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity.
Not anymore though.
Many new writers are just excited to have someone paying them even if it’s just nickels and dimes. For me, I took them because I didn’t know where to start getting paid well like the big writers I keep reading about.
But, I assure you there are other ways to make it, one that doesn’t exploit you and your writing capabilities.
Hey! If you’re looking for a platform to start your writing journey on and get paid for it, Medium is one of the best places to start. Sign up here to get unlimited access to stories on Medium.
Signing up using my link gives me a small commission, and as a freelance writer, it’s always appreciated.
