Contently vs. Skyword

It's helpful for top of marketing funnel writing that we can sometimes lose sight of because we are so ingrained in the product day to day. Contently is also helpful for long written pieces and ebooks that will take a significant amount of employee time to put together. I avoid using Contently for mid to bottom funnel marketing writing because my team will often have greater insight into the product function or use-case or product release, making them more adroit to the tone of the written piece and able to produce the content quickly.

Incentivized

It's a great platform for freelance writers to use because everything - the brief, deadline, notes, edits along the way etc, are all in one handy location; which is easy to access. It's great to get picked up by one client, following the recommendation of another too. It's almost like a networking site in this respect too, where companies get matched or paired with the right writers.

Incentivized

• Consolidating my work in one place to make my work life easier
• Contently is unique from other content marketing organizational tools in one key way. It hands you a network of freelance professionals eager for delegated work.
• You can search through a database of professionals to find the perfect person for your given project. Find individuals in your budget offering the exact skills and experience you need.

Incentivized

• SEO
• Editorial Calendars
• Analytics

Incentivized

• There are only two layouts you can choose from. I wish there were a few more choices for this, as the options are simple, but lacking.
• Sometimes when I paste a link, it doesn't pull the correct picture or description from the page. It has pulled weird things I've never seen before and I have to go back in and manually fix them.
• The option to purchase a domain without the .contently at the end?

Incentivized

• It would be useful to see historical versions of copy that you have uploaded rather than the latest, edited version.
• In some programmes the rules are a bit too prescriptive ie set word counts with not too much variance. Similarly, sometimes you have to almost 'shoe horn' key words into the copy in order to hit the number required. This can make the text sound repetitive and less creative journalistically.
• Not quite sure what the readability scores bring to the party?

Incentivized

I'm giving them a 10, but honestly, I've never reached out to them. I do see them putting out regular content on social media, so they might be responsive to questions there as well as regular customer support. In their posts and communication, they do seem to value their community, so hopefully, they have good customer support. And I've seen them asking for pitches from their community to publish well-paid articles during this stressful coronavirus time, and I really appreciate that.

Incentivized

Very responsive to our requests. Always make themselves available. We also have a standing weekly status with their team, which keeps us on the same page.

Incentivized

I also opened an account with Skyword in 2019, which is a similar service. The person that recommended it was a travel writer, and since I've done that as well, I thought it might be a better fit. To this point, I've received no work from it either, and don't hold out a lot of hope. As previously mentioned, where I think Contently does well is by giving you an online portfolio, additional resources like a blog for learning, and a rates database for publications.

Incentivized

SkyWord distinguishes itself by its efficiency and the capabilities it has with web design and management. It also has a strong variety of content production capabilities like video, social media, etc. Our procurement team has found SkyWord to be fair when it comes to prices, and this showed when we evaluated them against competitors.

Incentivized

• Contently contributors have produced some great inbound marking posts and creative materials saving our marketing team significant time allowing them to focus on more strategic plans for the business.
• The amount of time Contently has saved our internal creative writing staff has more than paid for itself!

Incentivized

• Significant month-over-month organic traffic growth
• Elevated click-through rates from email marketing
• Increases in site visits from social

Incentivized