Ever wondered why people get scammed on the internet? It’s simply because they didn’t do the research. Clearly that’s not the case with you and it’s why you’re checking out Zerys reviews.
Well, we did the hard work for so you don’t have to. The truth in this Zerys review may shock you, so you may want to read through carefully.
What is Zerys?
Zerys.com is basically a website that connects freelance writers with clients and website owners who need articles or content written. Zerys was founded in 2008 by co-founder and current President Steve Lazuka under its parent company Interact Media.
How Does Zerys Work?
So here’s how Zerys works from a writer’s perspective.
Getting Started
If you feel you have the skills to write quality content and get paid for it, you can sign up for a free writer’s account. They’ll review your application and sample then assign you an initial rating on a scale of 2-5 if you get approved. You can then complete your profile, upload a profile photo and attach a PayPal email address.
Writing Content
So assuming you get in and you’re ready to start writing, you can take one job from the jobs board. You’ll only be able to see jobs that match your area of expertise. Once you complete the job and submit it to the client for the review, you can return to the jobs board and pick another one, and the cycle continues as payday approaches. You’ll then be paid for two calendar-weeks’ worth of work.
Again, once a client approves your work, they’ll rate you and Zerys will average your rating and adjust it accordingly. If a client rejects your work, however, Zerys will send you an email with the reason why. That won’t affect your rating, but the stats will show on your profile.
If a client really likes your work they may add you to their ‘Favorites’ list and probably give you more work in future. If they assign you work directly, you’ll see the assignment on the ‘Direct Assign’ tab on your profile. All the terms of the assignment including pay rate and deadlines are negotiable.
Deadlines
And finally if you skip a deadline or cancel an assignment, your deadline/cancellation percentage will grow. Once the percentage hits 10%, you’ll get a 3 days’ suspension. After the 3 days, the percentage resets to zero. If they penalize you a second time, you get 7 days suspension, 14 days for the third suspension and 30 days for the fourth and any other time after that. During suspension, you’ll not be able to pick a job from the jobs board, but you can do Direct Assign jobs.
All the same, if you don’t like working for content mills that have all sorts of rules, penalties and competition for jobs, that’s fine. You may want to consider writing for yourself rather than a content mill like Zerys. If you feel the same way, Wealthy Affiliate can teach you how to create your own website writing for clients directly. You can build a portfolio, showcase your work and more importantly, set your own rates and keep all the profits. You can also learn how to be your own blogger and make money with the content you write either for yourself and earn for linking or recommending brands you trust. Best of all, it’s FREE to get started and you get access to proven strategies tools and training you need to make money with your website.
Zerys Writer Payment Rates
Pay rates vary at Zerys depending on your rating. You can make anywhere between $0.007 – $0.05 USD per word. You can negotiate rates for Direct Assignments, with most writers reportedly earning up to 0.014 cents per word.
How Much Money Can I Make With Zerys?
With content mills, the availability of jobs and the work you put in determine your paycheck. Zerys is no different. However, unless you’re an accomplished native-English speaking writer, most jobs fall within the $.01 – $.02 cents per word range.
Remember, unless a client sends you jobs directly, you can’t pick more than one job at a time from the jobs board. So speed and client approval time matter. Given all these variables, it’s hard to say how much you can make with Zerys.
The best way to escape all that uncertainty is by working for yourself, having your own clients and setting your own rates. If you feel the same way, Wealthy Affiliate can help you get set up with your own website, train you on how to generate client leads and much more. Or better still ditch chasing after clients. You can even make money with your blog by writing about and promoting big brands like Amazon.com. It’s all up to you folks!
How & When Does Zerys Pay Writers?
At the time of this review, Zerys pays every two weeks, every 1st and 14th day of the month via PayPal. They say payment can take up to 3 days to show up in your account. But you’ll need to have earned at least $10 to qualify for payment.
Zerys Sign Up Process
Signing up on Zerys is free at the time of this review. You only need a working email and of course a PayPal account to apply. They’ll first ask you to fill out this web form. They’ll then send you an email with details on how to start the application process.
You’ll do an exam, then submit a sample based on your area of expertise. The’ll use the sample to assign you an initial rating to start you off. They’ll then take up to 2 days to review applications. If you’re successful, you can complete your profile and start working.
Zerys Complaints
No company is perfect, including Zerys. You just have to decide whether the complaints against Zerys you read in the next section are deal breakers on not.
Don’t quit your dayjob
Apparently what you may make at Zerys is not enough to replace your full-time job. Even the accomplished writers find it hard to make a decent income. Some writers say unless you’re lucky enough to always have direct assignments, you can’t change your financial situation significantly with Zerys. This isn’t the case when you write for yourself as a blogger which Wealthy Affiliate can teach you how to do.
Clients can be jerks
You may be unlucky to land terrible clients who reject work for silly reasons. Some writers say a client may take their sweet time to respond to a submission, then reject it at the last minute before Zerys auto-approves it. Others say a client may post crappy instructions, while other clients even post instructions that are longer than the actual number of words they request. Well with content mills, clients will always have the upper hand over you, and that might not change any time soon, sorry.
They Can Easily Kick you Out
According to some writers, writing for Zerys is like walking on thin ice. You can get kicked out for apparently violating the terms of service. You may be unlucky to land a terrible client, with the quirks you read about on the complaints earlier, while others may send you personal contact information. You’re supposed to report that, but chances are the damage will already be done and you’ll just end up losing your account.
Zerys Alternatives
Given some of the complaints above, it’s natural to explore other options besides Zerys. You can check out other content mills we’ve reviewed before like iWriter and TextBroker. It’s all about finding what works for you. Unfortunately, I can’t promise you that you’ll find the perfect content mill.
Fortunately, you don’t have to rely on content mills to earn a living writing articles online. You can join Wealthy Affiliate and learn how to build your own website writing articles for clients as your own boss. Furthermore its FREE to get started. So if content mills rub you the wrong way, it may be time to venture off and do your own thing where you have more control.
Is Zerys Worth it?
Zerys may be worth it if you can get consistent workflow. But there is no guarantee you’ll always be busy. Again, some clients may boss you around like they own the place, something that is common with most content mills.
That being said, it’s never too late to skip all that and start your own thing. If you feel the same way, you can join Wealthy Affiliate and learn how to write quality content that drives traffic to your client’s websites. But wouldn’t it be better to write articles for yourself and your blog wiping away the need for clients? This can make you more money than you would writing for content mills or even clients.
Writing content for my own blog is the path I took and it’s rewarding to say the least. I make six figures writing content for my own blog and partnering with people that pay me what I’m really worth. But I didn’t do it all by myself. There are certain tools and training that help me do this. You can also use them while writing for either yourself or your clients. Either way, here are tools you may want to check out.
Wealthy Affiliate – Is a community that teaches you how to build your own website that pays you what you’re truly worth. They also provide you all the tools and training to make all that happen. Best of all, you can try it for FREE.
Jaaxy – A keyword research tool that helps you get the right keywords to use while writing content either for yourself or your clients. You can try it for free!
SERanking – This tool can help you do competitive analysis for yourself or clients. You can do such things as enter a website of a competitor and see the content that ranks highly and the keywords they used. SERanking also does other great things to help you get more traffic if you have your own site. All in all, this is another useful tool that every serious writer should have and it’s free to try!
Well, that’s my Zerys review. Do you have an opinion or thought about this or any other content mill you would wish to share? Feel free to chime in on the comments section below! If you still have questions about Zerys, you can find answers on their FAQs page.
Until next time
Eddy “with a Y”
Zerys Review
