Pros and Cons of Demand Media Studios Special Assignments

By Demand Studios Review Editorial

Posted On 10/29/10:

A while ago I wrote a piece on Demand Studios special assignment articles. It mostly focused on how to get approved to write these assignments. Today I want to touch on what you can expect if you do get approved for a Demand Media Studios special assignment project.

I have written for a number of special projects, and have found that there are certain positives and negatives to the experience. Of course, it varies greatly from one project to the next, but some constants seem to pop up over and over again.

So, let's take a look at the pros and cons of writing Demand Media Studios special assignments. 

Pros

• Fewer writers having access to these articles means fewer writers to compete with when looking to scoop up the best titles.
• Many special projects have higher pay rates than the average Demand Media Studios articles. This isn't always the case, but it often is, and that's a great bonus. Some pay twice as much.
• Articles may be for higher end clients, which means you could actually use these pieces as writing samples to get other jobs. You can also mention these clients on your resume. Writing for Walden University, for instance, is much more impressive than writing for eHow.com.
• You can mention the fact that you've been approved for special assignments when you attempt to get approval for future special assignments. It shows that you've been deemed worthy at least once before, so why not once again?

Cons

• Review times are generally slower. Editors also have to be approved for special assignments, which tends to slow the process down a bit.
• Articles are often edited to higher standards, causing more rewrite requests and rejections.
• Special assignments often come with special guidelines. The blacklists are also different. That means you can't rely on your traditional instincts, and you may find this slowing you down.

As you can see, there are both positives and negatives to writing Demand Studios special assignments, but I still recommend applying whenever you think you may be qualified.

 At the very least, you will have a wider range of articles to choose from, and the worst thing that could happen is you find it isn't worth it. Nothing lost.

So keep your eyes peeled for special assignment announcements, and check the special assignments Demand Studios forum regularly.

I will also try to post whenever special assignments become available. That way the chances of something slipping by you are considerably lessened.

The latest special assignment is for the LegalZoom partnership. You can read more about that by checking out my recent Demand Media Partners With LegalZoom article.

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