freelance writer

content writer

writer

director of educational content

business development specialist

Static-Media

I applied for a position with another one of Static Media's properties. After the writing test, I was told that I would be of better use if I switched to another outlet under Static's umbrella. 

They told me they needed other writers at some of their other sites, so in an effort to be helpful, I took the other position. I regretted it immediately. The training process felt unnecessarily difficult with multiple revisions — I've been freelancing for years and have worked at other outlets and never had this issue. After moving past the training period, I entered oversight, which was a breeze. The editor really explained things, and I started to feel like I was understanding the job.

Fast forward to a few more months and there is a constant push for efficiency. It's challenging if you're tasked with writing pieces you don't know that much about and you have no time to research them, especially if you did not initially apply for such a position, then experienced a bait and switch. There is minimal communication if you ask questions, and overall, the standards keep changing. The inconsistency with the editors causes issues with the workflow. I can't say I would recommend this position due to the low pay, high standards, shifting goal posts, and unpleasant environment.

At the end of the day, this is a freelance position. I understand the ability to just cut people, and if your word count is lower, sure, you should be held accountable for that and given a warning. Yet there is something so impersonal about this company, and the goals aren't clear from the editors; it's going to have issues with retention. I don't think I'll be staying here much longer, and will prioritize my other jobs.

I think for writers and editors getting into the game, this can be a great place to learn or a pretty easy side gig for a good veteran copywriter. I sympathize particularly with per-word writers expected to work up long, creative articles for not great pay. I think the pay isn't unreasonable for hourly writers, given the expectations. 

That said, if you put in the work, listen, and try your best to distinguish yourself, the cream rises to the top and people do notice.  Very few lifestyle brand writing sites have such a low barrier to entry, and willingness to train you, so the people cut out to write/edit for a living find a way. And many parts of the brands are aggressively expanding, and if you're one of the ones distinguishing yourself, you want to be there for it.

That said, from what I've seen some of the sites are better run than others, I've seen some of what's been mentioned in other reviews — vague or contradictory editorial feedback, and a demand for constantly churning things out. But it's a site that's trying to slowly build quality through the current financial strategy of quantity. It's a huge organization with lots of paid writers and editors, and that cash has to come from somewhere. But the horizon for things no longer feeling like a content mill I think is in sight. 

The work is 100% remote for basically everyone, and I never got any pushback on needing time off, a day off, or any accommodation to my hours/schedule.  Yes, that's par for the course for a number of organizations these days, but not so many that folks shouldn't be happy for the chance to get it.  

When I first started, I was excited to be a part of a large organization. People seemed nice and helpful, but I soon learned this wasn't the case. I also found that as a writer, you're responsible for far more work than you'd do at another publication. Numerous times, an editor asked me to do something that any other editor would consider their job. Editors are also inconsistent, and a few are on power trips, which makes it a genuinely unpleasant experience. 

The pay is not worth the effort you will put in, and should you fall short, you're going to get a nasty email implying you're somehow defrauding them and stealing your paltry wages. Meanwhile, they'll keep moving the goalpost farther. "Write this many words in an hour," turns into "no, actually, you were supposed to write this much and you didn't." It feels as though they don't want to pay you for the work you do. 

This job will also not lead to anything else substantial, and you're likely not going to grow in this position. The articles assigned are usually all rehashes of some clickbait seen on another site a year prior. It's soul-sucking. If you truly want to work on your craft, Static Media isn't for you. If you want to write something worthwhile, Static Media isn't for you. And, should you want to eat and pay your rent, Static Media definitely isn't for you. 

This company is ruthless with a capital R. The interview process (at least for a freelance editor role) involved a phone screening then a “test” of your skills. If you pass then you get the job. What they don’t tell you right off the bat is that you will be subjected to a training period where your actions are logged and you will be expected to follow their standards to a T. After working there for only 3 weeks, I was told that I needed to have “perfect, clean copy” but also to “use my judgment” as an editor. Essentially they wanted me to nitpick every single sentence from every article, and send it back for even the smallest things. This should have been a sign that their level of expectation was beyond reasonable, but I ignored it, thinking that as long as I was trying my best, they would see that. Little did I know that they were also nitpicking my own work behind my back and after 3 months, deemed that I wasn’t living up to their “high standards.” Mind you, I was spending several hours on each article pouring over every sentence, verifying all the facts and doing my due diligence. But it wasn’t enough, they said. And when I spoke up and told them that I refuse to accept their ridiculously high level of scrutiny of my work (after all, they don’t do original reporting—writers simply regurgitate information that’s already on the internet), that it’s unreasonable to expect perfection in such a short period of time, they abruptly let me go. Do yourself a favor and don’t apply here. 


After writing for more than one brand, for quite some time for this company I can confidently say: don’t get comfortable and don’t expect much. Not only are the editors not on the same page, just when you think you’re doing well they send you a vague email about terminating your contract, so you’re not on the page either.  It didn’t matter that the work turned in was constantly praised. consistent, timely, well composed, and most importantly authentic. (Never received any foul feedback on any submitted content). Speaking of the feedback — you’re lucky you get anything constructive. It will vary depending on who combed through your words. If you do have a concern with an editor, there’s no one to “talk to.” You do your best to professionally speak with the random editor. If  you have a grievance, good luck. Besides that there’s no way to gauge your performances accurately. I’ve submitted hundreds of articles to this company only to be ‘let go’ instead of utilized for my good work on another brand. You’ll produce content you think is great only to be pushed out the door for reasons you’ll never find out. Be weary of inquiring about other job opportunities internally. Writing topics are decent but they often lack currency and relevance. This is a good gig if you need a side hustle, (most writers and the editors work for competing sites) but I wouldn’t recommend them as an only source of income. 

When I first started working for Static, it seemed to be the diamond in the rough of content mills. The editing team was supportive, the work was consistent, and the pay was very good. Since then, the working conditions have devolved considerably. The company is constantly changing its style guidelines which means it is incredibly hard to keep up with what is expected from your articles. They also have insane standards for sourcing wherein if you submit an article that covers the same points or information as a source article, you are accused of “plagiarism and spinning”. These standards go well beyond anti-plagiarism and it seems like any small similarity will get you admonished for spinning. Many of the editors are nice but certain others are over zealous and will send your article back for very minor infractions or just because you didn’t word things they way they would. The company has also begun laying off writers with no warning which creates a culture where you are constantly worried about opening your open to find an email or Slack notification letting you know that you’ve been let go. If you accept a position with Static, go in with the understanding that it won’t be permanent and don’t get too attached to the way things are when you are hired.  

while the schedule is flexible and the subject matter can be interesting, this company offers very mediocre pay for the work, expectations for written content are constantly changing, there's little to no personalized feedback, and basically no community within the workplace. 

i worked there multiple years and was in good standing and i was laid off with no warning, notice, explanation, or severance, putting me in immediate financial turmoil -- woke up for my shift to find slack and trello deactivated and an impersonal email from someone i've never met saying i'm terminated effective immediately. 

if you have to work here, do NOT stay long. you will be tossed aside like trash. (also in 3 years i was never given any sort of payment increase aside from a very minor bump they gave everyone) this would've been a 2 or 3-star review but my layoff experience made me lose respect for the company completely. 

please, treat your contract workers like human beings instead of robots meant to churn out content. also, offer raises to long-term workers and higher base pay to editors at the very least, who work very hard fixing so many different types of issues due to the company's unfortunate focus on quantity over quality. 

It barely seems worth piling on the already terrible ratings/reviews Static has, but they truly keep working to earn it. The business model is definitely content mill (low-hanging fruit of Google queries, SEO for brand products, etc). That's understandable as a model, and if that was the worst of it, you wouldn't even hear from me. While that work can be pretty demoralizing after time, you can still have fun with it, and a paycheck is a paycheck. 

The problem comes when they capriciously decide they don't need you and quickly work to manage you out, even after (in my case), years of faithful service, with insanely flimsy cause. The bind everyone is held in is that (because it's quantity over quality) no one in authority seems to care that the articles are novel, compelling, or not mostly ripping off info from other sites. But when heads need to roll because of crummy business fundamentals, they can basically get rid of you saying you didn't hold the standard high enough for them. 

I'D ADVISE ANYONE CONSIDERING A ROLE HERE, WHO ISN'T AN ABSOLUTELY NEWBIE TO THE FIELD, TO TRY ANOTHER PLACE. 

It is certainly a great experience to get started as a freelance writer. On paper, the pay is good, there's lots of flexibility, and the team is responsive and helpful. However,  the opportunities for articles severely declined over time. There is a lack of a coherent editing policy despite clear guidelines. They have tried to create a positive working culture despite the remote nature of the role, which is good. However, since there are too many writers and often not enough articles, it makes things highly competitive, meaning you end up putting more time into an article than it is worth. They encourage people to write on topics they know about whilst limiting those topic options. I doubt this is intentional, but nonetheless, for people who rely on this role as a major part of their income, you'll either end up taking articles you have no expertise in or have to find other work. I don't know if this is the case for all branches of the company (they own many media outlets), but definitely for the one I have worked with.

Static Media will let you go without a warning. My editor was praising my work the week before I was let go because of organizational changes. This was two weeks before Christmas.

The hourly writing jobs are high-pressure, as they want you to write so many words per hour. Editors often mention this in the chat, so it is stressful. "Time sensitive" pieces are urgent and to be completed in an hour to 90 minutes, but the pay is no more than a piece that is not urgent. 

Their policies are constantly changing, and I assume that is to get more clicks/readers. The worst one is holding back on addressing the headline until after the first 150 words.  

Management horrible when it comes to communication. Editors can be nice enough, but they don't run the show. Those in charge should consider that the people they "let go" are human beings with families. Management should give these people the same consideration and respect they would like.

You will build a portfolio writing for them, but my advice would be to write for them part time. Have some other clients so when they dump you, you'll have another source of income.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Freelance writer 52 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
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Director of educational content 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Business development specialist 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour

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