Contently vs. Visually, by Rock Content

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

I would be less inclined to recommend Visually to a colleague now than I would have in the past. In the past, highly skilled freelance programmers and designers were more able to get matched with potential clients. Now, things have to go through Visually and creators cannot post their independent work and get matched up independently.

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

• Staff picks were a great way of sifting through many pieces of content
• It was easy to share things uploaded to visual.ly to other social media channels
• There is an awesome amount of content on Visually

Incentivized

• I have been using it for 3.5 years, and have had no response from potential clients.
• The portfolio section is pretty easy to use, but I don't love the format.
• Since I'm not a client, I don't know just how easy it is for them to find new freelancers or how often it is actually used.
• Probably more suited for some types/concentrations of freelance writers, like finance, tech, or healthcare.

Incentivized

• There is a bias towards infographics (as opposed to 'real' data visualization)
• It is not very clear the path between how people who need content get matched up or find creators
• Interface was redone too often

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

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

I would recommend other design studios that specialize in data visualization and infographics before visually for a few reasons: - small design studios have an emphasis on the creators (who is part of the studio), whereas Visually is more of a black box because you don't know who is creating your project - Portfolio is okay, but not great, there are many other studios with better looking portfolios One way that Visually is better is that it has an impressive client list and quicker turnaround and maybe more streamlined feedback loops.

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

• Was helpful in attracting clients when I started doing data visualization work
• Cost was minimal - it was free to upload and took little time
• I have been unable to attract clients lately from visually, so ROI has gone to 0

Incentivized