BKA Content Review

URL: www.bkacontent.com  

NATURE OF WORK AND PAYMENT

BKA is a content mill. They have some slight differences in how they operate from the usual Web-based mill, but anyone familiar with the whole Textbroker and iWriter milieu will find the type of content they produce and their payment instantly familiar. Payment is through Paypal only and is bi-weekly. The articles require the author to select a keyphrase requested by a client (from a long and unwieldy Google Docs spreadsheet), then formulate their own article idea around it. One oddity here is that you'll need MS Word or an open office alternative that can save in that exact .doc format, as they don't have an HTML or Java interface for submissions, they all have to be emailed in.

SITE HISTORY / LEGITIMACY

I've had some difficulty finding a good company profile or any third-party history, but they appear to have been in business since at least 2009, at least according to their own internal company history -- I'm not linking to the page, however, as it rudely autoplays a huge video of their staff (some of us are on mobile data and have limited bandwidth, guys). I can confirm that they are United States-based (in Utah) and I personally had no issues with payment, though I only worked for them for two weeks.

INTERNATIONAL ACCESS

Given the application and hiring process, they do not appear to accept writers from outside the United States.  

STARTING OUT

Signing up entails first passing a fairly easy 20-question grammar test. You'll then be put in touch with their hiring manager who will request two 500-word test pieces. These are paid for at their usual rate, however. Unfortunately, the starting rate for writers is only 1.3 cents per word. They advertise the ability to "work your way up" to as much as five cents per word, but I never saw any real specifics on exactly what needs to be done for that to happen or how long it will take.

PROBLEMS WITH BKA CONTENT

 The chief problem here is simply low pay, especially when paired with a rather large workload (you're required to take at least 10 500-word pieces per month) and a style guide that is a bit finicky for a job paying just a bit over a cent per word. The pay scale tops out at five cents, which is still below general industry standard for a professional writer but above just about every other content mill I can think of, and could make you roughly $25/hour if it's something you could knock out without significant research or revision. Even if you're OK with five cents per word, however, it's opaque as to what it takes and how long it takes to get there. Reviews on Glassdoor make me think that such promotions are rare and limited.  

FINAL VERDICT: SOME POTENTIAL

Though the pay is admittedly awful for established professionals, this could be a good starting point for newbies with zero experience whatsoever. Their staff is more communicative, supportive and generally just easier to deal with and pleasant than any other content mill I've yet seen. It also seems to be very easy to get accepted and they do seem to have a large amount of regular work.