Creating high-quality content can be time-consuming and taxing for marketing teams. So, it’s no surprise that many businesses turn to content service agencies for their content needs.
But with everyone promising the best possible returns, which content creation platform can you truly rely on?
As with any online service, it takes some digging around to find the best fit. To help you with that, this post will take a look at two of the most recognizable brand names in the content creation space: ClearVoice vs. TextBroker.
ClearVoice
Company overview
ClearVoice was launched in 2014 by Joe Griffin and Jay Swansson, and whose primary objective is to provide a new way for businesses and creatives to collaborate.
One core ClearVoice differentiator is its innovative user platform. The platform facilitates seamless content collaboration between clients, freelancers, and support teams. Plus, there’s ClearVoice’s unique brand of team collaboration known as Teamlancing.
In 2019, ClearVoice became a subsidiary of Fiverr, the world’s leading digital services marketplace.
Features
Brand voice
For content to match client expectations, the ClearVoice platform automatically attaches brand guidelines, persona profiles, and other related information to assignments.
Collaborative workflow
Multiple users can collaborate on assignments. The platform notifies writers, editors, reviewers, and approvers of status changes.
Dashboard
Your dashboard provides a quick view of your recent activity, items that need your attention, the latest campaigns, and messages. Simply click on an item for more information.
CV portfolios
ClearVoice portfolios aren’t just for viewing freelancers’ work samples. You can also message them, request pitches, or send them assignments directly from their CV portfolios.
Talent network search
ClearVoice’s powerful search engine lets you search freelancers in over 200 categories, view samples of their work, save those you like, and connect with them.
Support teams
Customer success and talent managers work behind the scenes to make the production and approval processes easy and transparent.
Teamlancing collaboration
With this feature, you can outsource your content to a network of freelancers managed by a freelance producer. Instead of finding writers yourself, a ClearVoice Talent Manager assembles a team of the best-fit creatives from the ClearVoice Talent Network.
Content service types
Depending on your budget and the level of involvement you can provide to your projects, you can use ClearVoice for:
- Self-service content creation: This requires the most involvement. ClearVoice provides all the tools you need to organize your own team, request pitches from writers, create briefs, dispatch assignments, edit assignments, request revisions, approve assignments, and pay writers.
- Fully managed content creation: This service type leverages ClearVoice’s Teamlancing collaboration. You get a team of vetted freelancers that matches your brand requirements. The team then handles content development and production, so you can focus on strategy and keeping your operations lean.
TextBroker
Company overview
TextBroker was founded in 2005 by Jan Becker-Fochler, and was one of the first-ever content marketplaces. Today, it creates various types of written content. Additionally, it also translates content into multiple languages.
Features
Dashboard
Although slightly dated in terms of appearance, the TextBroker dashboard does its job. You can place orders, provide content briefs, connect with writers, request revisions, and fund your account — all in one place.
Expert Center
The TextBroker Expert Center hosts tutorials, videos, blog posts, and other content. This knowledge base helps you navigate the platform, as well as maximize the value of your content. It features tips and tutorials on SEO, content marketing success, how to create a good brief, and an FAQ section.
Credit alarm
Get email notifications if your credit has fallen below a predetermined threshold amount. If you placed an order but your balance is insufficient, the order will pause and then proceed once your account has the requisite funds.
Content service types
TextBroker services fall into three primary categories:
- Self-service: Determine the quality level and writer for your content. Quality levels range from 3-5 stars.
- Fully managed: TextBroker manages the content creation process from beginning to end. This includes finding writers. Simply provide your topics and terms.
- Translation: If you need your content translated into various languages, TextBroker’s translation service offers content in 36 languages. These include Russian, French, Greek, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, Arabic, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Dutch, and Hindi.
Self-service order types
You can place a TextBroker content order in three ways:
- OpenOrder: Choose the content quality level, which determines how much you pay, then submit your project to a large pool of writers. This option is for price-conscious clients and those with no time to search for writers.
- DirectOrder: If you prefer a writer with specific expertise, DirectOrder is the way to go. Choose the writer to send an assignment to. You can also negotiate pricing and deadlines directly with the writer.
- TeamOrder: This option is for clients who need volume content but also want control over the writing process. You get to select your team of writers and determine your price and delivery terms.
ClearVoice vs. TextBroker: A closer look
Now, let’s compare and contrast the two platforms using the following criteria:
Platform features
ClearVoice’s sleek, feature-packed platform is the runaway winner here. However, it’s worth reiterating that although the TextBroker dashboard looks dated, it does what it’s supposed to do.
Site accessibility
TextBroker is only available in selected geographies. If you’re traveling on business to certain Asian countries, for example, you will need a virtual private network (VPN) to access the site. ClearVoice, on the other hand, is accessible anywhere there’s an internet connection.
Content quality
ClearVoice’s talent pool includes thousands of vetted freelancers with specific skills. Plus, VoiceGraph, ClearVoice’s proprietary discovery engine automatically finds the talents that best match a brand’s voice. As a result, feedback from clients regarding quality has been overwhelmingly positive.
TextBroker writers with 5-star ratings tend to deliver quality content. However, content from lower-rated writers can be underwhelming. Also, the writer attrition rate at TextBroker is high because of the cheap rates and high expectations.
Customer support
ClearVoice-managed accounts get a dedicated customer success manager, talent manager, and producer. You can contact them anytime during business hours. Self-service clients can reach out to Customer Support via email, phone, chat, or the online contact form.
TextBroker customers, on the other hand, can contact Customer Support via email or phone. Fully managed accounts get a dedicated account manager.
Cost
TextBroker is primarily for clients looking for affordable content. So, if cost is your main criterion for selecting a content service, the clear winner is TextBroker. However, if you need high-quality content that elevates your brand presence and authority, ClearVoice is worth checking out.
Choosing a Trustworthy Content Service
Content that tells your story and reflects your brand voice takes time and skill to create. Cost shouldn’t be the only determining factor when choosing a content service to partner with. Consider also the service’s reputation, work quality, ease of communication, and platform features. Ultimately, you don’t just want content that serves your needs now but also for the long haul.
Contact us to learn more about how ClearVoice can help you leverage content to dominate your market.
