Get Ready for Your Onboarding with Contentoo

Welcome to Contentoo! We are delighted that you have chosen to be part of our team of fabulous freelancers. We’re really looking forward to getting you started on some exciting projects and introducing you to our customers, as well as the rest of the Contentoo Team.

Our freelancers are what makes Contentoo the great success it is today. We want to make sure you feel as welcomed and supported as possible, every step of the way. To prepare for your onboarding, we would like to ask you to read all the information carefully and watch the videos.

Let’s get started!

What is Contentoo?

Contentoo is a leading content marketing platform that connects the best scale-ups and global organisations to the best freelance talent. Each one of our clients has a remote team of freelancers working for them through the platform.

We are proud to provide a great service to both our freelancers and our customers. We work hard to build trust and to deliver the best possible opportunities for our freelancers. We want you to work on projects that you genuinely enjoy and that help you develop your skills and interests. We also want to ensure you are rewarded well for your work.

Our customers trust us to deliver the best freelancers available – and we never let them down.

Our Clients

When you’re working with Contentoo, you’ll enjoy a wide range of projects. Our customers include some of the top global organisations and some of the most exciting scale-ups. Our customers come from a variety of sectors including energy, finance, tech, IT, FMCG, healthcare, travel… too many to mention, in fact! The one thing they have in common is their need for great content that delivers results. That’s where you come in.

Our Freelancers

We have 1000+ vetted freelancers working in 40 different languages and just about every industry on our platform. Quite simply, we offer the best freelancers for any specialisation and every type of content marketing.

Our specially developed onboarding process ensures you become an integral part of our customer’s organisation right from the start. We handle management, invoicing and payment for the customers so they get all the advantages of both in-house and freelance talent, combined.

Code of Conduct

What We Expect from You

We trust our freelancers to act with integrity at all times. We don’t have a lot of rules, but there are a few things we expect from our freelancers. Any questions, just shout.

Before you start working on your first project, it is important to note that we only conduct business with registered business parties; indeed we are obligated to do so. This means that you are a registered company, not a private individual who wants to take on an ‘odd job’. You must therefore meet all requirements that apply to registration and recognition as a company; these requirements differ per country and this responsibility (and liability) lies with you.

Why These Conditions?

In general, our customers are medium and large-sized (international) companies. They place high demands both on the parties they work with and on Contentoo B.V.. Not only do they demand high-quality products and services, but they also set requirements in other areas, such as professionalism, meeting deadlines, confidentiality, data privacy, intellectual property rights, payment terms and guarantees; we commit ourselves to meeting these customer demands. This means that we have to make agreements with our suppliers in order to meet these demands. We also need to make additional agreements to enable our organisation to function optimally and to ensure we can perform our ‘connecting and directing function’ as well as possible, which is ultimately also in your own best interests.

Guidelines

1. Rates: Please only discuss the rates for your projects with a member of the Contentoo team, never directly with the customer.
2. Wordcount: If it looks like the expected/agreed word count is going to be exceeded, please contact the Contentoo team or the customer before you go over the limit.
3. Presentation: Please treat all your meetings with the customer as opportunities to show your great credentials and character. Always show up on time, prepared to talk about your experience and ideas and with any questions you need to ask. If it is your first meeting with a client it’s a good idea to talk about projects that you have done that are relevant to their industry or content marketing goals. If you don’t know their goals, that is a great question to ask!
4. Deadlines: If you are going to be late to a meeting or if you are worried you won’t meet your deadline, get in touch with the Contentoo team as soon as possible or contact the client directly.
5. Client Confidentiality: We sign NDAs with most of our clients. This means that you are not allowed to mention the names or share the work that you have made for the clients that you work for at Contentoo.
6. Proofread Your Work: Always proofread your work thoroughly before sharing it with our clients. Even the first draft should look like a potential final product to the client.
7. Use of AI: On the Contentoo platform, you will receive assignments because of your unique human skills. Of course, you can use AI to help you write a unique piece of content, as long as the AI is not detectable by our built-in AI detection.

Contentoo Services Definitions

• Copywriting: Contentoo’s content writing services encompass a wide spectrum. From writing meticulously researched specialised content that demands expert knowledge to producing SEO-optimised content with minimal research requirements.
• Re-writing: Rewriting involves updating, enhancing, and repurposing existing content to improve its quality and relevance. This entails making changes at the sentence, paragraph, and structure levels, going beyond the correction of errors or refinement of text. It includes rephrasing, reorganising, and/or rewriting entire sections. Additionally, rewriting is often employed to update old content for SEO purposes, ensuring it remains valuable and visible to the target audience.
• Editing: Ensures that content is error-free and ready for publishing. You are expected to check:
  • Typo’s, grammar and punctuation.
  • Revise structural and conceptual levels of content to improve clarity, coherence, and flow of the writing.
• Translation / Machine Translation Post-Editing: Conversion of a text from one language to another while maintaining the meaning, context, and intent of the original content.
  • For on-platform projects that are Machine Translation Post-Editing, you will be sent a document that needs to be edited. Make sure to check:
    • That the content is error-free.
    • Typos, grammar, and punctuation.
    • Revise structural and conceptual levels of content to improve clarity, coherence, and flow of the writing.
• Localisation: Localisation goes beyond language translation; it involves tailoring content to suit the unique cultural and, at times, regional nuances of a target audience.
• Audio Transcription: The focus here is to convert audio recordings into a text format that can be used for various purposes, such as transcripts of interviews, lectures, or meetings.

How to Update Your Profile

Updating your profile is the first step you need to take care of. Without a complete profile, we won’t be able to match you with the right clients and projects. Please fill out your profile with as much detail as possible, including recent examples of work.

After the onboarding call with our talent team, your account will be activated and you will be able to edit your profile.

To update your profile, log in to your Contentoo account with the password created during your registration on our website. Once you are on your home page, you can click on the icon in the top right corner and click on the profile section. This will bring you directly to your profile.

The Information We Need on Your Profile

Profile Information

It may sound obvious, but when filling out the details on your profile, please make sure that your email address and phone number are correct. We need this information to get in touch with you about ongoing projects or new collaborations. The platform will also send you a notification to the email address connected to your account.

Profile Overview

• Services: In this section, you can fill in the different services you offer as a freelancer, such as translation and content writing. Please contact us if you want to add any extra services that you have not been assessed for yet. We will then either arrange for a test translation or ask you to send us some new samples of your work so we can check the quality. You can only write or translate content in your native language.
• Native Language: You can find your native language on your profile page. At Contentoo, we only work with native speakers who also know the market they are writing for. Therefore, as a writer, you will be able to create content only in your native language.
  • Similarly, translators can only translate content into their native language. The Contentoo team members are the only ones that can change your native language on your profile. If you are bilingual and would also like to work with that language, you can send a request to talent@contentoo.com.
• Source Language: If you are a translator, your profile will also contain the source languages you can translate from. These can be added by you on your profile.
• Copy Products: Here you can add all the types of content that you have experience producing. For example, blogs, web copy, social media copy, or press releases. You can remove or add products at any time based on your experience and preference.
• Availability: In this section, you can specify your availability based on your ongoing projects or your schedule. If the deadline of a certain project falls in the period that is marked as unavailable, you will not be chosen for the project. Don’t forget to hit the save button when you change your availability.
• Experience: In this section, you can add the different industries you have experience writing for. Please add a maximum of 5 industries. Once you add the industry, you can select the specialities. These are the specific topics that you have worked on within that industry. In this section, you can also specify which industry you are an expert in by selecting “This market is my expertise”.
• About: This is where you introduce yourself to the various Contentoo team members and our clients. Use the About section to write a few sentences introducing yourself and tell us a little bit more about you and your experience. You are welcome to include anything that might be relevant for us or your clients to know, that can’t be included in any other section.
• Highlighted Work: This section is where you can upload some samples of your best work. When you click on + Add work, you can upload a document, or paste a link to your work. This section also helps us to find your profile when we are looking for someone with experience in a specific topic through our Keyword search. Make sure you keep this section up to date as your portfolio evolves.

Getting Linked to a Client and What Happens Next

Once you update your profile, we can start matching you with clients.

When We Have a Potential Project for You…

Before starting a collaboration, you will be contacted by one of us at Contentoo. We will provide you with some information about the client and the projects so that you can decide if they fit your experience and availability. Also, a rate will be agreed upon before starting a collaboration with one of our clients. If it’s a good match, you will then be onboarded to the client’s remote team and can work for them on an ongoing basis.

When You Get Matched with a Client!

Congratulations, you got matched with a client! Now what?

Client Kick-Off Call

Once you have been added to a team, the first step is to have a video call with the client along with the other freelancers in the team. You will be invited to this call by the Contentoo account manager, who will also join the meeting.

During this call, you will be briefed on the project and what it entails. Sometimes, this will involve a broader conversation about the client’s ongoing requirements and their overarching marketing and business strategy.

This is a great opportunity for you to get to know the client, share your ideas, agree on a strategy, and define the next steps and ways of working. This is your chance to get a deeper understanding of your project and ask any questions. Our customers are interested in building long-term, trusting relationships, so it’s important to start the relationship on the right foot.

How to Accept a Project and Upload a Draft

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After the kick-off call, the client can start assigning projects to you. Once you receive a project, it will appear in your active projects, and you’ll get a notification in your email. When you click on the project, you’ll see a detailed briefing, including deadlines, format, and expected word count. You can then decide to accept or decline the project based on your availability. Please do this within 4 hours.

Through each project briefing, you will also be able to access the client’s information page where you can find documents regarding the tone of voice, style, and any additional documents that have been made available for you. If you are missing anything, please let your account manager know as soon as possible.

First Draft

Once you accept a project, you can start working on it. When you are ready for feedback, you can upload and submit the file through the draft section of the project. This must be done before the date of your first deadline.

Keep in mind that when you’re working on a project, you will need to be your own proofreader and editor. Therefore, always remember to proofread all your work before submitting any drafts! If this is your first project with Contentoo, an extra proofreading round will take place. Instructions for this will be given by the Contentoo account manager during a short phone call.

Feedback

Once your first draft has been submitted, the client will receive a notification, review the content, and provide feedback if needed. We aim for one round of feedback per project, but there may be more. Once the client has submitted the feedback, you’ll get an email notification. You can then download their feedback, make any changes or comments, and submit the final version of your project. The client will then finalise the project.

Finalisation

Once the client has finalised the project, there is one last important step for you to complete.

Go to the financial overview section of your profile. You’ll see that the status of your project has changed from active to finished. To finalise the project on your side, click on quantity and fill in the final word count in the pop-up window that appears on your screen. For content creation, enter the exact number of words in the final version of the text.

For translations, rewrites, proofreading, or editing projects, use the number of words from the source text. The source word count should have been added by the client at the briefing stage.

Communication with Clients

If you have any additional questions about the project, you can contact the client through the messages tab in the project. If you don’t get a response after a reasonable amount of time, get in touch with your Contentoo account manager.

For any questions related to deadlines, the platform, rates, etc., please contact our support team at support@contentoo.com.

Invoicing

How Rates Are Settled

Once your profile is activated on our platform, you will be assigned a default rate plan that was discussed and agreed upon beforehand. However, the rate can still be negotiated on a per-client basis before joining a team, depending on the services, language, and expertise required.

The agreed rate includes feedback rounds, research, interviews for the project, and the initial kick-off call with the client to initiate the collaboration. For content creation and localisation, we will establish a rate per word. Some exceptions may apply for shorter copy projects. For content strategy projects or those involving content design, we will set an hourly rate.

Financial Overview

The “Financials” page on your Contentoo account contains information about word rates/hourly rates per client and invoiceable projects. To access the Financial Overview page, log in to your Contentoo account, click on your picture in the top right corner, and go to “Financials.”

The “financial overview” displays all projects per month. Each project goes through three financial statuses:

• Active: Ongoing projects
• Finished: The client has accepted your final draft, and it’s awaiting completion from your end
• Completed: You have filled in the final word/hour count for the project, and the project can be invoiced

Projects that are completed on the platform during a particular month will be included in that month’s invoice. Please note that on the first day of the new month at 00:01, projects that still have status “active” or “finished” will be shifted to the invoicing cycle for the next month. This is why it is essential to complete all projects by entering the word/hour count as soon as possible.

Invoicing and Payment

We follow an automatic invoicing (so-called 'self-billing') process for invoicing the Products and Services that you have provided to us. This means that we generate an invoice for you and will pay that invoice to you. This ensures a smooth and timely payment process, and you don’t have to create or send your own invoice to us. Once an invoice has been generated, you can either approve it or dispute it if you believe it is incorrect. Once approved, the invoice is automatically scheduled for payment.

Steps to Follow to Receive Payment

1. Check Your Projects Before the End of the Month
   Complete your finished projects on the platform by checking your rates and entering the final word count or hours in the pop-up window that appears when you open a project with the status “finished” (on your financial overview). We will send reminders to complete projects when they are finished.
   • For content creation projects, include the word count of your final text.
   • For rewriting, editing, proofreading, and translation projects, include the word count of the original text.
2. Check and Approve Your Invoice
   The invoice becomes available the day after the third working day of the month on your profile. You will receive an email notification to review the invoice. Go to “Invoices” under “Financials” on your profile. If the invoice is correct, approve it by clicking “approve.” If you think there is an issue, press “raise issue” and explain the discrepancy. It’s important to raise an issue only after careful evaluation of the invoice. If an error is found, its correction will be included in the following month's invoice. After settling your “raised issue,” you must approve the invoice on the platform. You can also download a PDF of your invoice for your records.
3. Wait for Payment
   Once the invoice is approved, we will proceed with payment. Invoices are paid 21 days after the invoice date. Approve your invoice as soon as possible but no later than 14 days after it is made available. International payments, especially to non-IBAN accounts, may take 1 to 5 business days to process.

Invoicing and Payment Details

Please note that international payments, particularly to non-IBAN bank accounts, may take one to five business days to reach your bank account. Our goal is to ensure payments always arrive by the end of the month. If this isn’t the case, please contact us for assistance.

If You Still Want to Create Your Own Invoice for Your Administration

We pay you solely based on the self-billing invoice we generate. However, if you still wish or need to create your own invoice for your records, you may do so but do not need to send it to us. If necessary, send it to approved.invoice@contentoo.com.

If You Invoice Via a Third Party

In this case, fill in the invoicing and bank details of the third-party company instead of your own. The third party may need to create and send their own invoice to approved.invoice@contentoo.com. Ensure the invoice amount matches ours exactly, as we only pay based on the self-billing invoice.

Editing Personal and Payment Details

Your personal and billing information can be updated anytime. To edit, go to your profile: Settings > Payment > Edit. Don’t forget to save any changes.

• Payment Method: Available payment options may vary depending on the location of your bank account. Although we consider your preferred payment method, we reserve the right to choose if necessary. Your cooperation may be needed to finalise these details.some text
  • Local Bank Transfer/SEPA Transfer: The fastest and most economical payment method, recommended if available in your country.
  • Wire Transfer: Only choose this if it’s your only available option.
• Currency: We recommend selecting EUR whenever possible, even if your account is in a different currency, as this is generally the most cost-effective option. EUR payments will be converted to your account’s currency upon deposit.

VAT Scheme

If you believe we have not applied the correct VAT scheme, please contact us, but first validate this with your accountant or tax advisor.

Freelancer Quality Standards

NPS Score

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric that measures client satisfaction. Your NPS is calculated based on clients' ratings of their likelihood to recommend you at the end of a project, on a scale of 0 to 10. Scores fall into three categories: detractors (0 to 5), passives (6 to 7), and promoters (8 to 10). NPS is calculated as the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. For example, if 90% of your scores are 9s and 10s and 10% are below 6, your NPS would be 85.

Our standard NPS is 85. It’s very important to maintain a high score.

What Happens if the Quality of Your Work is Not Up to Standard?

At Contentoo, quality is our top priority. We have high standards for written content and translations, and we expect all freelancers to uphold these. To enforce this, we have implemented a “Three Strike” policy for freelancers who don’t meet quality requirements. We understand that there are exceptions, such as illness or occasional missed deadlines.

1. First Strike: A warning. You’ll be informed of the issue and expected to address it. Depending on the severity, you may be removed from a client’s team, though you can still collaborate with other clients. Severe issues include copy-pasting from Google Translate or delivering content filled with errors.
2. Second Strike: Occurs with a second offence, such as repeated missed deadlines or substandard copy. This serves as a reminder that one more offence will lead to removal from the platform.
3. Third Strike: Leads to removal from the platform. Mistakes happen, but we expect freelancers to take extra steps to ensure their work meets our high standards.

Tips and Tricks

Maintaining and improving your writing skills is essential to success as a freelancer and directly impacts your client satisfaction. Here are some tips to help you maintain high-quality work:

Proofreading and Editing

Take the time to thoroughly proofread and edit before submitting. This ensures your work is polished, professional, and error-free. Proper editing also makes your writing more concise, persuasive, and engaging.

Resources: Style Guides and Dictionaries

Using style guides and dictionaries can greatly enhance your writing skills. These tools help with proper techniques, grammar rules, and language. Style guides provide format guidelines, while dictionaries aid with spelling and word usage, ensuring your work meets industry standards.

Tools

Project management tools like Trello, Hive, Wrike, Asana, and Monday help track projects and prioritise work efficiently. For writing, tools like Grammarly, Hemingway, and Airstory are useful for research and editing. ChatGPT can help brainstorm topics, write outlines, or draft content. Always check AI-written content for accuracy and ensure it aligns with the client's tone of voice.

Practice Makes Perfect

Continuous learning and growth are crucial for writers. Regular reading exposes you to different styles and ideas, expanding your knowledge and creativity. Aim to read widely, including books, news, and industry updates. Practise your writing regularly and experiment with new techniques to keep your skills sharp and flexible.

Who to Contact

We hope this information has provided everything you need to start freelancing with Contentoo. We’re here to support you in maximising client partnerships and your relationship with us. If you need help or have questions, please let us know.

If you’re interested in specific projects, let us know. The more we understand your goals and preferences, the better we can match you with projects that offer financial and career growth.

We look forward to working with you and introducing you to your first clients!

For additional questions, check our FAQ page.

• Platform questions: talent@contentoo.com
• Invoice questions: finance@contentoo.com
• Project/client questions: support@contentoo.com

For feedback or general issues, contact the Talent team—we’re happy to help.

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