Welcome to my CastingWords.com review. There are many ways to make money online and transcribing is one of them. if you are new to transcribing it could be hard to know when website to go with. Some are legit and some are not. This is why I write reviews. I want you to be able to make an educated decision as to whether CastingWords.com is right for you.
With that said…let’s see if you could make money with CastingWords.com
But wait, if you want to learn how to build a successful online business check out my #1 recommendation.
Company: Casting Words
Website: www.castingwords.com
Founders: Rachel Pearson & Nathan McFarland
What is CastingWords.com?
CastingWords was founded by Rachel Pearson and Nathan McFarland in November 2005. It is a transcription service company located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Casting Words is known for offering flat-fee transcription services in several languages.
Castingwords have been mentioned in The NY Times and The Economist. There are two well-known publications.
CastingWords has clients that need transcription tasks completed. When you join CastingWords you are considered a freelancer. You do not an employee of CastingWords. As a freelancer, you are responsible for the quality of the transcription task, editing, and submitting on time. All you need to work is a computer and internet access.
The type of work CastingWords offer is as follows:
Transcribing audio and video file
- Editing transcripts
- Determining audio quality
- Grading and approving transcripts
How to get started with CastingWords.com?
I can honestly say you don’t need to have any experience to get to apply. And you probably already have what it takes to apply. You need to be at least 18 years of age and live in one of its supported countries. You need a computer, the internet, and a PayPal account.
CastingWords pays freelancers via the PayPal MassPay system. You don’t have to worry about paying PayPal fees. The company takes care of those. You will get all of your pay.
Payments are made every Friday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (GMT-7 or GMT-8, depending on the time of year). You don’t have to request your pay every week. You can let it grow and request it when you are ready before the scheduled payout date.
You need to have at least $1 in your account to request your payment.
If you are serious about making money as a transcriptionist you also should get a good quality headset and foot pedal. After you sign up with Castingwords you will need to pass a test. The tests consist of a short audio file. If you fail the test you will have a chance to take it again.
The Rank & Bonus System
CastingWords has generous deadlines. It gives you time to complete tasks accurately. So there is no excuse for shoddy work to be given back. It is very important that you give back your best work because you will be scored for the quality of your work. If the quality of your work is poor, you won’t get paid at all.
If the quality of your work is great you will get a higher score and get paid more money. These higher scores will give you access to higher-paying files.
The scoring is as follows:
- Score 4 or lower gets rejected and you will not get paid
- Score 5 and get the normal rate
- Score 6 or higher and you get 1.5 times the normal rate
- Score 7 gets a total of 2.0 times the base pay amount
- Score 8 gets a total of 2.5 times the base pay amount
- Score 9 gets a total of 3.0 times the base pay amount
The pay you earn for transcribing files varies. You can earn anywhere from less than $1 per audio minute or more depending on your score.
Pros:
- No experience required.
- Generous Deadlines.
- Good reputation for paying
- You can listen to a file before claiming it.
- Flexible work from home opportunity.
- Rating system. If your score is not high, you will be limited to the work you can accept.
Cons:
Transcription is not an easy job. There is a learning curve to it. You may take you a while to get to a high score. In the meantime, the amount of work you can expect could be minuscule until you get your skills down pat.
Here are a few suggestions that can help you on your journey to making money as a transcriber.
- You can go here to check out a free mini-course about general transcription.
- Here is a free e-book to learn the truth about transcription.
- Here you can find a free legal transcription course.
- Here is a link to a post with 100 companies that have transcription work.
Is Casting Words a scam?
If you are interested in making money transcribing I suggest you give Castingwords a try. It does not cost you anything to apply and all you have to do is pass a test to begin accepting work.
Casting words does not have a rating with the Better Business Bureau. I am not sure why because it has been around for some time now. Glassdoor reviews give Castingwords a 3.3-star rating. That is not as high as I would like to see it but I still recommend you give it a try.
Conclusion
I hope you found value in the review. Transcribing is not for everyone. There are people who love to just sit and transcribe audio for hours at a time. Maybe you can not do it because of your living situation. Only you can decide that.
If you think that transcribing is not for you, after all, take a look at my #1 recommendation for making money online.
It is an online training platform that teaches how to build a successful online business. It is called Wealthy Affiliate and is free to try.
Have you ever thought about owning an online business? Did you know you could make money with your hobbies/interests online? There are so many people with the interests you have. These people are looking for solutions they may have with their interests. You could be the one to help them and get paid doing it.
Wealthy Affiliate has everything you need to succeed under one roof. There is a community of like-minded people, including the owners, there to help you 24/7.
I wish you much success in whatever you decide to do. Feel free to post your experience with Castingwords or any other website similar to it and share.
Let’s Make Money Online!