Freelance writing marketplace Scripted raises $4.5M to grow its network of 80k US-based scribblers

Scripted.com, a marketplace for freelance writers, announced today that it has raised $4.5 million in Series A funding to help accelerate its growth. The new investment comes from firms led by Crosslink Capital and Redpoint Ventures.

Started in May 2011 by Sunil Rajaraman and Ryan Buckley, Scripted originally was a subsidiary of Scripped.com, a screenwriting software company. By November of that year, it officially changed its name to Scripted. To date, it has more than 80,000 writers that have been vetted in a specific area of expertise and all are based in the US.

Companies that are looking for copywriters for either websites or social media posts can visit Scripted’s website and hire someone to write a blog post, Tweet, status update, or any other digital copy piece. Prices start at $2.00 for a Tweet and goes up to as high as $299 for a white paper.

Scripted says that it now has more than 1,000 customers using the service, including Verisign, Intuit, and Levi’s.

Along with Crosslink and Redpoint, the company’s Series A round included participation from James Currier and Stan Chudnovsky from Ooga Labs, BranchOut CEO Rick Marini, Bebo co-founder Michael Birch, Military.com co-founder Chris Miichel, and angel investor Paige Craig.

“Content marketing is a massive opportunity, and our growth is evidence that the single biggest pain point for marketers is content creation. Scripted wanted to put together the strongest investment contingent possible heading into the next phase of the company,” says Rajaraman.

Scripted isn’t the only game in town, as while it has an impressive array of customers and writers, it still needs to accelerate growth if it’s going to remain competitive against the likes of Contently and Servio.

The company has now raised $5.5 million in venture funding.

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