Messy Stories/Share your story
We buy true stories. Yours.
We pay cash for true stories, told by the person they happened to. Record yours on camera, upload it here, and if we pick it, you get paid — one flat payment, no strings, no waiting on views.
How it works
- Record your story on camera. Your phone is fine. Face the camera, tell it like you'd tell your best friend — start to finish, every messy detail (just change other people's names).
- Upload it below. Takes a few minutes.
- We watch every single one. If yours is a fit, we email you an offer within 60 days — usually much sooner.
- You e-sign, we pay. One flat payment by PayPal, normally within 15 days of signing (we'll need a quick 18+ ID check and a tax form first — that's the law, not us being nosy).
What we pay
| Your telling runs… | We pay |
|---|---|
| 5–10 minutes | $50 |
| 10–20 minutes | $100 |
| 20+ minutes, or a story that blows us away | $150 |
One payment, one time. It's a full buyout: the recording becomes ours forever, you can't repost it, and there's no revenue share — which is exactly why the money is simple and fast.
Where you can be from: we accept stories from the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Being straight with you: right now we can only send payment to storytellers with US tax status. If you're outside the US, send your story anyway — we read every one and we'll tell you if it's a fit — but we can't make you a paid offer until our international paperwork is done. We'll never use your video without paying you for it.
What we're looking for
The stories the MessyFam actually shares: cheating discovered, weddings derailed, family secrets out, best friends who weren't. First person, it happened to you, and the payoff is real — the "you won't BELIEVE what she did" moment has to actually land.
What gets an automatic no
- A video you already posted anywhere — even privately. We only buy stories the internet hasn't seen.
- Someone else's story, reposts, or anything AI-generated.
- Stories involving minors in any way, criminal cases or jail time, or graphic violence.
- Music in the background (we legally can't use it), or audio we can't hear clearly.
About staying anonymous
You choose: full credit by name, first name only, or fully anonymous. If you pick anonymous we never publish your name, and we change other people's names in every story regardless. Honest truth: your face and voice are in the video you record — people who know you may recognize you. If that's a dealbreaker, film without showing your face.
Send us your story
Uploading doesn't sell us your story — it just lets us review it (full submission terms). If we pass, we delete your video within 30 days and it stays 100% yours. Selling only happens if you e-sign the purchase agreement we send with an offer.
Questions first? Email submit@messystories.com.