Freelance Writing Online at Helium.com
Helium Provides Opportunities for Beginning Writers
Apr 4, 2009
There are many websites where writers can post their work in exchange for cash payments on a revenue sharing basis. One of those websites, Helium.com, has expanded their payment structure to reward authors in a variety of ways.
What Is Helium.com?
Helium is a community for writers to post their work and earn money. Articles are rated by other writers and posted according to their rank. The more page views an article receives, the more money it will earn. Writers earn writing stars for contributing articles that are ranked well and rating stars for doing their part to rate other articles.
Ways to Earn Money Writing for Helium
- Marketplace -- Publishers come to Helium with guidelines and desired word count for articles they need. Writers have a week to submit an article and the publisher chooses the best fit for their publication. Payments range from $5 to over $200, depending on the assignment.
- Contests -- Every week, new contests begin. A contest consists of about 20 titles on a given theme. Writers are awarding points for the ranking of each article they submit to a title. The top three writers win cash prizes.
- Daily Revenue Share -- Articles on Helium share their space with advertisements. Helium earns money based on the number of page views an article receives and a portion of the income goes to the writer. Writers must maintain one rating star to earn revenue share.
- Upfront Payments -- Writers with one writing and one rating star or more will receive an upfront payment ranging from $0.50 to $2.50 per article. Upfront payments are posted to Helium accounts on the 1st or 2nd of the month. Some channels, such as creative writing and politics, are not eligible.
- Empty Title Bonuses -- There are many titles on Helium that have no articles written to them. The writer who publishes the first article will receive a $1 bonus on top of their upfront payment. Star and channel requirements apply.
- Stock Content -- Occasionally, publishers will browse titles on Helium and purchase one-time usage rights for a publication or newsletter. The articles remain on Helium and the writer receives the purchase price minus a fee.
Downsides of Helium.com
- High Minimum Payout -- With a $25 minimum payout, it can take beginners a long time to receive their first payment.
- Rating Star Requirement -- Writers must maintain at least one writing star to earn money on Helium. However, articles will stay on the site in perpetuity. So, if a writer is unable to get online for a period of time, they may start losing out on income.
- No Application Process -- Anyone who wants to join Helium can. This means that talented writers have their articles next to articles without punctuation or paragraph breaks.
- Volunteer Editing Team -- As long as an article meets the minimum word count and does not contain profanity, it can be published on Helium. Quality control is minimal and only enforced by a team of volunteer editors. Other websites, such as Demand Studios, pay their editors for the same services.
- Paypal Only -- Helium only pays with Paypal. If you do not want an account or live in a country that is not eligible, you cannot receive payment at this time.
Helium is a good website for beginners to learn the ropes of writing web content. Writers can experiment and learn about optimizing their content for search engine rankings. However, experienced writers will find that they can make far more money from other revenue share websites like Suite101 or Examiner.com. Helium provides a training ground for new writers and the opportunity to earn a little extra cash.
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