How to Make Money Writing Articles on the Web
Maximise Internet Writing Earnings Using Multiple Income Streams
Jan 14, 2009
There are at least eight ways to make money by writing articles on the Internet. These are described here, along with examples of websites that provide income from them.
Upfront Payments
Helium and Associated Content pay an upfront fee for articles written. Helium pays writers according to their Writing Star level, and the amount varies between $0.50 and $2.50 per article. The exact amount depends on the number of articles submitted by the writer, as well as the votes received from Helium members for those articles. Associated Content pays $2.00 to $20.00 per article.
Pay Per Click
Helium, Associated Content, Bukisa, and Triond pay an amount each time an article is accessed. Pay rates are measured in Dollars per Thousand clicks. A rate of $1.50 is common, although this varies. Most sites increase the pay according to the number of articles submitted by the author, and the advertising revenue of the subject matter. Most sites continue to pay per article view as long as the writer maintains membership of the site.
Pay Per Ad Click
Many sites place ads within the articles submitted by writers. The ads are chosen by software such as Google Adsense or Kontera, and they are chosen to suit the content of the article. When the ad is clicked the writer receives money. For most ads this amount is of the order of a few cents, but for some real-estate ads the amount can be as high as $20 per click. Some examples of this kind of site are PrintnPost, Xomba, Hubpages, and Squidoo. The writer needs to apply for an account and user name with Google Adsense or Kontera. When accepted, the user number is registered with each advertising site.
Writer Referrals
Many sites have a referrals scheme. These include Helium, Associated Content, and Bukisa. The income from this source is straightforward: when a writer signs up to the site at the invitation of an existing member, the existing member receives a bonus. The bonus is a percentage of the writing income of the invitee, but the amount is paid by the site, not by the invitee. The percentage is typically 5% to 10%.
Show and Sell
The writer submits articles to a site like Constant-Content that brings article producers and users together. The article is submitted by the author at no cost, along with a price. The author may sell full rights, including copyright, or sell only the right to re-publish. Content users search the sites, find articles they need, and purchase them. The host site takes a portion of the price.
Writer Affiliate Programs
Where an author has access to the html code used to display his work, it is possible to insert code that links to specific products from sellers such as Amazon or eBay. The author signs up to the relevant seller affiliate program, and is supplied with html code. The author is paid by the seller every time a purchase is made from the link in his article. At Suite101, links can be inserted using the code provided, such as this book on Search Engine Optimization.
Bidding
Sites such as Freelancer allow authors to bid for work that they display. Potential authors submit portfolios to prospective buyers to support their bid. A variation on this type of work is writing essays at essaywriters.net, in which work is chosen by the writer for a fixed price, with no fees to pay.
Writer Referral Networks
Bukisa is one of the sites that uses a variation of the referral program, that pays writers that refer others, but also pay when a referred writer refers a further writer.
Summary
There are many different possible income streams for each article that an author produces. Every article written can be used to provide income from all of the income streams, subject to the conditions mentioned, and greatly increase the earnings potential per article.
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