Do You Want To Write Articles To Make Money?
Image by DavidDMuir via Flickr
One of the reasons you might want to write articles is to bring in some cash. Your income will depend on how you market your articles and which websites you use.
Here are some revenue models.
Freelance
You can register with one of the many sites that match service providers with clients. This is good if you want to maximize your income. Essentially this is trading time for dollars.
- You will need to have some samples of your writing.
- You will probably earn less when you first start.
- You will not be able to pick your subjects but will be given assignments by your client.
- You may need to research your subject in order to write your articles.
Some of these sites are
- Get a Freelancer
- Elance
- iFreelance
- oDesk Article Directories
- Get a Coder
- Rent a Coder is now part of Vworker
With Upfront Payments Or Publisher’s Listings
Some article directories offer upfront payments on articles. Each site has different requirements. Usually the upfront payment isn’t high and will depend on the rights you are offering. Some sites offer more for exclusive content. (That means you won’t submit the same article to any other sites.)
Some directories have a Marketplace where publishers can request articles be written on spec. There’s no guarantee that you article will be purchased. However, if it is, the payment is usually more than the directory will pay.
Some of these sites are
Other Article Directory Revenue Models
- Some directories have contests that offer cash prizes. Check out each site for contests and contest rules.
- Several directories offer revenue sharing.
- When people read your article, they are presented with relevant advertisements.
- Most directories pay a set amount for a specific number of views of your article.
- Some directories pay an additional amount if the reader clicks on one of the ads.
Some of these sites are
Sell Your Writing Yourself
Combine your articles into information products. Use related articles to create short reports, whitepapers, or ebooks.
Sell your products yourself or on sites such as ClickBank.
Read and record your articles and create an audio download or CD product.
You can combine many of these techniques. For instance, I wrote an article for a contest on Helium. I took third in the contest and won a little bit of money. Since then the article gathers quite a few views per month. Each view is a fraction of a cent, but they add up.
I’ve also had publishers buy articles outright. However, some articles I wrote for contests or for other reasons have been picked up by publishers long after they were submitted.
Like anything else, how much you can make will depend on how much effort you’re willing to expend. Also, like most writing projects, when and how much you earn varies widely.
Check out the sites mentioned for yourself.
Payment plans change without notice.
Some sites pay only to residents of certain countries.
Some sites require you to submit a certain number of articles in a specified period of time.
Check the Terms of Service of any site before you submit articles.
Do you know of any great sites where you can write articles to make money? Please leave a comment and share.
Write on,
Lynn
Great information! I have been writing more myself, but have several friends that outsource quite a bit… Love the reference links you provided.
Sally
Sally Liddicoat recently posted..Reward Good Behavior
Lynn-
What a resource this blog post is. As a newbie blogger, sales coach and internet entrepreneur, I am learning about the many ways one can earn extra income online. Now, about writing articles too.
When I first strated to actually blog content in March. I registered for http://www.reviewme.com this site pay for people to write reviews. Of course, I only had one blog post and they rejected me. This is a site worth checking into. Got this info through http://www.johnchow.com
Jane Lee recently posted..Success
Lots of great ideas and resources in that article Lynn! Thanks.
One you didn’t mention, but that seems to be getting more popular fast, is http://www.scribd.com/. While they don’t pay anything directly, you can direct people to your links as other sites…:-)
Mtn Jim
Mtn Jim Fisher recently posted..Outsourcing SEO For “Lazy” Internet Marketing Newbies-
Hi Jim,
There are many other sites. I just skimmed the surface. I’m planning on putting together a more comprehensive list and would love to add all the sites recommended by my readers.
Also, stay tuned for an article about sites you can use to promote yourself, your other sites, and get backlinks.
Hi Jane,
There are quite a few sites that will pay for reviews on their site and on your own blog. Build up your blog, and you’ll be accepted.
Also, you can use your blog to do product reviews and include an affiliate link. Even Amazon has an affiliate program. That allows writers to get a commission on their own books and other books they recommend.
Lynn, this is wonderful information, and having read this one post, I feel that I, too, have just scratched the surface. I’ve only been blogging and writing since September last, but I’ve already written almost 80 things in all, and I’m thinking how nice it would be to get paid for my efforts. Now I’m thinking even harder. Thanks so much. I know this was a lot of hard work and I for one appreciate it very much!
Melody J Haislip recently posted..A Hard Place
Hi Melody,
It sounds like you are really getting into writing. That’s great!