For many years, I wrote for magazines and newspapers and was a shop girl part time in the evenings. As more and more newspapers and magazines closed, I discovered I was running out of places to write. I was forced to learn how to write for the web, which pays far, far less than writing for print. However, with time and practice, I have learned how to make a humble living as a self-employed internet writer.
One thing I have learned is it is wise to write for more than one website, and it is good to write for both websites that pay based upon page views as well as revenue sharing sites. The internet is constantly changing, and a site where you do well today may not be the site where you do the best next year. Diversify.
Unless you have your own website where you sell ads and engage in affiliate marketing, writing for the web typically involves two forms of payment: page views and revenue sharing. The following are a few of my favorite websites in both categories. I will be adding more websites, so check back for more ideas!
Earn for Writing Based Upon Page Views
Examiner is by far my favorite website to write for. I have made more money consistently every month on Examiner than any other platform. Articles only have to be 150 words in length and only one article is required per month to maintain commission. Examiner does not have a set pennies-per-view figure, but I average about 80¢ for every hundred (100) page views which is on the high end of what most sites pay.
Examiner also has a very generous referral incentive, usually $50 per approved referral. I make much more money writing for Examiner than referring people, but those occasional referral bonuses are very nice. If this article is helpful and you decide to try Examiner, please allow me to refer you!
Sign up for Examiner here.
Yahoo Contributor Network (YCN) is the first site I ever wrote for starting back when it was Associated Content. Yahoo prefers articles of 350 to 500 words. Although at times I wrote every single day, and I promoted my content, I averaged $16 a month for my first 3 years and am now averaging $30-ish a month on Yahoo. YCN starts payments at $1.50 per thousand (1,000) page views and maxes out at $2 per 1,000 page views.
Some articles may qualify for an upfront payment on YCN. Advertised at $2 - $20, the usual upfront payment is more like $2 - $6 for articles that qualify. There is usually a one-two-week delay in getting articles approved. There is no referral bonus for Yahoo.
Register to write for Yahoo.
Revenue Sharing Websites
Seekyt is my favorite revenue sharing site. I have been surprised at how well some of my articles have done on Seekyt, and as I am learning which articles generate more income, I am producing better income-producing content. Articles must be at least 2,000 characters (350-450 words).
Seekyt referrals also generate income. You earn a 25% of the revenue generated by people you refer.
Register for Seekyt here.
TopicSpotter is fairly new and it doesn't have a lot of clout yet because it doesn't have a huge amount of content. Still, it is growing and it does pay similar to what Seekyt pays. As with Seekyt, articles must be at least 2,000 characters (350-450 words).
You can also earn through referrals as you can earn a percentage of the revenue generated by anyone you refer to TopicSpotter.
Sign up for TopicSpotter here.
Best Reviewer is one of the easiest and most fun sites to write for. The publishing platform is set up in a numbered list format. You simply pick a topic you can make a list of 3 - 20 items out of. The basic platform is free.
For $5 a month the owner will put more Adsense ads on your articles. Your AdSense ID will also be displayed on pages of anyone you refer.
Sign up for Best Reviewer.
Squidoo Squidoo is a fun place to create content, share photos and post some of your best links from other sites. Squidoo is a module-based, income sharing platform where you select the modules you want to use as well as most of the ads.
Create lenses on Squidoo.
Squidoo does have a referral program, too, but with Squidoo you only earn a one-time $5 bonus when someone you refer earns more than $15 on a lens, and the one time I referred someone, the referral did not get applied to my account.
I will be adding more websites so check back for more ways to earn writing for the web!
More ideas:
Make Money Online with CashCrate
Leave me a comment below if you have any questions!
