Helium Quick Start Guide
FAQs for Newcomers on Helium
Welcome to the Helium Quick Start Guide for new members. Helium gathers information from people in all walks of life. This guide helps new members settle in and make the most of what Helium has to offer. Before you begin writing articles, take a look around the site at established writers, whose About Me pages are adorned by writing and rating stars. Those stars indicate that their skills have been recognized as among the best on Helium.
- Helium Quick Start Overview Videos
- My Helium Pages
- How to Write on Helium
- How to earn on Helium
- How to rate articles
- Community forums
- FAQs for Newcomers on Helium
Helium Quick Start Overview Videos
My Helium Pages
The pages of your My Helium section are where you manage your account. Your "About Me" page lets others know who you are. In "My Articles" you can keep track of the articles that you write. In "Account Settings" you choose your pen name and set up your account for payments into PayPal.
How to write on Helium
The first article is always the most difficult one! Just remember that everyone has some knowledge to share at Helium (and that everyone else was also a beginner once).
We welcome articles written in magazine style that detail experiences or give advice in all areas of life, as well as contributions to the creative writing and recipes areas of the site. Read high-scoring pieces in areas that interest you to get a good feel for what works best.
Do a search to see if the subject you are interested in is already on the site. If it is, just click the "Write now" icon 
to go directly to the page where you can post your article. (Note: We strongly suggest you write first in Word or in another word-processing program, save the final version in plain text, and paste that into the "Write article" text field.)
Please do read our Writing Standards. You cannot publish an article of less than 400 words on most of Helium. Longer pieces tend to be better and to rank better in rating.
After you’ve entered your article into the text box, you can enter links. Then click on Article Preview it make sure the piece looks the way you want. Press "Spell check" to run through the article and make sure you are happy with it. Exit Spell check, click the checkbox that verifies that the article is yours (plagiarism will get your account booted!), then hit "Submit." You will have posted your first article! A new article in an existing thread always starts in the middle in ranking and is rated up or down by other members until it reaches its full potential. After submitting, you will be taken right into rating (explained below).
How to earn on Helium
We pay for articles based on the value of their contribution, determined by three market drivers: (1) Higher-ranked articles earn more money than lower-ranked articles. (2) Some subjects draw more total views than others. (3) How much will advertisers pay to advertise on the subject?
These three factors are combined to calculate members’ earnings for each of their articles. Remember that having a couple of articles will mean slow earnings. The way to maximize the potential of earnings is to have as many good-quality articles as you are able to type, since this increases your possibility to earn money. And all you need to qualify is one rating star!
But there’s more! Qualified writers writing to qualified channels can now earn Upfront Payments. Looking to start your freelance career? Helium’s Marketplace offers opportunities to earn from $20 to $200 for selected articles! Every week, we partner with new publishers, so check back often. And be sure to try one of Helium’s many Writing Contests for friendly and lively competition among members for weekly prizes.
How to rate articles
Rating is the soul of Helium! There are many different qualities to base your rating on, from grammar and punctuation to article structure and accuracy. Read each pair of articles competing with each other for placement in the title thread. Rate objectively, based on the quality of the writing and how informative the article is for its topic. Try not to be closed-minded by rating articles based on your personal opinion or beliefs. If you cannot be unbiased or the subject matter does not interest you, use the Skip function to move along to the next pair.
Put your editor face on: Express the degree by which you believe one article is better than the other.
Community forums
Helium’s Community forum is where new members are very welcome and can ask questions about membership and writing. Staff and fellow members are available to provide answers. In the Introduce yourself to the community forum, new members can say hello and ask other members all those newbie questions. You’ll quickly realize that Helium’s community is one of the most supportive for writers anywhere.
We’ve got lots of resources for our members:
- Go to the Community boards to ask questions and read others’ answers.
- Drop a note to the Content & Community team for questions about writing.
- Ask for a Mentor to help you one-on-one with writing or getting to know the site. Send a note to our Mentor program requesting help.
Welcome aboard! We’re always here to help.
FAQs for Newcomers on Helium
Whether you’re thinking about joining Helium or have just joined, you probably have lots of questions. Here are answers to the seven that most new members have. Be sure to see the end of this page for other resources to help you get to know Helium.- How do I submit my writing?
- How do I choose subjects?
- What if you don't offer a title I want to write about?
- How can I earn money for my writing?
- How does Rating work?
- What are the stars all about?
- Do I still own the rights to the articles I post on Helium?
- Other resources
How do I submit my writing?
Publishing an article on Helium is easy. With new tools to improve quality and increase traffic to and from your article, your earnings will soar and your writing stars will start piling up!
Once you’re a member, you can just click on the “Write now” pencil icon on any title that suits your fancy. You don’t need to download any software or fancy add-ons – just paste your article into the text box, preview your work then hit Publish. It’s that easy.
Get the full story in our Help guide.
How do I choose subjects?
This is easy: What interests you? Click on My Helium and then use the Title Finder link to discover all the topics prompted by simple search.
Or look at the many subject areas in the navigation bar under “Channels.” on the left of the home page. That should give you some idea of the range of subjects we have on Helium!
What if you don't offer a title I want to write about?
Have an idea for a title that doesn’t exist on Helium? You can suggest a new one.
Once you’re a member, you can go to the “Suggest a Title” option on the Write page (find the link in the top navigation bar).
Get the full story on suggesting new titles in our Help guide.
How can I earn money for my writing?
We pay our writing members because it’s the right thing to do. Think of Helium as a co-op — we’re all stakeholders. We provide the publishing platform and the marketing investment to attract writers, readers and advertisers, while the community — that’s you — writes, rates and moderates the site. For all your efforts, you share in a percentage of Helium’s revenue.
When you become a starred member of Helium, you also have increased opportunities to earn through Upfront Payments, Bonuses and special Marketplace assignments.
And don’t forget our weekly writing contests!
Get the lowdown on earning at Helium in our Help guide.
How does Rating work?
Writing is the heart of Helium. Rating is its soul!
By using the Helium rating process, writers are able to impact the site with a democratic vote expressed as “peer review.” All raters contribute their intelligence and wisdom to create the valuable resource that is Helium.
Through rating, articles are sorted and ranked. The best articles rise to the top of the rankings. In turn, the not-so-pretty articles sink to the bottom. A new article entering the ratings under an existing title enters in the middle and, through rating, works its way up or down, depending on its quality and value. Remember, you can rate only if you’ve written for Helium.
Find out all about Rating in the Help guide.
What are the stars all about?
Every day, writers share their passion for topics from pet care to personal finance in articles they publish on Helium. In turn, this same writing community uses a simple yet effective Rating process to determine the best content, whether there are 5 or 500 articles on a topic.
Throughout Helium, excellence counts and quality rises to the top! When you see stars next to a writer’s name anywhere on Helium, you’ll know that member has achieved special recognition from his or her peers.
Find out more about stars in the Help guide.
Do I still own the rights to the articles I post on Helium?
By publishing on Helium, you agree to share rights to your articles with Helium. You do retain the copyright and you can publish your work elsewhere, as long as that publisher does not ask for exclusive rights.
It’s your work: Before you post, be sure you have read Helium’s Writing Standards and that you take the time to read and understand our User Agreement.
Other resources
- Our Quick Start Guide offers more insight for getting going.
- You don’t need to go it alone. Helium’s vibrant group of writers forms the most supportive writing community on the web. Visit the Helium Community boards with your questions.
- Ask for a Mentor to help you one-on-one with writing or getting to know the site. Send a note to our Mentor program requesting help.
- The Official Helium Blog offers tips too. Start with 5 Areas New Members Should Know About.
- The Writer's Guide To Helium Zone.
