The driving force behind the Helium website is to share knowledge of their writers from around the globe with people all over the world. While the quest of Helium is to share knowledge the need exists for the site to generate income. Just like any business Helium has expenses that need to be met which forces the site to create a steady source of ongoing revenue. Helium needs to make more money than they have general expenses. When this revenue stops coming, the business will go bankrupt or need a government bailout.
How does Helium make money?
Helium is able to generate three basic types of income from three distinct sources. The three types of income are: advertising, sale of market content and sale of stock content. These three sources may not be the only ways that Helium generates income but they seem to be the major sources cited.
Advertising
How does Helium generate income from advertising? Helium provides advertising space on each and every page of their site. These advertisements are usually in the sidebars of the page with either direct links to other web sites or internet advertisements for products or services. These various advertisements generate a wealth of income for the Helium site.
The main advertising revenue from advertisements becomes the main source of payment for Helium members. The Helium writers receive a monthly payment (anything over $25) from the daily revenue shares that their specific articles generate. The higher the level of internet traffic a specific article gains increases the income of the writer and the income of Helium. Helium pays the writer based on the number of page views each article receives. Each page view corresponds with a direct view of an advertisement. The more advertisements viewed the more Helium can charge their advertisers for space on the site.
Sale of market articles
Helium also offers direct connection with other writing markets to distribute writing. These additional markets pay Helium for finding material and working as a distributor. The main source of this income flows from the Helium marketplace.
Marketplace gives specific article topics from outside publishers that use the Helium site as a middleman for uncovering new content. These Marketplace articles serve as a source of competition between writers with the highest ranked article winning the sale slot. Helium is paid by the outside source for the article and then helium pays a specific amount to the writer for the article.
Sale of Stock Content
Every article that exists on the helium website is available for additional distribution. These sales of stock content generate another source of income for the Helium site. Stock Content sales allow the site to make additional income on existing content without needing to place the request in Marketplace. The buyer pays for the right to reprint the article and then Helium pays a portion of the payment to the writer.
These three major sources of income keep the Helium website up and running. Without this income there would be no way to share revenue with writers or to offer Upfront Payments for articles received. Helium may strive to spread knowledge but they also exist as a business to make additional income.