by Bruno Somerset

Created on: January 08, 2008   Last Updated: July 26, 2008

I began submitting articles to Associated Content in early 2007, and so far I have published over 270 articles. A year and a half ago AC was not nearly as popular as a writing site as it is today, so they paid more in order to attract more writers. For the first several months I was paid for regularly for articles, with payment ranging from $3 to $10. This obviously wasn't enough for me to quit my day job, but it was still gratifying to actually sell something I wrote.

In the summer of 2007, Associated Content changed their policies and began paying writers for the number of page views their articles received as well as continuing the option of up-front payment. I began submitting fewer article for up-front payment because the payment amounts have dropped, and it can take weeks for these to be reviewed and approved. Also, much of what I write is of an Op/Ed nature, and they don't pay for that at all. Still, you can earn quite a bit based on page views alone as long as you publish articles on a regular basis.

Much of what I write (and what gets read on the Internet) is also extremely time-sensitive, so it is more beneficial to be able to publish when I want to. In an ongoing effort to improve the quality of articles on the site, Associated Content recently started a program where they call for specific content; review and payment of these articles happens much more quickly than typical up-front submissions..

The biggest advantage to being paid for page views is that, like with Helium, you can continue to earn money on articles written long ago. And the compounding effect of the page views of all of these articles can add up significantly. For example, I only submitted a few articles in May 2008, but was still paid a respectable amount at the end of the month because of all of my earlier articles. They also recently increase the PPM, or payment per thousand page views. And unlike Helium, which requires a minimum of $25 for payment, Associated Content pays every month as long as you have earned at least $1.50 in revenue.

On the whole, I think that the experience of writing and publishing on a regular basis is far more valuable than the financial aspect; this is just as true with Helium. If you promote your writing aggressively, eventually people will begin to know who you are. This builds a readership base and will help you move your writing to the next level.

Learn more about this author, Bruno Somerset.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.