Assessing the Differences Between Helium and Associated Content

Associated Content and Helium are similar sites that pay writers for articles they submit. Although the sites have their similarities, their differences set them apart. Most writers that submit articles to both sites have a preferred site that they submit most of their work to. What factors cause writers to lean toward publishing on one site or the other?

Performance Pay vs. Revenue Share

Performance Pay - Articles that are published on Associated Content continue to earn performance pay. The amount of performance pay earned is based on page views. The more times an article is read, the more performance pay is earned. Writers on Associated Content can see the amount of page views each of their articles has and how much performance pay each article has earned. There is no guess work involved in performance pay on Associated Content. It is easy to track which articles perform well and which articles are not as popular. Performance pay on Associated starts at $1.50 per 1000 page views. As a writer progresses on the site and they accumulate many page views, the amount received per 1000 page views increases. However, the amount increases in small increments and it takes most writers a long time before they ever see this increase.

Revenue Share - The quality of the article, traffic to the article, and advertiser interest are the three factors that decide how much revenue share articles earn on Helium. You can easily see how much each article has earned through revenue share, but you will not know which factors have influenced this calculation. Helium does not make available how many page views each article has earned or how much money the article has earned from advertisers. You will be able to see which of your articles are considered quality articles. This is decided by the rating system on Helium in which other writers will rank articles against each other. The articles that are ranked the highest will likely get read the most and therefore earn more money.

To earn money through revenue share on Helium, you must maintain one rating star. Without this rating star you will not earn any money through revenue sharing. Associated Content does not have requirements for earning performance pay. If your article is viewed, you will receive performance pay.

Rating vs. Recommending

Rating - Writers on Helium are required to rate other articles if they wish to earn money from Helium. Each time you rate an article, there will be two articles side by side. Each article is written to the same title. The rater must decide which article they think is better. The criteria writers use when rating articles varies greatly causing articles' ratings to rise and fall. Since your articles ratings determine how many writing stars you have (which decides your upfront payments), the rating system is a cause of frustration for many writers on Helium. If your articles' average rating happens to drop at the end of the month, upfront payments may end up being less than you'd expected. The opposite is true is your average rating happens to climb at the end of the month.

Recommending - There is no rating system on Associated Content. If someone reads your article and likes it, they can choose to recommend the article. Whether or not your articles are recommended does not affect your earnings on Associated Content and you will never be forced to spend your time reading and rating articles.

Upfront Payments vs. Upfront Payments

Associated Content - To receive upfront payments on Associated Content, you must submit the article for review. Once reviewed, either an offer for upfront payment will be made or it won't. Writers then have the option to decide whether or not to accept the offer or to publish the article elsewhere. Once any upfront payment is accepted, Associated Content owns the rights to the article. If an article receives upfront payment on Associated Content, the money is deposited into the writer's paypal account within a couple of days.

Helium - Each new article a writer submits by the 25th of each month is eligible for upfront payment if it is in an eligible channel. Although Helium calls this upfront payment, it is not actually accurate. You do not know for sure how much you will receive for the article because the amount paid for each article is based on the amount of writing stars you have on the last day of the month. If you lose or gain writing stars, the amount will change. You will also not receive your upfront payments on Helium until your entire balance reaches minimum payout.

Upfront payments on Helium start at 50 cents per article and can go as high as $2.50 depending on how many writing stars a writer has earned. Upfront payments offered on Associated Content generally start at $3.00 and can go as high as $20.00.

$25.00 Payout vs. $1.50 Payout

Associated Content - On Associated Content you can receive payout once your balance has reached $1.50. Payments are paid to each member who has reached the minimum payout once per month. Upfront payments are not calculated with your payout amount, as they are paid shortly after you accept the upfront payment. The payout amount on Associated Content only applies to your performance payments.

Helium - The minimum amount for payout on Helium is $25.00. This amount includes all upfront payments and revenue earnings. Some writers will take several months to earn enough for payout on Helium while others will reach payout every month.

Marketplace vs. Assignments

Marketplace - The Helium Marketplace usually has several titles that will pay significantly higher than if the title were written for upfront payment alone. Several writers will typically write articles for the titles in the Helium Marketplace. The articles chosen will receive payment in the amount that was posted along with the listing in the Helium Marketplace.

Assignments - Assignments (formerly known as Calls for Content) are offered by Associated Content each day. Some assignments will be for performance pay only while others offer a pre-set payment amount.

The Helium Marketplace typically pays much more than Associated Content assignments. However, they will require higher writing standards as they are competing with other articles submitted by the Helium community.

Helium and Associated Content both offer writers the opportunity to publish their writing and make a profit. The differences between the sites cause many writers to favor one site over the other. If you consider the differences on each site, you will likely find that each site has its own merits that make them good opportunities for anyone wishing to make some money from their work.