How to Choose a Pay-To-Write Site

There are many opportunities for writers to publish online and be paid for their content. Pay to Write websites can be a source of extra income or a stepping stone to professional freelance writing. Sites vary in quality and pay rates, and understanding the differences can help you choose the best ones.

First, Know Yourself
Are you an experienced writer or a beginner? Honesty about your experience and your abilities can save you from rejections and the frustration of not meeting a site's requirements. If you don't think you can evaluate your own work, find someone whose qualifications you trust to do it for you.

What do you want to get from a site? Do you prefer an upfront payment for each article, or are you willing to see pay-per-view income pile up over time? Do you want to be published instantly, or are you willing to wait for each piece to be read and evaluated? Many sites publish submissions immediately, with no editorial oversight. What kind of feedback do you want? Kudos from a site's other content producers are nice, but they don't usually offer the useful critiques that an editor can give you.

Sites that permit instant publishing are the most popular, but they are also the most crowded and competitive, and tend to pay the least. If you are trying to establish yourself as a professional, these sites may not be your best choice.

Tall Tales and Rumors
When you read an enthusiastic plug for a website you never heard of, do you sign up without really knowing anything about it? Does the person who's talking up a site have something to gain from your membership, like referral credits or a percentage of your earnings? Have they even used the site long enough to know how it works, and whether it pays reliably?

Don't reject a site on the basis of one person's complaints. People can and do carry on vendettas against sites they're unhappy with, even if the site isn't at fault. A Google search for articles and forum posts may give you a more balanced view and help you decide whether one person's complaints are legitimate, or whether a glowing recommendation is to be trusted.

Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty
Most complaints about writing sites are a result of not reading the FAQ and the User Agreement/Terms of Service. You don't want to find out that the site requires first publishing rights, after you've already submitted work that's been published elsewhere. Or learn, too late, that you've given up all rights to your work. If you decide to leave, can you delete your content? Even if you retain its ownership, if it's still on the site, that can prevent you from placing it elsewhere.

Are there any points on which the FAQ and the User Agreement contradict each other? Maybe one of them simply hasn't been updated lately, and the owners don't realize there's a conflict. If the lack of agreement can affect you, or there's anything you don't understand, ask about it. Red flags are: no contact information, or no response to a query. If the staff won't answer questions for a potential user, they may not be any more responsive to members.

Is payment clearly explained? What is the minimum pay-out? When can you expect to be paid? Is there a way to keep track of your earnings? On sites with a very low pay rate and a large minimum pay-out, such as $50. or $100., members often get discouraged and leave before they've earned enough money to be paid.

The bottom line is to know what you want and how well a site can meet your expectations. Read every scrap of information you can find and go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Then go slow. Consider your first month or two a trial period for learning all the ins and outs that can make your writing experience profitable and fulfilling.