How Writing for Associated Content Compares with Writing for Helium

There are a lot of people writing content for websites nowadays hoping to make some extra money online. Associated Content and Helium are two such web sites and though the two sites both offer those that submit content a way to make money, they go about it in far different ways; one of which is far superior to the other.

One of the things that draws people to Helium is the fact that you get paid some money upfront for any articles that you publish, assuming you meet certain objectives; namely, obtaining stars through having your worked deemed better than someone else's ala an American Idol type vote/rating system. Unfortunately, most people that write for Helium don't make much money due to the fact that the pay per article is so low. The most you can make on the site is $3.50 for one article and articles must be at least 400 words. Of course there are payments for clicks, but Helium articles don't garner nearly the same number of hits as do those on Associated Content.

AC too offers money up front for articles, with the amount varying depending on what the editor that gets your article deems it worth. For the most part, most articles get between $3 and $10, with the average probably somewhere in the middle. Thus, AC pays more upfront than does Helium.

Both sites also pay submitters based on how many clicks those articles get, though only AC actually gives you real numbers showing you how many hits you're getting not only per article, but in total through the use of a nifty graph on your home page. Helium lets you know on a daily basis how much you've accrued through hits, and it is far, far less than you get at AC. As an example, a typical writer that publishes something like five hundred articles on AC can expect his clicks bonus per month to be somewhere in the neighborhood of a one, two, or even three hundred dollars; whereas for the same number of articles on Helium, that user would be lucky to get fifty.

Thus, AC pays more per article and more for clicks.

So, why would anyone write for Helium? Because Helium will accept any article you submit, and pay you for it, no questions asked. It's simple and it's easy. The more you submit the more you make. AC on the other hand will simply reject your article if it doesn't think it will garner hits. Again, simple as that. By being a lot more discerning, AC makes sure that the articles on its site are readable, interesting, and hit worthy. Therefore, it's up to the writer to not only think up compelling articles ideas, topics and titles, but to write them well enough for acceptance.

It's a tough situation for writers, but clearly writing for Associated Content is the better deal. The arrangement is more fair, more professional and the way they conduct their business is more businesslike, which means you don't get treated like an idiot, or a child, with silly incentives like ratings stars.