Interview with Content Producer Sophie

Sophie, AC Content Producer, has been contributing to AC for 16 months. She started writing for AC while looking for work at home after moving from England to the US to be with her husband who was in, but is now retired from the US Air Force. In that very small time frame she has climbed her way up to Level 10 on the Clout Index, accumulated well over 600,000 page views, published nearly 1200 articles, and been recognized as one of the top 1,000 AC writers. Sophie typically writes product reviews, how to, and general advice articles. Her articles have frequently been featured and are very popular reads. One reason they're so popular is that she adds a personal touch to her articles, drawing on her personal experiences and giving her readers a glimpse into a-day-in-the-life-of Sophie.

Below is an interview that gives reader a closer look into the mind of Sophie, advice for writing product reviews and how-to articles. It also gives excellent time-management tips and shows how AC can be used as an excellent source for writers and individuals who are looking for work at home.

1. You first started writing for AC about a year ago, on May 5th, 2007. What drew you into AC and inspired you to write for AC?
Well, I actually started writing for AC on 13th May 2007. After moving to America in November 2006, I was keen to look for a work-at-home position that would give me the flexibility I was after, while allowing me to adapt to my new surroundings. But with so many scams out there, it took a while to stumble across AC. Writing has been my passion since I was a child and this site looked promising. So I signed up and am so pleased to be a part of such an interesting online community of like-minded writers.

2. You mainly focus on product reviews, how-to articles, and other general advice articles, were you writing those types of articles before you started writing for AC? What inspires you to write these types of articles?
I like to write these sorts of articles because they blend into my everyday life so well and help me share new products I have tried with my readers, as well as point out products that I did not find particularly good or useful. I have written these sorts of articles before, but I have really expanded on my product reviews, how-to articles and so forth since I started with AC.

3. What gave you the idea to, or led you to focus on, writing product reviews, how to, and general advice articles? Was it because AC was requesting these types of articles when you first found AC? Or did your prior writing experience lead you to focus on these types of articles?
No, AC was not requesting product reviews or how-to articles. In fact, AC requested that I write additional immigration and military based articles, but the how-to and general advice articles were from me. I thought that they would be useful and sought after.

4. One thing that's very interesting about your writing, particularly your product reviews, is that you take a very personal approach. We even see you picking out the item to buy it at your grocery store. It's an approach that works really well for you and really draws your readers in. How did you find this approach and what inspired you to use it?
I try to make product reviews more personal and have worked on this aspect of my writing more so since reading Sabah Karimi's thoughts on the AC Daily. In one of her interviews, she spoke with a CM who encouraged CPs to write using a personal voice, so that is what I have striven to do since then.

5. What is your current occupation other than AC? Do you find that it permits you a good quantity of writing time? Do you derive any inspiration for writing subjects from your current occupation?
I sub for the local school district, which has given me a lot of inspiration to write, which is reflected in such articles about kindergarten children and education. But I also have many other commitments that take a lot of my time away from the computer.

6. Are there other aspects of your personal life you draw on for your article subjects? Which do you find gets the most reader response, how-to articles that seem to really reflect your personal life, or your product reviews?
I would say that about 90% of my articles are based either directly or indirectly on personal experience such as relationships, learning disabilities, travel, immigration, the military, pet care and more. Some product reviews do better than others, but I would say that personal life how-to based articles do a bit better. I have had a lot of positive responses to my immigration articles and questions from immigrants who need advice on how to navigate the difficult path to US Permanent Residence. Writing what you know can help you write more on what comes naturally to you, rather than having to spend hours researching a topic that is completely new to you.

7. What is your background and experience, especially your past writing experience?
My educational background is British, so I continue to think and write like a Brit. I graduated with a degree in English with Sociology in Cambridge before moving to America. My writing experience before AC has included writing for Triond.com, Suite101.com, and Helium.com.

8. Did you enjoy writing for Tiond.com, Suite101.com and Helium.com? Do you think that AC has more to offer, or the other three?
Although I earn an ongoing, residual income from these three sites, I much prefer Associated Content, where you get to receive upfront payment, as well as performance bonus payments each month. I also like that at AC, you get to choose from the exclusive, non-exclusive or display only categories. I always retain full rights to my work, but I have published some Display only articles that I had posted at Suite101.com.

9. You generally turn out a very impressive amount of articles regularly. How do you manage your time for writing so well? Do you have any tips on time management for your readers?
I have an extremely busy schedule, which means I do not have as much time to write as I would like, apart from weekends and evenings. But I would advise others who want to make a go of AC to just set goals for themselves that are easily attainable, such as starting with 7 articles a week and then gradually increasing that until they feel comfortable with a higher turn out. But I would also advise readers to remember that even if they churn out a lot of articles each day to not neglect the quality of their work and to find their own inner writing "voice". Keep readers interested by varying the topics you write about each day, so that they can read product reviews, new healthy eating plans or parenting tips, rather than having to read 10 articles on just one subject.

10. Of the topics that you've written about, which ones do you find are the most popular, or have gotten the most hits? Which ones did/do you enjoy writing about the most?
Funnily enough, my most popular article to date was about a strawberry yogurt drink by Supershots. It wasn't even one of my higher paying articles, but the page views have more than made up for that! A lot of my articles that relate to immigration issues have also been quite popular and continue to generate interest from my readers. My favourite topics to write about are very close to my heart and relate mainly to the UK, expatriate life and British culture. It serves as my creative outlet to help overcome my feelings of homesickness while living abroad.

11. What benefit or reward, either personal or professional, do you derive from writing for AC?
Aside from the monetary benefits of writing for AC, I am always so pleased when I receive an e-mail from one of my readers who has been able to derive real benefit from what I have written and put my advice into practice. I enjoy educating readers and sharing my own thoughts, but at the same time, I try to write articles that are balanced and reflect two sides of an issue. I also do thorough research on subjects I am not so sure about so that I can present accurate information for my readers. I would suggest that other aspiring CPs do the same.

If I could change anything about AC, it would be to improve communication between CMs and CPs and to allow CPs the ability to edit their articles after they are published, other than articles that are Display only.