The Top Paid-to-Write Sites on the Internet

The paid-to-write phenomena is taking the internet by storm. In the following paragraphs, the reader will find the three most popular websites and rough guidelines on their pay structure.

Probably the most popular site on the Internet is Associated Content. Associated Content gives a solid upfront payment. The site states that it will pay anywhere from $1-$20, but my experience has been that most of my articles earn about $3. One way to increase upfront payment is to give Associated Content exclusive rights to the article, but this only increases the upfront payment by a marginal amount (about 50 cents or so). Besides paying upfront, Associated Content also pays based on pageviews for each article. Associated Content does an excellent job of accepting articles without running the writer around in too many circles before finally accepting the writer's articles (more on this later). Overall, Associated Content is an excellent place for a beginning writer to make some nice pocket cash, and if his or her articles become popular, it is possible to make hundreds or a few thousand dollars over the course of a few years.

Helium is the next site where writers can earn an upfront payment. Helium, overall, does not pay quite as well as Associated Content, however, that does not mean it is not lucrative. Helium creates an interesting "star system" that pays writers increasingly as they gain writing stars. Stars are gained by writing more articles and receiving higher ratings on articles. The upfront payment is 50 cents per star, up to a maximum of $2.50 for 5 stars. Helium also pays by the page view, much like Associated Content. Besides this, Helium runs regular contests and will also pay users better for being the first to write on an article title, or for publishing their first article within a week of signing up. Helium also features a marketplace where users can sell articles to prospective purchasers, although this can be quite competitive. Helium is a little more fussy than Associated Content when it comes to accepting articles. It looks to have each article to be "magazine quality," and will delete an article if it has one misspelling. This seems to be a reasonable standard, however. Because of Helium's competitive atmospher, writers will find that they develop stronger writing skills and gain greater exposure among prospective employers. Overall, Helium is a good use of time and can result in a long-term decent amount of cash.

The final site is Constant Content. Constant Content is much different from the previous two sites in that it does not offer any upfront payment, nor does it pay by the page view. Rather, it acts as a meeting place for those wanting to buy content and writers wanting to sell content. Constant has even higher standards than Helium, but it can also pay quite well. It may take a few rejections for each article before the article is finally accepted. Article prices vary by the number of words in each article. Articles sold for usage rights (where the purchaser simply reuses the article but does not have rights to it) can pull a good twenty to fifty dollars. Articles sold for full rights (where the purchaser owns all rights to the article) can sell for well over one hundred dollars. However, the catch is that the writer's articles may or may not sell. If there is good demand for the writer's work, the writer can make a few hundred dollars; if there is little demand, the writer will not make as much. Constant Content is probably best for those who have an above average writing skill.

Overall, there is good opportunity for various authors to make some nice pocket cash on the internet, and these sites are by far the top three. Most other sites will require the author to write about things he or she does not want to write about (usually the case with paid blogging), while others that do let the author write about what he or she wants usually pay through Google Adsense, which usually only amounts to a few pennies each month. Good luck to aspiring authors!