Tips for Becoming a Successful Writer on Associated Content

Recently, new Content Producers have been writing me, asking about my success here at Associated Content. After comparing my page views to the number of published content, they realize I make a decent side-income every month, and come to me for help.

When new joins see the successes of the top Content Producers, they eagerly assume that Associated Content is an easy way to make fast cash each month. Some of these people are unable to work at traditional jobs for one reason or another, and are ultimately disappointed when I explain that it took me a year to get where I'm at now. I offer my assistance, but often I never hear from them again.

I really want to help everyone out, so instead of writing the same information over and over again, I thought I'd address some of my favorite tips here for everyone to benefit from.

My first tip for new members is to get those first three articles out of the way as soon as possible. The sooner you are able to publish your content immediately as non-exclusive/performance pay only or display only, the better. You will have more options available to you.

Upfront pay is great, don't get me wrong, but there are times when you want your article to hit Google as soon as possible.

Let's say I have two article topics I want to write about. The first topic has to do with the stress level of air traffic controllers, and the second topic has to do with Mobsters cheats. I would submit the aviation article for upfront pay, because even though it will take eight days to get approved, I know it wouldn't get squat for Google hits or page views right away. Not many people would search for that topic in eight day's time. If they offer me $5, that's more than I would have made during those 8 days, so I'm happy.

I would submit the mobster article immediately as display only (performance pay), because it is a crazy-hot Google search topic at the moment, and it would hit Google about three hours after I submit it (another little-known fact). I might make more than an upfront offer in those eight days.

Another secret to success has to do with article topics. Many people start out with what they know, whether it's about life experience or a learned trade. These topics are great filler for your total article count, but chances are, these topics won't bring in tons of page views.

The best way to succeed is to maintain a good mix of articles you're genuinely interested in, as well as articles about hot topics in the teen/tween market - topics like popular TV shows, musicians, actors, video games, social networks, etc. Popping in to your local drug store to pick up the latest issue of Teen Beat doesn't hurt. Keeping up-to-date on current events doesn't hurt either.

If you are declined upfront payment for a topic that hits close to home, try not to take it personally. Many good writers write about a saturated topic, take offence when their Content Manager declines their entry, and then give up - just like that. You can't get mad at your Content Manager if you submit the 500^th article about potty training techniques and find it was declined - no matter what your spin on potty training was. Just try to be a little more creative and unique, and you will be back on the road to success in no time.

Many people want to know straight up, how many articles it takes to earn a few hundred dollars a month. While their drive is admirable, theses are the same people who give up as soon as they learn how long it took me to make some good earnings.

People who worry about article count are often the ones who will write about anything and everything just to get their count up. Usually, these are the people who write 1000+ articles on random subjects before reaching clout 10. Stick to the tips I mentioned above and you will be better off in the long run. Think quality, not quantity, and you will get more page views.

Next, don't stress about SEO, or Search Engine Optimization too much. Some people spend hours trying to perfect their SEO techniques, but I can honestly say that I don't write with SEO in mind. I tried once and the article failed miserably.

I consciously make sure that my keywords show up at least once in my first two paragraphs, but that's it. Maybe content writing comes naturally to me, but I honestly believe that SEO writing looks contrived and a little sloppy. Readers pick up on that too. Apparently, search engine bots do as well because of keyword spamming.

If you aren't confident about your technique yet, try a little experiment. Write two articles about the same topic with two different takes. Write the first article from your heart, gut, or off the top of your head. Write the second article keeping keywords in mind, without overstuffing it of course. Give it a month, see which article does better, and go from there.

One thing I've noticed is how our article descriptions show up in Google. Below the article's title, the description starts out with the phrase "Check out". Unless you format your description to coincide with "Check out," your Google entries will look messed up, and people might not want to click on something that doesn't read right. Online readers scan through pages quickly and choose an entry based on an immediate first impression.

Another tip is to stay away from the forums as a way of gaining page reads. Many people spend the better part of their day in Associated Content's forum trying to be helpful, but at the same time they're really hoping to gather more page views.

If you are a solid content writer, you won't need to use the forums as a crutch for page views. The majority of your hits should be coming from Google, not fellow content producers. Don't fall into that habit. Ultimately, the forum should be used to ask questions or to gain knowledge about this site. If your page views aren't cutting it, try a different approach or take a look at what successful Content Producers are turning out, but try to come up with your own ideas.

Anyone can become a success story at Associated Content, but don't expect the success to come overnight. It takes awareness, a gut instinct for trends, and patience topped with more patience to do well here. You don't need to write thousands of articles before you start seeing a good payout. Adopt the old motto, "Work smarter, not harder," and you will start seeing results in no time.