Writing Articles that Earn High Ratings at Helium

The rating system is one of the things that makes Helium unique among article submission websites. The ratings system provides the writer with many benefits, as well. First, higher ratings provide the writer with more recursive revenue. This is because higher-rated articles in a given topic tend to be viewed more than lower-rated articles, and therefore make the most money. Second, higher ratings play an important part in the scoring of contests, another source of revenue at Helium. Finally, higher ratings provide more profile views for the writer, allowing the writer to drive people to his or her personal web site.

There are several things you can do to write articles that earn high ratings at Helium:

1. Cover the topic thoroughly. The minimum length for an article at Helium is 350 words, but it is rare that you can cover a topic fully in that limited amount of space. On the other hand, writing more than 1,000 words on a topic will probably earn you lower ratings, as well. Articles in the 400-700 word range tend to do the best in ratings on Helium.

2. Pay attention to formatting. Use line breaks in between paragraphs. Don't submit an article that is just one long paragraph. Look out for unnecessary line breaks. Make certain that your article is visually appealing to the reader. Improper formatting is one of the most common reasons for an article to be rated low at Helium.

3. Organize your article properly. Make sure your article has an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Use correct paragraph structure, with a single topic sentence and several supporting sentences.

4. Be meticulous about grammar. If you have more than one or two grammatical errors in your article you will be marked down in the ratings. Learn when to use commas, make sure to avoid run-on sentences and watch for subject-verb agreement.

5. Keep a consistent voice. If you are writing in the third person, do so throughout the article. If you have a conversational tone in your article, don't switch off suddenly to a professional tone.

6. Make a logical argument. If you are trying to make a point about something, make certain that you are explaining the thought process. This doesn't mean that the person rating should have to agree with your argument, it just means that your argument needs to be logical and cohesive.

7. Keep it interesting. An interesting article is likely to be rated more highly. Be careful here, however: interesting writing is no substitute for good writing. If you tell an interesting story but tell it poorly, your readers may miss the point altogether. These seven things won't guarantee you a #1 rating every time. Sometimes, you will write an article that follows all of these points and still winds up at the bottom of the heap. However, if you are consistent about applying these principles you will see an overall increase in the average rating of your articles at Helium.