Like any freelance writer, I'm always keeping an eye out for new markets for my writing. I made the decision a couple weeks ago that finding an appropriate market or writing program was the most important thing on my plate at the time. After all, bills don't pay themselves. So I have returned from my long silence with two programs that may help article authors find fair pay homes for their writing.
Demand Media Studios - Touted as the best online writing community on the web, and started by the guy that built Myspace, Demand Media Studios is at the forefront of content creation and is the largest contributor of videos to YouTube. This phenomenal company pays twice a week in two basic modalities: flat rate and profit share. The flat rate for writing an article is typically $15. Profit share payouts occur over time and are dependent upon the popularity of the article. Payment type is not something that is changed after the article is written; the author chooses assignments from a list of computer-generated titles that are designed to rank well with search engines and other writing sites such as About.com and eHow. The writer doesn't have to worry about marketing the article, because it will not have the original authors name on it. The article will instead read "Demand Media Studios", a process that some authors may have an aversion to. Losing authorship may be worth the $15 to some, but for authors trying to get their name out in cyberspace, they may feel more at home writing for a more entitling site like Suite101.com. Demand Studios also has positions available for video makers (like writing most paid video content is on how to topics) and copy editors.
Suite 101 - Suite101.com also requires a writing sample and application to be accepted as a writer, and only offers profit share from articles. But what it lacks in comparison to Demand Studios' flat rate and twice weekly payments, it makes up for with author flexibility. Author's can write about anything they want, so long as they fit into one of a broad number of categories Suite 101 provides. Articles are checked for grammar and appropriate content before they are posted, but the editorial process is nowhere near as strict as that of Demand Media Studios. Writers who prefer the freedom of Suite 101 to the stringent criteria and pre-made title system of Demand Studios should also become versed in search engine analytics using a program such as Google Trends, Wordze, or Word Tracker to test various titles for search engine user search compatibility. Knowing how many people will be searching for similar information can help authors tailor their articles based upon what their potential audience is searching for online.
No two pay-to-write programs are identical, but Demand Media Studios and Suite 101 are more promising in many ways than their competitors. Both require an application and a writing sample to be accepted, which is something that is worth putting some time into and doing right the first time. Demand Studios will accept only on application per person, per position, and while an author could always get a different email address and resubmit, they may get flagged anyway. Reading examples of other articles these companies produce is a great way to get familiar with what types of articles are acceptable. The preferred style for both companies is third person, so either write an article from a third person perspective (no "I", "you", "we" ect.), or rewrite another unpublished article to follow the third person perspective.
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