Flagship Hub Program

Having published 3 Flagship Hubs I feel competent enough to share some insights as well as a few tips and tricks. I haven't done a Flagship Hub in a while, but that would be because I've been busy making Capstone Hubs.

Done right, Flagship Hubs can be profitable (as in the time it takes to produce one). Even if you are a little slow in getting it together or making a masterpiece over and above the requirements, they still will prove to be a money earner over the life of the hub. And the life of the hub is of course, indefinite.

And now I'll mix a little of what HubPages HQ says with some of what I think. Hopefully by the end of it you'll be better informed, and maybe even chomping at the bit, ready to make your first Flagship hub!

HubPages HQ wants you to make your Flagship Hub the best page online on a subject, and earn up to $35 and ongoing royalties.

Don't believe me? They say so right here.

For each Flagship hub they want a go-to guide on a specific subject, full of the best, most useful information, pictures, videos, and links you can find.

The standard is set quite high, but not unachievable. Here's a run down of what they're looking for

• A minimum of 1500 words, of your own, high-quality purely original writing
• A minimum of 3 relevant video capsules (YouTube or Google)
• A minimum of 5 relevant images
• At least 10 relevant links to other sources, each with your own 30-50 word description
• A news capsule (or highly-relevant RSS feed)
• An original overview of no more than 500 characters, that goings into the Summary.

...and of course, well presented and organized.

"What's in it for me?" I hear you ask.

• $25 cash, via Paypal... you do of course have to have a valid Paypal account.
• Ongoing royalties... Flagship Hubs are the same deal as normal hubs, you get your 60% ad impressions. So yes, you not only get paid on completion, you stand a chance to earn passive income from the hub as an ongoing concern.
• The "Ten from Ten for Ten" bonus... you'll be reading more about that soon!

• You must write on one of the topics from the Flagship Topic Pool.
• You can only request one topic at a time.
• Once assigned, you have 7 days to complete the Hub.
• If you're already a Flagship Hub participant you can make suggestions for ideas.

Here's a link to a list of ones already published. It'd be a good idea to look through a few to get an idea of what they look like.

The short story is, if you get at least 10 unique visitors from 10 individual sites (outside of HubPages) Hub within the first 30 days of publication, HubPages Inc will pay you another ten bucks.

Bonus! It's a reward for doing what you should have been doing anyway!

The long story is... I'm going to cover it in this hub: Traffic Bonus. It's quite a hefty read, so open it up and bookmark it.

You've read this far and you think you've got what it takes. Now you just need to now HOW to sign up. Here are the details...

First of all, you will have proven yourself as a quality hubber. A track record of well written hubs under your belt. HubPages don't say how many. I may have had 50 before they announced the program. I wouldn't be surprised if some have had far less. But I think QUALITY is going to be the biggest determining factor.

If your hubs have been to solely direct traffic to just one site, then I don't think they'll be interested. If you've filled your hubs full of affiliate links, I doubt they're going to be interested. If your hubs are nothing more than picture galleries... again, I don't think they're going to be interested.

Write about things you know. That are meaningful. You don't have to shy away from using the Amazon and Ebay capsules, but use them properly. Pick products (or specific categories) that are in context to the content.

If you're confident you've got what it takes to be a Chosen One, then here's what you need to do next:

1. Request a contract by emailing team@hubpages.com with the subject line "Flagship Hubs"
2. If you're approved, they'll send an email, with an attachment. The attachment is a contract. Read it, sign it (if you're happy with what it says) and fax it or scan it and email it back to them.
3. HubPages HQ will confirm that they've received your contract. Go to the Flagship Hubs Topic Pool and find a topic that suits you. Email the team to claim the topic.
4. You've now got 7 days to complete the Flagship Hub.
5. Once you've fulfilled the criteria and finished the hub, don't publish it. Email the team with "Flagship Hub for approval" in the subject line along with the URL of the hub, and they'll review it.
6. If approved for payment and publishing, you can go and choose another topic from the Pool. If not... that's no drama, they'll point out what's deficient, and how to go about fixing it.
7. Post a link to your published Flagship Hub in the comments box below!