August in Review: First payment from Hubpages, and a few tips for newcomers.

I've been trying my hand at this online content writing thing for almost two years now. I originally got my start writing on Triond. I then upgraded moved onto Hubpages and then Yahoo Contributor. I'll admit that I haven't earned a ton of money during that time span. However, the knowledge that I've gained has been invaluable. The month of August marked a milestone month for me here on Hubpages. First, it marked my one year anniversary being a member on Hubpages. Secondly, I was asked by fellow Hubber and friend, Redberry Sky in July to to be interviewed for in the "Hubber-to-Hubber" section of the August 1st edition of the Hubpages Newsletter. Afterwards, I was asked to keep the tradition alive by choosing another Hubber to be interviewed; this time by me. I personally thought the entire interview thing was pretty cool. Finally, I received my first payment ever from Hubpages. I don't know what anyone else thinks, but I would say that I had a pretty interesting month overall. Now that we're in a brand new month, I've been reflecting a bit upon what August brought. This hub is going to point out a few tips for any new members here on Hubpages hoping to reach that first payment. I've had several people, along with this entire community motivating me to stay active. I hope I can do my part in helping to maybe motivate someone else.

So how was I able to reach that first payout here on Hubpages? I have absolutely no idea. No but seriously; I personally believe that a little bit of luck aligned with much effort on my part helped me to reach that point. Of course this goal couldn't have been achieved without the help and support of fellow Hubbers. Therefore, I owe much of the credit to the community here on Hubpages. Here are a few tips that I'm going to give newcomers here on Hubpages for reaching that very first payout. Don't worry, I'm not going to get all technical and talk about SEO tricks or anything of that nature. I'm just going to point out the things that worked for me.

• Write, write, write: This tip is very basic, but it can't be stated enough. Some people write articles and throw in the towel after seeing little results. You have to view this content writing as a marathon and not a sprint. If you give up so early in the battle, you've already lost the war. You have to be consistent, persistent, and patient here on Hubpages. I'm not saying write everyday, but writing a few times a week is necessary towards helping to build your brand. I personally don't write as often as others here, but I try to write at least one hub per week. Quality definitely beats quantity, however, you are only going to earn so much from one good article. Focus on writing and building your brand on here.
• Socialize: You have be socially active here on Hubpages. Although this is primarily a content writing site, it's a social networking site as well. The relationships built on this site are important in helping to have success, but they can also go beyond here on Hubpages. I'll give you a prime example; There is a hubber on here named Kevin, who goes by the username Arren123. Kevin and I correspond often outside of Hubpages, and he really motivated me to work at reaching the payment threshold on here. He earned his first payment on here back in July. When I told him that I was close to reaching the payout mark, he helped me out greatly by sharing and promoting my articles. Not only was I promoting my own articles, I had a friend doing it for me as well. If you build friendships and relationships on here, it will go a long way towards helping you have success.
• Focus on building a writing style: You know how singers, producers, authors, and other people involved in professions or hobbies that involve creativity right? Each of them has a certain style that keeps people interested in following them. Find a writing style that suits you and focus on building it. For example, there's many different ways to construct and put together an article. Maybe there are certain topics and words you use a lot in your everyday life to get your points across. You can apply that to your writing as well. Keep it fresh, but stick with what works also. Once you start to gain a following, you will become known for how you write and construct your hubs. Our individual styles are what separate us from everyone else, and it's what you will be known for.
• Don't just write, promote, promote, promote: This is another basic tip, however, it can't be stressed enough. Share your hubs daily on the various social networking and bookmarking sites. Getting views from other Hubbers is great, but if you want to maximize your chances of being viewed, you have to drive outside traffic to your hubs. Promoting your articles outside of Hubpages is the best way to get your view count up.
• Work, work, work at it: Success doesn't happen overnight. You have to work towards goals in everyday life, and it's no different here on Hubpages. If you seriously want to earn money on here, you have to work at it. Don't be afraid or intimidated to put in the work. The work you put in on here will pay off for you later on. Those cents definitely add up.

Although I've earned that first payout here on Hubpages, I view it as the tip of the iceberg. Many of us accomplish a goal and stop after hitting that achievement. That's not me; I desire much more. If anything, reaching payout here motivates me to think and create even more. Again, I want to thank everyone on Hubpages who has helped me in some form or another during my year on here. Whether it was giving me tips, reading my hubs, or just becoming someone I consider a friend, I appreciate it all very much. I hope that this article motivated anyone who maybe isn't earning much to keep on pushing. I've yet to reach the viewership that I'm looking for on Hubpages. However, I can say with certainty that I'm moving in the right direction.