BizGenGirl's Advice for Novice Hubbers
Write Because You Love to Write
It's just not worth it if you're only here to make money or sell something. The treasure in hubpages in the COMMUNITY, not the revenue.
Be Realistic
Rome wasn't built in a day, and even if you work your butt off, it can still take more than a year before you see any decent revenues from your work. I would give this advice, because many green hubbers will hop onto hubpages because of the excellent revenue sharing model they have set up and rumors that some hubbers make good money every month from their hubs.
The part of the rumor that is true, is that some hubbers do make very good money on hubpages. The part of the rumor that often doesn't reach your ears though, is that those authors devoted their time and energy to building up their hubs, contributing to the community and sharing their work. It didn't just happen over night after they had 50 hubs.
So make sure that once you've signed up, you set yourself a realistic goal. If you want to see $50-$60 per month, you're going to need 300-400 regularly viewed hubs under your belt first. If you want to earn more in the $500-$1000 range, you'll need to amplify that, focus on evergreen topics and subjects that consistently bring in high traffic.
Be Consistent
Being that I was already a seasoned online writer before Hubpages came into my reality, I already knew that I would need to write consistently and to stay active within the community, if I wanted to earn a rightful place here. So I spent over 6 months making sure that I was writing about 2 hubs per day. Some days there were more and on occasion there were less, but that was my general goal.
Now, if you are already a season online author on other platforms when you become a hub-newbie, than you already understand this process I'm sure. Though if you find that you're almost completely new to online writing communities, it's well worth your time to consider just how much time you can dedicate to being a part of the bigger picture. You'll want to make time for getting to know your fellow hubbers, answering questions, asking questions, being active in the forums, hopping hubs, creating hubs and taking part in all of the other hubtastic activities they have going on around here.
Make sure that you sit down and really carve out some time each day for hubpages, at least until you've gained a strong presence. This will ensure that you are able to hub regularly and interact often.
Write About Topics You Know WELL
I know that a lot of new authors try to jump out and cover all sorts of hot topics and evergreen topics from the get-go, but trust me when I say that it's not worth it to start your hubpages career like this. It's all too easy to tell when a middle-aged man with no kids of his own, writes a hub about pregnancy topics. It is also extremely easy to spot someone who has never tried a product they are reviewing. The writing is out of place, the details are lacking and usually there is some information that has been conveyed in a confusing way because the authors themselves didn't understand what they were writing about.
On the other hand, it's also easy to find hubs that were clearly written by authors who know what they are writing about. The words flow together peacefully, the information is thicker than butter and you don't usually find yourself needing more information after you're done with the hub.
Those hubs are the ones that get featured, voted up and commented on, and they are the ones that will earn you a stronger presence and revenue here at hubpages. So take the time too sit down and think about the topics you know like the back of your hand. Those are the topics you should start out writing about. Not only will it save you the time of having to do any in-depth research, but it will attract the authentic reader base that you work really deserves.
Be Active in the Community
As I said above, if you really seek the treasure within hubpages, it is IN the community, within all the people that comprise the community.
I don't care if you're here for hobby, work or play, the best way to go from novice to pro is to get active and stay active in the hubpages community. Hop hubs, leave comments, earn badges, write reviews, get involved in the forums, meet people locally, ask questions, give answers and have a good time.
Don't Worry About Amazon or eBay
I was super excited when I first noticed that you could integrate Amazon and eBay modules into the hubs. It's another opportunity for monthly revenue and an interesting way to come up with new hubs when the inspiration for more genuine topics isn't as abundant for you as it usually is.
That being said, I cannot say that my use of the Amazon or eBay modules has ever really made that much of a difference on my income through hubpages. From time to time, they'll throw a few dollars my way when someone makes a purchase, but for the most part, people come to hubpages to read and to learn, not to buy something.
So while I do suggest you use your Amazon and eBay modules, I do not suggest you do it because of the revenue alone. The opportunity is there, and I do suggest you take advantage of that opportunity, though do it because you really want to promote a book or movie you've personally used, and not just to sell things to your readers.
Experiment!
Once you've spent time writing about what you know, and you feel confident that you're ready to stretch outside of those bounds, it's important and fun to start experimenting with topics to write and modules to use.
As a new hubber, I was very intimidated about which modules would do what and what were the best ways to use them. And although I spent plenty of time scouring the FAQ's and hub answers section, the advice I would have given myself back then (had I known), would have been to have fun and experiment with the hubs you create. Through this experimentation you might just find a new topic that you just can't get enough of, or you might find just the right module to add to your hubs that can increase your presence and your revenue.
Bookmark the Hubpages FAQ
If you have not done so already, go and bookmark the Hubpages FAQ section. It's well worth it, as most new hubbers will find themselves needing to read and re-read the FAQ's.