When I joined here a couple weeks ago I thought I could write hubs that others may benefit from and I in turn could read others interesting hubs. I guess I was naive as it seems no one will read my hubs unless I spend a lot of time promoting them, which requires first learning how to promote them. I don't want to write on subjects that do not interest me, or just rattle on like some of the more popular hubs seem to do, and like I am doing right now. (Sorry) The reason we write is so others will read, but maybe I am in the wrong place for my subject matter. I am not sure if anyone wants to read what I write on hubpages so that is part of my problem.
My first question is: how much time does the average hubber spend promoting compared to actual writing, stated as a general percentage?
My second question is: will time spent promoting reap money dividends that make it worthwhile?
Thank you if you have a thought on this. I am sure I am not alone in loving writing, but not loving the rest of it. Am I?
Violet (*)
Listen to what Maddie says - your main traffic will come from search engines like Google, not other Hubbers, and it takes some time for search engines to even notice your Hub exists.
I earned practically nothing for the first 3 months, in spite of building up to 50 Hubs fairly quickly. Now I earn around $25 to $35 a month (with no promotion).
I should say that from talking to other Hubbers and internet marketers - if you want to make serious money, then the writing is by far the smallest component of your efforts. Promotion - not just social bookmarking but getting noticed on other forums and earning links on other sites - is what you should spend most of your time on.
Hi and thanks for your answer. I am not sure what social bookmarking is, but am learning the lingo slowly. I was feeling a bit disconnected until I wrote this note on the forum and received so many replies. Wow, such nice people belong to Hubpages. I am impressed.
What goes around, comes around. Read other people hubs and comment on them (meaningfully!). They got interested to see who you are, and come to read your hubs, too
Thank you so much for your reply. I am so encouraged with the comments that you and others were nice enough to take time to write.
Violet
It doesn't matter where you write and publish, if you want people to read your work you will always have to promote the work or no 1 will find it.
It depends on your system for promotion, I spent 5 hours on my last hub, and 30 mins promoting, the next day I had the best day I've had on hub pages, but partly down to the 85 pv from digg, 38 from mixx, 32 from stumble upon, and 18 from facebook, without that kind of promoting not many people will read it.
The other thing to remember with any writing and publishing site that allows you to earn money, is that the money will not be good straight way (if ever) I write because I enjoy it and I hope to help people, if I make a few $'s in the process then even better. If you let money drive you, you will eventually start writing about anything that will make you money, not for the enjoyment!
I have not gone on those other websites you mentioned but I will....thanks so much for the information. I really appreciate very much your comments. I have had no system for promotion but I guess I am too impatient and will take your advice and that of others posted here. I really do appreciate it!!
I don't do any promoting for my hubs. Well, not true, I will submit a few (VERY FEW) to digg and stumble, but usually just select ones. Other than that no promoting for me. I just let search engines get them.
I'd suggest continue to write what you're interested in. That's what I do. I have a few hubs that are 'eh' and I'm not truly interested in the topic, but for the most part I find something interesting in every topic that I write.
With the 4 hubs that you currently have, it looks like you do a great job with your layout and design. I would just give it time. You've only been here for 2 weeks. I would also make sure that your titles are more clear as to what you're writing about. I mean I got them, but clearer titles may attract more search engine clicks. Just a thought.
Thanks for the comments and especially for the suggestion on my titles. I am truly hungry for information on how to do all this, so every piece of info is so appreciated. You and all the others are just great to answer me so thoroughly and quickly. I am happy.
Hi Violet:
You've only been here for 2 weeks and written 4 hubs. Don't get me wrong--that's a great start--but such things take time. Traffic grows exponentially as you write more and more. It looks like you've had some pretty good days, but it's up and down. That will steady out over time as well.
Thanks so much Maddie for your comments and encouragement. It really helps. I am new to this and also to writing for others to see, so am truly a neophyte in all ways...well at least in the field of writing :-) Thanks again for taking time to write me.
Some good advice up there. Just write and participate. Bascially there's two ways to get read on HupPages that I've seen.
1. Search engine driven traffic: This type does not technically require promotion (because I don't promote at all, and still manage to get search engine traffic, if not in the massive volume of someone like Maddie or Hal Licino) but it does do exponentially better the more you do promote it.
2. Community based readership: This type requires you to join the community, in earnest. I see folks pop into the forums for like a day, or read hubs like once in awhile and put a "nice hub" comment on them, and then gasp exasperated on the forums that nobody reads their hubs. That's not joining the community "in earnest."
The people on HubPages are diverse and so, so welcoming. No matter what kind of stuff you write (rattling silliness or solid information), there are a ton of really wonderful, kind and helpful people ready to be kindred spirits with you. But you have to actually want to find them, which means you have to give first. There's so much spam and garbage on the Internet, people want to see if you are real or not, if you are actually "moving in" to the HubPages neighborhood. If they think you're really here to share yourself with them in earnest, they will share themselves with you. Then HubPages get's really fun and rewarding (maybe not monetary right off, if ever, but hey....).
Hope this helps. No matter what community you decide to write in, here or elsewhere, you still have to give more than just the words you put down on the pages of your articles. Good luck with your writing, wherever you decide to settle in.
Thank you soooo much for your information, and most of all for your taking time to write. You and the others are really generous with your thoughts and helpfulness. I feel inspired!!
Some hubs are just fun to write. I think my most fun hubs are the ones that get the least traffic. Not everything can find an audience. If it's fun to write, sometimes I think that's enough.
Hi, thanks for commenting. Yes, I agree about the 'fun' part of writing. ...if I am not writing here I am writing in my journals. I also write lots of e-mails to friends and family. It is almost like a compulsion. Some people can't stop talking, I can't stop writing so I decided to share my writing, and also see if I could make a little money on it. Thanks again for your answer.
Violet (*)
Hi Violet
Another factor with the money thing is referrals. I enjoy writing more for its own sake than to make money and have been here nearly a year and written less than 40 hubs.
Now only about 5% of my Adsense traffic is mine. Most of it comes from the Hubs of people who signed up to Hubpages after reading one of my hubs (over 400 referral hubs). Referral traffic now gives me over 90% of my income and it is increasing far more than my own hub traffic.
I now see my own hubs not so much as not a direct source of income but a way of attracting referral hubs which will bring the income.
Don't be put off by early lack of traffic or earnings. In April of last year I only earned 3 cents but now I typically get between 5 and 10 clicks a day. I promote very little and rely on search engines to pick up my stuff. As most of my traffic isn't mine, promotion isn't an issue. I can leave that to the owners of those Hubs.
Hi Rik, OK I see...that's a good point about the referrals. I have tried to get my friends and family to join and become fans of mine etc. but although they encourage me in my writing they are the same friends and family that send me a 2 line e-mail in reply to my 'novelette' e-mails, so I have little hope that they will become Hubpages enthusiasts or join and write on these pages. But hopefully others from the outside will, as that is what happened to you. I don't understand how I will get the credit for others who join after reading my hub, but I will look into that. I can see I have alot to learn. It is fascinating. Thanks for the encouragement.
Violet (*)
Hi Violet,
I've been on Hubpages nearly three months, and I'm still not making megabucks, and probably never will, but I've enjoyed being part of the HubPages Community, and hope that you will too. In time Google will find your hubs and you will pick up some traffic that way, but the best way to pick up traffic within the community is to be visible, and make yourself heard. This is a good start BTW! Good luck with the hubbing!
Hi Amanda....thanks for replying and for the encouraging comments. I see how many people are connected here by the amount that have helpfully replied to me and it is great!
My writing and promotion approach on HubPages is a lot like what Whitney described. I write about things I really and genuinely have interest in, and I don't spend hardly any time working on promotion.
After two years and 107 Hubs, I now earn a few hundred dollars a month from HubPages. And right now, while I'm actually on vacation, I'm not working on new Hubs at all (satellite internet in the NV desert is very unreliable) or promotion and my Hubs are just earning right along.
HI, thanks for replying. That is wonderful that you are making that much money. It gives me encouragement, since I truly want to spend most of my time at the computer writing, not promoting. But I see now that I am also connecting with other writers, and that it will be part of the enjoyment of hubpages. Everyone is so nice and so generous.
by john.maco 13 years ago
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