Money Making from Freelance Sites
There are many freelance writing opportunities available to writers of all levels, interests, expertise and availability. I chose twenty-one sites to report differences, payment history, and comments both good and negative. I start with the sites that ranked at the lowest end of my list.
Pay per Post (payperpost.com) This site charges $12.50 to $14.50 to register your blog. You write reviews on your blog and are paid by the advertisers. You can pick your advertisers. The blogger is offered cash to write about a product. Of course the better things you say about the product the more jobs will come your way. The blogger is being paid to print the right words. Your payment is made thru Pay Pal and you must be 18 years old to join.
Day Tipper (daytipper.com) offered $3.00 for each tip that it accepts and publishes. This site offers information and helpful hints. A free newsletter is available. The top three authors per month receive $100, $75 or $50 cash prize. The articles are judged on popularity and usefulness. The site has a bad repetition for paying. They have accepted and used over 10,000 tips but have only paid 500 people. Some writers have even used the ‘scam’ word in reference to the site.
MyLot (mylot.com) is a forum website. You sign up and post responses to questions. This is a site for younger aged bloggers. The questions posted are about relationships, money, fashion, music and just a place to meet friends and talk about anything. It is not a site for writers who want to improve their craft. The posting can be as little as a few sentences. There are many rules to follow in the forum. Money can be made by using the referral program. You must be 18 years old and accept Pay Pal.
Bukisa (bukisa.com) has you set up a profile which they call a Dashboard. They have an article directory of what is being published. The site is more interested in quantity not quality. The more articles you write the higher on their list you go. They list jobs on a project board and you bid on jobs you’re interested in pursuing.
Academic research (academic-research.com) is a good site for the writers who enjoyed doing term papers. The registration form includes testing for completion. Then you become a member of the team. You could be an academic writer, a resume writer or a content writer. Jobs include essays, term paper and research. All papers come with instructions. The pay runs anywhere from $6 up to $20 per page. The site has had some issues with honesty. They listed a fake address in New York City, when they are actually in Scottsdale, Arizona. Other complaints have been filed on non payment issues.
About (about.com) is a well known site owned by the New York Times Company. There is a very long detailed hiring process to become a writer. You apply for a topic that interests you. There are also other applicants. You complete a lot of work and may not get the job. If you get the job you are required to maintain the site. This includes keeping up blogs, forums, reviews, FAQ’s, tutorials and more. You are guaranteed $725.00 per month. You need to have 15/20 hours a week available for this position.
eHow (eHow.com.) and Demand Studios are associated websites. The articles posted include a ‘how to do’ and ‘I did this’ section. You have to apply to be accepted to write articles. The application includes samples and a resume. If you are not accepted on your first try you can not reapply. The articles are titled and are on very specialized subjects. They also have a form for writing that you must follow. You can not choose your topics. Revenue is from a % of the advertisements.
Constant Content (constant-content.com) is a consignment shop for article writers. You must follow their rules. They have a catalogue of articles. You submit an article for posting and must agree to their contact. You set the price you are willing to sell your article at. They take 35% of each sale. The on-line submission process could take as long as fifteen minutes.
Families (families.com) is a blog site. They have a 300 word minimum on various family topics. When you apply you select a topic. You must send two samples relating to the topic. Include relevant links, resume, and writing experience. You will receive a response in one week with either a rejection or a positive note. The article could then be put in a reserve list and you never know when they will use it. The pay is $4 for the blog account, but only $3 for a training section of 90 days. You could get raises to $5.50 and bonus on the articles performance.
Associated Content (associatedcontent.com) includes articles, videos, images and audio. It is free to join and only US citizens or legal residents can write for the site. They have a wide range of topics and run contests monthly. They have an assignment desk where you can pick a topic and write. They have what is called an ‘upfront payment’ in which the site will purchase your article before it goes on the site. They pay from $2 to $15. You agree to give associated content the rights to your article. You can’t republish. Once an article is accepted, it could take several weeks before it gets to a site.
PapaToto (papatoto.com) is a free site that will publish anything. You set up a user account, select a category from the list and start writing. You earn from Widgets, each visit to your site gets points.
Mahalo (mahalo.com) is a site that asks and answers questions. The site is set up like a blog, where articles are started and continued at another page. They create, organize and set up the page for your articles. You write from a how to do category list. You are required to qualify to write these how to do articles. You can make $5 or $10 per article. The site makes a search team for your stories.
oDesk (odesk.com) is a marketplace for work teams. You sign up for a free account. They take 10% off every payment. This site attracts companies who have several people willing to write for them, not individual writer. They contract out jobs. The job could have little writing, but complete web design, or other forms of technology. They site boast that the employer is able to monitor the writer’s production on the keyboard and on the web. The writer must post an image every 10 minutes to show they are working. Most of the writers who write for this site are from outside the US.
Triond (triond.com) is a publishing service that lets you promote any type media. You receive feedback from other writers. You build a portfolio. You write and the site places your articles on the site best suited for your story. It is a 50/50 revenue sharing. This is one of the better paying sites. They pay via Pay Pal, check or Western Union.
Lifetips, (lifetips.com) here the writers are called ‘gurus.’ The writers publish advice and tips on many subjects. The site is free. You complete a profile and look for writing jobs that interest you in the marketplace. Here you can pick up an open assignment or direct orders from clients. You get paid for any approved assignment via Pay Pal. The earning table is 70% for the writer on rack rates and 100% on any bonus payments.
Elance (elance.com) is a site to find clients who will pay for your writing. You sign up and choose a free or paid plan. The plans include Basic, Professional, Small business and Large business. The cost goes from free to $40 per month. The free site has some fees attached to it. You complete your profile and then have the opportunity to bid for projects. Now remember you are bidding against small and large businesses. They have several people writing against little lonely you. You can low ball your bids, but how long can you do that?
Suite 101 (suite101.com) demands exclusive rights on your articles for one year. You fill out a profile and start writing about any subject you desire. Remember these articles can not appear anywhere else for one year. After a year it can be published elsewhere. You are paid from your google adsense. You probably will not see any profit the first several months. The more articles you write the higher your chance of income. You also must sign a contact to produce ten articles every three months.
Helium (helium.com) asks it’s writers to rate other articles. You sign up for a free account. Fill out your profile and start writing on any subject you wish. Your article will be place among other articles about the same subject. The other writers vote which article is better and your article moves up or down the ranks as indicated. The marketplace and monthly contests are other places to earn money. The contests change every two weeks with a wide variety of subjects. Your articles are kept in an article ‘bank’ and might be purchased at any time. You will be notified and money placed in your helium account.
HubPages (Hubpages.com) is a site where you create your own page. You sign up for free account and start writing or publishing any article you are passionate about. Your articles appear magazine style. You retain your rights and can remove, edit or change at any time. HubPages place ads around your article. You are paid from these ads. Articles must be 400 words and 1500 is considered an average max.
Squidoo (squidoo.com) is a free site that promotes other sites. They call their articles ‘lenses.’ These lenses are an overview of other articles that you lead the readers to. Focus your lenses on what interests you and then point the reader to a blog, favorite site, web page, or RSS feed.
Xomba (xomba.com) is a free site that allows you to write freely on any subject. The site places your article in their search engines. You could receive feedback from other writers. The revenue is split 50/50 with income from google adsense. They have articles, how to do, essays and contests. You can use bookmarks with a brief paragraph and lead readers to another site.
The opportunities for freelance writers are abundant. The reasons to choose one site over another are as individual as you and me. Just do some research and make your decision and start writing and start earning money today.
