How Writers Make Money at Associated Content
With this post I’m asking Associated Content writers for their input and opinion. I had signed up with Associated Content but never really did any writing for them. It was my full intention to publish a few articles, but time constraints and frankly absent mindedness stopped me.
Lately I’ve been reading quite a few posts in forums about Associated Content and how people are earning anywhere from $75-$300 a month with them. Of course, when you hear someone earning $300 a month in residual income from a writing site, it peaks your interests.
Earning with Associated Content
As a result, I went over to the Associated Content site looked at their payment structure and got a little confused. From what I can glean, according to Associated Content they pay an average of $1.50 per thousand page views. Therefore, any person who has several articles on Associated Content and accumulates 5000 views in a particular month will earn a base of $7.50 (I hope I have this right).
In addition to the $1.50 performance payment, writers can earn a bonus depending on their clout level. Once your clout level exceeds a level 6 you earn an additional bonus, depending on the clout level. Currently it appears that the clout level maxes out at $2.00.
A Little Calculation
Now, if I understand the performance payment correctly, if I miraculously achieve a clout level of 10 and manage to garner 15,000 views per month, I would earn $30 for the month ($2.00 x 15).
Now, taking the same Associated Content formula, assuming I’m at the top clout level, I’m going to apply it to my last month page views at Suite 101.com. Last month from August 1 to August 31, 2008, my articles generated 20,586 page views. I honestly don’t know if that’s a good or bad figure, but that’s what it was.
If I were at Associated Content at the top clout level my 20,586 page views at $2.00 PPM would yield $41.17 for the month. I guess that’s good, but when I compare that to my actual earnings on Suite 101 of $153.94 for the same number of page views, I think I’m better off sticking with Suite 101 (Not too bad for writing 10 articles every three months).
(Image removed - Apparently Suite 101 doesn’t allow for sharing such info.)
Associated Content Added Bonuses
I understand that Associated Content offers added bonuses in “Calls for Content.” I’m not very familiar with the process and I guess that’s where writers really earn the money. Suite 101 doesn’t offer such bonuses.
In order for me to earn additional bonuses at Suite 101, I would have to become a Feature Writer instead of a Contributing Writer. Not wanting to ‘graduate’ to a Feature Writer, I’ll have to be content with my 10% bonus I received after I surpassed the 50-article milestone.
Where to Go from Here
I know first hand that freelance writers have to spend their time where they can get the most bang for their buck. I considered writing more for Associated Content and less for Suite, but after looking at the numbers, I think I’ll stay where I am.
I know there are Associated Content writers earning a nice income from them. I’d love to hear how you do it.
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Comment by Alyssa on 5 September 2008:
Felicia,
Stay where you are with Suite 101. So far, I’ve written one article for Associated Content, and I’m deliberating whether I should consider writing more.
Regarding Calls for Content, these are a waste of time for any writer - AC doesn’t make upfront payments for the articles. Most of the calls generate income only from page views, so basically you’re paid zilch for your effort. Those who claim to generate hundreds of dollars per month must have some sort of marketing machine that cranks them out and then publicizes them in areas such as MySpace.
In the end, I received only $5.83 for a non-exclusive article. It was a no-brainer, but like you said, you need to concentrate in areas that give you a better payment rate.
You might want to check out Helium. The level of writing there is better than what I find at Associated Content, and they have “MarketPlace” where clients post their requirements and you can then write article that meet their guidelines. It’s not extravagant pay - it usually averages around $40 - $50 for 400 - 500 word articles. In comparison, this is more appealing than AC.
I’m willing to hear from others on this. I have more article ideas, but I’d like to find the right market for them.
Comment by Felicia on 5 September 2008:
Hey Alyssa,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with AC. I see you’re experience is similar to mine. I just couldn’t quite figure out how folks are making so much money with them.
I ended up submitting one article that I had previously published elsewhere, but they turned it down for upfront payment because at the time I submitted it, the original piece had a page rank of 4 (it’s now down to a 3), and a page rank of 4 was considered competition. I understood their reasoning, but I just didn’t have the time to write an original article at the time so I forgot all about Associated Content until I read the post about $300 a month.
I’ve heard of Helium, but haven’t tried them as yet. I’ll check them out.
Comment by Cat on 6 September 2008:
I post on both Suite101 and associated content. I make higher earnings on suite and that is my primary medium. Suite had a great editorial staff that helps me to write better and promote my content. However, suite doesn’t publish fiction or poetry, so I post those on AC. Occasionally AC puts out a paid call that I’m interested in writing and I take those as well, the advantage is instant pay for my work on calls. But when you want to write non-fiction informative articles, suite is the way to go.