Anyone know about the income potential for this? I had a FB friend put a link out. Apparently he gets a finder’s fee if someone follows it. However, there wasn’t a lot of detailed information about the specifics through that link. I really didn’t want to go through the application process without knowing more. I’ve looked at several online options for freelance writing. This is a side gig as I deal/supervise in a cardroom full-time. Demand Media seems to be the best thing out there (that I’ve found). My articles are 500-600 words for $25. I can usually get these completely done in under an hour. But, I still would like to see what else is out there. Anyone have any experience with Examiner.com?
Also, Examiner.com seems to be organized by region. I live in the Lake Charles, LA area. I assume that I would be writing for the Lake Charles Examiner if I sign on.
Examiner’s rates aren’t that good. When they started out, it was a penny a pageview, now they claim to have a secret formula to decide what fraction of a penny you’ll get per view. It seems to range between .5 and .67. The amount of views you’ll get is also highly variable. I think the highest month I had was just short of $200, but last year’s average for me was closer to $80/month. (I was writing two topics on the Columbus, Ohio page.) One of the bigger boosts to monthly pay was the “local bonus.” That was a $1 per article bonus, up to $5 per title per week for local examiners only. I took most of this year off from writing for them, but I’m just getting back into it now, and I’m not sure if that’s still in effect.
Basically, Examiner won’t really be a way for most to earn a living. However, the article style they want is relatively quick to put out, especially if you really like your topic. I use it mostly as a source of cash for entertainment money (plus my topics have gotten me quite a few media passes for events I enjoy, cutting those costs even farther). If you’re cranking out $25 articles for Demand in an hour, you’ll never match that pay rate from Examiner, so I’d look more closely at maximizing that rate rather than adding the Examiner site.
(And yeah, your friend will get $50 if you sign up, name him as the referral source, and become an active writer on the site.)
Holy cow! They expect you to write 500-600 words for $25? I cannot conceive of working that cheap, except for a few industry newsletters I’ve contributed to.
Of course, I also can’t imagine producing a clean, well-written, well-researched article in an hour.
I have written freelance articles for as little as $100, but normally I spend a good bit of time crafting a good article and I want to see a lot more money than that.
Sounds like good work if you can get it. So . . . how do I get it. I’ve found plenty of places online I can do similar work for less, none where I could do it for more. I don’t mind more substantial pieces. Actually, I find 600 words awfully contraining for topics I’m interested in (I write mostly about finance, economics, investing, etc.). I wasn’t bragging that $25/ea. is such huge compensation, my just reward for a decade in the trenches. I’ve only been writing a few months and wanted to give a reference point for what I consider the price floor for my labor.
Looking back on my post, it does sound elitist, which isn’t at all what I meant. Heck, I write blog posts for free, so by all means write what you want and sell it for what you wish.
I hope at those rates they’re buying only first pub rights and you can sell the article again, at least.