Ever wonder why one article you wrote earned you just over $3 when the one you wrote just before it made you over $5? Simply looking at your articles that you’ve previously published on Associated Content can give you a great idea on the topics you commonly write on that make you more money versus the topics that somewhat fall flat.
I’ve noticed that when I write articles that are a bit off-based from what I normally do, like articles about family, college, and crafts, I’m a bit hit-or-miss. I also write a lot about animals and animal care, and those typically get a lot more upfront pay than my other articles. However, I’ve also noticed that my animal articles don’t get quite as many page views, and an article can often sit for a week or so without anyone reading it. Hmm.
By going through your past previous published articles, you can easily find out what makes you the most upfront pay (which is good) and what articles get you the most page view pay (which is also good, and even better in the long run). By going through your past articles you can find the topics that not only made you great upfront pay, but great reader pay as well and expound on those particular topics even more.
Sometimes, an article that got declined for upfront pay does excellent as far as reader pay goes, which increases page views, clout, and performance pay. If you have a certain topic that consistently gets great page views but never gets upfront pay, read the feedback to find out how you can alter your style a bit to possibly get the upfront pay on top of the page views.
Research counts. I’ve noticed that my topics that are a bit out there tend to be more interesting and get more readers, and choosing a proper title can mean the difference between a lot of page views and none at all. Always make sure your title is catchy and appropriate to your topic and article to get better upfront pay and make your article jump out at potential readers.
I go through my published articles daily to see what’s getting read and what isn’t. If a particular article or topic is consistently not getting readers but still getting decent upfront pay from Associated Content, I’ll still write on the topic but not make it my main muse for writing. If I find that a performance pay article is doing really well with readers, I’ll toss out more articles along the same topic, hoping to grip more readers’ attention. Sometimes upfront pay isn’t everything. It’s great to have a mix, because it all adds up to dollars in the long run.
If none of your articles are getting good page views and you’re not making a huge upfront payment, perhaps you need to consider either your title, topic, or content in the article. Toss out a few “feeler” articles that differ from what you usually submit and see what you get. Writing is all about experimentation and adapting to not only what the reader wants, but what you will get paid for. Reading your published works is a great way to find out what is working, what isn’t, and what you can do to improve your skills, and therefor, your pay.
