My Associated Content Journey

Discussion About Associate Content

Administrator — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:37:25 +0000

I have opened the floor for discussion and opinions about Associated Content at Freelancing Journey. I hope that you will join in and help me decide if I am being fair or unfair with my last post. I received a comment from the founder of AC to that post. You can read the details on my blog post here, where the discussion is going on.

I look forward to your input.

Associated Content Has Changed

Administrator — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:20:30 +0000

Well. I am not sure what to say. It had been several months since I had submitted anything to Associated Content, and that was back before the Performance Bonus was enacted. Now, over the last week or so I have submitted five articles and all but one have been rejected for upfront payment, and the one that they did pay me for only paid $4.00. This is not good news. Of course, they advised me to opt for Performance Bonus payment only, and I will be checking my stats to see if I get a substantial number of page views and therefore some sort of compensation, but they only pay $1.50 per 1000 page views so I don’t foresee making a lot of money.

In their defense, all of the articles I submitted were previously published. However, I remember submitting previously published articles before the changes were implemented and received anywhere from $6-$9 anyway. I guess they figure the performance bonus makes up for the difference. We’ll find out.

If I find that this is not the case, I suppose my re-entry into the world of writing for AC will be over, and of course, this blog. I blog full-time for a living and don’t have time to write original content for AC, it just doesn’t pay enough for me to do that.

I feel a bit embarrassed, starting this blog, touting how I was going to become a great success at AC, but hey, you don’t know how something is going to work until you try it.

So, with all of that said, unless by some search engine miracle I start making a lot of money from page views, you can consider me gone. Thanks for hanging around and reading and I apologize if I misled you in any way.

Be well and prosper.

Tips for Top Dollar Articles at Associated Content

Administrator — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:16:42 +0000

There are many ways to practically assure that you command top dollar for the articles you write for Associated Content. The old pros on the forums can offer you a lot of helpful advice on this subject, and by searching the forums you will find threads to help you with this challenge. But I thought I would point out some basic tips here on my blog for those of you who are just starting out as a writer for Associated Content. These tips should help you make more money per article right off the bat:

1. Find a mentor at AC–I have picked The Barefoot as my personal mentor. No, he doesn’t know it, but he doesn’t have to. If you click on his link you will quickly learn why I have chosen him.

2. Chose topics that are of interest to readers–There has been so much written online, your first challenge is to find topics that haven’t been done to death. Think like a reader, think of things that interest you that are not so mainstream or common knowledge. Educate your readers.

3. Write breaking news stories–if you learn about something local on TV, for instance, something very newsworthy, write about it and submit it for instant publication. You won’t get paid for the article upfront, but chances are very good, that since you broke a story online, you will make a good Performance Bonus. (Performance Bonus is based on pageviews)

4. Use good keywords–Don’t saturate your article with keywords, but spread them naturally throughout the text. A good place to find the most popular keywords that are used by people using search engines is here.

5. Write to calls for content in newsletter and messages–I am convinced that you could command top dollar per article simply by following the instructions in the call for content submissions you receive in the AC newsletter and through the message system on your AC page.
6. Let your personality shine through in your writing–This really is important to becoming a success at AC or anywhere else as a writer. It doesn’t take talent to simply record facts, but it does take talent to relay your personality through the medium of text. My advice on learning how to do this is to let go of fear and just be yourself, of course following standard rules of writing etiquette. You’d be surprised at how much more your articles will command at AC if you follow this advice. It has worked for me. I have always been paid well above the average per article.

I hope these tips have helped you and will at least get you started on your road to AC writing success!

Associated Content Gets $10 Million in Funding

Administrator — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:44:48 +0000

I have read a lot of skepticism across the internet over the last few years concerning Associated Content. When I first signed up two years ago, though AC was going strong, it was not that well respected in writing circles. But I have discovered over the years that writers are by nature a snobby lot. And the reality is that not everyone can, or wants to , be a writer for the big glossy magazines or a full-time, high paid copywriter. Different strokes for different folks.

But just so you know, things have changed at AC over the last few years, and they’ve changed a lot. Associated Content has worked its way up the ladder to respect and is touted across the web as THE PEOPLE’S MEDIA COMPANY. Proof of this comes from their recent acquisition of $10 million in funding. Read the article about the funding with facts about AC at Venture Magazine.

If you are thinking of becoming a writer for Associated Content, you can rest assured that you will be working for a legitimate and respected company. And for your education my next post will cover what it takes to get started with AC and tips on how to command top dollar for your articles.

Here We Go!

Administrator — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:29:50 +0000

Welcome to my Associated Content blog. If you read the “About” section of my sidebar you will see that I have started this blog with the purpose of learning how to become one of the most successful writers at Associated Content. I have been writing for AC for several years but there have been so many great changes going on there over the last few months, changes I will chronicle for you, that I decided it was time to crank things up and get a big piece of the pie.

I blogged about my history with AC and my decision to write for them again on my blog, Freelancing Journey. Here is the post. I will be updating the sidebar as I go, pimping this blog so that eventually it will be a great source of learning for new AC writers. I hope you will take the time to visit my AC page and even subscribe! I look forward to taking you on this journey to success with me. Hold on tight, because here we go!