My Experience Writing for Helium
Ranked #1,795 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #76,399 overall
What is Helium?
Helium is a website that invites writers to contribute articles on just about any subject. They don't pay you up front for your articles. Rather, you earn money from your articles based on how many people view them. You can cash out once you earn $25.
Most writers won't make a serious income with Helium. It takes a lot of high quality articles and patience before most writers are able to cash out. On the plus side, once you post your articles on Helium, they keep earning money forever. It's best to look at Helium is both a long-term investment of your time and a way to put together a writing portfolio.
Why Write for Helium?
Competition is Motivating
Because of the way Helium works, it motivates me to write better. It's easy enough for me to compare my articles to others and see what needs improving. It helps me develop writing strategies.
Even though other sites like Associated Content will pay you more money for your articles, I like to write for Helium first. It often results in a better article.
Victoria's Articles on Helium
This is where I toot my horn!
These are some of the articles I've posted on Helium. My highest earning articles are usually about topics I already know extremely well. "Write what you know" might be a worn out phrase that everybody gets tired of hearing, but it's good advice.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't experiment with other topics. It does mean that when you write about topics you don't know as well, you'll have to work harder to craft an article that makes you sound knowledgeable.
Non-toxic slug control for your garden
The humble garden slug is a ravenous curse to gard more...2 points
Flying? How to prevent lost luggage at the airport - Air Travel & Airlines
The root word of travel is travail. Its an old Fre more...1 point
What to do when the airline loses your luggage
Its that moment of dread: You waited and waited at more...1 point
What type of Internet portal is best for promoting your work: A website or a blog?
The pat answer is: It depends on you and your busi more...1 point
Tips for finding online freelance writing jobs
There are many different ways to find writing jobs more...1 point
Helium's Rating System
It ain't about stars...
Helium has a unique system for rating articles. Here's how it works:Each topic on Helium can potentially have dozens or even hundreds of articles, all by different authors. For example, one Helium topic entitled Getting over writer's block currently has 93 articles. Each author has a different take on getting over writer's block. The quality of each article varies.
The article at the very top is #1 because of peer ratings. Helium writers are also editors. After a writer publishes an article, he's taken to a screen that asks him to compare and rate two articles. The articles are about the same topic, but they are by different authors. If he rates article A as better than article B, then article A climbs up the list.
The rater won't see who the authors are, which means it's harder to "game" the system. Articles are truly rated based on their own merit.
At least that's the idea. The fact is, not everyone rates fairly. Many people rate articles without even reading them, which I imagine is why the most awful articles sometimes make it all the way to the top.
Other times it's just a matter of people not being able to agree on what makes one article "better" than another. Some favor an article because it's more entertaining, more informative, or because they prefer the opinion expressed. Others will rate down an article because it's full of misspellings.
The system is pretty good, but it's far from perfect. While most Helium writers want high ratings for their articles, it's not always the best indicator of quality.
Good Books for Writers
Improve Your Craft
The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr.
A little reference book that every serious writer should have.0 points
On Writing by Stephen King
It's not a step-by-step guide to writing, but there are gems in this semi-autobiography. Stephen King has practical advice that he learned from his own experience as a writer.0 points
How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing by Paul J. Silvia
Although this book is aimed at students and professors, there is solid advice here that any writer can benefit from. It's a fast read, but it's full of great tips. Especially good for anyone with a hectic schedule who 'just can't find time to write.'0 points
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott gives a humorous yet realistic view on what it is to be a writer. A fun way to dispel any illusions we might have about writing being a glamorous, easy way to make a living!0 points
Why Bother Rating?
It makes me cross-eyed...
Because you're rewarded with pretty gold stars that appear right under your name. That way, everybody on Helium knows that you're no slacker!Actually, the real reason is because the more articles you rate, the more likely your articles will be rated by others. It's not a waste of time after all.
Tips for Getting High Ratings on Helium Articles
Stay on topic
Articles that have little or nothing to do with the topic they're supposed to address are automatically less valuable.3 points
Write for topics that have few articles
The less competition you have, the easier it is to get to the top.2 points
Write for topics that you know well
If you have a lot of knowledge and passion for the topic, it'll make your article shine.2 points
Double-check your spelling and grammar
Misspellings, typos, misused punctuation, and poor grammar can really hurt your article.1 point
Pay attention to format
For every new paragraph, press that "enter" key twice. An empty space between each paragraph makes the article much easier to read.1 point
Write shorter paragraphs
Readers on the Internet have short attention spans. Make your point clearly and succinctly.0 points
Rate other articles
The more you rate, the more you bump your articles up in the queue to be rated by others.0 points
Use simple words
Use common words that anyone can understand. Flowery writing does not equal good writing.0 points
Can You Earn Money with Helium?
Bottom line: Where's my cash?!
Will you make a lot of money? No, probably not. Most Helium writers aren't making big bucks. Many writers aren't even able to cash out after several months of writing for Helium.
Helium is a bit vague about how the earning system works. It's based on a combination of how good the article is, how valuable or popular the topic is, and how much advertisers are paying to splash their ads on that topic.
It can be hard to predict which articles will do well. Most of my articles aren't getting more than a few cents a month, while one article earned over $40 within a few months. You just never know.
Quality AND quantity matter when it comes to making money on Helium. High quality articles will usually get high ratings and more readers. Articles on hot topics (personal finance, entertainment, etc.) will generally earn more money than articles about, say, dung beetles.
Also, the more articles you write, the more you'll get a feel for the topics that pay the most.
Earning Inconsistencies
It continued to be a high performing article until late October or early November. As of November 13th, it hasn't earned more than a penny this month. Around this time, it was nudged up to rank 1.
Why? Was its previous ranking somehow a "sweet spot"? Have people suddenly stopped looking up information about slugs? (It's not the slug's best time of year, after all.) Who knows. I can't figure it out.
Warning!
- Write an article
- Rate articles
- Invite a new member
If your account goes dormant, it's easy enough to re-activate it. Just do one of the things on the list.
Sign the Guestbook
Do you write articles for Helium? Has any of this information been helpful to you? Leave feedback here.
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cffutah
Jan 23, 2012 @ 8:26 pm | delete
- great insight and write up, thank you for taking the time to write this up.
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PositiveChristian
Dec 30, 2011 @ 12:45 pm | delete
- I joined Helium and wrote a couple of articles, but I'm not overly impressed. I think my time is better used on Squidoo.
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CanadaREVIEW
Oct 24, 2011 @ 12:21 pm | delete
- Helium was a stepping stone for me, and I learned much by writing there, however the earnings system is flawed and quite unfair. While I understand that you can not earn big money on the site, it should still pay out more. I wrote 60 articles on that site, as I look back on them I am glad I wrote there to learn, but not to earn. Thank you for writing this article!
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franstan Aug 4, 2011 @ 11:27 am | delete
- I have stopped writing on Helium. I don't like the changes
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fionamckay9
Jul 11, 2011 @ 11:01 am | delete
- Hi there, I csn answer that - Helium changed ownership and the upfront payments stopped then. There are several other ways of earning at Helium now though. II've been discussing these on my Helium lens)
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by Victoria_Neely
Hello! I'm a freelance writer who began using Helium in June 2007. By the end of September, one of my articles made over $40. As of November 2007, I have... more »
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