increasing your Helium payouts

United States
April 11, 2010 3:33pm CST
I wonder if people realize that Helium does not pay upfront payments for every category? For example, there are no upfront payments for creative writing, for news, for politics or for (I think) Debates. I just write about what I'm interested in, because it goes faster. Are people picky about what categories they write to on Helium?
2 people like this
2 responses
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
12 Apr 10
Hi AliceWonderly, I haven't been submitting articles to Helium for a long time. Some of my articles were in creative writings too. I regretted submitting the articles to Helium. If I were to write creative writings now, I would probably post in my blogs. It is such a waste to submit to Helium and probably just earn 1 cent for a whole year. Actually we need just a couple of articles that are high earners. My best performing article makes about two dollars every month. That kind of balance out for the other articles written out of interest.
1 person likes this
• United States
12 Apr 10
Hi schengl, thanks for your response. Yes, that's the good thing about Helium. Once you have an article that earns, it keeps earning without you doing anything. But upfront payments are only made in certain categories, as you know.
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
15 Apr 10
Hello, Alice, and welcome to MyLot. You have to check carefully for upfronts, as they are not paid in entertainment, religion, or society and lifestyle, as well as recipes and any of the 'other' channels - eg food and drink channels pay, but not food and drink(other). It's worth taking a minute or two to check, otherwise people are going to be very disappointed when the upfronts are added. If I see a title I really like, I'll write to it regardless of the upfront, but I tend to stick with upfronts, as that's the quickest way to earn on Helium. Diet and fitness, food and drink, travel, and personal finance are all good page view earners, as are pets and style and beauty. I love writing, but I also need to earn, so I tend to be selective. I love writing to arts and humanities, as literature and particularly Shakespeare is my speciality, but it just doesn't earn, and it takes longer to research and write, so I just do one or two a month as a treat.
• United States
15 Apr 10
I haven't quite been on Helium for three years yet, but I find that Marketplace is the very best earner for me. I know what you're talking about with the upfronts, but a politics/news article that's relevant, for example, will earn more than an upfront would have come to (and I get the highest upfront at the moment). My highest cumulative earner ever is one about perfume, for some reason. What does not earn, ever, is fiction, and I write it anyway. I guess both of us want to write what we like--I've written to Shakespeare too.
1 person likes this
• Spain
15 Apr 10
My highest earner is about retiring to Spain - it's been 3 of 3 ever since it was written, but it's top of the earning board every month. It's now earned almost $20 since it was written, and I don't even consider it one of my best articles. Still, I don't knock it!
• United States
16 Apr 10
There's no telling what will be popular, and believe me I have spent some time trying to figure it out. Beyond a certain basic level, real quality doesn't seem to matter either. You retired to Spain? Wow. That must supply you with lots of interesting writing material, too.