Hi guys, I'm interested in cracking into writing and Associated Content seems to be the "intern job" for people to get a bit of experience under their belt. While upfront payments sound good, they aren't available to anyone living outside the US (read: me). In other words, I'd only receive Performance Payments. Are these really worth it to write for? I don't know how many PVs an article gets (and I know it depends on the niche), so can't really calculate a return. If Performance Payments aren't worth it, Associated Content isn't for me. In that case, have you any suggestions for alternative methods to "crack into the market" and gain a little experience (for a little pocket money)?
Coming from the perspective of working for the large networks who at least at some point paid on pageview rate scales, I'll say Associated Content is pretty darned competitive on that front (plus you have more freedom). So while I'm not a big supporter of them or anything, I'd say that change is the best thing they've done (and smartest).
So I guess pageview rates aren't that bad. Would it be smarter to try and write for those who offer the pageview rate scales, or those who pay upfront? While they each have pro's and con's, in your experience does it financially work out around the same? Or are there other benefits that I've missed?
Well, I take much higher up front payments than what the pageview scales would pay out over a decent amount of time, so I'm biased. But they're an OK supplement to other work I guess if there's nothing else going on. If you're getting paid very little up front though, they may actually prove to pay more in the long run. I think it's a good idea to try to monetize your content on your own sites as that supplement to client work though... but if you're not inclined to manage one of your own, they could be good for you.
One thing you can do with Associated content is build an audience for what it is you write about. Take a look around and sort of carve a place out for yourself. This is actually good experience on reacting to a market and providing something people find worthwhile. It also has the benefit of making you more familiar with a particular audience, a target audience, and what touches that visceral nerve.
I've read that those who publish a lot of articles to AC (on topics that are popular) usually reap the most benefits from performance payments. You have to build up your clout level (page view level) by putting up enough relevant articles to attract visitors. If you do that, you'll boost page views and thus increase performance payments. I'd say that unless you're planning on publishing a good amount of articles on AC, it's not going to be worth your time.