100 Suite Articles and My One-Year Anniversary

Today I published my 100th article on Suite101 and it has apparently taken me about a year to write all of those articles because it is also my first anniversary with Suite. So I thought I would provide a little run-down of my progress over the first year:

Articles Written: 100
Residuals Earned: $264
Bonus Money from Contests: $101
Average Earned per Month: $22
First Month's Earnings: $1.39
Last Month's Earnings: $29.95
Promotions: Became the Ceramics Feature Writer

Even though my monthly earnings have started to slow down a bit, I am still happy to be writing for Suite101. They have some of the best editors around and a supportive writing community who are quick to answer questions and give advice. I'm hopeful that my residuals will rise as I add more content and my older articles begin to mature and rise in Google searches.

For now though, I'm happy with the added experience and opportunities I gain from Suite. It has been a wonderful tool for me to further hone my writing and network with great people. So I raise my glass and say, here's to another sweet year at Suite!

Broke, Busy and Bustin a Move with Bukisa

Well, as the title above indicates, I'm pretty broke right now. Sure, I'm paying the bills, but my goal is to increase my residual income, and it seems to be stagnating. So no time for moping around, I'll just work harder and evaluate my goals.

Originally, I was spending most of my time writing for Suite101. Though I'm still writing quite a bit for the site, my earnings seem to be standing still. Who knows if this will turn around in the short term, though I'm sure that the earnings will pick up over time as I write more content. That said, I need to put my eggs in a few different baskets. With that in mind, I have decided to pursue another 100 article challenge.

My next goal is to publish 100 articles on Bukisa and track their earnings. I primarily use Bukisa as a place to promote my articles for other sites. Their 200-word requirement makes writing articles a breeze, and I have seen some decent earnings for the minimal amount of work involved. I might as well track those earnings and see just how profitable Bukisa actually is.

I have already done this experiment with eHow articles, and it will be interesting to compare my earnings from eHow with the earnings from Bukisa. I'd like to get 100 articles completed within two months, but this is also a very hectic jewelry-making time for me, so we'll see how things go.

Anyway, feel free to try this experiment with me. I would love to see exactly how much one can actually benefit from the earnings on Bukisa. I'm excited to track the progress. Be looking soon for my 100th article announcement.

Use Bukisa to Increase Page Views on Other Writing Sites

 Bukisa is an online writing site that pays residuals to writers. The site works on a revenue-share basis and writers receive money based on page views. At a minimum of only 250 words, Bukisa articles are short and simple to write. Membership to the site is free and anyone can quickly sign up and start writing.

Beyond the potential to make money with Bukisa articles, writers can also use the site to drive traffic back to articles on other sites. By using this simple strategy, writers can increase their income.

Start by finding articles you wrote that highlight a couple of different points. For instance, say you wrote an article entitled, "The Top Three Sushi Restaurants in Chicago" or "Three Green Craft Projects that use Recycled Supplies"? Both of those articles highlight three distinct items under one unifying theme.

After finding these articles, start promoting them through Bukisa. Start by writing a short article about one of the topics in your larger article. For instance, if you want to link back to the article on the top three sushi restaurants, write a Bukisa article on one of those restaurants. Because the original article contains three restaurants, three seperate Bukisa articles can be created and linked back to promote the original article. So for each larger article, you will create multiple Bukisa articles that link back to it.

The great thing about this strategy is the fact that you end up making money on all fronts. You increase your  page views for your other writing sites. You also earn residual income from your Bukisa articles. It's also a simple way to create a great amount of content with the same key words and topics. This helps to prevent research burnout and writer's block.

Use this writing strategy to work smarter instead of harder. Sign up for Bukisa and start writing short articles that can promote larger articles. It's one way to generate a larger audience and greater income without much more effort.

Writing for Residuals: It's a Marathon, not a Sprint

I'm sure there are a number of people online who could refine SEO research down to the finest of sciences. I'm not one of those people. Yes, I have learned what separates good SEO keywording from the bad, but I have yet to pinpoint a formula for making thousands, or even hundreds of dollars in the short term, off of one article.What I do know, is how to keep it real, kind of like J-Lo (just kidding).

But in all seriousness, I will tell anyone who is listening that online writing CAN contribute significantly to a monthly income and it has the POTENTIAL to turn into a full-time job. Will most people be able to quit their day jobs and just write for residuals though? I'm afraid the answer to that question is, not anytime soon.


Making a Full-Time Living from Writing Residuals

Those who wish to live off of residuals need to start writing now and commit to the long haul to build their monthly residual streams. For most people, it could take years of dedicated writing before they are making enough from residuals to quit a full-time job. That said, it IS possible, and can become a reality by following some key steps.

• Diversify: There are many sites that pay residuals for articles. Some are better than others and each has its own method of assessing performance and payment. As a writer, I think it is important to experiment with each of these online platforms to see which ones work best for you. Writing for a number of sites is also like writer's insurance. For instance, if a website goes out of business, a writer can take articles from that site and publish them at one of the other sites he or she writes for. During that time, the writer will still be earning residuals from all of the sites he or she has written for. Some sites that pay residuals include Suite101, eHow, Associated Content, Bukisa and Triond.
• Prioritize: By writing for a number of sites, you will quickly learn which ones provide the largest return for your writing time. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the majority your writing time should then be dedicated to those higher-paying sites. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't continue to write for other sites, but just that you should focus the majority of your writing at the more successful sites.
• Learn SEO Research: Read up and learn about SEO research strategies. It really does help to drive traffic and increase residuals. There are a number of wonderful online resources and Suite101.com learning hubs provide some excellent tutorials for beginners. Absorb all of the information and apply it as often as possible.
• Write: This should be the most obvious tip, but many people just write four or five articles and expect to see residuals streaming in. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Instead of worrying about daily stats and earning trends, just keep writing. I always think of a twist on the Nike slogan, "Just Write It". Believe me, writing every day is the best way to create residual wealth.
• Endure: Luckily, I have run some distance races in my time, otherwise I would really struggle with residual writing. Online SEO writing is much like a marathon. It is all about incremental steps toward a far-off goal, and it requires fortitude. It is so easy to quit at any point along the course, but anyone can reach their goals with commitment and persistence.
• Plan: Financially successful writers treat their writing as a business. They set work hours and quotas to help them progress toward their goals. One of the best ways to stay productive as a writer is to create a long list of possible articles and post it next to the computer. A list like this allows writers to progress from one article to the next without sitting and pondering the next writing topic. Writers should also set a weekly or monthly article quota for each site they write for. Writers should also set long-term goals. Perhaps they could write a series of online articles that could later be put together to create a book. Each writer will have his or her own goals, but it is important to have an idea of where you are going so that you can create the path to get there.
• Scale Back: To make a living from writing, many people will have to scale back their finances. This might not require huge changes. It could be something as simple as giving up Starbuck's or renting movies instead of going to the theater. For others, this might require moving to a less-expensive house or even town. I'm lucky as I live in an area with a low cost of living, but I've even found ways of cutting costs here and there. I'm trying to make more food from scratch instead of eating out. I'm also living on a clear budget that helps me keep close track of my finances. If you need help creating a budget, there are a number of budget calculators online that can help you determine your monthly financial needs.

Keep Plodding Toward Financial Success as a Writer

Bottom line, writing is not for anyone looking for a get rich quick scheme. It takes a long time to create revenue streams large enough to equal a full-time job. That said, it is possible to build wealth over a long period of time with focused dedication and endurance. Remember that you are running a marathon and you have to run it to the very last mile to see the benefits. Stay dedicated and keep the faith. You will reap the rewards in the end.