by Lyn Lomasi, Article Writer for Hire

*Note that some resources mentioned below require being logged into your Y!CN account before clicking to read.

If you've just joined the site, you are likely curious about how to succeed. Where do you start? What does it take to get to the top? How long does it take to get where you want to be? As a veteran contributor, here are some of the things I have learned.

Step One: Before submitting that first article, browse around and take a look at some of the articles that are featured. Also, read advice from seasoned contributors. There are some great examples in the tutorials section. Also, be sure your content adheres to the submission guidelines, as well as the Yahoo! Style Guide.

Step Two: Submit your work and learn more while you wait. There is always something new to learn. Do you need to learn more about SEO? Networking? Grammar and style? Ask fellow contributors for their advice and continue to learn from those around you.

Step Three: Apply what you learn and rinse and repeat. There is never an end to what you can learn when it comes to writing. This is even more true for web writing. Rules are constantly changing, as is the needs of the audience. Keep learning and applying that knowledge to your work. If you put in the effort, you will see results.

Things to Remember:

1) You get what you put into it. If you put in effort to ensure your work is what Yahoo! is looking for, you will see results. On the same vein, if you choose not to pay attention and just write what you want, no matter what Y!CN or the audience is looking for, you won't get very far.

2) Write what you know. It's easy to see the success of others and want to mimic what they have done. However, that can quickly cause burnout and loss of interest...and it will show in your work and your productivity levels.

3) Define your personal success. What does success mean to you? Is it getting your work published across multiple channels? Is it just knowing your subject matter could make a difference in someone's life? Do money amounts play a role? Figure out why you are here and what successes you wish to work toward. This will be different for each person.

4) Web writing is not the same as print writing. If you are good at writing for print venues, that's awesome! But not all of what you learned doing that will help you in web writing. Click here to learn more about web writing.

Helpful Articles for Success at Yahoo! Contributor Network:


The Newbie's Guide to Success at the Yahoo! Contributor Network

AC Tips and Tricks

Writing Your First Article

How to Write Compelling Headlines for Search Engines

Web Writing: The Ground Rules that Make a Good Web Article

Best Article Writing Tips from Career Professionals

How to Get Your Work Published on Your Favorite Yahoo! Sites

Professional Article Writers: The Importance of Self Editing

How to Build Residual Income Writing Evergreen Web Content

Why Am I Not Making Money at AC? Page Views, Offers, and More

How Can I Increase My page Views (PVs) on Associated Content?

Internet Writing: Simple Strategies that Attract Readers

Importance of Authentic Voice in Writing for Y!CN


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If you have questions, there is always someone around to help, be it one of the Community Guides (like myself) or any other helpful contributors.

List of Community Guides:

Lyn Lomasi

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben

Carol Bengle Gilbert

Lisa Mason

Abby Greenhill

K. Valentine

Sylvia Cochran

Kathy Browning

Jan Corn

Cathy Montville

Online article writers serious about their writing must remember the purpose of our content is to provide someone else with the information they need. Even when the writing goes to a client that will not return any page view or click revenue, remember that their audience still needs accurate and relevant info as well. Ultimately, someone will be reading the finished content. Here are five ways online article writers can get and keep clients.

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Are you constantly browsing Associated Content, Yahoo! News, Shine, or omg!, hoping your name will be featured there someday? If you're a part of the Yahoo! Contributor Network, it can be! As someone who has been featured across multiple Yahoo! destinations, I can say for a fact that it's possible and attainable. Perhaps my experience will help you get your work featured on Yahoo! sites as well.

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It's time to pay the bills but your freelance writing hasn't pulled in nearly what you need. Staring at the figures in black and white may make you cringe if you're a freelance writer who hasn't quite reached your ideal goal. Maybe you haven't even touched the surface. But don't give up hope. Perhaps you just need to change your strategy. If you have all the tools and talent, but still can't quite get there, try making your goals more attainable. It's easy to set goals and expectations too high or make the possible impossible by over analyzing. If you aren't meeting your goals in freelance writing, it's time do a complete overhaul of your strategy.

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If you're new to online article writing, you may not be aware that the real work begins after you write your article. Article maintenance has many components, not the least of which is editing. You will also need to decide where to place your article and how to categorize it. All these thing will determine the success of your article. Lastly, you must promote your article and link to it from other websites. This is how your article gains popularity on the web. Why do you want your article to be popular? So it will get page views, of course. Unless you have a problem with making money. I didn't think so.

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One method of writer promotion is to maintain a facebook fan page. But in order to take full advantage of having a facebook fan page, you need to keep it updated. A freshly updated facebook fan page keeps people coming back for more. This should be done in a variety of ways to attract more people and keep them interested.

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Online article writers have two things ingrained in their minds. News stories are good for page view spikes. Evergreen content gives you steady page views. While these things are true, there is a way online article  writers can have the best of both worlds. By learning how to make news stories evergreen, we can have both the timely news spikes and the evergreen content stability. This will keep overall page views on a permanent upward climb.

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As a journalist and writing peer mentor here at Y!CN and elsewhere, I get asked often which topics are the best to write. What brings in the best upfront payments? What topics pull in page views? What topics does Yahoo! want to see before giving high paying assignments? Overall, which topics make the most money?

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Self confidence precedes success. As online article writers we must believe in our own abilities if we wish to be taken seriously. This holds true with any endeavor in life. Why should online article writing be any  different? When I think back on the times in my life when I was most successful and fulfilled, they all have one thing in common. These were the times when I had the most self confidence. I believed in my own ability to tackle the task before me. This fact allowed me to move forward in my endeavors.

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So, you just joined the Yahoo! Contributor Network and want to take advantage of the forums? There are a several things to keep in mind when participating in this (or any other) online forum. From simple etiquette, to  following guidelines, and even reporting issues, here are some things I have learned from being a long-time member of the Yahoo! Contributor Network forums, as well as many others.

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