When I first started looking for work online in the late 1990’s there were many jobs that involved researching and writing content.  Websites needed to fill their sites and databases with information and paid people to help them do that. Those jobs, in that fashion, don’t exist much anymore, but a new type of pay-for-content work has evolved.

You may have heard that “Content is King” on the Internet. In most cases people go online to get information. The sites that have the best information (content) tend to also have the most traffic and therefore make the most money. New news aggregators and content portals are vying for a piece of the pie and are paying people to help them develop quality content.

What’s Involved?

The basics are the ability to find information and organize it in a concise easy to read fashion. You don’t need access to the expensive data bases or a degree in journalism, but you do need to know how to find reputable information on the Internet and string words together coherently.

Most sites want 300-500 word articles that can cover topics of your choice or that the site has requested. The articles can be in a variety of formats including ‘how-to’, reviews, lists, ‘best of’, fact sheets, etc.

How much can you make?

This is the tough question. Like in most work-at-home options, some people make good money and others make nearly nothing. It really depends on the site, your topics, and quality of submissions. Some sites will pay you a small flat fee anywhere from $5 to $30 per article. Others pay you in ad revenue, which over time, if there is lots of traffic, can build. Some do a combination of both.

My opinion on this type of work:

If you want to be a full-time freelance writer, these options aren’t for you mostly because most magazines don’t view these sites as “clips” to add to your portfolio. And the pay isn’t as good as writing for magazines.

But if you want to make a few hundred to a thousand dollars a month AND have the time to write and submit frequently, and help the site build traffic to your submissions, then this is a good option. It’s extremely flexible…you write what you want, when you want. But you aren’t going to see that money overnight. Most people who work on it consistently indicate it takes a couple of months to see a steady stream of income.

Where’s the work?

There are many places such as Demand Studio and Associated Content that pay for content. But not all are worth the time and effort.  For example, Examiner is posting lots of work on job boards, but the pay is so low (1 cent per page impression) and not guaranteed. Plus it says it can take and reuse, rewrite, and redistribute your work without additional compensation to. That’s not fair. You’re better off to go with a site that doesn’t pay well but at least you own your work and submit it to more than one place. Or that will pay you more to have exclusive rights to your work.

What should you do next?

If this sounds interesting, take the time to do more research. Like most work-at-home options, a single article can spark an idea, but you need the nitty gritty details to know what do to next. You can start by checking out some of the content sites (all are free to join) and learn what sort of content they want, how they pay, and what’s involved.

I was able to get a hold of Matthew Sherborne’s Cash for Content System. I read a lot of ebooks and most aren’t that helpful, but Matthew’s is very good. It takes you through the steps of finding good profitable topics, how to put together quality content even if you don’t like or aren’t’ sure how to write, and the best ways to maximize profits at many of the best web content sites. He uses screen captures so you can follow along with him and not have to guess what he’s talking about. Plus he’s added toolbox that takes you step-by-step through the process of brainstorming ideas, writing content, and keeping track of the best paying sites. I’ve also thrown in a bonus that lists some additional sites that aren’t in Matthew’s book.

Check out Matthew’s great resource at Cash for Content System.

Like surveys, mystery shopping is one of those “jobs” that people seem to gravitate to because it seems so easy and fun. And like surveys, mystery shopping is a “real” way to make money. BUT you aren’t likely to make a living. The few times I mystery shopped, the income was not at all worth the time and expense. But if you want to try it, there are some things you need to know the most important of which you don’t have to pay to mystery shop. Legitimate companies that use mystery shoppers don’t charge you.

This brings me to an email I keep receiving from Shadow Shopper. I’m not sure how I ended up on this list, but a few times a week I get an email about how desperate they are for shoppers in my town. The email mentions my town by name or zip code. If I lived in a big city I might buy the hype. But I live in a county that just got its first stop light. There are only two chain stores and a couple of chain fast foods in the area. Competition is low. I don’t see them needing mystery shoppers.

What they are desperate for is for me to BUY into their program. It doesn’t appear that Shadow Shopper is actually hiring but that it sells memberships to access its directory of mystery shopping programs and sends email updates of new jobs. This might be helpful if in fact you live in a city with regular and frequent mystery shopping needs. But with a little research, these companies can be found online for free.

Further Shadow Shopper terms of service indicates there are NO refunds. To me its not worth risking your money if you don’t have any recourse. What if I joined and discovered there in fact was no mystery shopping in my area (meaning their email lied to me). I still be out of luck according to the sites TOS.

And finally it says you can become a certified shopper…does that really exist? Well it exists, but does it actually mean anything? I wasn’t certified when I did some shops so its clearly not a requirement.

The real deal is that mystery shopping doesn’t pay well and often you end up losing money if you have to buy something or the money they give you to spend (like in restaurants) isn’t enough to cover the meal. Further you are asked to do specific things in the store (ask for customer service help, check the bathrooms, etc) and you have to pay attention to details because the report you fill out is detailed. This makes it hard to do shops with kids tagging along. And finally, the work isn’t steady. You can go weeks even months without an assignment. Most people can’t afford to live on an income of a few bucks every few weeks.

Mystery shopping can be a fun way way to earn a few bucks or get a free meal, but don’t expect it to be your career.