On July 20, 2009, I celebrate two years as an Associated Content writer. Associated Content (nicknamed “AC” by its authors) is a writing site where you can publish articles, videos and photos and earn revenues from page views. In my opinion, AC is one of the few writing sites I know of where an author can earn a substantial income. Here are five reasons why you should consider writing for Associated Content.

Build an Online Portfolio of Articles

Associated Content is a great site for writers of all experience levels to build an online portfolio of work. AC writers are called sources, and each AC Source has his or her own individual page at Associated Content. If you’re new to freelance writing, AC is a great place to publish those first few articles and gather a few “clips” of your work. For more experienced writers, I find that AC offers a great place to stretch and grow and try new things as a content provider.

AC periodically runs contests to find the best writers in various categories, and they offer incentives like making the Associated Content “Top 100” or “Top 1000.” This kind of recognition on your AC portfolio page is a nice perk of writing for AC. I always feel good when I go to my page at Associated Content and see the Top 1000 badge on my portfolio there. If your articles are carefully considered and you really try to put your best foot forward on Associated Content, then your AC portfolio page is something to be proud of, and can perhaps open the door to other writing jobs.

Recognition and Exposure

Associated Content has been around for a number of years now, and it’s considered one of the more prominent writing sites. With the dismal economy and high unemployment rates, many people are looking to the internet as a source of income. Sites like Associated Content are mentioned frequently in articles about work at home money making opportunities and AC writers are sometimes quoted in these articles.

Recently, top AC producer Sabah Karimi was interviewed for a piece about Associated Content that ran in the Wall Street Journal. Reading the AC forums, you’ll see other writers talk about how they’ve received media exposure or other writing jobs from their work on Associated Content. It seems that AC is certainly becoming a stepping stone these days for writers, and this is another reason to carefully build your portfolio there. You never know when your articles on Associated Content could catch someone’s eye, and lead to bigger and better things!

Non-Exclusive Articles

As a content provider, I really appreciate the fact that I can publish my articles on AC and retain rights to my work. Unlike some companies (such as Demand Studios) that require the writer to give away full rights to their work for a small upfront payment or page view bonuses, Associated Content doesn’t insist on exclusive rights to articles. On AC, you can publish your work and give exclusive rights or you can choose to publish articles as non-exclusive, and keep the rights to your work. I really believe that having the choice to retain rights to your published articles is a significant advantage of writing for Associated Content.

Why is it important to retain rights to your work? If you’re getting a small upfront payment for an article, or just being paid for page views, it makes sense not to sell all rights to your piece. If you give away exclusive rights to a story, then you don’t have the right to republish your work (which is technically no longer yours, as you’ve sold the rights for a price). AC writers sometimes publish their articles as exclusive to get a higher upfront offer, but I wouldn’t recommend it. In my opinion, publishing my articles as “non-exclusive” and retaining my rights allows me to get maximum dollars for my stories.

Upfront Payments for Articles

I love how AC will sometimes offer me upfront payment for articles, and I’m allowed to retain my non-exclusive rights also! All of my articles on Associated Content are published as non-exclusive, and all articles submitted for upfront payments from AC also generate earnings for page views. Articles that aren’t submitted for upfront offers are called “display only” articles and these stories just receive page view earnings. Only work that has never been published before can be submitted to AC for upfront offers, and previously published articles can be published there as display only (I often republish my Triond articles on AC as display only).

Perhaps I receive a smaller upfront payment for not giving AC exclusive rights, but I’m pleased with the upfront offers for articles, which in my case, are a few dollars (about $3 to $5 per story). If a writer has the skill to produce lots of articles per month without sacrificing quality, it’s certainly possible to earn a few hundred dollars a month in upfront payments there. At this time, upfront offers are only open to U.S. citizens and residents; if you’d like to write for upfront pay, be sure to study the guidelines at the AC help pages for tips and ideas about the kinds of articles they’re looking to pay for.

The Clout Index

The combination of Associated Content upfront payments and page view earnings can really add up to a substantial income over time. The more published articles you have on AC and the higher your page views, the higher you climb in its “Clout Index.” Payments for page views are also tied to the Clout Index, which runs from the number one (given to someone just starting out on AC) to the number ten, for a writer with a million or more page views. Writers at Clout One are paid $1.50 for every 1,000 page views for their articles, and Clout Ten writers receive $2 for every 1,000 page views.

I’m now at Clout Level Eight and poised to reach Clout Level Nine this summer, and in my experience, rising up the Clout Index and receiving more money for page views really makes a difference in monthly revenues. I now make $1.60 per 1,000 page views, and I can see the difference in my earnings from when I was lower on the Clout Index. I’m going to work hard this summer and add more content to AC in hopes of reaching Clout Level Nine when I surpass 500,000 total page views for my articles.

As my two year anniversary on Associated Content approaches this month, I’m taking stock of what has and hasn’t worked for me, and planning strategies to increase my earnings there. You definitely get out of AC what you are willing to put into it. If you’re looking around for a place to publish your work and receive money and recognition for your articles, consider working with AC; in my opinion, it represents one of the best income opportunities available for online writers.