How to Increase Page Views: Is “Subscriber for Subscriber” a Good Strategy?

Writing online can be a great source for supplemental income. And even online, the age-old philosophy of “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” repeatedly comes up. Whether you write for Associated Content, Examiner, triond, or a number of other revenue-sharing sites based on page views, getting people to click on your articles obviously helps your bottom line. Hence the question: in attempts to increase page views, should you build a network of readers by matching clicks for clicks with fellow contributors, a strategy commonly dubbed as “subscriber-for-subscriber”?

Non-Monetary Benefits of Subscriber-for-Subscriber Networking

Reading others’ articles can no doubt enrich your life in non-financial ways. The content itself can be valuable and entertaining, and learning of the writers behind the words can provide positive interactions with individuals you may never have otherwise come in contact with. You may even find people willing and able to help you in your journey of writing online.

If subscribing to and clicking on other contributors’ links provide you with enjoyment, there’s no need to curtail your supportive efforts simply because they’re not rewarding you financially. But, if you’re exhausting yourself in hopes it will add to your monthly paycheck, you may want to reconsider your actions.

How Much is it Costing You to Get One More Page View?

Many new online writers look to networking as a financial solution. But, if you are opening someone else’s article and leaving a comment for the sole purpose to have that contributor come to your page, you are effectively working in order to earn a page view. There’s nothing wrong with that. If that’s what you want to do, go for it! But, it’s not an extremely efficient process.
Associated Content’s base pay, for example, is $1.50 for every 1000 page views. In a subscriber-for-subscriber scenario, I’d have to click on 1000 articles in order to earn 1000 page views. Or, maybe these are all two-paged articles and I’d only have to click on 500. Either way, I would be hard pressed to complete the task in an hour. And even after all that mindless and finger-intensive work, I’d only have $1.50 to show for it.

Networking with people who may become naturally interested in your articles can be financially beneficial, but broadly subscribing to others singularly for a return in page views doesn’t seem ideal under the stated circumstances.

Is There a Better Way to Increase Page Views & Earn More Money?

I am all for working hard and doing your best, even if the peanut gallery doesn’t approve. If networking with other writers in a tit-for-tat strategy to increase page views is your best option, then give it your all. But, for many of us, looking at the actual details of a subscriber-for-subscriber policy reveals a not so attractive proposition.

Writing interesting articles with search engine optimization in mind will likely prove to be more profitable. That’s not to say we shouldn’t support the friends we’ve made online–it’s just to say there seems to be a better way to increase page views and earn more revenue. Writing for money, with the understanding that reading is mostly just for fun, may be more of what our wallets are looking for.

Parenthetical Note: I’m obviously not the poster child of online success. These are simply my opinions: you can take them or leave them.