If a revenue share site doesn’t make you money, it can become a waste of time. While there are certainly other benefits to writing at these sites, you still need to remember that your time is money. Eventually, you should start seeing financial benefits.
I do recommend having realistic goals when you start writing at rev share sites. Don’t expect to pay your mortgage with the sites right away. In fact, you may never get to that point from just one site. But you still need some sort of financial goal. My goal has always been to have a site make at least $50 a month after three months of consistent writing. Then after another three months, I want to get that to $100. The amount I want to make goes up to the point where I’m making between $300 and $500 per month on individual sites.
But as I mentioned, it takes time to see the income rise. You need to give a revenue share site time to build, but how much time is the right amount of time?
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Start with at least three months
I like to give a revenue share site three months to start seeing some results. My goal is to make $50 per month by the end of those three months. If I don’t make that—and I know I’ve been consistent and done everything I can to make the site work—then I move on. Of course, I give some sites leeway. If the money is going up but not quite at the point I want, I may give it a little extra time.
However, there are some sites that I leave after the first month. These are the sites that aren’t consistent in their editing, don’t treat their writers fairly, and have proven to be unreliable in pay, communication, and consistency. If I don’t like a site for any reason, I will walk away. My time is precious to me and I’ll put the effort in where I’m appreciated.
Consider six months at a revenue share site
When I see some growth but not quite as much as I’d like, I’ll consider six months–so another three from what I’ve already done. This was something I did with Hidden Remote and I’m certainly glad I did. After six months, you should have enough content to start seeing real results. By the end of this point, I want to make $100 per month consistently. I think with Hidden Remote I was on $75 per month at the six-month mark and I stayed because the growth was still consistent. That was also the point I started putting more time in and found my ways of growing the niche better.
Sometimes I’ll even consider a year. It really does depend on the growth of the site and other benefits I’m gaining. If it wasn’t for giving Hidden Remote the extra three months—and then another six months after that—I wouldn’t be where I am today across the FanSided sites. I definitely don’t regret opting for it now, although people likely said I was being stupid when I was first there.
It really depends on your goals
How long you give a site will depend on your goals. What do you want to gain from a revenue share site? Is your goal purely financially based? Do you want to get experience and the chance to build your portfolio for private clients? Is this just a way to make a little side income for holidays (which was what Hidden Remote was for me at first)? Know what your goals are and then you’ll know how long to give a site.
Don’t be afraid to walk away. It’s not wasted time if you find after a few months the site isn’t working out. As writers, we tend to get stuck at sites because we’re constantly thinking about the work we’ve done in the past will be wasted. I’ve done that before and then wasted an extra year of writing for a site that doesn’t appreciate me. I’ll never do that again!
Also, don’t be afraid to give a site a little extra time. If you’re thinking of doing that, you need to look at what can change. Will you change your content output or your marketing? Are you changing on your niche focus? Is there something at the site that’s changed that looks promising? Be honest with yourself about your writing and the site. If something really will change, then it could be worth giving the site more time. If not, well, you’re just going to waste your time!
MORE: How often should you write on revenue share sites to make money?
How long do you typically give a revenue share site? Are you going to make some changes to the way you write? Share in the comments below.
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