Once I’ve decided a revenue share site could be a legitimate writing opportunity, I need to determine if it’s going to be worthwhile. This isn’t just about income—although that plays a heavy part—but if it’s going to be worth my effort. Is it a place that I’m going to enjoy writing and want to help grow. After all, I’m taking time away from building my own blogs and am helping others build their own sites. The site needs to be enjoyable for me.

I always take time to test out a site. I’ll only test one revenue share site out at a time unless I have extra time on my hands where I can take two. Taking a second isn’t likely possible now, so it’s one site at a time.

Here are the steps I take to determine if a site is any good.

Give a revenue share site three to four months

I don’t make an immediate decision on a site, even if the income seems low. Unless there is something that happens in the first couple of weeks and leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I’m likely to give a site at least three to four months to make a decision.

This amount of time gives me a chance to test a few things, including whether the income grows with more content on there, if there’s a long-term benefit of being on the site, whether I enjoy the process of writing there, and if there are other benefits that I gain.

There are some cases where I’ll extend that three to four months to about six months. This happens if I realize a revenue share site is picking up and I want to see if this is for the long term. If it’s a newer site, I may also give six months to get it through this harder time.

If the goalposts change, the site proves to be unreliable, or the site owners don’t appreciate their writers, I won’t bother sticking around for the three months. When I get a bad feeling about a site or it becomes more hassle than I find the income worth, I’ll leave right away.

Blog Planner: Blog Monthly Planner for Bloggers and Content Writers (Happy Blog Planner)

Try out with my favorite niche

I will always opt for my favorite niche to test out a revenue share site. I already know the topic, which means writing is very easy. I’ll find a unique angle to take on writing the content. On one site, I started doing well with 5 Minute History pieces. When that site closed down, I was able to use the same content on another site to test it (since the content was no longer available online so it was still original). This helped to keep the time spent on writing to a minimum.

It’s worth sticking to the one niche. If you’re worried about getting bored, opt for two niches at the most. The whole point of revenue share is that you build your audience and you can only do that if you stick with the same niche.

If I’m going to do two niches, I’ll find two that work together well. For example, parenting and weight loss or parenting and fitness are two niches that work together well. I can also combine parenting and working from home easily.

If I can’t grow a following on a site within those three to four months, it tells me the site isn’t worthwhile. After all, picking a niche I’m already knowledgeable about and fond of should bring the audience I’ve already built!

Test different styles of posts

When testing out with my favorite niche, I’ll try a few different styles of posts. I’ll add some quick 500-word tip posts and then add some longer 2000-word articles. This gives me an idea of the type of content that works well on the site. I’ll also get an idea as to whether it’s worth my time writing the longer pieces that I do enjoy creating.

I’ll also test out adding different types of images, videos, and social media posts. This gives me an idea as to whether adding different types of media boosts page views and helps to build a following. Hopefully, this would then turn into more income on the revenue share site.

I always avoid personal style posts. You may have found on sites like Bubblews that people shared quick bursts about their day—what they ate, what they did, and struggles. These types of posts may be fun to write and were what blogging was originally all about, but they’re not the best options for making money writing. There’s no point using them if you want to make money online–put them on your own blog.

Get to know other writers

I like to be social when I join a new revenue share site. If there are forums, I’ll make sure that I join them. I love to know what’s going on within these sections, as it’s often the place that a lot of writers will chat.

Some writers will share other places they write and others share more about their experiences with the specific writing site we’re on. This is a good way to learn more about the ins and outs of a revenue share site.

If there isn’t a forum (not many rev share sites have these anymore), then I’ll take a look for a Facebook group. Because the groups are free, this is where you’ll find many sites encourage their writers to go.

I don’t always like the “official” groups set up by the sites since they moderate the posts and don’t like negative posts not matter how legitimate. I prefer looking out for groups that are set up by the writers themselves.

Getting to know other writers also helps to make writing online feel less isolating and unsociable. You’ll also find you learn more about writing, gain more tips to build your audience, and make more money writing. This also gives you a chance to see if there’s a community, which can be something many need when using revenue share sites.

MORE: 4 mistakes writers make when joining revenue share sites

Do you test sites? What steps do you take with each revenue share site you find? Let me know in the comments below!

Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter. Starting next Monday, June 22, I’ll be running a Motivation Monday segment to help you get focused on writing for the week.