I hope you are all having a great week! I have decided to review one of the best known writing gigs on the Internet for this week: Examiner. You have probably seen posts from that site on Facebook as well as references to their articles on hundreds of other sites.

Examiner allows writers to freely express themselves in a number of different ways and pays on a pay-per-view basis. While this might put some people off, the popularity of the site means you should consider it as a great way to build up a long-term revenue stream that will continue to pay you for the same article over and over.

Getting started with Examiner

Pay a visit to Examiner.com and register for an account. It’s a standard registration for any website. There will be more of a profile when you are accepted but for now you just need the account. After you verify your email address, go back to the main page, login and scroll to the bottom.

In the ‘About Examiner’ block at the bottom of the page there is a link titled ‘Write for us.’ Click it and read the page that gives you a brief overview of writing for them. It’s not terribly detailed but it’s decent. At the bottom of that page is a button to apply. Click it.

You will want to pay attention to the location chosen. In most cases the default is Dallas, Texas. Change it to your own city or one close to you. You can also choose the national option. Then go down the list looking at the topic writers they need.

It’s a good idea if you don’t find a topic that interests you to try looking at another nearby city or the national page to see if you like one of those. Once you have chosen a topic click on it and fill out the application. There is a writing sample, a small biography and qualifications section. Nothing serious or overly impressive is necessary. Hit the submit button and you are done.

You can either wait for a reply, which takes about a week, or you can apply to another topic that interests you. It’s not unusual for people to write more than one topic. After you have applied to all of your topics you are done until they respond.

Your Dashboard

On your Dashboard you will see a photo of yourself and below it all of your stats for a particular topic. If you write more than one topic you will have a drop down list where you can toggle between topics. You will also be able to see how much each topic has earned.

The Dashboard also shows where you rank among other writers for your geographic location. Towards the bottom there will be a list of your articles. You can click on them to edit or just see and respond to comments.

Examiner University

After you are accepted as a writer, you are automatically enrolled in Examiner University. This is a short series of videos to help familiarize you with the style guide and how to write articles for the site. It isn’t all that different from any other writing sites but the videos are worth watching. Once you complete them you are ready to write an article.

Writing an article for Examiner.com

Examiner does require you to write something or be dropped. The minimum is one article per topic a month. The minimum word count is 200 words. So this isn’t difficult to meet even if you used a smartphone to do it!

On your Dashboard there is button that you can click to write a new article. You then have the choice between a list, an article or a review. Each one has a slightly different style format and once you make your choice you will be taken to the writing area for that style.

The writing area is basic but it doesn’t need to be overly enhanced. You can copy and paste from Word but I’ve never seen the need. Unlike many sites, you can include links, photos, video and slide shows with your article. Be absolutely certain to properly source your material.

Once you have finished with your article, you will see several options under it. Choose the appropriate boxes denoting evergreen content or a news item and be sure to put in tags. You can then choose which articles will appear beneath yours for further reading. After you have written several articles you can use your own in that space. In the meantime, type in a topic and select articles that seem to fit.

You can choose to allow comments, set the publication date of the article and even post it automatically to your Facebook Timeline. After you have made your choices, hit the submit button and you are finished.

Editing

There is very little editing on Examiner. In fact, I’ve been writing there for nearly 2 years and I have never heard from an editor. The writer does most of the editing with the editors doing nothing more than patrolling for problem content. Use common sense and you will not have a problem.

The only other thing the editors are on the lookout for is proper sourcing of photos and videos. As long as you properly attribute the material you will be fine. Again, after 2 years and countless photos and videos I have yet to hear from an editor.

One interesting and completely unique facet of Examiner.com is the ability for a writer to go back and edit their published articles. Click on your article and as long as you are logged in you will see the ‘edit’ button in the top right corner of your article. When finished hit the update button.

Payment

Payment is monthly and through Paypal.

I realize I keep stressing that you don’t want to use this site as a primary income source. I’m doing that for a reason. To build up the kind of income you need to live on takes a great deal of work initially. Once you have built it up, then a livable income is not an issue. Many people make $3000 or more a month. But it requires work and is not something that is going to happen over night or even in a couple of months.

Perks

Examiner is very unusual in that writers have some serious perks. If you move your cursor over your name in the top right of your page you will see a drop down list. Choose the ‘Examiner Perks’ option and prepare to be awed. You can get discounts on everything from Insurance to books to concert tickets etc. The discounts alone are worth the 200 words a month!

Examiner Tips

This is not a site that is likely to pay your bills on a monthly basis initially but it could be the springboard to much better writing assignments as well as the ability to create a brand and name for yourself. This is a very popular site and is used by millions. That alone should tell you that you are going to potentially be able to tap a huge audience.

• Pick a topic that you know cold.

You don’t want a topic that you have to spend a great deal of time researching or studying. You should be able to write an article off the top of your head in a pinch. Use anything new or in the news to give your article a current spin on the matter.

• Pick a topic with wide appeal.

News and entertainment topics are generally good but niche topics can also yield a great payoff. Keep your area updated with the latest developments in your area and your readers will become loyal fans.

• Write more than one topic.

They can be similar or not, but the more topics you write, the more of an audience you will reach. Often if you write similar topics you can use the links area to link to the articles written on your other topic. This expands your audience even wider.

• Encourage discussion

Please allow comments on your topics. Discussion generates more page views. The more page views you get, the more money you make. Don’t disallow comments from rude people or those who disagree with you. Trust me when I say that controversy is your friend. The more controversy, if appropriate, the more page views. People keep coming back to place comments and read the comments. They also share the page with others.

• Plan to build slowly

Think of this site as the one where you get to write what you want while other sites are for earning an income. This is the hobby site. If your passion is your rose garden, then this is a great site to expand on that and find others like yourself. Build up your content slowly and you will not only have a loyal fan base but you will also have samples to submit to other writing sites.

Those are the primary tips for Examiner. The most important tip is to write. Write a lot. The more you write the more people have to read. But above all else, enjoy this site as a place where you can write to your hearts content.

Happy writing!