How to Write an Article at Squidoo

Create Lenses at Squidoo

I started writing here at Squidoo in March of 2008. I've learned a lot about what helps to make a great lens and what doesn't work over the past three years. I created this lens to share those ideas.

If you want to start writing here at Squidoo, but don't consider yourself a writer, remember that each and everyone of us has something of value to share and Squidoo makes that easy to do! In fact, that's what I love about Squidoo, it's a place where ordinary people can share their experience online. Below, you will find an introduction of writing at Squidoo for the newbie and a little more for those who want to make their Squidoo lenses earn money.

For Newbies

An Overview of Writing

To begin writing at Squidoo, you will need to sign up. Signing up requires that you choose a username and password, and begin making your first lens. (Articles are called lenses here at Squidoo.) When considering topics for your first Squidoo lens, think about what your friends and family consider you an expert at? Don't sell yourself short, we all have expert skills.

Once you have your topic, think of a title for the lens. Then categorize your lens. Once you have this done, it's time to start writing. You can save your drafted lens anytime and Squidoo now considers you an official lensmaster!

When writing your first lens, begin with an introduction that explains your experience with the topic you've chosen. People want to know what makes you an expert before they read on. Share your experience in the introduction paragraph. Move on to the details later in the lens.

Eventually, your lenses will indeed make money. The money they earn can be paid to you via paypal, or you can opt to donate your earnings to charity.

Sign UP!

Sign UP!

Making More Money

How to Write an Article for the Not So Newbie

My first year at Squidoo, I earned only a few dollars. After a year or so, something magical happened, my lenses began to take off and earn. I currently average $2-3 per lens a month. For example, I have 120 published lenses and I am averaging $300 per month.

Revenue Sharing
Squidoo pays their writers a percentage of advertising revenues as many websites do. Here at Squidoo, they throw all the ad revenue into a "pool" and then divvy it back out by lensrank. More specifically they divvy it out by lens tier. Tier 1 gets a large percentage of the pot. Tier 2 a slightly smaller, yet significant share of the ad revenue pot. Tier 3 gets a smaller amount, etc. You can learn more about how Squidoo tiers work here. Obviously, if you are hoping to earn more money here at Squidoo, it will help to get your lenses ranked in the top tiers.

Affiliate Links
Another way to earn money here at Squidoo is through affiliate links. I would have to say the most beautiful thing about a Squidoo lens is the ability to place HTML tags anywhere in your writing and link to information exactly when and where your readers want it. This applies to affiliate links also. Squidoo enables it's writers to place links to products in their writing. Amazon generates the bulk of affiliate sales for most writers here at Squidoo. You can sign up as an Amazon affiliate here and begin placing links in your Squidoo lenses. After signing up with Amazon, don't forget to come back to Squidoo and enter your Amazon associate ID in your profile!

Write Your Story!

Write Your Story!

Why Write Here?

As if you needed it, Squidoo is Google juice for your blog, zazzle store, article libraries, or anything else you wish to promote through a lens!

Tiers and Earnings

Squidoo pays their contributors advertisement revenue through a tier payment system. There are currently 3 tiers of payment. This is a breakdown of the payment at each tier level for February, 2011 payment. Earnings are paid two months following, so the revenue paid in February, 2011 was actually generated in the month of December, 2010.

Tier 1 - $5.60 from Infolinks / $1.01 from Chitika / $23.15 from Ad Pool = Total 29.76
Tier 2 - $0.95 from Infolinks / $0.17 from Chitika / $3.94 from Ad Pool = Total 5.06
Tier 3 - $0.05 from Infolinks / $0.01 from Chitika / $.20 from Ad Pool = Total .26

As you can see a lens ranked at tier 1 will earn substantially more than a lens ranked below tier 1. To earn more from your lenses, it's a good idea to get most of your tiers ranked in tier 1 or 2. Your tier 1 lenses will probably earn more than $30.00 a month because they also earn affiliate income. Amazon earns me, by far, the most affiliate income here at Squidoo.

What is a Tier 1 Lens?

How to Write Articles that Rank in Tier 1

Tier 1 average lensrank of 1 to 2,000.
Tier 2 average lensrank of 2,001 up to 10,000.
Tier 3 average lensrank of 10,001 up to 85,000.

The word average is important here because it is the average rank for the entire month, NOT the rank on the last or first day of the month. The average for the month can be seen in your lens stats. Lenses ranked beyond tier 3 (tier 4) won't earn any advertisement revenue, but they can earn affiliate earnings. The ranks for each tier above are a rough estimate, as they change a little with each payout. I've had lenses ranked in the mid-2000 earn at tier 1 for the month.

More Information on Tiers

Learn more about the tier payment and how it effects your earnings when you write for Squidoo.

Time for Tier Change?

There has been much discussion on Squidoo about the need for change in the tier payment system. More specifically, expansion of the tiers to include a wider range of lenses. Read more here, or sound off and voice your opinion on the Squidoo tier payment system.

Greekgeek's Squidoo Stats: Charts of Tier Payouts

Greekgeek shares many years of tier payment tracking and history here on her lens. If you want to see a detailed history of tier payments check out her lens.

How Do You Write a Lens and Get it to Tier1 Rank?

Writing an Article

There is no definitive answer to this question, but the rank is derived from traffic to your article, affiliate earnings, and likes. If you get a lot of traffic to your article and a lot of positive like responses, it will rank well. Getting some affiliate earnings will also help your lens rank.

Affiliate earnings will rise with well placed advertisements within the lens and traffic. So, consider your ad placement and write a review of the products you choose to advertise, then get lots of traffic and your lens will take off. How do you encourage traffic to your article? Run a health check!

My Earnings Record

See How Squidoo Earnings Build Up Over Time

The thing I love about writing for a percentage of article revenue, or revenue sharing, is that articles I wrote in 2009 are still earning me money here at Squidoo. If I take a month off, I'm still earning money on everything I've written in the past. This is my record of past earnings from revenue sharing here at Squidoo. Watch how it grows over time!

2009
Oct - 9.07 <------articles before="" br="" d="" earning="" finally="" i="" long="" money.="" started="" written="">Nov - 24.41
Dec - 24.60

2010
Jan - 66.22
Feb - 121.99 <------i a="" at="" br="" did="" few="" for="" here="" me="" niches="" on="" squidoo.="" stumbled="" that="" well="">Mar - 106.49
Apr - 102.73
May - 128.23
Jun - 92.35
Jul - 143.55 <--------i at="" began="" br="" had="" here="" investing="" it="" more="" potential.="" realizing="" squidoo="" time="">Aug - 232.54
Sep - 191.97
Oct - 173.29
Nov - 187.68
Dec - 198.53

2011
Jan - 260.94
Feb - 324.32
Mar - 373.85
Apr - 386.49 <--------it 1="" almost="" are="" at="" average="" been="" began="" br="" earnings="" here="" i="" investing="" just="" month="" more="" my="" per="" s="" since="" squidoo.="" time="" under="" year="">May - 361.09
Jun - 459.25
Jul - 610.54
Aug - $717.74
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$5,324.17 <----------------total date="" div="" earnings="" to="">