Can you really make money writing forum posts?

by ronr
35 replies
There are companies that pay freelance writers to write forum posts. A family member is looking into writing for one for some extra money. I'm helping them to see if this is really a viable way to earn some extra money.

There is one that is supposed to be one of the best and seems to have a good reputation. From what I've found they also supposedly pay the most.

However the pay is 20 cents per post.

That means if it takes you 5 minutes to write a post you could do 12 per hour. That equals $2.40 per hour. I know working from home and freelance writing has so many people that willing to work for anything that they'll do it, but really $2.40 per hour? If you could keep that pace up 8 hours a day you would earn about $19 per day or under $400/month working full time.

Am I missing something?

Does anyone here do this? Are you really making any money?

Thanks, Ron
#forum #make #money #posts #writing
  • Profile picture of the author dsuitor
    The real Money is in Affiliate Marketing :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      I know there are many better ways to make money at home and online but in this case just trying to find out more info about making money writing forum posts.

      Originally Posted by dsuitor View Post

      The real Money is in Affiliate Marketing :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Hubbs
    I am beginning to think it's all a lot of hype. Affiliate marketing has made me no money what so ever. There has to be a better way
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      ronr,

      Have you checked out this Wanted - Members looking to hire you thread?

      I haven't personally done this but have heard good reviews regarding it.

      Terra
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      Can affiliate marketing be discussed on another thread so we can stick to the topic here?

      Originally Posted by Hubbs View Post

      I am beginning to think it's all a lot of hype. Affiliate marketing has made me no money what so ever. There has to be a better way
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  • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
    The people who make most the posts are from countries where 2 bucks an hour is standard wage. I hire forum posters all the time, especially when I had quite a few forums.

    You have to remember the largest volume of people trying to make a living on the net are not from Top tier countries.

    I also actually paid about .30 cents a post because I wanted better posts.
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    • Profile picture of the author FredJones
      Ron, these rates, unfortunately, are realistic. This is because, these are "easy-to-do" jobs in which the value-creation is little. Therefore, such work is often sourced to the countries in which $2-$3 per hours is decent income for the mass.

      If you are in the US/Europe and looking for a realistic income, then this may not be the best thing to do. The best thing to do in such a case would be to do something that the mass in the "cheap" countries cannot do, or will struggle to do.

      Someone mentioned affiliate marketing as there is indeed enough money to be made on that, if one can make it. In other words, you will have no guarantee of making money with affiliate marketing, but if you do, you can do really well.

      I hope that explains.
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  • Ronr,

    While I don’t do this myself, I’ve known people to do it but not in a formal business manner where they offer it as a service or have a substantial employment base of people. I’ve also seen varying pay rates that are based on the freelancer’s expertise and ability to build equity on a forum.

    For example when the content was highly specialized and required specific knowledge, freelancers tended to make more (anywhere from 1-2 dollars per post).

    Yes 20 cents per post sound like a rip off and not a good business model. When you think about it, a person is only going to put in enough effort to make a profit. In order to build equity on a forum, you have to ne knowledgeable and provide good answers to questions and to do that requires research which means more time. If people have to do that a lot, they won’t last long for little pay.

    So in a nutshell I’ve seen it done but it’s a specialty and hard to find quality writers. From a writer’s standpoint, they would do well to form personal relationships with business owners to do this kind of work, show them how forum posting can be beneficial for business, then pitch their own rates.

    Best,

    Shawn
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  • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
    ronr you may think about becoming the contractor. You could advertise .20 cents a post and find the employees to do it for .15 cents a post.

    I have never did it but seems like they are the ones making the money.
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  • Profile picture of the author danlew
    Yes indeed, you can make money with forum posting. All you have to do is promote your affiliate product within your signature and start contribute anything that benefits them once and for all.
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    • Profile picture of the author Romeo90
      Originally Posted by danlew View Post

      Yes indeed, you can make money with forum posting. All you have to do is promote your affiliate product within your signature and start contribute anything that benefits them once and for all.
      Or better still - your OWN product.

      I have 8,000 posts on a forum in a niche I am involved with. That forum has been the driving force behind my eBook and membership site. On the forum, I say hello to new members in the intro forum, I help people for free with their problems and questions within the niche, and in return, they see my signature which links to my sales page for my eBook.

      If I break it down as earnings vs forum posts, you may see how I make money from forum posts:

      For every forum post I have made, I have earned about £2.00 (approx $3.00). Thats not every hour, that is every post. Some posts take seconds, some of the bigger posts (and more helpful posts which have helped me establish and maintain my credibility as an authority in the niche) take 15-20 minutes.

      The average I would say, is 5-10 minutes a post.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dantplayer
        Originally Posted by Romeo90 View Post

        For every forum post I have made, I have earned about £2.00 (approx $3.00). Thats not every hour, that is every post. Some posts take seconds, some of the bigger posts (and more helpful posts which have helped me establish and maintain my credibility as an authority in the niche) take 15-20 minutes.
        Smart Strategy.

        So you can make money by paying other people to post on forums for you, and hence promoting your business. Or you can get paid pennies on the dollar to post those forum posts for other people.

        The key is to think "Mass Control"... you want to control the forum so that the people who are looking for answers there are looking to you as the authority figure AND buying your ebooks, DVDs, products, etc.
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        • Profile picture of the author MarketMaster13
          Forums posting for pay do work but it may not earn you good $$$ to pay your bills.
          If you are from those countries where $3 is good money then its OK
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
      The most profitable way to make money from forum posting is to use a "catchy" signature that links to your squeeze page (assuming the forum/s in question allow that). Make sure your squeeze page has all the right ingredients (good copy, nice graphics, valuable "bribe", etc).

      Then just contribute to the forum by providing a handful of valuable posts every day. That can add 5-10+ new subscribers to your list each day with barely any effort at all. If you hustle at it, you could probably double, or possibly even triple that figure. That may not sound like very many subscribers, but it can really add up over time.

      Now you're building an asset (a mailing list), that you can market to over and over again. Even if all you do is market 3rd party products via your affiliate link, that is still going to be far more profitable than simply going the "paid per post" route.
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  • Profile picture of the author mohsinmallik
    There are money in forum posting jobs but not huge. Your idea is right that you can make more or less $400 per month working full time. As you cannot expect more than $0.20 per forum posts.
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  • Profile picture of the author TimothyTorrents
    You can make money writing forum posts.

    You won't be able to make a lot though. If I was you I would focus on something else like affiliate marketing or another technique. Don't expect to make a full time living just from writing forum posts. Some extra pocket cash, sure. But the real money is elsewhere. Consider it a mini-job.
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    • Profile picture of the author davehayes
      This is a great post and from a guy who spends a lot of time in forums, I have made money in them for sure. this has come from a combination of Affiliate sales and also consulting work as well, when I say making money, I am not talking about a few cents, but a few hundred dollars.

      The money that has come from consulting work, is obviously based on the experience I have gained since 1998

      Applied Education is the difference
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  • Profile picture of the author digimarket
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
      Go to jvzoo and go to the affiliate section that says find a product. Now click on the tab that shows number sold to filter it to the highest first.

      If you don't see numbers there it is sad and most those numbers were sold by affiliate marketers.

      Here let me help you, you might want to be one of those ones that want a hand held while doing things. See the 5,000 + that is how many sold on jvzoo platform.





      Originally Posted by digimarket View Post

      I am beginning to think it's all a lot of hype. Affiliate marketing has made me no money what so ever. There has to be a better way
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  • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
    Originally Posted by ronr View Post

    There are companies that pay freelance writers to write forum posts. A family member is looking into writing for one for some extra money. I'm helping them to see if this is really a viable way to earn some extra money.

    There is one that is supposed to be one of the best and seems to have a good reputation. From what I've found they also supposedly pay the most.

    However the pay is 20 cents per post.

    That means if it takes you 5 minutes to write a post you could do 12 per hour. That equals $2.40 per hour. I know working from home and freelance writing has so many people that willing to work for anything that they'll do it, but really $2.40 per hour? If you could keep that pace up 8 hours a day you would earn about $19 per day or under $400/month working full time.

    Am I missing something?

    Does anyone here do this? Are you really making any money?

    Thanks, Ron
    I'm helping them to see if this is really a viable way to earn some extra money.
    It depends on what you consider as a "viable income".

    Certainly, I wouldn't encourage ANYONE to do this, and I wouldn't touch such an "opportunity" with a ten foot barge pole.

    However, if you're from a country where you can survive on $400 US per month, then it just *may* be. So I wouldn't necessarily knock it, because it works for someone.

    A far better idea is to offer services - such as freelance writing, web design, or graphic design, and market those over the internet.

    You'll certainly be able to make a viable living that way
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    • I am doing forum posting professionally since 2008.

      In my opinion, people pay 10 cents per post on average. Some people pay more, some people pay less.

      Can you make money from forum posts? Definitely. You can make as much as $500 monthly, if you write 200 posts daily for $0.10/post.

      200 posts will normally take me around 5 hours. You definitely need a great typing speed and think fast, if you are going to maximize earnings from forum posting.
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      • Profile picture of the author RTC01
        Originally Posted by onlinemoneymakerguy View Post

        I am doing forum posting professionally since 2008.

        In my opinion, people pay 10 cents per post on average. Some people pay more, some people pay less.

        Can you make money from forum posts? Definitely. You can make as much as $500 monthly, if you write 200 posts daily for $0.10/post.

        200 posts will normally take me around 5 hours. You definitely need a great typing speed and think fast, if you are going to maximize earnings from forum posting.
        $500 monthly for 5 hours of work daily is less than half of the minimum wage for anyone not living in a 3rd world country.

        You could build a much more viable income by putting that time to better use.
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        • Profile picture of the author mohsinmallik
          Originally Posted by RTC01 View Post

          $500 monthly for 5 hours of work daily is less than half of the minimum wage for anyone not living in a 3rd world country.

          You could build a much more viable income by putting that time to better use.
          I think he was talking about some extra money earning. Not about anything full time.
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  • Profile picture of the author flodim
    You know something guys, I think this is not a bad idea but only if...
    1. You start just for the experience and extra money you get initially
    2. You must be well organized. After 100-200 posts you've provided valuable info, you know very well what they ask again and again. You have a log with questions, your replies, valuable replies from others. Then this is just a copy-paste game.
    3. You know what are their concers, feelings, issues they fight with and you are the authority who provides solutions. You have in hand so much info from research you've already done. What's next? Sit down and create a report, an info product you can sell them for a few bucks. As Romeo90 says you are an authority in the niche a person they know, connect with and trust and the rest is up to you. Just my 2 cents...
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    • Profile picture of the author DTGeorge
      Originally Posted by flodim View Post

      You know something guys, I think this is not a bad idea but only if...
      1. You start just for the experience and extra money you get initially
      2. You must be well organized. After 100-200 posts you've provided valuable info, you know very well what they ask again and again. You have a log with questions, your replies, valuable replies from others. Then this is just a copy-paste game.
      3. You know what are their concers, feelings, issues they fight with and you are the authority who provides solutions. You have in hand so much info from research you've already done. What's next? Sit down and create a report, an info product you can sell them for a few bucks. As Romeo90 says you are an authority in the niche a person they know, connect with and trust and the rest is up to you. Just my 2 cents...
      Going to have to disagree here.

      There are better, quicker and easier ways to make extra money.
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  • Profile picture of the author misterkailo
    You will be lucky to even make 10 cents per post, and even if you get paid 10 cents, the person paying you might not even like your posts so you don't get paid for some of the posts
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  • Profile picture of the author footbag_man
    Originally Posted by ronr View Post

    There are companies that pay freelance writers to write forum posts. A family member is looking into writing for one for some extra money. I'm helping them to see if this is really a viable way to earn some extra money.

    There is one that is supposed to be one of the best and seems to have a good reputation. From what I've found they also supposedly pay the most.

    However the pay is 20 cents per post.

    That means if it takes you 5 minutes to write a post you could do 12 per hour. That equals $2.40 per hour. I know working from home and freelance writing has so many people that willing to work for anything that they'll do it, but really $2.40 per hour? If you could keep that pace up 8 hours a day you would earn about $19 per day or under $400/month working full time.

    Am I missing something?

    Does anyone here do this? Are you really making any money?

    Thanks, Ron
    I guess if the person posting on the forum has a good rep then it will help to brand the company being advertised..
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  • Profile picture of the author yestyle
    Banned
    I think more people earning good money from forum posts, beacause I myself paid money for some people who wrote articles for my forum. So it's real for making money online.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
      Yes, you can make money if you work for the right company, but no, it's not enough for a living. However, it is a great way to get some extra cash that you can use to fund your own business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
    Originally Posted by ronr View Post

    That means if it takes you 5 minutes to write a post you could do 12 per hour. That equals $2.40 per hour. I know working from home and freelance writing has so many people that willing to work for anything that they'll do it, but really $2.40 per hour? If you could keep that pace up 8 hours a day you would earn about $19 per day or under $400/month working full time.
    Who spends 5 minutes writing a forum post?

    The one I'm writing right now - this one you're reading - I wrote in a few seconds.
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      From what I understand the companies that hire you to write forum posts require well thought out thread starters and replies on a variety of topics, not just a post like you wrote below.

      Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

      Who spends 5 minutes writing a forum post?

      The one I'm writing right now - this one you're reading - I wrote in a few seconds.
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      • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
        Originally Posted by ronr View Post

        From what I understand the companies that hire you to write forum posts require well thought out thread starters and replies on a variety of topics, not just a post like you wrote below.
        I can imagine that, but still unless they want giant walls of text, writing a forum post is hardly time-consuming.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

      Who spends 5 minutes writing a forum post?
      I sometimes spend even 10 minutes on them. But those are not, admittedly, the paid-to-post kind of posts.

      Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

      The one I'm writing right now - this one you're reading - I wrote in a few seconds.
      There are other kinds, too.

      There are agencies paying people $0.20 for forum posts and charging forum-owners $0.30 per post for them. (I looked into this when I set up my forum, but then decided not to use any of those services.) They claim that 20-25-word posts can be made at the rate of 60 per hour. If that's true (which I see that it may not necessarily be, overall), that makes the income potential a theoretical $12 per hour, which is just a little above "minimum wage" by US standards, I think (but it's also far more than I pay either of my full-time virtual assistants who both live in countries with much lower living-costs and wages, and I pay them more than "the going rate", too).
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  • Profile picture of the author seonutshell
    I do this on Fiverr. 30 posts for $4. Only takes me an hour to do them all and im not flooded with ordders, so i do it and its some nice extra money for me!
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  • Profile picture of the author hngems
    You can use forums to earn cash on the internet from house since it is one of the best media to advertise or market your solutions and items.
    A community forum is a network where users share their opinions on various subjects, asking and responding to questions as well publishing helpful articles. Before you can take advantage of any community forum, you have to first find out their terms of use to know if you can promote a web link in your trademark.
    There are boards that allow direct advertising of your solutions and items. If a community forum allows links either that of your site or an affiliate web link, then you have the chance to earn cash at house on the internet.
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