In this lesson I’m going to share with you how to submit content to Associated Content. If you missed the first two parts, you can find them here at: make money with Associated Content - Part 1 and, get paid with Associated Content Part 2.

To get started publishing your content on the Associated Content website, sign in to your account and click ‘Publish’ from the top toolbar.

Now you’re faced with a wide assortment of choices from two main categories Text Submissions and Multimedia Submissions. Text Submissions are available in a wide variety from General Articles to a Travel Guides. Multimedia files fall under either video or audio.

Pick the closest category for your submission and click ‘Publish.’

If you can’t make up your mind which category is the best suited for your submission you should use the site wizard to help you choose.

Once you’ve found a category and have clicked ‘Publish’ you’ll see the step 1 of 5 screen. You must finish all steps of submission before your content will be submitted for review. Stopping of leaving at any time will save your progress in the ‘My Content’ section of your account.

Step 1.

In this step you’ll want to decide on which user agreement you’d like to submit your content under.

Here are the usage rights definitions:

Exclusive: You guarantee that the submission has not been previously published (either online or in print) and will not be published elsewhere in the future. Once accepting our offer, you assign full copyright ownership to AC.

Non-Exclusive: Non-exclusive submissions can be previously published either in print or online. If we find it online, the byline must match your AC account. You retain the right to re-publish your non-exclusive AC content.

Once you’ve decided on which usage rights you wish to grant and have taken a look at the End User agreement click ‘Save & Next.’

Step 2

Step two contains the main information for your content submission. Here you’ll want to take your skill in content creation from earlier and put it to good use.

A strong headline is critical to the success and readership of your content. Submitting content with a strong headline will get the attention of the reviewer and generate an increased offer for your piece.

The Abstract conveys the overall message of the content. Enter or create a descriptive paragraph for this area describing the main points or overall theme of your content.

In the Article body section you’ll want to paste the content you’ve written. You can refer to the AC submission guidelines at:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/guidelines.cfm

Turning the Text Editor ‘off’ allows you to use html code in your content. It works much like notepad on the PC and will strip out any formatting you have in your text.

Turning the Text Editor ‘on’ allows you to spell check, bold, italicize or underline your text. You cannot use html code with the Text Editor on. Working with the text editor on is much like MS Word on the PC.

If you have website links of sources you site in your content you can put a live link at the bottom of the content section.

Sneaky Tip:

A money making tip I use is to create a source link pointing to a website I own and cite it from my content. This link must be relevant to the content in your piece and it must be placed at the bottom of the content.

Using this tactic you can receive some good search engine optimization benefits from the AC website (which is a page rank 7 website at the time of this writing from the home page) pointing toward your website.

This link acts as a vote for your site and may increase your search engine exposure. Be very careful not to overdo this tactic as it is very valuable but could be removed if not used properly.

Step 3

In this step AC is basically trying to get you to fine tune the focus of your content so it can be sorted, categorized and possibly get you to add additional information to your submission.

These fields are optional, but they may add a small boost to the offer you receive. I recommend entering something in these spaces, but don’t waste too much time here as it may not increase the amount you’re are paid substantially.

The supporting links section should not be overlooked. In this section you can add links that are relevant to the information in your content.

Adding your own link here is a good way to increase your website or blog click- throughs and generate additional income. Make sure the links you add here contribute in some way to the content. If you want to sneak your link in under the radar you may also want to consider adding a few relevant links than your own in between.

A way I’ve successfully used this tactic is to put up an article page on one of my websites with related content and monetized with Adsense. Once someone clicks through to your site they see relevant information to the topic they’re interested in as well as advertising that matches what they’re looking for.

Here’s another way to maximize this idea.

Use the same tactics above to direct people to your website or blog by adding relevant information and citing it in your content. Then on the page you’re directing traffic too, add an email opt-in form and offer a free bonus to entice visitors to sign up.

Using this strategy you’ll have the opportunity to build a mailing list in which you can offer useful information and long term income. At the bottom of these emails include related affiliate links to products you recommend.

If you deliver solid and useful information it will just be a short matter of time before people begin to trust your recommendations and purchase through your links.

Once you’ve added any links you have to the ‘Supporting Links’ section you’ll want to choose a category for your piece from the sliding menu.

Next you’ll want to choose which topics closely relate to the content you’re submitting. This information will be used to link your article to other related content and vice versa. Make sure you enter your keywords or keyword phrases and separate each one with a comma.

This is a required field and will help get your own web content seen and receive better exposure.

Once you’ve finished step 3 click ‘Save & Next.’

Step 4

In this step you’ll want to add an image if you have one to give your content more appeal. Adding relevant images to your content will help it receive a higher offer amount.

Make sure you remember where you saved your pictures on your computer. Clicking ‘Browse’ will allow you to search your computer for any image you want to add.

For the credit box enter the name you’d like displayed below your article headline. This will become a hyperlink which leads to your Content Publisher page. Use the copyright section to reaffirm that you hold the copyrights to this material.

Once satisfied click ‘Finish and Preview.’

Step 5

You’ll now be taken to a thank you page where you can preview your article submission. You then have the opportunity to click ‘Make Changes Now’ or ‘Publish More Content’ based on the results.

Congratulations you’ve successfully submitted your content to the AC website. You can expect up to a two week delay before you receive a response. In the mean time why don’t you try submitting the non-exclusive content you’ve just submitted to a couple other sites to increase your earning capacity.

If you’d like more information on writing articles for your online business check out the Paid Insider Forum.