Will it surprise you to learn that a lot of information contained in any magazine is not provided by writers and editors employed with the magazine. In fact, a lot of writers work on contract basis for writing on a given topic or a number of topics and some of them have a long term contract with the magazine.
That’s a great way for earning money as a freelancer writer. But today we are not here to talk about that. Today, we are going to tell you how anyone, not necessarily a freelancer writer, could earn some extra money by offering written material to magazines.
There are many magazines willing to pay you regularly or compensate you for making your contribution to their magazines.
For instance, you could make an easy $250 for sending in a story to the Woman’s World magazine if they find it appropriate for publishing.
Now, that is quite a handsome amount for writing something short and engaging.
It may surprise you to learn that non-freelancing writings can fetch you up to $250, though you may come across magazines willing to pay even more than the said amount.
FreeCash: It pays you to test apps, play games & take surveys. Get paid up to $497.82 per offer! Start Earning!
Earn Haus: Earn up to $25 per survey. Plus same-day payments via PayPal, Venmo & Check! Join Earn Haus!
InboxDollars: Paid over $57 Million to members to watch videos, take surveys, shop and more. Get $5 instantly!
KashKick: Get paid directly into your PayPal for watching videos, surfing, shopping and more. Join KashKick Now!
iPsos iSay: If you have to only sign up for one paid survey site, go with Ipsos (high paying surveys!)! Join iPsos Now
Swagbucks: Get paid to watch videos, shop online, take surveys and more. Join now & get $10 instantly!
Though the amount you earn in this manner is surely insufficient for making a living, it can surely add to your existing source of income and help you achieving your financial goal or perhaps add to the amount you may be saving for a long awaited vacation.
Table of Contents
How Do You Get Ideas?
You would agree that ideas keep cropping up in one’s mind at all times. The best way to record those ideas is to keep a diary with you and note down things that you do in a manner different than most others do.
It could be helping your children with their homework, or managing to save time while cooking and doing other household chores or work efficiently at your workplace and keep pursuing your hobbies or learn new skills.
The ideas need to be your own all the time. You can always get some from your friends and coworkers and modify the same to suit your requirements. Nobody minds telling you how they quickly finish household chores like cleaning and cooking efficiently and manage spending quality time with their kids and spouse.
You can even prepare other members of your family to similarly talk to their friends and colleagues and provide you the required feedback.
On going through the readers’ pages of various publications you may get reminded of many incidents that occurred in your life. On reading about a family’s visit to the zoo, you may be reminded of some funny incident that happened during your visit there. Likewise, you could share with others how you quickly remove burnt food from your pots.
Writing Your Content
Your writing should be brief and clear, without any superfluous words.
You may need to rewrite the same article a couple of times to eliminate or minimize adverbs and adjectives.
The shorter is your content, the better are the chances of its getting published. But do provide personal details.
When to Send Your Material
Generally, after having received your content a publisher may take anywhere from six weeks to six months to print your content.
Advertisements
The time period mentioned here varies with publishers. For instance, if you intend submitting an article on how to prepare kids for going back to school in September, you should do it during June or even earlier.
Likewise, tips for Christmas decorations should be sent by the end of summer.
However, ensure that the terminology used by you doesn’t restrict the relevance of your writing. For instance, if you don’t include the words ‘spring cleaning’ when talking about household hints, your tips can be used anytime of the year.
Photographs
A digital camera is a tool for making money these days. And they are quite affordable now and easy to carry along. So, develop the habit of carrying one with you for taking photo of anything that you find unusual or interesting.
It could be a store sign or a road sign, an eerie translation into English of a foreign menu, your pet or kids caught in an amusing pose.
Such like photos can fetch you money with no or minimum words.
When you offer a photo relevant to your content, you can get double the amount. There are publications that do not print your matter unless accompanied with a photo.
In one of my tries, while informing me that my letter will be published and I’ll be paid $50, the editor pointed out that if I could send a descriptive photo, they would declare it as ‘The letter of the week’ and pay me $100 plus another fifty dollars towards the cost of photo, meaning a total of $150.
Magazines That Offer Cash for Submitted Tips and Photos
Here are some sites that I located:
1. Cuisine at home Magazine
You can get up to $100 for an exceptional tip/strategy that helps cooking.
2. Woman’s World
Get paid $50 – $250 for your funny personal stories, jokes and photos.
3. The Family Handyman
Suggest tips that make any DIY project simpler to execute, preferably with photos and get $100, if your idea is found worthy of publication.
4. Taste of Home
They pay you $250 for photos of your remodeled kitchen.
5. The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer pays you for good stories and spicy tips and photos concerning celebrities, national politicians and factual crime.
6. FineScale Modeler
On sharing news about useful techniques and tools that are considered appropriate for publishing, the FineScale Modeler magazine pays you.
7. Parents.com
For every parenting tip offered by you that they find fit for publishing, Parent.com will pay you $25.
8. Pick Me Up
Each published tip earns you $50. You can also send in funny children’s saying. If it gets published, you pocket $50.
UK Specific Magazines
9. That’s Life!
The awards are quite generous here, for every story that gets published you get £1,000, £50 for letter and £25 for stories and photos.
10. Bella
offer prizes going up to £200 for crossword puzzles, up to £1,000 for real life stories and £50 for each publishable letter.
11. Take a Break
You can earn up to £1,000 for writing a story, £60 for a helpful tip and photo and £30 for a tip. Their Facebook page with a weekly question competition carries a prize of £60. Take a Break also offers £25 for each published recipe with an entry into a £500 Facebook competition.
12. FHM
For writing a Star letter you get a prize, e.g. Guitar Hero and an LCD screen
13. Prima
Winning story collects £200 and £25 goes for ‘Words of Wisdom’
14. Full House
They pay $50 for photo and tips. You can also send in letter and get paid $40.
15. Chat
Gives prizes of up to £50 for puzzles
16. Real People
If they select your story, you get richer by £2,000; the reward for tips with photos is £25, and £100 for their mum-to-mum section.
Conclusion
Those were but a few magazines that offer prizes to the contributors whose material is accepted.
It’s not that every magazine pays, but there many out there that pay you for giving an expert tip and good photos and real stories.
There is no harm in trying and getting paid for an idea and claim that you contributed to that magazine. It’s an easy and fun way to earn a little side money.
Share your thoughts