Minor Topics Writer FAQ

What does a Minor Topic’s writer do?

As we can’t obviously read every piece of news out there, Minor Topics writers help us by finding local and national news stories that may be of interest to themselves or other parents, and share it with our readers.

What kind of posts are you looking for?

We’re looking for breaking news coverage on any topic that would be of interest to parents. Topics such as children’s/women’s health issues, education, entertainment, child abuse, national or world headlines — anything related to parenting, an obviously broad subject. Writers, however, do not need to be parents to apply. Posts should generally be 180 – 400 words in length.

The best way to get an idea of what kinds of stories we cover is to visit the main Minor Topics page and read through some of our current news stories.

What style of writing are you looking for?

We are looking for people to write in AP style, using their own voice in a professional manner. We are NOT looking for simple regurgitation of news items, but a culmination of several news stories on the same topic. If you see a breaking news item on CNN.com, we recommend reading several sources (especially sources local to the event) so that you can combine information to give your posts more depth and provide extra value to our readers.

For example, one story may give a victim’s name, while another may have a quote from a relative; the combined information makes the post more comprehensive. While not required, we encourage writers to put on their journalism hat and investigate stories using various methods. The sky is the limit — the more credibility you can lend to your work, the more likely you’ll be linked to by other sites or featured in popular search indexes, like Google News. This all leads to more pageviews.

How many posts do I have to write?

That is up to you, but the more you write, the more you’ll earn. We have noticed that pageviews exponentially increase as the post count goes up. Some content inevitably turns “evergreen” and continues to get views long after the news cycle for the article is over.

We do, however, ask that writers post at least once every 30 days. Writers who are inactive for more than 30 days may be moved to a quarterly payment system or may be removed from the site at our discretion.

How will my traffic be monitored?

We currently monitor and pay for pageviews tracked by Google Analytics. This allows transparency and honesty in tracking by a third party, and let’s you monitor traffic success throughout the month.

How will I know if I’m accepted and what do I do from there?

Due to the number of applications we cannot personally respond to each one. If approved, you will get an email with instructions as to how to start, writer’s guidelines, policies and restrictions and pertinent technical information. We generally review new applications within 7-10 days, so if you don’t hear from us by that time frame you were unfortunately not a good fit for our site.

Are Minor Topics writers paid?

Yes. Currently we pay $1 per qualified post, along with a traffic incentive of $3 per 1,000 pageviews. For example, if you write 50 posts in a given month which generate 100,000 pageviews, you would earn (50 * $1) + (100,000/1000 * $3) = $350.

What can I expect to make?

The more content you add, the more of a pipeline you’ll have to create revenue. Some news stories hit big, while others bring in modest revenue. It’s nearly impossible to determine which news stories will be the most popular on any given day, but with a little guidance from our editors and continued posting, you’ll begin to recognize which stories generate the most interest. SEO plays a key role as well, and we’re here to help you maximize your efforts through our managed editorial process. But as with many things in life, your mileage may vary.

What rights am I granting?

Contributors own all copyrights to any and all original content including photos, and we ask for first exclusive electronic rights and license.

So, where do I apply?

The Minor Topics writer application is here. We do ask that you provide a sample post of approximately 200 words, based on current events.

What if I have a question you didn’t answer here?

Please direct any other questions to our editor.