The Payout Chronicles: How lakeerieartists Went From Getting Backlinks To Getting Her First HubPages $100 Payout

One of the trends that I really like and that I am thankfully seeing more and more is that writers are now more than ever noticing that HubPages is much more than just a place to create a couple of backlinks. Fairly high-profile writers and online money-makers, such as Court over at the Keyword Academy, have found that HubPages is a totally legit, revenue-generating publishing community that gives writers of all types an opportunity to earn, interact and share interests. This, of course, is fantastic news and as HubPages continues to show up on writer’s radars there will be more and more Hubbers who will realize the potential that we offer them to be successful.

Speaking of Hubbers who have recently discovered the true value of HubPages, I am happy to introduce all of you to lakeerieartists who, according to this forum post, has just hit her first official $100 payout from Google. Her story is very interesting as she’s a writer who was once only interested in using us for creating backlinks to her other articles and blogs online, but who now has become a very successful and active part of our community. She let me shoot her some quick questions about her experiences with HubPages so far, what made her stick around and what she thinks about making her first payout and here’s what she had to say:

1. Oh my goodness, according to this forum thread that you started you have officially hit your first $100 payout from Google after being a member of the HubPages community for over a year! How did you feel when you first realized that this month was the month?

Well, to be fair, I have been a member for over a year ,but didn’t really become active at writing hubs until June of this year.  So in reality, I would count my active hubbing as starting in June, making it five months from beginning to first payout.  That is a reality for anyone.  I did not do anything special.  But, yes, I am truly excited because I have had an Adsense account for about three years and it is exciting to see it turn into a real income source.

2. After snooping around at your stats a bit (I hope you don’t mind) I noticed that you published your first Hub in August of 2008 and then you didn’t really get back into the swing of things until just a few months ago. Why have you all of a sudden been publishing so much on HubPages here lately?

When I originally opened an account on Hubpages it was to create a backlink to Squidoo which I had become active on in June of 2008.  I really didn’t understand either site very well, and created one hub. More recently, although I am a Giant Squid on Squidoo, I wanted to add more revenue streams and had heard good things about Hubpages.  I decided to try it out seriously.  I already had an Amazon account and Adsense account, so I figured why not build up those accounts?  And so I started to learn the differences between Squidoo and Hubpages and how I could take advantage of Hubpages to supplement what I was already doing.

What I learned was that I really like the total control I have over my articles on Hubpages, and that Hubpages lends itself to a completely different kind of focused webpage than Squidoo.  I also learned a lot about how Adsense works.

3. I know that you were a stand-out participant of the October HubChallenge — how did joining the HubChallenge affect your overall HubPages experience and success?

The Hubchallenge really got me going.  It was at that time that I committed myself to creating some serious earning potential with Hubpages.  And I found I really loved writing the hubs.

4. You write about all different types of topics, at least I didn’t notice any type of pattern in your Hubs. If you don’t mind sharing, can you please give us a quick overview of how you are coming up with all of these seemingly random topics?

I am writing about topics that interest me, some of which you will find echoed in my blogs and on Squidoo, and I am looking for Adsense topics that pay well, and that are either seasonal within the next few months or something that people will look for all year.  As I learn more about how Adsense works, then I am adapting my topics to make better use of that knowledge.  My biggest overall topics are art, green living, and shopping.

5. After all of this time on HubPages and considering that you have just now made your first $100 payout, what has kept you hanging around this (sometimes crazy) place? I guess a better way of asking is, what do you feel are some of the main reasons that you have decided to spend your time on HubPages?

I like the hubpages community.  I see the excellent potential for passive income, and I like the ability to have control over the hubs and the earning potential of the hubs.

6.  I always like giving credit where credit is due. Who would you give credit to if I asked you who has been helpful, motivating, inspirational, friendly or just plain nuts/entertaining during your journey to your first payout? Go a head and give some shout-outs to the Hubbers who have helped you get to this point.

I would say that I have learned a lot from Relache and Darkside, and gotten a lot of encouragement from Nelle Hoxie and Sunforged.

7. Ok, well that’s all that I have (and it’s 6:45 on a Friday so I need to get home to my wife for date night) — if there’s anything else that you feel like you should add to this interview, feel free to say it now.

First of all, thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed.  Over the last several months, I have come to really appreciate and enjoy the Hubpages experience.  I would say to anyone who is new, that it takes time to understand how Hubpages works, and if you continue to make Hubs while asking questions, you will succeed.  There are a lot of experienced Hubbers who can help you.  For anyone who is coming to Hubpages from another article platform, learn how Hubpages works, and adapt your style to the Hubpages platform.  It takes a little time, but it is well worth it.

Want to keep up with what lakeerieartists is up to? Click here to become her fan now!