Insider HubPages Ad Program Tips from Len Cannon

As an end to our short series of interviews with some of the early HubPages Ad Program beta testers (we have already interviewed relache and Patty Inglish, MS), we have an interview with Len Cannon.

Well rounded with other online pursuits such as Best of Instant Watch and Rage Kittens, Len Cannon shares some excellent advice to Hubbers awaiting their invite to the HubPages Ad Program – and offers some lovely pearls of wisdom about online writing in general!

 

What was your first impression when you received an invite to beta test the HubPages Ad Program?

Well, I was surprised! Then I was a little bit confused. I wasn’t initially aware of how limited the beta was. To this day, I’m still not entirely clear about what metrics were used to choose me over someone else. I’m not terribly prolific, don’t have a lot of contact with other writers for the site, and my traffic is good but hardly top-tier. Still, I was excited for a new opportunity and was glad to take advantage of it.

Are you happy with how things have gone with the HubPages Ad Program so far?

I most definitely am happy with the HubPages Ad Program. My earnings are up, they’re more consistent, and many of the ads are more attractive. I don’t know what it will be like in the future, but I’m excited to see how much of an effect it will have in the long term.

What, in general, do you think Hubbers can do to be successful with the HubPages Ad Program – and online writing in general? Are there any simple, good rules of thumb you go by?

I don’t want to make any broad assumptions about how to excel with the new advertisement system. For now anyone looking for general advice to achieving success with HubPages, I have to go with “Write what you understand.” Too many people are told they need to write topics about the highest earning keyword or find the one niche that no one else on the internet has scooped up. That’s great, but too often it leads to people who have no experience with the topic regurgitating Wikipedia articles onto the page and calling it a day. A good article written by an enthusiast isn’t just going to just read better: it is going to use the same language and syntax as a person who is actually searching for it. When you and your reader are in the same frame of mind, I feel like you’ll have a better chance of making a connection via search engines and the writing itself.

A lot of Hubbers are really anxious to get their invite and opt in to the HubPages Ad Program – is there anything Hubbers can do in the mean time to prepare?

It sounds cheesy, but just write more. The HubPages Ad Program isn’t a miracle worker, you need decent traffic to see results just like any other system. Content that readers click out of quickly, that won’t generate search engine hits, or simply sends readers somewhere else ASAP isn’t really going to preform well.

HubPages Ad Program aside, what are your favorite things to write about on HubPages? Do you have a Hub that you’ve written of which you are particularly proud or that you had a lot of fun writing?

A quick look at my profile will show I write a lot about video games and comic books. I can assure you they’re not the best PPC targets, but I feel like I can write about them with a level of confidence and expertise that makes my work stand out from the crowd.

My favorite Hubs, though, are those that are more “fun” than “informational” that still manage to perform well. I wrote a hub, “6 Terrifying (And Scarring) Children’s Movies” that gets a few hundred hits a week and is mostly there to make people laugh and enjoy themselves. Being able to write something that really lets your personality show through without sacrificing readership is exceptionally rewarding.

[Thanks, Len Cannon!]