Writing for listverse: $100 per top 10 list. Has anyone written for them?

Hi! Im considering writing for listverse but it seems like the offer is too good to be true and was wondering if anyone has experience writing for them and if they can provide advice/feedback.

Here is a summary of the site for those not familiar with it and who might also be interested : )

What you write: Top Ten list with 1,000 words minimum. They state that they like "lists that intrigue and educate, specializing in the bizarre or lesser- known trivia, a variety of categories, from art & literature to science & nature."
Pay/benefits: $100 by paypal per article. You can "pitch an idea" to them before writing the whole article also to reduce the chances of it getting rejected.

There is also potential in that if you have a blog, a twitter account, or a book you want to promote, they stick the link at the bottom of the published list. They say they have more than eight million readers. Im trying to think of the type of blog that could best be monetized with this. Im thinking a blog with amazon affliate products that would be of interest to readers of the top ten fact lists but I hear that amazon doesnt pay as well as clickbank. Im very much a newbie so am still trying to figure everything out.


Any thoughts on the site? I might try it out and create a "My journey" post with it : )

Never heard of it before. But as they mention in the "What you write" part, I would definitely send them a couple of ideas first, if they already mention the possibility of being rejected. Also not sure about the pictures which are in the other posts - do you need to provide them? How about the copyright of these pictures?

Thank you for your reply. From listversed0tc0m / submissions "You can include links to images or youtube clips - but this is optional. If you do not include image links, we will find appropriate images for you"

The truth about Listverse:


If you create a list please make sure you read the small print. If you create a list and they choose not to publish your list they still own the rights to it.

Yes you read that correctly.

If you take the time to submit 1,000 words, you turn in your list, they say " we don't want to publish it", you still can't publish it under your own name because they now own it.

Proceed with caution. The general grade for this site is about a C+. You have a 30/ 70 chance of acceptance.

Yea def don't spend a lot of time / money writing those 1000+ word posts if they have low acceptance rate

ExceedingExcellence said:

The truth about Listverse:
The general grade for this site is about a C+.

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What is this from, ExceedingExcellence? Is there some kind of writers-review-site site or something?

ExceedingExcellence said:

The truth about Listverse:You have a 30/ 70 chance of acceptance.

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Look into it more but it sounds like it's worth a try. Even if you have a 30% acceptance rate, that still averages out to $30 per article.

flc735 said:

What is this from, ExceedingExcellence? Is there some kind of writers-review-site site or something?


Look into it more but it sounds like it's worth a try. Even if you have a 30% acceptance rate, that still averages out to $30 per article.

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Lets dissect this:

I created the master content mill list which is getting revamped as we speak. As I'm doing so, I'm adding report cards based on information pulled from over 30 different forums with positive/ negative experiences and my own experiences.

You do not get $30 for the article. If you create a list, you submit the 1,000 words, and even if they don't publish the list, they own it.

I'm simply giving the original poster the information they requested. I've had 2 lists accepted, spoken to the owner of the site and spoken with other writers whom have submitted lists with no payment.

The lure of $100 is wonderful but if there is a better chance of the writer publishing the article in a 2 or 4 part series on a different site, pulling in more than $100 in less than 2 months, with the opportunity to create more then I would refer them to do so.


If you are going to write 1,000 words, I feel you should be paid for your time, effort, and research. If you submit the list you no longer own what you've created.

If you keep shooting for low acceptance rates then you'll always gamble with a higher chance of losing.


For those who ARE interested in making alittle more than what was offered or for those whom don't want to waste their time I suggest:

1. Publish a 2 or 4 part series on Hubpages promoting the series through guests posts on blogs with a high PR rating.

2. Create a " TOP 10 " list section on your website and promote through social media marketing with a short link advertisement leading to the list ( This option allows you to get paid per click and per view).

3. Publish on a site like Helium or Gather.com and use the short link method from #2. You can monitor the traffic to your article and Gather pays a pretty high per view rate.

4. Consider making your top 10 list interactive: Allow your audience to vote for your next Top 10 list by providing a list of potential topics.


After you've done one of the 4, take some time and email the owner of Listverse, giving them an idea of your capabilities to create a list that brings in traffic, and pitch an idea with the ability to keep your work.

If you show them you have potential lists coming out, provide them a few examples then you are able to take the upper hand and control whether your next list will go on your site or theirs.

Thanks for the advice! Ive also been accepted as a demand studios writer so may pursue that too. Id be interested in seeing the updated content mill list once finished!

Any advice on a quick and easy way to create a list other than using wikipedia?

Never heard of them but this is something that sort of interests me. I think that I could easily write this. What is the success rate though of articles that are submitted?

dee1017 said:

Any advice on a quick and easy way to create a list other than using wikipedia?

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Look at other top ten list. Can you compile your own list or do you need stats with it?

Hey guys, Listverse staff person here. This thread looks pretty well dead, but we do get questions about this from time to time, so we thought we should clarify that the clause in question (concerning whether LV owns submitted content without paying for it) was quickly removed from our terms almost as soon as it was added to them. Rejected lists remain the property of the writer; we only own the copyright to lists that we pay for.

If you're interested in writing for us, the best way to see what we usually pay for is to read some of our recent content and the author guide (red button on the submission page) to be sure you understand what our requirements are.

Thanks!

I have heard of them before but thought that the offer might be too good to be true. I would love to be able to get $100 for an article. I know that I could write it but sometimes these sites are so picky about everything.

LoftPower said:

I have heard of them before but thought that the offer might be too good to be true. I would love to be able to get $100 for an article. I know that I could write it but sometimes these sites are so picky about everything.

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It isn't too good to be true; we definitely pay for lists every day. However, it is true that we are rather picky about what we'll accept, so read the site and the author guides before starting to write. Cheers!

Listverse Editor said:

It isn't too good to be true; we definitely pay for lists every day. However, it is true that we are rather picky about what we'll accept, so read the site and the author guides before starting to write. Cheers!

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Sounds like an awesome opportunity then! Is the writer free to pick what they want to write about or are there lists that the site is looking for to have content written for?

This is a slick looking site. Anyone work for them lately? Opinions and reviews are appreciated.

Yeah, would be nice to know if anyone's actually worked for them, that would be pretty good income.

The price is good, but I wouldn't say it's too good to be true.

They have quality lists, and I'm sure they reject 95% of what they get just because it reads like a high school student wrote it. If you get published, though, you can definitely expect $100. Be ready to do research and write for at least 2-3 days, if not more.

I had a friend submit a list to that site and got paid. However, as a reader, I noticed a lot of the lists feature information pulled word for word or slightly reworded from Wikipedia. IMO, that is not high quality.

Not hating because I love to read listverse. However, IMO, writers are better off starting their own list site. $100 per list (and with a high rejection rate) is rather low for a one time payment gig since Listverse will continue to earn from that one list for as long as it is live on their site, it would be way smarter and more profitable for a writer to start his or her own list site.

With the various social media sites, one can easily pull in the number of readers, if not more, that listverse currently has. Why settle for a one time payment of $100 when you can earn $100 per month per list on your own site?

Sites like listverse is good only if one is extremely hard up for cash due to the high rejection rate and the fact that they own your content whether they accept it or reject it. One would be better off selling valuables on craigslist, etc. for $100.