eHow is a UGC website where anyone can publish articles about how to do something (hence the name eHow).  Each article lists a step-by-step process, materials needed to complete the objective, and additional information.  eHow is an extremely popular website with novice writers because they are not bound by strict writing criteria.

eHow writers earn money when a person clicks on an advertisement in their article, earning them a handful of cents with each successful click.  The biggest advantage is that you don’t need to gain thousands of page views to gain more money–instead, you want to make sure your articles generate compelling ads that entice people to click it.  You could easily make over $5.00 with just 100 views, provided those viewers click on the ads.

eHow: How it Works

"How to Decode Sugar Cereals" by Katherine Huether, an article featured on eHow.

As explained earlier, writers accumulate money when visitors click on the ads on their articles.  Writers increase their chance of gaining more money by writing informational, keyword-optimized content targeting popular topics.  Writing about chemistry won’t generate compelling image ads, but writing about Rihanna or how to get free items legally will.

Once the total accumulated money equals $10.00, the writer is eligible to receive payment.  The payments are deposited monthly into the person’s Paypal.

Because gaining money on eHow is different from other websites, this may challenge experienced writers.  It’s really hit or miss with eHow, and sometimes even the best articles don’t earn any money because of no click-throughs.  Some writers report making up to $1,000 per month, although this is not the norm.

eHow: Advantages

For novice writers, eHow is an exciting introduction to the world of online writing.  Here’s why:

• You can begin publishing articles just by joining the website. You don’t need to prove you’re an excellent writer.  They accept all types of writers–no need to prove you can write to professional-like standards.

• On that note, their standards aren’t very high.  You may get articles removed if your articles have glaring spelling or grammar issues, however, or if they are on banned topics (explicit sexual how to’s are not eHow-friendly).  But you won’t have this nagging pressure that you need to write the perfect article, because they don’t set the bar that high.  Write how you want.

• You can write about almost everything–as long as it is a how to article. How to shape your eyebrows like Megan Fox is good to go, but writing about how to know how sexy Megan Fox is will get your article removed very swiftly.

• eHow has a strong online community, where other writers can share advice, tips for getting more money, and what tactics to avoid. You can also create groups about topics you’re interested in, such as photography or fiction writing.

eHow: Disadvantages

eHow has some well known disadvantages.  These disadvantages include:

• They do not allow you to republish your content elsewhere. You can ask permission, but according to their website, they rarely shell it out.

• They do not pay you for accumulating page views. Got 100,000 page views on your article but only gained $0.20?  Tough luck.  That’s all you’re getting.

• You can only write how to’s. If you want to write an informational article that isn’t a how to, you’ll need to submit it to a different writing website.

eHow: Verdict

You really need to know what articles and ads gain the most clicks, and then work from there.  If you can’t learn it, or don’t want to, eHow probably isn’t for you.  But if you’re willing to put in the time to learn the game, eHow could be a profitable place to gain monthly residual income.