Examiner (examiner.com) is a UGC website that runs solely on the submissions provided by “examiners”, writers with experience writing good web copy and expertise in a certain category.  Each examiner is assigned to a city and provides information about topics relevant to their expertise area (i.e.; a Minneapolis Travel Examiner would provide information about parks, restaurants, and notable monuments around Minneapolis).  Examiners are encouraged to update their Examiner feed several times per week.

Examiner.com: How it Works

Examiner.com pays writers by how many page views all of their article accumulate.  It follows roughly the same formula as Associated Content–page views are accumulated over a month, and if you reach the minimum payout after that month (which is $25.00), you get paid.  Examiner.com currently pays one cent per page view, and is considered a high paying website in terms of page view accumulation.

Unlike other websites which favor evergreen content, Examiner.com highly favors short, “newsy” pieces.  Examiner articles are quickly listed on Google News within two to three hours, where most people earn their page view money. If people know how to create short news pieces about their topic on a daily basis, they can continuously build up high amounts of traffic.

Examiner.com: Advantages

If you want to establish yourself as an expert in a niche topic, Examiner.com is an ideal place for you.  Here’s why:

• Many companies and PR people consider Examiner.com a great place to get exposure. Many examiners are contacted by companies, restaurants or high profile people for interviews or to promote their product.  Some may even offer free samples.
• Referral bonuses. If you refer a person to Examiner.com, you also get $50, which adds up quickly.
• Their payments for page views are one of the highest on the Internet.  Some people earn hundreds of dollars every month by posting popular “newsy” snippets every day.

Examiner.com: Disadvantages

• If you don’t write newsy stories, it’s difficult to get page views. Google News seems to be the main source of these astronomical page views, and if news isn’t your thing, you won’t make very much money.
• The most successful examiners write about very popular topics, such as celebrities, mixed martial arts (MMA) or sexuality.  Examiners who write about restaurants or parenting do not receive as many page views.  Only certain topics do well.

Examiner.com: Verdict

The key to succeeding on Examiner.com is knowing how to write excellent, short news pieces on popular topics  on a daily basis.  Many examiners who complain about low page views write about unpopular topics or don’t write many news pieces.  If you’re willing to adapt to Examiner’s format in order to cash in and promote yourself as an expert, this is the place for you.  If you can’t (or don’t want to) learn this format, Examiner.com will become what it has for some people–a dud with little money potential.