Recently, you submitted a sample article to write for a site within the LWOS Network. Thank-you! We are very happy to welcome you to our team, but we wanted to take a moment or two to ensure you are comfortable joining us.
Below you will find our most commonly asked questions that can shed some light on LWOS as well as important details you will need to confirm in order to have your account activated. Please read and confirm at your earliest convenience so we can add you to our exciting community of writers.
Michael Kovacs
CEO
Last Word On Sports INC
LWOS Basics
Why should I write for LWOS?
The LWOS Network is above all else a friendly, cooperative, and inclusive environment. Our writers feel like they are valued and their writing is appreciated. As a result, there is a sense of community. We also have a very large network from which to draw ideas and assistance. Our more than 80 editors give valuable feedback regarding writing and promoting, and our admin team will work with you to help you grow your own brand. Many of our writers work towards earning credentials, though some leagues are harder than others to obtain. Some writers have gone on to work for some large, influential brands as a direct result of writing for us.
Remuneration
Remuneration is based on one of two paths: Revenue Sharing or Contract. Most writers are on a revenue-sharing model, whereby the writer receives a percentage of all the revenue generated on their account. The writer has the ability to write as often as they like (provided they maintain the minimum monthly quota) and is encouraged to promote their content through social media streams to build topic authority.
Revenue-Sharing Path
The percentage one earns on rev share equals the percentage share of the traffic personally accumulated. If you generate 14% of the department traffic, you get 14% of the lump sum (from programmatic and video advertising) given to writers. What this equates to is determined once we have received the payment from the advertising partner and cannot be predetermined. We operate “Net 60”, meaning you are paid not more than 60 days after the conclusion of a pay period. Each pay period is in two-month blocks. For instance, January and February content is paid in April. March and April are paid in June.
How much you make is in your control. We have some writers who do the bare minimum with little promotion, and see payments closer to $25 because they are more casual. Others follow best practices on SEO, headlines, create engaging content, are actively involved with promotion, and write regularly. These writers see much more revenue.
Contract Path
Contracts are only offered by administration to those who demonstrate:
- consistent and high-quality writing
- strong SEO
- high traffic
- social media presence
A contract is offered by the admin, not requested from the writer. Usually, we will advertise openings in the various Discord channels.
Payments are made when a writer has accumulated at least $25 in revenue. If the writer has not reached the $25 threshold, the money compounds until that amount is reached.
Personal Leaves of Absence
If you need to step away, you need to let your department manager and our Director of Human Resources (Nathan Reynolds) know via email to [email protected]. Any accumulated money falling below the $25 threshold will be held for up to 90 days from the time of your last article publish date. Failure to resume within that 90 days forfeits any accumulated pay falling below the $25 threshold.
Payment Methods
It is important to note that we can pay in USD, CAD, GBP, or Euros via bank transfer OR in USD via PayPal. Those are our only methods. If you live outside of the US, Canada, UK, the EU, Australia, South Africa, or New Zealand, please make sure your country allows you to receive money via PayPal or bank transfer from one of our four accounts in the US, Canada, UK, and EU. PayPal payments are limited to $250 at a time and will only be made in USD.
Writing FAQ
Topics
Writers generally come up with their own topics; however, our very active community of more than 400 writers is eager to help. You can post your ideas, get feedback, and ask for suggestions from our department admin team and fellow writers.
Do I post my own images?
No, our editors will choose images for you. Many sites do not legally obtain images, choosing instead to rely on Internet search results. We make use of a license with Reuters and SmartFrame. By having our editors choose images, we can be sure they are legally obtained.
How do my articles get shared?
One of our greatest strengths is our network. Our expectation is that each writer promotes their articles on their own social networks and any platforms they deem suitable. We, of course, will help you, but it is important that you be your own advocate as well. To take advantage of our network, our writers are encouraged to share other LWOS writers’ articles so that we can all benefit. Remember, if you do, you all earn more money! Additionally, your work at LWOS will be distributed through syndication to MSN.com, Yahoo, and the Newsbreak app.
How do I submit articles?
Once your account is created, we will give you very detailed instructions on how to submit an article as well as how to set up your article for optimal SEO potential.
How often do I need to write?
All roles will be expected to publish an average of two articles a week (8 per month). Writers should want to cover their topic/team year-round, not just during the season.
Can I still write for another site?
Yes, you can still write for another site and/or your own personal blog. We do, however, have a policy that we do not share articles. That is, articles published on our site remain on our site indefinitely and become our property at time of publishing. They may not be duplicated and posted elsewhere. This is for our protection as well as for our writers to ensure their work isn’t stolen. We allow for excerpts of up to 100 words to be posted on other sites, as long as there is a link back to the original on our site.
Performance Review
After 30-45 days, your department Manager will perform a review of your work and provide feedback on your traffic (and potential future traffic), social media sharing, ease of editing, and title/topic selection.
Promotion Standards Agreement
After your application is processed and your accounts are set up, we will send you our two-part Promotion Standards Agreement—a document outlining the expectations in maintaining a professional writing presence on the Internet. All of those who are receiving monthly contracts (which are offered to you, not requested, as they are performance-based) will also complete Part Two including the “Action Plan”.
Ready to move forward? Just REPLY to this email expressly telling us that you agree to all terms and conditions outlined in the “LWOS FAQ and Terms”and we will move things forward!
Replying favourably means you are agreeing to all terms and conditions mentioned.
- Payment is net 60 and bimonthly
- Payment threshold is $25 and money can accumulate until that is reached
- Payment is via bank transfer or PayPal only
- Once an article is published on any of our sites in the Last Word On Sports INC network, it becomes property of the company
- We will add images that are licensed