Helium pays beginning writers a percentage of the income generated from ad clicks and also offers contests for writers and a “marketplace” where writers can write “on spec” for other publications and websites. However, Helium itself has almost no editorial guidelines. Many beginning writers like that their work won’t be rejected, even if it’s terrible. Anyone can open an account on Helium and have their article published within seconds. If you’re applying for work as a content writer and need a published writing sample, Helium is a good place to start. I don’t recommend you stay there, though because the neighboring articles are often very low quality. Birds of a feather flock together.
I’ve seen articles on their marketplace selling for up to a hundred dollars, but their revenue share model sucks. I really think the whole site sucks. Check them out, and let me know what you think. Maybe you’ll have better luck.