What is a Premium article?

Premium articles are articles that are published exclusively on Seeking Alpha and are not available anywhere else on the web for free use. Contributors earn $10 per 1,000 pageviews for articles submitted and accepted as premium content. To publish an article, go here.

Specifically, what are the terms of the exclusivity I need to give Seeking Alpha?

In terms of the Premium Partnership Program, exclusive means that Seeking Alpha is the only for-free website hosting your content. You can, however, make it available on a for-pay subscription website, and can sell or reproduce it in print.

Can I post an excerpt of a Premium article to my blog?

You can post headlines and excerpts of up to 250 words (but no more than 1/3 of the total article) to your blog or website, with a link back to the full article on Seeking Alpha. Longer excerpts will disqualify you from the Premium Partnership Program.

Is this all-or-nothing, or can I submit some Premium articles and others not?

Premium submissions are on an article-by-article basis. You will be asked before submitting each article whether it is exclusive or not. There is no long-term commitment required to join the Premium Partnership Program; you can submit as many or as few exclusive articles as you like.

OK, how do I get started?

Simply click on one of the many Submit Article buttons throughout the site, including on the home page. Or click on the Author Board or Instablog option in your Seeking Alpha toolbar (at the bottom of your browser). When you have finished composing your post, select Submit Premium Article.

If I submit an article as Premium, does that guarantee it will be selected by your editors?

No. All articles are subject to editorial review and selection. Our editors review each submission to determine whether it’s relevant for our audience (and yes, they can be quite picky!). If your submission is declined, you will receive notification on your Author Board, and by email, and if relevant, feedback from our editors as well. You will also receive Author Board and email notification if your article has been accepted and published. You have the option to opt out of email notification.

Do I need to be invited to become a Premium Partner? Are there any additional requirements?

No. The Premium Partnership Program is open to everyone; the only requirement is that your article be exclusive to Seeking Alpha. We apply the same editorial standards to Premium content that we do to all of our content. Of course, we’re always trying to raise the bar, and we hope enabling smart contributors to earn real income will mean an increase in both quality and quantity of our articles.

What is the Author Board?

The Author Board is a new feature that gives you the ability to track, monitor and manage your articles, payments, pageviews, and Instablogs. At a glance, you can track anything relevant to your author activity on SA.

How will I be paid?

You can have payments wired to your U.S. bank account using ACH - Automated Clearing House. If you don’t have a U.S. bank account, you can recieve payment via PayPal. Or if you’re feeling magnanimous, or for any other reason would prefer not to receive payment, we can also donate all proceeds to your favorite charity.

Is ACH safe?

Automated Clearing House is an electronic network for U.S. financial transactions. In 2002, ACH processed an estimated 8.05 billion transactions with a total value of $21.7 trillion.

I'm concerned about providing my bank details. What type of security do you have on your site?

Your banking information will be submitted over an encrypted SSL connection. The information is then stored on an isolated, secure server.

How are payments calculated?

Payments are calculated in dollars per 1,000 pageviews - for every 1,000 pageviews to your premium articles, you will earn $10.

How many pageviews can I expect to get?

Your Author Board also allows you to track pageviews on all your SA articles (Premium and non-Premium) for the previous 12 months, which will give you an idea of what your audience engagement has been like until now. Top articles garner 10s of thousands of pageviews, so if you’re writing compelling articles, the potential to earn significant income is very real.

How can I track how much I'm earning?

On the Author Board there is a box titled 'Earnings Overview' that clearly tracks and calculates your earnings.

How often will I be paid?

Payments are made at the end of each quarter. The minimum payment amount is $100, which will be paid within 30 business days of quarter end. Payments of less than $100 will be delayed until earnings of $100 or more have accrued in your account.

Will articles previously published also be included in the program?

No. Only articles submitted using under the terms of the new Premium Partnership Program are eligible.

Is the $10 per 1000 pageviews number set in stone? Can it go up? Can it go down?

We plan to assess the payout ratio every quarter. Our aspiration is to increase the ratio over time, and allow contributors to earn even more money as our joint-venture succeeds and bears fruits. If things go south, it is possible we would need to reduce the ratio.

I can’t get paid because of my company or business. What happens to my earnings?

You can donate your earnings to charity. Email us at donations@seekingalpha.com for details.

What type of charity can I donate to?

The only requirements are that it must be a 501(c)3 certified organization, and must be able to receive payment via wire transfer or PayPal.

Who should I contact if I have further questions?

If you have questions please contact: contributors@seekingalpha.com.