How to Get Paid Writing Wikipedia Articles?

Wikipedia an online encyclopedia is part of the Wikimedia projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation which is a nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California. The Wikimedia Foundation’s Terms of Use require that all editors disclose their paid contributions.

What this means is that all writers and editors who get paid for writing Wikipedia articles or perform Wikipedia writing services have to disclose their employer, client, or affiliation. This also includes the details of any contribution for which they are expected to receive compensation.

With that, having being said employers here would be a person or organization that pays directly or through intermediaries to a user who contributes to Wikipedia. This can also include a freelance contract. Clients on the other hand can be the person or the organization on whose behalf the edits are made and the clients are always the subject of the article itself.

It is important to understand here that editors are not paid by Wikipedia or the Wikimedia Foundation. Nevertheless, you can always try becoming an editor and then offer your services to clients and employers online as explained above. Starting your own gig is the easiest route.

How to become a Wikipedia Editor?

In order to get started, you need to know while you can make Wikipedia edits without registration the site often bans all known public IPs including VPN users due to the sheer amount and volume of spam. This is why the easiest way to edit articles is to first create your own Wikipedia account.

The process requires providing an email address which is optional but can save you a lot of time in the long run. Like all ranking systems, it takes time to become an ‘auto-confirmed’ user on Wikipedia and this can take time and patience.

How To Earn Money for Writing or Editing Wikipedia Articles?

As mentioned earlier the best route to start earning as a Wikipedia editor is offering gigs online. There are hundreds and thousands of active users on Wikipedia right now and many of them offer their services for writing future articles on numerous freelance workspaces such as Fiverr and Upwork.

Many writers offer services paid around the hour with some of them identifying themselves as Wikipedia specialists. Their other skills endorsements may also include research, business writing, whitepaper creation, and biography writing. It is always best to stand out from the crowd to get more attention.

Once you have your gig step up it is time to promote your services and get the most out of your appearances online. There are several things you can do including emailing prospects about your brand new offered services, going on social media handles, and sharing your services on multiple online platforms. It is all about getting the right clients and employers who would seek out a person like you and your expertise.

Final Word

Earning a living through editing Wikipedia articles is not for the apprehensive or tentative individual out there. You really need to know what you are up against and understand the ins and out of the industry you are operating within. I hope this post was able to offer you the insights you needed to make an informed decision in the future.