We have some amazing friends who have contributed to the blog over the years, and have learned a great deal during that time. Our ideas on what works, what doesn’t, and the best ways to supplement what Ben is already writing have evolved, and we’ve tried to factor in the feedback from readers as well.
We’re ready to add a contributor under a more formal arrangement, and would like to open up the opportunity to readers, and not just people we know personally.
We will be accepting applications until February 28th at 11:59PM Eastern, read on for more.
What we’re looking for
Obviously we adore the community of readers here, and the contributions and insights in the comments and Ask Lucky are invaluable, so I know there’s a tremendous pool of potential talent here.
For content on the main page of the blog, we’re looking for a specific type of person/material, and need someone who is extremely well-versed in earning and using miles and points. I know everyone here loves travel, many of us are avgeeks, and those are all great bonuses, but whoever we bring on has to have the fundamentals down pat.
Content-wise, we’re open to a variety of perspectives and topics (after all, part of what makes this fun is the enthusiasm we each bring to the space), but are specifically looking for more detailed and educational posts. A few examples of the types of posts we’re thinking of:
- Singapore KrisFlyer Increases Award Ticket Change & Redeposit Fees
- How To Use Miles On Flights To Tahiti
- How To Consistently Sit Next To An Empty Seat On A Plane
- Everything You Need To Know About The IHG Annual Free Night Certificate
Personality is also critical — one of the things we love about OMAAT is that there are no ghostwriters or random bylines, and you can tell who is writing from the first sentence without reading the name at the top of the post. We want to maintain that, so the ideal candidate will not just have the technical chops, but also be able to write in a distinctive and engaging style that shows their humanity.
And the corollary to that is needing a thick enough skin to not be devastated by constructive criticism, while being able to graciously engage with and respond to reader comments.
We have a few other requirements:
- Capacity to generate 5-10 substantive posts (meaning 600+ words, with relevant images) on a weekly basis
- Ability to learn and adhere to OMAAT publication standards, including proper handling of images, tables, links, disclosures, and headlines
- Proficiency in written English, including a solid understanding of punctuation — we have an editorial process, but don’t have time to correct commas and quotation marks in every post (and make enough typos now as it is)
Experience with WordPress is a bonus, but not a requirement, and while we’re more concerned about your knowledge and writing ability than your technological prowess, you’ll be more successful if you’re at least moderately comfortable using general computer and internet-based tools.
What we’re not looking for
We get daily emails from people hoping to contribute to the blog in one way or another, and I expect this opportunity will generate quite a bit of interest, so to be fair to everyone I want to be as upfront as possible.
In that spirit, there are some circumstances that while not necessarily disqualifying, might not be the best fit for our current needs, such as those who:
- Actively generate content about miles and points on other sites and platforms
- Are primarily interested in reselling, manufactured spending, and other gaming opportunities that aren’t a focus of OMAAT
- Want to focus on reviewing airlines and hotels — while we appreciate different perspectives, we’re not looking for trip reports or similar reviews at this time
- Aren’t extremely familiar with earning and redeeming miles and points — I’m not expecting anyone to know the nuances of every program, but we need someone with a solid understanding of the possibilities in this space
Hopefully none of that sounds too harsh. We value all of our readers, and have a very specific idea of the type of individual we’d like for this role, so would rather be honest than waste anyone’s time.
FAQs
I’m sure there will be questions beyond these (and feel free to post others in the comments), but we’ve anticipated a few things people might wonder about:
I have written for [some platform] in the past / write about [non miles/points content] on another site. Am I ineligible?
Not at all! For a variety of reasons we’re not going to add a contributor who is writing on miles and points elsewhere, or is creating other content for a miles and points site, but we’re very interested in hearing from great writers in general.
If you do write on other topics for other outlets, please note that we do expect that anyone writing for us adheres to our editorial policies for content published on One Mile at a Time, and that topics don’t overlap. As an example, if you write about gadgets elsewhere, and are given products to review, we wouldn’t accept a travel-themed review of those same products from you on OMAAT.
How much of a time commitment is needed?
That’s going to depend. As noted above we need someone who can commit to 5-10 posts a week. I anticipate that this will be much closer to five than ten in the beginning, as learning new technology, processes, and getting generally acclimated takes time.
Ben is a machine-like writer, so the time he spends per post isn’t really a useful metric. 😉 While I don’t have much time to blog currently, I can comfortably write about 1000 words/hour. I would expect anyone new to need 2-3x longer than that, so let’s say a range of 15-30 hours a week?
We’re flexible as to when that time happens — at this moment we don’t need someone with a certain schedule. The ability to consistently generate content at a predictable rate is more important. As our team at PointsPros will attest, as long as we can rely on you to do what you say you’ll do, we’re pretty accommodating of everything else.
What does this pay?
This will also vary, but compensation will fundamentally be a generous revenue share determined by the quality and performance of each post.
We want to continue to provide engaging and compelling content on OMAAT, so while there will be a base rate per post, there are also additional rewards for posts that resonate particularly well with readers.
Basically, we always want to be fair with our people, so at a minimum we want to make sure you’re compensated for your time, but there are perks and incentives beyond that too.
I’m not a US citizen, does that matter?
International applicants are welcome, but you will be responsible for any legal or financial paperwork in your home country.
I’m under 18 years old, does that matter?
Unfortunately yes. At this time our relationship with contributors is as independent contractors, and we aren’t able to engage minors.
I know people at OMAAT, can I just email/message/text/carrier pigeon them if I’m interested?
Nope.
I missed the February 28th application deadline, can I still be considered?
Not at this time.
What if I have more questions?
Please post them in the comments, and I’ll answer below or add them here.
Still interested?
We’d love to hear more! The link to the application is below, and I want to warn y’all that it is lengthy, and designed to be so.
Adding contributors to the blog in this way (versus having friends write on occasion) is a big, serious step for us. We need people who will take this seriously, and so the application can’t just be filled out on a whim. We’re looking for the chance to get to know you, your interests, and your writing style, and I’d suggest setting aside at least an hour.
OMAAT Contributor Application
Thank you (and some reassurance)
This is scary and exciting, and we’re so grateful to you guys for the readership and support that makes having this option possible.
One Mile at a Time is always going to be Ben’s baby, and we promise that isn’t changing. He’s still going to write 95% of the content, and will probably continue to refuse to take a day off ever.
Hopefully by adding some consistency with another contributor we can take a bit of the daily load off him, which should also allow us to add more of the detailed and time-consuming content that sometimes falls by the wayside currently. Having OMAAT be the first and last spot you need to look to learn about using your miles is important to us, and this seems like the best way to open up more bandwidth. But the fundamental nature of the site and content won’t be changing.
So thanks to everyone for reading, and thanks in advance for your patience as we go through this process. I’m looking forward to hearing from many of you!
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.