Cracked

Cracked Review:

If you’re a writer who is funny and has an irreverent way of looking at the world, you may want to try writing for Cracked. One of the largest comedy writing sites on the web, Cracked takes submissions from pretty much anyone. You don’t even need to be 18.

How it works

The site’s “write for Cracked and get paid” page suggests that you sign up for its comedy workshop. However, if this still exists, it’s impossible to find. We suggest that you contact the site’s editors using their contact form and pitch an idea.

If your idea is accepted, you’ll work with the site’s editors on deadlines and structure.

Pay

And, if your article is accepted, the pay isn’t too bad.

According to Cracked’s “write for us” pitch: “For your first four accepted articles, you will get $150 each. From your fifth article onward, you will get $250. If your article becomes one of the ten highest traffic-pullers of the month, you’ll earn an additional bonus payment of $100.” This piece appears dated, however, and Cracked sources now say the site pays between $100 and $250, depending on the length of the article.

Recommendations

Articles on Cracked are published with your byline and can link back to your own site. This makes the site a solid way to build your writing/comedy resume. That said, the site’s editors are exacting and expect that your stories will be funny, accurate and well sourced. So even though they pay decently, you’re going to spend more time writing each article too.

Other good places to find writing jobs: Contently, Washington Post Talent Network and ProBlogger.

What their writers say:

Chan Teik Onn, Novelist, Freelance Writer, Contributor for Cracked.com said on Quora:

It is a very satisfying experience once your article gets published. All you have to do is build up a strong premise with a twist, such as : ‘X Movie Villains Who Were Fighting for a Good Cause’. Note that there’s a ‘contradictory’ element in the title, that’s exactly what Cracked.com – America’s Only Humor Site is famous for.

Then you’ll have to find at least 6 entries complete with REPUTABLE sources to back them up. It will be tedious and time-consuming to find all those entries and the right premise. But the editors will always help you out by giving you feedback and pointing you to the right direction. After your article gets accepted, you will get two weeks to write it up. (And you will get paid too!)

When it gets published, you will see that your article is going to be slightly different because the editors will make sure your writing is in ‘Cracked’ voice.

And from Hyperbole & Dynamite:

Being published by Cracked was phenomenal. It was an experience like no other. I loved it. However, that experience wasn’t entirely fun, easy, or even enjoyable. The fact that I didn’t really emphasize was that writing for Cracked was one of the hardest, most brutally difficult things I’ve ever done. The full experience was much different. If there’s such a thing as hell for writers, it would probably look like Cracked. (Here’s the full review.)