Forbes Contributor Reviews

Pros

freedom to write when you want to write tiny upside for bringing on new subscribers

Cons

after base monthly pay, pay is per pageview so it's erratic

Pros

Forbes still means something to a lot of people who want press. The platform will get you into many rooms.

Cons

Pay is dirt. $250/month for a minimum of five articles. Zero editorial oversight. Most contributors are awful writers, which diminishes credibility by association. But that doesn't seem to matter to the company - Forbes just wants content.

Pros

Flexibility, exposure, can build a following, freedom

Cons

Low pay, content mill, declining credibility

Pros

Great editorial team and a genuinely great experience overall

Cons

Contributor pay could be more

Pros

Page views can vary dramatically. And that's not necessarily related to how talented or SEO-savvy the writer is.

Cons

Dips month to month can be steep -- and lasting.

Pros

The word about Forbes and its contributor model is only just starting to get out, so people still give the publication clout, meaning you can use the Forbes name to get interesting sources and use the clips to get other jobs (which you should, ASAP).

Cons

The contributor model for Forbes makes it so that you need to publish five articles per month to get paid at all, and seven articles to make a bit more money. If you run six, you get paid the five rate. Both rates are pennies. The last article I wrote for Forbes I wrote while very sick and was literally running to the bathroom to throw up and then going back to my computer to finish it so I could run it by midnight and not lose all the money for the other articles I wrote that month. That was the end of the abuse I was willing to take. (And btw, I got a great job soon after, so if you feel like you need Forbes to get clips or money, YOU DON'T). Oh, and no one copy-edits contributor articles before they're published, so anything you read in Forbes could be wildly factually inaccurate. Management was also miserable, meaning they're overworked and underpaid too. In summation, Forbes lacks integrity in every possible manner.

Pros

Great benefits, nice for your resume

Cons

Whiteness: The Forbes "family" is not inclusive. There are no people of color on the c-suite and their PR tactics are very performative.

Pros

I was a contributor. Nice platform for your work.

Cons

Pay is too low for contributors.

Pros

People want to be seen in Forbes.

Cons

Editors have little to no respect for creatives.

Pros

They offer a strong brand name to associate with. Their information systems are decent and they have a significant amount of guides and resources to utilize to assist with your work as a Contributor.

Cons

Terrible cost-benefit from a money standpoint. Very micro-managing and volatile staff and unclear expectations. You’ll spend endless amounts of time and may well not even get paid due to their high thresholds. I found the staff managing the Contributors to have issues with expectations, timeliness, and sometimes honesty too.