Can somebody just plainly explain to me how these people who (most of them) don't have positions in the underlying make money writing these articles from seeking alpha, thestreet, motley fool etc? Are they free lance? Or do they work for Seeking Alpha etc..? Are they just borrowing website space from these sites to post their articles? Do they make money per click? All of them have ads, but doens't that money go to seeking alpha? ( for example) I guess they get a cut... Do these people have fulltime jobs in the field or other areas and just do research as a side gig?
Modern journalism is in a crisis. There is an overabundance of information a web search away. Impeach was the rallying cry that got ad clicks in the past couple of years. I suspect many of them freelance for multiple websites.
A lot of those sites have revenue sharing programs - $x per 1000 pageviews or something similar. The money isn't very good. A lot of the authors use freelancing as a way to build credibility, which (hopefully) helps their more lucrative business lines (asset management, consulting, newsletter subscriptions, etc.)
Are you a click bait producer? You seem to be asking an awful lot questions on this site. Even newbees would generally not ask that much. Especially not 37 year old ones...
I also saw a job ad for a freelance writer for Motley Fool. They pay $100 per article to start (if hired), then bump it up to $200-$350 per article if they like your first few articles. You need to write at least 20 articles per month.