Other payment methods usually ensure miners always get paid, even if the pool doesn’t find a block. However, PPLNS only pays miners after a block has been found by the pool, and then the pool goes back to check for valid shares contributed by each miner before winning a block. The miners then get paid in bitcoin rewards, based on those valid shares contributed by each miner during that time.
Source: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/12/05/bitcoin-miner-riot-switches-mining-pool-after-falling-short-in-november/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines