How Frequent Publishing Is Once Again the Most Lucrative Writing Strategy
I've changed my approach to Medium and I'm seeing more views and better earnings
Hello Friends!
Lifting our voice in these trying times is one of the most impactful ways to make a positive difference in the world. I enjoy providing the occasional tutorial so that the rest of you can feel more empowered to share your stories and make a difference. I think many of you are already making a bigger difference than you might realize.
The last month has been really tough. I know that the crash in the stock market is weighing on people’s minds. We’ve got a president who appears to be deliberately destroying the economy. I suspect that he and everyone in his administration must be short selling to increase their fortunes because that’s the only thing they care about.
They’ve made that clear on more than one occasion.
One of my fears is the effect a recession will have on independent journalists. I wish I could go back to the days of writing for joy, but unfortunately we have a battle to fight. With a booming economy, people found it easier to throw me $20 to support this newsletter. But now everything is more expensive and everyone is feeling the pinch.
If you’re a writer, the thing to remember is that you shouldn’t default to the worst possible interpretation. You haven’t done anything wrong! People are just struggling right now.
Speak your truth, it keeps people alive. When things get better (and they will), your supporters will return.
If you’ve ever considered sponsoring me, now would be a great time!
Over the last few months, I’d been doing better on Substack than Medium. But last month I had a resurgence on Medium. That was just what I needed honestly, and from the looks of things I’ll be able to keep the momentum going for at least another month.
Writing is always a month to month kind of deal.
Tax seasons sucks.
I don’t like to write too much about Medium earnings because they fluctuate so much. My best month was a year ago:
Usually all that means is that you had one story that really hit.
recently wrote a story that made her over 20k the last I heard. But even Michelle would tell you that’s the exception rather than the rule.Frankly, I was quite satisfied with a 4.9k month. If I could rely on that every single month I’d be a happy man.
A year later, I’m sitting at 1.9k:
Which is actually still pretty good!
Keep in mind there are a lot of factors that go into my Medium earnings:
I have a profile with 50k+ followers
I have a portfolio of 1485 stories
I write consistently
For the last two years, my focus has been to chase Medium’s Boost. I’ve been good at that though the rate has gone down lately. I had two stories Boosted last month:
But about halfway through March, I decided to just stop worrying so much about the Boost and to allow myself to write freely. That doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned Boost expectations, I just don’t conform to them so rigidly.
Actually, that change had unexpected results. The “Pee Sample” story was something I never thought would get Boosted and I was stunned when I got the notification.
For the first time in a few years, I wrote 31 stories on Medium in a month. I’d been averaging in the 15-20 range prior to that.
Like I said, things change.
If you scroll through the list of last month’s stories, you’ll see that there are still quite a few that only make in the $5-$10 range. There are also a few that took off and made me over $300.
What’s the difference?
Honestly, heck if I know!
This is a good sample though. I have a few Boosted stories that earned okay if not great, I have a variety of Featured stories that made between $6-$400, I had stories that were neither Boosted nor Featured that also earned well.
I’m back to thinking the best strategy is to simply “shut up and write.” You always have to keep your finger on the pulse of your era, and people are HUNGRY for information.
Even if people don’t have the disposable income that allows them to sponsor a newsletter, this is still a moment of opportunity for writers. You need to capitalize on the zeitgeist and build your following. The support will come later when we’ve reestablished the hope for a viable future (that’s what we’re working on).
If you follow me on both platforms, you’ll find I’m posting the same content on Substack and Medium, though I try to stagger it out. The only exception to that rule is if something timely happens that I wish to comment on (like the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin).
The featured image at the top of this story shows that I already have 6.5k views for April. Here’s my total views for February:
I’ve been writing for decades, so I can crank out quality stories really fast. Unless you have a huge backlog of previously unpublished work, you probably won’t be able to implement my strategy.
I still believe it’s worth chasing the Boost. That remains the quickest way to get a lot of attention to your work on these platforms. However, if you’re writing something that’s good enough to be Boosted, you should probably consider submitting it to Huffington Post or something on Submittable first (click off the ‘fee publications’ when you search there—NEVER submit anywhere that charges you a reading fee).
Whether the story is accepted or rejected, you can send it to Medium and hope for a Boost after you’ve fulfilled the terms of your contract (always read the contract).
As for me, I’m just getting my work out there. I haven’t submitted anything to Huffington post for a while, so maybe I should follow my own advice and do that. As a writer, you always need to have alternative strategies when you hit lean times (and there are always lean times).
That being said, if any of you have been waiting to pull the trigger on a paid sponsorship, now would be a great time. I realize times are hard, but if you can toss in $20, or $32, or $56 to keep this ship afloat, I’d really appreciate it. I need some good news honestly, and whenever I get an email announcing a new paid subscriber it totally brightens up my day.
Whatever you’re doing, keep at it! Keep flooding the zone with stories on Medium, Substack, and anywhere else you are inclined to publish. We’re facing a tidal wave of lies, so you have to be a tidal wave of truth.
Thanks for the work you do and for your support!
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That Medium story (We Could Learn a Lot About Sex From the Dutch) is still producing! It’s pushing $30k. But I have not gotten a single Boost since last July. I see my stories regularly show up on other people’s “this should have been Boosted” lists. The curating team is either annoyed with me making so much on that story or they don’t like my work suddenly. That’s ok because most others do! I used to take pains to differentiate my work on the two platforms, but now I don’t. That’s a luxury I can’t afford. If I had something really good, I’d put it on Medium first to seek a Boost, but now I publish first on Substack because the Boost just ain’t happening. Here’s a tip: after I’m declined for a Boost, I edit the story and add a shitload of book promo. If Medium doesn’t want to Boost my stories, I will use it to Boost my books.
Such huge numbers! It seems like such a faraway dream but I am going to keep doing what I am doing, and I especially appreciate taking the focus a bit off going for a Boost or trying to game the algorithm. I could make myself crazy getting fixated on that and lose the love I have for writing and telling stories. Thank you!