Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I absolutely agree on deserving to make money more than once.
I've had 20 stories boosted on Medium now but so far I've only re-purposed one or two of them on Substack.
I've heard different opinions/ideas/thoughts on whether you should/shouldn't and if you do decide, which platform you should publish on first, or if this matters at all.
I would love to hear your thoughts if you have a minute to respond? Thanks!
I'm actually more interested in repurposing the stories that weren't Boosted. The Boosted ones continue to do well on Medium. But I have a lot of quality stories that weren't Boosted. Some of these I publish with minor edits.
I certainly agree with these sentiments. If you own the copyright on your work, you should be able to share it anywhere. Just don't debut it on a site that insists on taking the copyright for itself.
I am rather impressed that you managed to earn so much money from one article- the only money I've earned here so far is when I get the odd paid subscription.
I've kept this post in my inbox for a month, I read it a couple of times and it ended up being a good part of my motivation to finally give Substack a try. Thanks for the kick in the arse I needed Walter, I super appreciate it :)
I've been cross posting my SS articles on Medium. It seems that they just languish somewhere determined by "editors" who pick and choose who gets read based on standards invisible to me. Is there some code I have yet to crack?
Yes, there's a specific form that works on Medium and it doesn't necessarily cross over to Substack. What kind of topics do you explore. The trick is to finding a publication that fits your niche and then have a look at the kind of articles they already publish.
I found this very interesting. I was actually intrigued enough to stop and make a list of all my Boosted stories and what they earned. Our Boost experiences seem different. I seldom get Boosted, but when I do, those stories really pay off. I have lots of unBoosted stories that get read far more than my Boosted ones, though, which leads me to believe my readers' tastes do not align very well with the curators' tastes. I've received a grand total of 28 Boosts. Only 3 of theses stories earned less than $100, and all three low earners were in my first four Boosts -- I guess they were still making adjustments then. From Boost No. 5 on, they've all earned well. A couple have exceeded a thousand bucks. It was educational for me to type out a list of every Boost and how it's done. I recommend this for anyone who is trying to understand how this is working for them. But for me, a Boost really just increases the payout per read. I am not convinced it actually gets me that many more views/reads, though. To sum up: I can get the views and reads without Boost; I just can't get paid well without it.
So, where does this get anyone whose experiences are anything like mine? Not sure. I am wondering if I should have TWO Substacks; one for Untrickled, my Substack niche, and another for general stories? At first, I saw Substack as a place to throw Medium stories to give them another go, but it didn't take off until I rebranded it and niched down to income inequality. I write about a lot of other things on Medium. Maybe I should start a general Substack and throw all my old Medium stories on it?
Like you, I'm always trying to figure out how to make the best living I can with the writing I produce. Simply writing well is not enough -- you have to find a strategy that gets you paid.
Who else has made a comparison of all their Boosted stories and found some interesting trends?
That’s interesting feedback! In the early days, I had a couple articles make over 2k, but these days they tend to max out around 200-300. I wonder if more boosts leaves you oversaturated on Medium? I write about a few different topics. The writing ones do well enough, but you have to act like it’s possible to make 10k a month writing (which is something I don’t like to say). The program constantly changes.
I can so relate to looking at older articles and them not being as good as I remember 😅 and I haven't even been writing that long. Boost and the nominators has helped me to get better, by listening to the feedback. I'm slowly repurposing now on substack as well, but it's more 'the idea behind the story' that I'm repurposing. With all the edits it's almost an entirely new article.
GRACIAS
A very helpful and motivating story. Thanks Walter.
Thanks for reading!
Hey Walter,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I absolutely agree on deserving to make money more than once.
I've had 20 stories boosted on Medium now but so far I've only re-purposed one or two of them on Substack.
I've heard different opinions/ideas/thoughts on whether you should/shouldn't and if you do decide, which platform you should publish on first, or if this matters at all.
I would love to hear your thoughts if you have a minute to respond? Thanks!
I'm actually more interested in repurposing the stories that weren't Boosted. The Boosted ones continue to do well on Medium. But I have a lot of quality stories that weren't Boosted. Some of these I publish with minor edits.
I certainly agree with these sentiments. If you own the copyright on your work, you should be able to share it anywhere. Just don't debut it on a site that insists on taking the copyright for itself.
I am rather impressed that you managed to earn so much money from one article- the only money I've earned here so far is when I get the odd paid subscription.
It just happened to strike a nerve I guess.
FELICES
Very helpful, as always!
GRACIAS EMPOWERING PROGRESSIVE WRITERS
FELICES Y GRAVES EMPOWERING PROGRESSIVE WRITERS
I've kept this post in my inbox for a month, I read it a couple of times and it ended up being a good part of my motivation to finally give Substack a try. Thanks for the kick in the arse I needed Walter, I super appreciate it :)
Excellent Robin, let me know when it's running so I can subscribe!
It looks like you already found it! Or what's there so far anyway. Thanks Walter :)
I've been cross posting my SS articles on Medium. It seems that they just languish somewhere determined by "editors" who pick and choose who gets read based on standards invisible to me. Is there some code I have yet to crack?
Yes, there's a specific form that works on Medium and it doesn't necessarily cross over to Substack. What kind of topics do you explore. The trick is to finding a publication that fits your niche and then have a look at the kind of articles they already publish.
wow, this is fantastic. thanks so much for sharing. happy that this works out for you so well :)
Thanks for reading!
I found this very interesting. I was actually intrigued enough to stop and make a list of all my Boosted stories and what they earned. Our Boost experiences seem different. I seldom get Boosted, but when I do, those stories really pay off. I have lots of unBoosted stories that get read far more than my Boosted ones, though, which leads me to believe my readers' tastes do not align very well with the curators' tastes. I've received a grand total of 28 Boosts. Only 3 of theses stories earned less than $100, and all three low earners were in my first four Boosts -- I guess they were still making adjustments then. From Boost No. 5 on, they've all earned well. A couple have exceeded a thousand bucks. It was educational for me to type out a list of every Boost and how it's done. I recommend this for anyone who is trying to understand how this is working for them. But for me, a Boost really just increases the payout per read. I am not convinced it actually gets me that many more views/reads, though. To sum up: I can get the views and reads without Boost; I just can't get paid well without it.
So, where does this get anyone whose experiences are anything like mine? Not sure. I am wondering if I should have TWO Substacks; one for Untrickled, my Substack niche, and another for general stories? At first, I saw Substack as a place to throw Medium stories to give them another go, but it didn't take off until I rebranded it and niched down to income inequality. I write about a lot of other things on Medium. Maybe I should start a general Substack and throw all my old Medium stories on it?
Like you, I'm always trying to figure out how to make the best living I can with the writing I produce. Simply writing well is not enough -- you have to find a strategy that gets you paid.
Who else has made a comparison of all their Boosted stories and found some interesting trends?
That’s interesting feedback! In the early days, I had a couple articles make over 2k, but these days they tend to max out around 200-300. I wonder if more boosts leaves you oversaturated on Medium? I write about a few different topics. The writing ones do well enough, but you have to act like it’s possible to make 10k a month writing (which is something I don’t like to say). The program constantly changes.
How do you feel about repurposing from Substack to Medium? I'm very new to Substack and haven't started a Medium yey, but considering it!
I think it's good to get established on both platforms, particularly when you're just starting out. See where your work is a better fit.
Thank you! Really digging how Substack is like a social media that actually works and connects people together.
I can so relate to looking at older articles and them not being as good as I remember 😅 and I haven't even been writing that long. Boost and the nominators has helped me to get better, by listening to the feedback. I'm slowly repurposing now on substack as well, but it's more 'the idea behind the story' that I'm repurposing. With all the edits it's almost an entirely new article.
I love the encouragement and repurpose approach!
This would have been perfect as a guest post Walter. Love it. It shows both can be in one ecosystem!!