I've seen that some writers do that. I personally don't. I know that at least some of my Medium readers have transfered over to Substack and I don't want to flood them with the same story. For me it's easy to get around because I have stories on Meduim from 4 years ago which I like to repurpose. You could do it if you want to, but I personally don't.
Medium has been a great fit for me. I've had many articles boosted there now and many that have been duds. Since focusing more on title generation I have definitely seen an uptick in getting Boosted.
In regards to making money off of non-boosted articles (from an earlier comment), 3 of my 5 highest-view articles of all time were not boosted. One in particular has made me over $600 on the platform, with 13K views. So it is definitely possible to get views without boosts.
Of course, Boosted articles have a much better return per view than a non-boosted article.
In your opinion, what was the biggest thing you improved on to hit the boost sweet spot?
The other thing is just following topics where there is some interest. If you get an article that performs well, approach the same idea or a related idea from different angles. It is complicated and I understand where frustrated writers are coming from. It's true that non boosted articles tend to not make as much as boosted ones, but if we follow good practices, the earnings tend to follow. Thanks for the coment!
Thanks Walter, this is practical and useful advice.
But I have to disagree with these lines
"Remember, Boosts help, but your stories can earn well on Medium even if they aren’t Boosted. The difference is that with a Boost you see an uptick in views over 3-5 days. Without a Boost you get lower but steadier earnings over a month or so."
It maybe is true for writers with dozens of thousands of followers. Since at least mid-2023, for me it's been hundreds or thousands of views for Boosted articles, or a few dozen views for non-Boosted articles. And I published dozens of stories since the Boost launched.
I think that's a really interesting comment, but I don't think the data is sufficient to allow you to conclude that it's "boost or bust" or that the variable is the number of followers. I understand the frustration (lord knows I feel it sometimes), but we can't jump to conclusions or engage in confirmation bias. It's important to look at this scientifically. I, too, write the occasional story that is not boosted and which does not get more than a few dozen views. Therefore, it is possible to write a story that doesn't find an audience even when you have thousands of subscribers and followers. When that happens, I look at the things I can control. I consider the subject matter, the feature image, and try to improve my titles. When you make sure all the elements you can control are working well, I'm confident you'll see good results even on a story that isn't Boosted. I've also written stories that were Boosted that completely tanked and only earned a couple dozen views. So the formula really is Boost + good title + good image + good topic + good writing + appropriate keywords and more. I really appreciate your comment because I'm sure it's what a lot of writers are thinking, but we have to focus on controlling what we can control. I've had a couple conversations like this already this morning, so I sense I'm going to have to do an article on this. Thanks for your thoughts, I really appreciate them!
Thanks for taking the time to leave such an in-depth reply.
You are right, data is never sufficient. But this is true in both directions. I mean, to understand what makes an article Boost-worthy and what doesn't.
I try my best to be as objective as possible about my writing. But a lot of times I spent hours on stories that implemented what you say, and imitated my previous Boosted stories, but did not get Boosted.
In terms of what I can control, I'm aware I didn't publish lots of articles in recent months. But shouldn't Medium reward quality over quantity?
I'm talking to or studying many authors that are seeing good growth. Some get lots of Boosts, others don't. But all of them publish more than 2 articles per week. It's disconcerting.
Part of the issue is that I don't work in the topics where you're writing stories. I can only give the advice that's worked for me in my area. There is always the issue that your stuff is being seen, but not nominated. I'd advise looking for a smaller publication with boost powers and getting to know the editor. You've got to get to know somebody well enough that they'll tell you if they submitted your story and if it was rejected. That is valuable information.
The other thing to consider is that it's just such a moving target. Even if you do everything right, you might only get Boosted 60% of the time. But it's worth it when you do.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments Alberto. I wish I could offer more direct advice, but the human element of Boost can make it inherently unpredictable. But that can be to our benefit as well.
I notice you have a link to "The Unstoppable Creative" at the end of your post. CTAs, especially external CTAs at the end of stories can disqualify them from Boost. I'd put that information in your bio instead.
My objections are in no way about the quality of your writing. You deserved all the success you're having. Not just because of the quality of your writing, but because of the openness, the originality, and the depth of your observations.
Thanks Alberto, and I never saw anything in your coments that I perceived as a criticism. I think your last message contains the key to your success. Keep working with that small editor. A single nominator should be able to boost 5 or 6 of your stories per month. They're looking for quality writers, so keep submitting there, establish communication, and get the insider feedback that is helpful.
Also, yes, there are inconsistencies in Boost because of the human element. Some curators might decline a nomination for having a CTA, another might think it's fine. But I don't think there are any Boost nominators that would decline for having no CTA.
Your comments are very helpful to me and I appreciate the dialogue!
Is it considered good form to publish the same article or story on both Medium and Substack?
I've seen that some writers do that. I personally don't. I know that at least some of my Medium readers have transfered over to Substack and I don't want to flood them with the same story. For me it's easy to get around because I have stories on Meduim from 4 years ago which I like to repurpose. You could do it if you want to, but I personally don't.
Thank you!
Hey Walter, great article, thank you for sharing.
Medium has been a great fit for me. I've had many articles boosted there now and many that have been duds. Since focusing more on title generation I have definitely seen an uptick in getting Boosted.
In regards to making money off of non-boosted articles (from an earlier comment), 3 of my 5 highest-view articles of all time were not boosted. One in particular has made me over $600 on the platform, with 13K views. So it is definitely possible to get views without boosts.
Of course, Boosted articles have a much better return per view than a non-boosted article.
In your opinion, what was the biggest thing you improved on to hit the boost sweet spot?
Thanks for the excellent comment. You give me a lot to write about, I'm going to have to turn this topic into an article.
A few months ago, I had a long dry spell where I didn't get any boosts, so I focused on my titles and got 10 boosts in a row. I wrote about it here: https://walterrhein.substack.com/p/i-think-i-messed-up-my-titles-all
The other thing is just following topics where there is some interest. If you get an article that performs well, approach the same idea or a related idea from different angles. It is complicated and I understand where frustrated writers are coming from. It's true that non boosted articles tend to not make as much as boosted ones, but if we follow good practices, the earnings tend to follow. Thanks for the coment!
Thanks Walter, this is practical and useful advice.
But I have to disagree with these lines
"Remember, Boosts help, but your stories can earn well on Medium even if they aren’t Boosted. The difference is that with a Boost you see an uptick in views over 3-5 days. Without a Boost you get lower but steadier earnings over a month or so."
It maybe is true for writers with dozens of thousands of followers. Since at least mid-2023, for me it's been hundreds or thousands of views for Boosted articles, or a few dozen views for non-Boosted articles. And I published dozens of stories since the Boost launched.
I think that's a really interesting comment, but I don't think the data is sufficient to allow you to conclude that it's "boost or bust" or that the variable is the number of followers. I understand the frustration (lord knows I feel it sometimes), but we can't jump to conclusions or engage in confirmation bias. It's important to look at this scientifically. I, too, write the occasional story that is not boosted and which does not get more than a few dozen views. Therefore, it is possible to write a story that doesn't find an audience even when you have thousands of subscribers and followers. When that happens, I look at the things I can control. I consider the subject matter, the feature image, and try to improve my titles. When you make sure all the elements you can control are working well, I'm confident you'll see good results even on a story that isn't Boosted. I've also written stories that were Boosted that completely tanked and only earned a couple dozen views. So the formula really is Boost + good title + good image + good topic + good writing + appropriate keywords and more. I really appreciate your comment because I'm sure it's what a lot of writers are thinking, but we have to focus on controlling what we can control. I've had a couple conversations like this already this morning, so I sense I'm going to have to do an article on this. Thanks for your thoughts, I really appreciate them!
Thanks for taking the time to leave such an in-depth reply.
You are right, data is never sufficient. But this is true in both directions. I mean, to understand what makes an article Boost-worthy and what doesn't.
I try my best to be as objective as possible about my writing. But a lot of times I spent hours on stories that implemented what you say, and imitated my previous Boosted stories, but did not get Boosted.
In terms of what I can control, I'm aware I didn't publish lots of articles in recent months. But shouldn't Medium reward quality over quantity?
I'm talking to or studying many authors that are seeing good growth. Some get lots of Boosts, others don't. But all of them publish more than 2 articles per week. It's disconcerting.
Part of the issue is that I don't work in the topics where you're writing stories. I can only give the advice that's worked for me in my area. There is always the issue that your stuff is being seen, but not nominated. I'd advise looking for a smaller publication with boost powers and getting to know the editor. You've got to get to know somebody well enough that they'll tell you if they submitted your story and if it was rejected. That is valuable information.
The other thing to consider is that it's just such a moving target. Even if you do everything right, you might only get Boosted 60% of the time. But it's worth it when you do.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments Alberto. I wish I could offer more direct advice, but the human element of Boost can make it inherently unpredictable. But that can be to our benefit as well.
I notice you have a link to "The Unstoppable Creative" at the end of your post. CTAs, especially external CTAs at the end of stories can disqualify them from Boost. I'd put that information in your bio instead.
Thanks. This is terrible news.
But all my Boosted articles have that CTA, too.
And I've seen other Boosted articles with a CTA leading to a newsletter.
I can't depend completely on the platform. I need to build a business, too. The link in bio isn't enough if you don't have huge traffic.
By the way, thank you for taking the time.
My objections are in no way about the quality of your writing. You deserved all the success you're having. Not just because of the quality of your writing, but because of the openness, the originality, and the depth of your observations.
Yes, this may be an issue.
I'm privately chatting with an editor who has a totally different style than yours and his recommendations differ a lot.
I guess you're right about the smaller publications. I sent my latest article to a small publication. It got quickly reviewed and Boosted.
It may be a number game. If an editor gets hundreds of submissions, there's more competition for his nominations.
Thanks Alberto, and I never saw anything in your coments that I perceived as a criticism. I think your last message contains the key to your success. Keep working with that small editor. A single nominator should be able to boost 5 or 6 of your stories per month. They're looking for quality writers, so keep submitting there, establish communication, and get the insider feedback that is helpful.
Also, yes, there are inconsistencies in Boost because of the human element. Some curators might decline a nomination for having a CTA, another might think it's fine. But I don't think there are any Boost nominators that would decline for having no CTA.
Your comments are very helpful to me and I appreciate the dialogue!
Thank you again.
Maybe I'll change genre and topics one day and submit my articles to you.
Thank you for this post. It got me thinking & I haven’t been on Medium. It’s not on my radar. I will go look at it.
Thanks!
I might give Medium another chance.
Feel free to send me a draft when you have something and I'll provide you with some feedback before you publish.