Hi Linda! It's wonderful to read your comments on this. My acceptance rate remains over 60%, but I've reduced the number of stories I'm nominating. Also, I'm spending a lot more time on my own writing. Part of that is because I've been swamped with obligations outside of writing (grrr), but I've also adopted the practice of letting everything I write sit for at least one day. That has always been part of my process, but now there are zero exceptions. Yes, I think the competition has gotten stiffer on Medium, but it is an incentive to create better writing and that's good for us. I'll probably only do 10-12 articles a month from now on. I'm also spending a lot more time editing the submissions I receive. Medium is always evolving, and I think that's the only possible process if the platform wants to remain sustainable. In the end, writers have to adapt and embrace the challenge of getting better every day! You only have one lifetime to become a great writer, we can't waste a single second!
I hear you on being swamped. Summer, man. Between gardening and mowing the lawn I feel like I have less time because I do. lol. Mine is over 60% too, but it's taken a hit because it was over 90% for months before that. And I agree -- some people will get disgruntled and others will see it as incentive. For me, I might try different topics, see how those do.
Yes, I was also at 90%, and I used to get 30+ stories nominated per month. I regret that I just can't keep up and send out as many submissions. Maybe when the kids go back to school it will change.
I've also got to do a few more river trips. Dang it, you have an obligation to yourself to spend a little time on the water when it's summer :)
Thank you for clarifying some things I wasn't aware of. I also think a low of writers downgraded to vanilla membership after the initial hype about FoM. Having a loyal readership and subscribers base is better than depending on algorithms and boosts. I have noticed (in some pubs) that many of the boosted stories are within the pub's editorial group - there are a couple that come to mind where there is one boost nominator who not only self nominates (which is fine) but routinely nominates their other editors - one can say why not because whether it gets boosted or not does not lie in their hands. I also feel they tend to know exactly what to write to get their stories boosted because I doubt (as an editor myself who has access to writer stats- yes many are single digits in case you are wondering) people would be reading if not for the boost
I think it would make sense for editors to nominate each other because often a publication owner invites their strongest writers to join the publication as an editor. But as an editor, I just love having writers I can count on to turn in boost quality writing and no one needs to be an editor to do that, you know? :)
Thank you for your comments and observations Linda.
I write on Medium, and am a FoM, but don’t edit or run a publication.
It seems to me that the mass of new comers from the new 77 countries will definitely strain the resources and infrastructure at Medium; resulting in more devolved authority for boost nominators, and pushing the work of curation downwards. Makes sense and probably necessary.
I am flying solo at the moment and self publishing. It might get a bit too chilly out here in the wilderness as autumn rolls in but, the independence is nice. It was mentioned on Medium that around one third of boosts come from self published sources. I might hang on a while longer.
I think also the concept of getting boosted is likely to become even more selective, less probable for the writer, and more elite as competition plies in from other new writers from the new 77.
Boost is nice but, not to live for.
Internal politics within publications, if they become more autonomous, is bound to intensify around who gets nominated for boosts.
Self-nomination is inherently a conflict of interest.
Great info and assessment as always. I too took note of the small number of FOM's around. I wasn't surprised as I've also seen people downgrade from it after realizing they don't 'get anything' from it. But those people never really understood it I don't think.
It will be interesting to see if the MPP expansion has plans in it to bring international readers as well as writers. Since readers are what pay us writers. It sounds like there will be a lot more competition , as you said. It will be interesting to see who puts their game face on and rises to the occasion.
In the beginning, the Boost program made a huge difference. Now, I think it acts as a way to give exposure to a great writer—the reliable word-of-mouth endorsement. I recommended a boost on a writer who wrote about foraging in Japan and Canada while weaving in her family history. It won’t get posted until next week. I hope it’s selected because I learned many new things about Japan and a way of life. That’s my bottom line. I’m incense that stories about family abuse don’t get boosted because these stories educate others.
Linda, this caught my attention: "If writers had to write pitches for their own submissions, if it would affect what they submit to publications." Maybe we should write the pitch. Anytime you submit to agents, editors, etc, the writer includes a "pitch." If we, writers, cannot identify our takeaway and why anyone should read our piece, or how this topic will relate to readers, we may need to spend more time in revision. But that brings up another point, do we know how to write an effetive pitch? As always, thanks for your observations, thoughts, and suggestions.
They are not boosting stuff because they don't want to pay. Seems obvious to me. I'm moving away from Medium. My sub stack newsletter generated 3x Medium and 5x views.
I have noticed that a lot of boosted posts are newer writers that have a small following. I wonder if they are using boosts as a way to get new writers excited to keep writing then eventually pull the plug from them? What are your thoughts?
I agree pretty much everything I send in as a boost nominator gets declined. I wrote an open letter to Tony asking about it. he declined it was a money issue.
I think a better method for boosts for medium would be to put it in the hands of some of the publication owners. Give them like 4 boosts a month or something like that and you can’t boost the same author more than once within that period.
Thanks, Linda. My depression about Medium is confirmed. I loved Medium when I joined, and opted to become a Friend of Medium. It's not so friendly anymore.
Take care, hope your wildfires and mine are put out soon.
"A publication level boost would start by distributing to people who follow the publication, which can only enhance response rates because people who follow a publication are interested in reading that type of piece."
I always assumed that happened automatically if you follow a publication or an individual writer. If that doesn't happen, what is the point of following in the first place? This seems to be an acknowledgement by Medium that, as many suspected, stories are not distributed to followers. What is the logic for this? Do they not have the technical capacity? If so, is this because of the number of members who follow ludicrous numbers of other members, as in thousands? ( A direct result of 'insincere" member interaction due to follow for follow and other reciprocity schemes or people who just follow any and everyone in hope of generating follows of their own.) If this is the case, Medium could limit the amount of accounts a member was allowed to follow to something somewhat believable, like say 100 other accounts. This doesn't limit the ability to ready anything you stumble upon, but it might bring back some legitimacy to the whole concept of following.
Gabriella ---and far as I know, you can nominate any story. I have had nominators send my stories in that I self-published, and I did get boosted. More than once.
Linda, minor perk of being a FoM is being able to get a link that makes anybody’s paywalled story available to non-members. I use this maybe once a month to share stories others have written with friends and family.
Thanks for mentioning this, JackH. I am also a FoM but did not understand this link. So, it can be used for stories that others have written - can it also be used for the author's own stories?
Good to read. I have had very mixed results in Boosting -- both the ones I Boost and the stories of mine I've thought were worth Boosting. I can't complain because I just had a viral story, but that was, I believe, a lightning strike I can't count on ever happening again. One story in particular I wrote recently was, I thought, very strong, but was declined and as a result made $3 the first day. I am at a loss. Medium keeps telling us what they're looking for in Boosts, and many of us are experienced writers who know how to deliver what is asked for but are still being declined. I think more transparency would be great. EXACTLY what are they looking for? It's not just simple quality. It's not just including a personal touch. It's not just good formatting or cutting down on self-promo or including appropriate citations, etc. Stories that do all these things and do them well are still declined -- and I KNOW I am not the only person who feels worried at the onslaught of the AI stories, some of which Medium has really taken to.
On Substack, however, some of these stories that have been declined on Medium make big splashes and result in lots of new subscribers here -- and yes, some paid subscribers, too! Right now, I make more money on Medium, but if the trend continues, in a year or two I may make more on Substack. I keep to a niche on Substack so not all my stories that fall flat on Medium are going to be appropriate to post here, but some are, or can be edited a bit to work with my niche. That's my strategy for now.
I do wonder who is on the curation team, and how diverse that team is. When I say "diverse," I mean is there a mix of backgrounds, income levels, types of education, ages, lifestyles, etc., not just the obvious categories. Is it a young and hip group, or is there a perspective from lower-income Midwesterners my age? I don't know the answer, but I'm curious.
I am at a loss of what medium wants to be boosted as well. Most submissions I send in are not excepted even if it is excellent and the writer is very good.
Thanks Linda. I still don't "get" how Medium works, what good at all being a FoM does (even though with writing I like I'll do what Jay Squires says is necessary for that 4 X payout: highlight, clap and comment. He had said that to leave any one of these three things out, the writer doesn't get the 4X bonus! I, for one, am inundated by the amount I receive to read daily, so I prioritize and (unfortunately) limit myself to a few writers I particularly like. I've decided that I can pay for subscribing for a handful of these on Substack (maybe 5) but I'm not wealthy and it would be impossible for me to pay for a zillion subscriptions which undoubtedly are worthy. On Medium I've primarily written for just a few publications: Crow's Feet, the Illumination pubs (Illumination-Curated, etc.), Cogito, Shortform. I have yet to have a piece turned down. I've gotten boosted 7 times. But I'm not going to quit my day job, and at this point in my life I don't even want to "build" a career. It would be nice to supplement my Social Security income (plus what I'm making working part-time), but with health issues looming plus advanced age (85) but I'm not counting on it through Medium. Maybe Substack will be kinder (although in my "niche" -- the effects of early trauma on pathogenic beliefs -- will be, I anticipate, limited to a few people interested in psychodynamics. In the meantime, I hope to put together a book before I kick the bucket, maybe even of some of the Medium pieces I think have particular value that's more universal.
Twice I have been there with a boost going flat and just die out. It is demotivating. I've started my own publication and it's really niched down, do now I need writers to join. And that's not easy at all. And without writers, I can't apply for being in the nominator program. I used to be an editor at sweet.publications, but as they are not niched, it kind of had no future, when they no longer can get stories boosted through friendly nominators. There will be a lot of change in where the writers will publish, I'm sure. For me personally the summer has been terrible in getting views and reads. I'm now an editor at The Rainbow Road and have my hope someone will write with me at The Scrotum Club, that I'll be able to get a little closer to getting boosted and helping other to boosts, if I could be approved as nominator. Let's see. The last story I edited at deep.sweet.valuable got boosted, so I know I have the eye for the good stuff.
Hi Linda! It's wonderful to read your comments on this. My acceptance rate remains over 60%, but I've reduced the number of stories I'm nominating. Also, I'm spending a lot more time on my own writing. Part of that is because I've been swamped with obligations outside of writing (grrr), but I've also adopted the practice of letting everything I write sit for at least one day. That has always been part of my process, but now there are zero exceptions. Yes, I think the competition has gotten stiffer on Medium, but it is an incentive to create better writing and that's good for us. I'll probably only do 10-12 articles a month from now on. I'm also spending a lot more time editing the submissions I receive. Medium is always evolving, and I think that's the only possible process if the platform wants to remain sustainable. In the end, writers have to adapt and embrace the challenge of getting better every day! You only have one lifetime to become a great writer, we can't waste a single second!
I hear you on being swamped. Summer, man. Between gardening and mowing the lawn I feel like I have less time because I do. lol. Mine is over 60% too, but it's taken a hit because it was over 90% for months before that. And I agree -- some people will get disgruntled and others will see it as incentive. For me, I might try different topics, see how those do.
Yes, I was also at 90%, and I used to get 30+ stories nominated per month. I regret that I just can't keep up and send out as many submissions. Maybe when the kids go back to school it will change.
I've also got to do a few more river trips. Dang it, you have an obligation to yourself to spend a little time on the water when it's summer :)
Linda I would love to learn what is your secret most things I nominate get rejected.
I am boosting less as well simply because almost everything gets denied that I send in. It is very discouraging.
I saw a lot of rejections in August, but it's improved since then. I'm spending a lot of time editing though.
No matter what I try the stories I send in get rejected. I do not know why because I am not getting any feedback. It is very frustrating.
What's your publication?
Dancing Elephants Press
Cultured
That's a lovely name by the way!
Thank you. there is a story behind it of course:)
What is Yours?
Cultured and Write and Review
Thank you for clarifying some things I wasn't aware of. I also think a low of writers downgraded to vanilla membership after the initial hype about FoM. Having a loyal readership and subscribers base is better than depending on algorithms and boosts. I have noticed (in some pubs) that many of the boosted stories are within the pub's editorial group - there are a couple that come to mind where there is one boost nominator who not only self nominates (which is fine) but routinely nominates their other editors - one can say why not because whether it gets boosted or not does not lie in their hands. I also feel they tend to know exactly what to write to get their stories boosted because I doubt (as an editor myself who has access to writer stats- yes many are single digits in case you are wondering) people would be reading if not for the boost
I think it would make sense for editors to nominate each other because often a publication owner invites their strongest writers to join the publication as an editor. But as an editor, I just love having writers I can count on to turn in boost quality writing and no one needs to be an editor to do that, you know? :)
That Me and Sylvia post is outstanding!
❤️ Thank you. That means a lot coming from you. Wish I could like that more than once here. lol
Thank you for your comments and observations Linda.
I write on Medium, and am a FoM, but don’t edit or run a publication.
It seems to me that the mass of new comers from the new 77 countries will definitely strain the resources and infrastructure at Medium; resulting in more devolved authority for boost nominators, and pushing the work of curation downwards. Makes sense and probably necessary.
I am flying solo at the moment and self publishing. It might get a bit too chilly out here in the wilderness as autumn rolls in but, the independence is nice. It was mentioned on Medium that around one third of boosts come from self published sources. I might hang on a while longer.
I think also the concept of getting boosted is likely to become even more selective, less probable for the writer, and more elite as competition plies in from other new writers from the new 77.
Boost is nice but, not to live for.
Internal politics within publications, if they become more autonomous, is bound to intensify around who gets nominated for boosts.
Self-nomination is inherently a conflict of interest.
Chris 🔵
Great info and assessment as always. I too took note of the small number of FOM's around. I wasn't surprised as I've also seen people downgrade from it after realizing they don't 'get anything' from it. But those people never really understood it I don't think.
It will be interesting to see if the MPP expansion has plans in it to bring international readers as well as writers. Since readers are what pay us writers. It sounds like there will be a lot more competition , as you said. It will be interesting to see who puts their game face on and rises to the occasion.
I am keeping my FOM status as well to help other writers.
In the beginning, the Boost program made a huge difference. Now, I think it acts as a way to give exposure to a great writer—the reliable word-of-mouth endorsement. I recommended a boost on a writer who wrote about foraging in Japan and Canada while weaving in her family history. It won’t get posted until next week. I hope it’s selected because I learned many new things about Japan and a way of life. That’s my bottom line. I’m incense that stories about family abuse don’t get boosted because these stories educate others.
Linda, this caught my attention: "If writers had to write pitches for their own submissions, if it would affect what they submit to publications." Maybe we should write the pitch. Anytime you submit to agents, editors, etc, the writer includes a "pitch." If we, writers, cannot identify our takeaway and why anyone should read our piece, or how this topic will relate to readers, we may need to spend more time in revision. But that brings up another point, do we know how to write an effetive pitch? As always, thanks for your observations, thoughts, and suggestions.
They are not boosting stuff because they don't want to pay. Seems obvious to me. I'm moving away from Medium. My sub stack newsletter generated 3x Medium and 5x views.
I have noticed that a lot of boosted posts are newer writers that have a small following. I wonder if they are using boosts as a way to get new writers excited to keep writing then eventually pull the plug from them? What are your thoughts?
That’s possible, but one of the early directives Boosters were given was to surface writing that might’ve otherwise been missed.
I agree pretty much everything I send in as a boost nominator gets declined. I wrote an open letter to Tony asking about it. he declined it was a money issue.
I think a better method for boosts for medium would be to put it in the hands of some of the publication owners. Give them like 4 boosts a month or something like that and you can’t boost the same author more than once within that period.
Idk I’m throwing ideas out there.
I am a publication owner and I can boost 5 stories a week. I can only pick stories from my own publication.
Thanks, Linda. My depression about Medium is confirmed. I loved Medium when I joined, and opted to become a Friend of Medium. It's not so friendly anymore.
Take care, hope your wildfires and mine are put out soon.
I thought 10,000 friends was quite good. How many writers do you think there are on Medium?
Linda, thanks, informative as always.
My only and obvious question is this - you say:
"A publication level boost would start by distributing to people who follow the publication, which can only enhance response rates because people who follow a publication are interested in reading that type of piece."
I always assumed that happened automatically if you follow a publication or an individual writer. If that doesn't happen, what is the point of following in the first place? This seems to be an acknowledgement by Medium that, as many suspected, stories are not distributed to followers. What is the logic for this? Do they not have the technical capacity? If so, is this because of the number of members who follow ludicrous numbers of other members, as in thousands? ( A direct result of 'insincere" member interaction due to follow for follow and other reciprocity schemes or people who just follow any and everyone in hope of generating follows of their own.) If this is the case, Medium could limit the amount of accounts a member was allowed to follow to something somewhat believable, like say 100 other accounts. This doesn't limit the ability to ready anything you stumble upon, but it might bring back some legitimacy to the whole concept of following.
What am I missing?
I own a publication on Medium Dancing Elephants Press and I can only nominate from the articles submitted to my pub.
Gabriella ---and far as I know, you can nominate any story. I have had nominators send my stories in that I self-published, and I did get boosted. More than once.
When I was trained we were told we can only nominate from our own publication. I think things are changing.
Linda, minor perk of being a FoM is being able to get a link that makes anybody’s paywalled story available to non-members. I use this maybe once a month to share stories others have written with friends and family.
Thanks for mentioning this, JackH. I am also a FoM but did not understand this link. So, it can be used for stories that others have written - can it also be used for the author's own stories?
Good to read. I have had very mixed results in Boosting -- both the ones I Boost and the stories of mine I've thought were worth Boosting. I can't complain because I just had a viral story, but that was, I believe, a lightning strike I can't count on ever happening again. One story in particular I wrote recently was, I thought, very strong, but was declined and as a result made $3 the first day. I am at a loss. Medium keeps telling us what they're looking for in Boosts, and many of us are experienced writers who know how to deliver what is asked for but are still being declined. I think more transparency would be great. EXACTLY what are they looking for? It's not just simple quality. It's not just including a personal touch. It's not just good formatting or cutting down on self-promo or including appropriate citations, etc. Stories that do all these things and do them well are still declined -- and I KNOW I am not the only person who feels worried at the onslaught of the AI stories, some of which Medium has really taken to.
On Substack, however, some of these stories that have been declined on Medium make big splashes and result in lots of new subscribers here -- and yes, some paid subscribers, too! Right now, I make more money on Medium, but if the trend continues, in a year or two I may make more on Substack. I keep to a niche on Substack so not all my stories that fall flat on Medium are going to be appropriate to post here, but some are, or can be edited a bit to work with my niche. That's my strategy for now.
I do wonder who is on the curation team, and how diverse that team is. When I say "diverse," I mean is there a mix of backgrounds, income levels, types of education, ages, lifestyles, etc., not just the obvious categories. Is it a young and hip group, or is there a perspective from lower-income Midwesterners my age? I don't know the answer, but I'm curious.
I am at a loss of what medium wants to be boosted as well. Most submissions I send in are not excepted even if it is excellent and the writer is very good.
Same. I’d love to know where pitching to.
I haven't been earning enough to cover my regular membership. I would consider paying more if I start doing better.
Thanks Linda. I still don't "get" how Medium works, what good at all being a FoM does (even though with writing I like I'll do what Jay Squires says is necessary for that 4 X payout: highlight, clap and comment. He had said that to leave any one of these three things out, the writer doesn't get the 4X bonus! I, for one, am inundated by the amount I receive to read daily, so I prioritize and (unfortunately) limit myself to a few writers I particularly like. I've decided that I can pay for subscribing for a handful of these on Substack (maybe 5) but I'm not wealthy and it would be impossible for me to pay for a zillion subscriptions which undoubtedly are worthy. On Medium I've primarily written for just a few publications: Crow's Feet, the Illumination pubs (Illumination-Curated, etc.), Cogito, Shortform. I have yet to have a piece turned down. I've gotten boosted 7 times. But I'm not going to quit my day job, and at this point in my life I don't even want to "build" a career. It would be nice to supplement my Social Security income (plus what I'm making working part-time), but with health issues looming plus advanced age (85) but I'm not counting on it through Medium. Maybe Substack will be kinder (although in my "niche" -- the effects of early trauma on pathogenic beliefs -- will be, I anticipate, limited to a few people interested in psychodynamics. In the meantime, I hope to put together a book before I kick the bucket, maybe even of some of the Medium pieces I think have particular value that's more universal.
Twice I have been there with a boost going flat and just die out. It is demotivating. I've started my own publication and it's really niched down, do now I need writers to join. And that's not easy at all. And without writers, I can't apply for being in the nominator program. I used to be an editor at sweet.publications, but as they are not niched, it kind of had no future, when they no longer can get stories boosted through friendly nominators. There will be a lot of change in where the writers will publish, I'm sure. For me personally the summer has been terrible in getting views and reads. I'm now an editor at The Rainbow Road and have my hope someone will write with me at The Scrotum Club, that I'll be able to get a little closer to getting boosted and helping other to boosts, if I could be approved as nominator. Let's see. The last story I edited at deep.sweet.valuable got boosted, so I know I have the eye for the good stuff.
I am a boost nominator for my pub on medium and almost everything I send in gets declined.