Lately, reading about Medium for me has been like reading about a neighborhood or city where you used to live. You remember the good and forget the bad unless the latter is clearly brought up...
And it's not just Americans who have difficulty keeping money in the bank- it's a regular occurrence for myself and other Canadians as well, unfortunately.
There are plenty of opportunities to learn from great writers on Medium without buying a course to learn how to write to make better earnings on Medium.
Those articles sparkle for the newcomer who sees dollar signs. I remember being excited by them. How many ways are there to regurgitate Medium stories into how-to-make-money products where individual skill and talent are what produce quality craftsmanship?
How many courses does someone need? Different techniques, yes, but that does not guarantee a new writer’s immediate success and a return on the investment of the course.
I'd rather spend $20 (it's $11.99 on Kindle) and buy the book On Writing Well and share what I learn by paying it forward to help someone else, just as many writers do on Medium. For free.
Yes. If you’re writing about how to make money writing, your advice might only apply to people interested in writing about how to make money writing. I want to hear from someone who makes money writing about chickens or parenting or doll collecting or motorcycle maintenance or cooking — ANYTHING but writing about money.
Thank you. It does sometimes feel that the way to succeed online is to write about how to succeed online. That has never interested me - I want to write about what matters to me, and it would be great if both people read and enjoyed it and I could make some money from it. I am getting there, but I regularly have to remind myself that I need to just keep going and I do not need any more courses no matter how enticing they look!
I took a writing course from a successful medium writer. It's really good. Basic, but I needed a back to basics reset. But, man, do the algorithms love to shove a bunch of shit courses in my face now!
This is timely and I appreciate your thoughts. I wrote an article a couple of months ago titled "Writing about writing is more lucrative than writing." Lately, I've had more people approach me about giving classes, and I've been contemplating how to do it in a way that felt like it offered real value. On the one hand, I recognize that even if I work on somebody's draft for hours and hours, it's still unlikely that they'll make any money on it. At the same time, I'm confident that I can make them a better writer... if they only listen, which most of them don't. Part of me is tempted to charge people because maybe they'll be more likely to listen if it's information they paid for. I used to enjoy writing "make money writing" articles for Medium, because that's what you did 4-5 years ago. I like discussing these topics with my other writer friends to see what ideas they're using. But, as you say, for every helpful article out there, there are probably 100 that are just meant to con you out of cash. I guess it's just a matter of people going into things with their eyes open. Thanks for writing!
I am getting inundated with how to make money on Medium posts lately. I believe the reason Medium promotes these posts is because they are trying to attract hobby writers and not professional authors and journalists.
Follower counts matter little. I used to average 1000 new followers a week. Now… I have been stuck at the same 132K followers for the last 6 months. Follower counts are merely who Medium favors. One day you are promoted and one day they drop you like it’s hot. 🤷🏻♀️
Perfect timing. I have been weighing the options of Medium vs Subtack lately. Only because I'm finding my daily digests full of poorly written, all-about-me, me-me content. I find people's stories interesting if they are a well-written story. Do I care if you are upset because your wife burnt the omelet? Again. Not so much. I have been enjoying all your articles of late. Thank you.
The reason people make money on Medium talking about Medium is that the algorithm - despite protestations to the contrary - still distributes these so they are getting reads. I'm not sure what percentage of the Internet is about making money - 50% - 70%, but it's a lot. We are all trying to use the system that replaced the system (magazines, newspaper, publishers) that used to curate the world's writers. But the new system is glutted with stuff. It's unwieldy, inefficient and wholly biased. So, writers feel anxious about getting their stuff read. They'll read and try new things in the hope it will improve their chances - but it's just more of what you wrote about. Medium must bring people back to curate, to help with distribution, otherwise Medium becomes the world's largest library. Passively holding countless works, while keeping the aisles dusted so people traveling them looking for something good to read will be sneeze-free in their journey.
I write on Medium to practice writing and bring something I experienced to others. At the beginning, I remember reading those how to posts which turned out to be subheads with no details--with the link to their offer. YuckYuckYuck. The boost program is creating an encyclopedia sameness to stories. Posts that should be riveting are boring because they are too long and tidied up with a predictable CTA. Readers want to know what is going to happen next or be so excited they tell their own story. I got a sweet comment that made by week on my short poem "Hymn on the Street." The piece did exactly what I wanted it to and my hear soared. I give TIPS to servers who really are working paycheck to paycheck!
I think you covered it but people are still going to try this tired road to ‘success fast’. It’s everywhere. I see Substack writers crowing about how they got their first one hundred subs. Not paid subs, free subs. Are there tips that work? Of course, but they are seldom secrets and most likely to be common sense.
It’s hard to get noticed. It takes a lot of work. Solid consistent work—and even then it is often not enough. It’s got to matter. And figuring all that out doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Those articles are so tempting. We love the idea of a magic wand existing. Thanks for this article. :).
I know exactly who you're talking about. I first ran across his writing about a month ago. Bragging about how fast he was accumulating followers, etc, etc. I'd say most of the people who write about writing and building a following on medium are going to see a bit more success as like you said, it pushes buttons. And like you said, try writing anything but.
I listened to something online earlier this week with Tim and someone else in some kind of master class and the someone else was building Tim up in regards to all his followers. Again... "How to" stuff. Side note--not complaining about Tim as I like some of his stuff.
Here's the deal though. I can learn more about writing by simply reading your articles. From structure to ideas and layout to content. And if I'm going to pay for a class, do I want some new kid with no credentials. He may have a masters in journalism, who knows?
No... If I'm going to take a class, it's going to be from someone good who has credentials. Like Linda Carol or Roz Warren or maybe Kelly Eden.
I've been on Medium for two or three years and only recently ran across Markham Heid. He doesn't write about "writing" at all. He writes about health and lifestyle. He has 390K followers on Medium--More than Tim. This is a guy you can learn from. At the end of his articles he doesn't ask for anything. You get closure and that's it. No subscribe, no buy me a coffee, no nothing.
If you like his stuff, you'll follow and if you don't, you won't. I went back and read some of his beginning work and as I followed his timeline, I could see changes he made in his writing and publications.
Another writer new to my radar is Walter Rhein. I love that guy.
Hey Linda, yeah as with all fields, the scammers (even the possibly well intentioned ones like the guy you mentioned) make everyone else look bad. Terrible therapists make all therapists look like scammers. Awful doctors make all doctors look cruel. Etc.
I say this because I've taken courses by some very successful Medium writers (at least 100+ K followers and making at least $4000+ a month), and they have helped me a lot. Miraculously, I have actually made back the money I needed to pay for the courses and more. But anyway, my advice to others is that, if you want to take a course, check for publicly available proof of competence. Plus, testimonials from friends or people you respect and trust.
Even with the very top earning Medium writers (I won't name names as promised, but you know who I'm talking about!), I was initially skeptical. But in both cases, even though they had abundant proof of their success, what really convinced me, was that both of them had either friends or people I respect and trust recommend their courses. And yes, my experience has actually been very positive.
Another thing is that there are of course no guarantees for anything. I just went in, not expecting anything huge, but just to up my writing skills. And I got much more than I expected. Partly out of luck, and partly because I did many of the things suggested to me. Knowing something is one thing, actually doing it is another. Especially if those steps are hard and outside of your comfort zone. There are different roads to success, but some roads are more likely than others...
One last thing: What I enjoy most about the courses, is the sheer social accountability and influence. Again, it's easy to know what to do to perform well. It's not so easy to actually do the things and to keep doing it, even when you hit obstacles. But being in a group of highly driven, ambitious people, really helps keep up motivation. Not blindly ambitious, either, since they do openly share doubts and fears, and we help each other out on them. Our instructors also encourage honesty from us and help us with our situations. Getting personalized advice for your situation, is worth tons more than just reading tips on the internet that could apply to anyone (but not necessarily to you).
Moreover, I've noticed how much more positive my self-talk has become. Being around people like my instructors and classmates, have influenced me a lot. I'm not as cynical or defeatist as I used to be. I'm a lot more forgiving and accepting of mistakes and imperfections, in both myself and in others. I'm much more willing to take (reasonable) risks. More willing to reach out to people, even if I'm shy and anxious.
Ok I know many people would see my comment as scammy (or at best, brainwashed). But again, I emphasize the importance of finding publicly available proof (such as a massive number of Medium followers, like 100 K followers or above, etc), and also testimonials from friends and folks you respect and trust. You're right that many of them are scammers or just bad. But some of them are gems. We just need to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
So spot on. ‘Side hustle for sale. Value not guaranteed.’
I lived in Los Angeles and studied screenwriting for years. It dawned on me that people teaching writing out there outnumber working writers by some ratio I don’t think anyone can calculate.
I don't know who you're talking about, but I do know the type. I took a writing online course last year organized by writers who are also Medium though it's not their main channel and it wasn't a scam but their promise that anyone who enrols would be successful at online writing if they follow through with the program sure did sound scammy. The longer I write, the clearer it becomes that there is no way anyone can guarantee that you would become a successful online writer if you just need to write and publish consistently. I've also shied away from Medium, Twitter and YouTube in the past years because I kept encountering these kinds of "writers" who write to sell a course. They've grown like mushrooms after rainfall it's insane
Lately, reading about Medium for me has been like reading about a neighborhood or city where you used to live. You remember the good and forget the bad unless the latter is clearly brought up...
And it's not just Americans who have difficulty keeping money in the bank- it's a regular occurrence for myself and other Canadians as well, unfortunately.
There are plenty of opportunities to learn from great writers on Medium without buying a course to learn how to write to make better earnings on Medium.
Those articles sparkle for the newcomer who sees dollar signs. I remember being excited by them. How many ways are there to regurgitate Medium stories into how-to-make-money products where individual skill and talent are what produce quality craftsmanship?
How many courses does someone need? Different techniques, yes, but that does not guarantee a new writer’s immediate success and a return on the investment of the course.
I'd rather spend $20 (it's $11.99 on Kindle) and buy the book On Writing Well and share what I learn by paying it forward to help someone else, just as many writers do on Medium. For free.
Thanks, Linda
Yes. If you’re writing about how to make money writing, your advice might only apply to people interested in writing about how to make money writing. I want to hear from someone who makes money writing about chickens or parenting or doll collecting or motorcycle maintenance or cooking — ANYTHING but writing about money.
Thank you. It does sometimes feel that the way to succeed online is to write about how to succeed online. That has never interested me - I want to write about what matters to me, and it would be great if both people read and enjoyed it and I could make some money from it. I am getting there, but I regularly have to remind myself that I need to just keep going and I do not need any more courses no matter how enticing they look!
I took a writing course from a successful medium writer. It's really good. Basic, but I needed a back to basics reset. But, man, do the algorithms love to shove a bunch of shit courses in my face now!
This is timely and I appreciate your thoughts. I wrote an article a couple of months ago titled "Writing about writing is more lucrative than writing." Lately, I've had more people approach me about giving classes, and I've been contemplating how to do it in a way that felt like it offered real value. On the one hand, I recognize that even if I work on somebody's draft for hours and hours, it's still unlikely that they'll make any money on it. At the same time, I'm confident that I can make them a better writer... if they only listen, which most of them don't. Part of me is tempted to charge people because maybe they'll be more likely to listen if it's information they paid for. I used to enjoy writing "make money writing" articles for Medium, because that's what you did 4-5 years ago. I like discussing these topics with my other writer friends to see what ideas they're using. But, as you say, for every helpful article out there, there are probably 100 that are just meant to con you out of cash. I guess it's just a matter of people going into things with their eyes open. Thanks for writing!
I am getting inundated with how to make money on Medium posts lately. I believe the reason Medium promotes these posts is because they are trying to attract hobby writers and not professional authors and journalists.
Follower counts matter little. I used to average 1000 new followers a week. Now… I have been stuck at the same 132K followers for the last 6 months. Follower counts are merely who Medium favors. One day you are promoted and one day they drop you like it’s hot. 🤷🏻♀️
Perfect timing. I have been weighing the options of Medium vs Subtack lately. Only because I'm finding my daily digests full of poorly written, all-about-me, me-me content. I find people's stories interesting if they are a well-written story. Do I care if you are upset because your wife burnt the omelet? Again. Not so much. I have been enjoying all your articles of late. Thank you.
The reason people make money on Medium talking about Medium is that the algorithm - despite protestations to the contrary - still distributes these so they are getting reads. I'm not sure what percentage of the Internet is about making money - 50% - 70%, but it's a lot. We are all trying to use the system that replaced the system (magazines, newspaper, publishers) that used to curate the world's writers. But the new system is glutted with stuff. It's unwieldy, inefficient and wholly biased. So, writers feel anxious about getting their stuff read. They'll read and try new things in the hope it will improve their chances - but it's just more of what you wrote about. Medium must bring people back to curate, to help with distribution, otherwise Medium becomes the world's largest library. Passively holding countless works, while keeping the aisles dusted so people traveling them looking for something good to read will be sneeze-free in their journey.
I write on Medium to practice writing and bring something I experienced to others. At the beginning, I remember reading those how to posts which turned out to be subheads with no details--with the link to their offer. YuckYuckYuck. The boost program is creating an encyclopedia sameness to stories. Posts that should be riveting are boring because they are too long and tidied up with a predictable CTA. Readers want to know what is going to happen next or be so excited they tell their own story. I got a sweet comment that made by week on my short poem "Hymn on the Street." The piece did exactly what I wanted it to and my hear soared. I give TIPS to servers who really are working paycheck to paycheck!
What she said.
I think you covered it but people are still going to try this tired road to ‘success fast’. It’s everywhere. I see Substack writers crowing about how they got their first one hundred subs. Not paid subs, free subs. Are there tips that work? Of course, but they are seldom secrets and most likely to be common sense.
It’s hard to get noticed. It takes a lot of work. Solid consistent work—and even then it is often not enough. It’s got to matter. And figuring all that out doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Those articles are so tempting. We love the idea of a magic wand existing. Thanks for this article. :).
I know exactly who you're talking about. I first ran across his writing about a month ago. Bragging about how fast he was accumulating followers, etc, etc. I'd say most of the people who write about writing and building a following on medium are going to see a bit more success as like you said, it pushes buttons. And like you said, try writing anything but.
I listened to something online earlier this week with Tim and someone else in some kind of master class and the someone else was building Tim up in regards to all his followers. Again... "How to" stuff. Side note--not complaining about Tim as I like some of his stuff.
Here's the deal though. I can learn more about writing by simply reading your articles. From structure to ideas and layout to content. And if I'm going to pay for a class, do I want some new kid with no credentials. He may have a masters in journalism, who knows?
No... If I'm going to take a class, it's going to be from someone good who has credentials. Like Linda Carol or Roz Warren or maybe Kelly Eden.
I've been on Medium for two or three years and only recently ran across Markham Heid. He doesn't write about "writing" at all. He writes about health and lifestyle. He has 390K followers on Medium--More than Tim. This is a guy you can learn from. At the end of his articles he doesn't ask for anything. You get closure and that's it. No subscribe, no buy me a coffee, no nothing.
If you like his stuff, you'll follow and if you don't, you won't. I went back and read some of his beginning work and as I followed his timeline, I could see changes he made in his writing and publications.
Another writer new to my radar is Walter Rhein. I love that guy.
I certainly appreciated this piece.
Hey Linda, yeah as with all fields, the scammers (even the possibly well intentioned ones like the guy you mentioned) make everyone else look bad. Terrible therapists make all therapists look like scammers. Awful doctors make all doctors look cruel. Etc.
I say this because I've taken courses by some very successful Medium writers (at least 100+ K followers and making at least $4000+ a month), and they have helped me a lot. Miraculously, I have actually made back the money I needed to pay for the courses and more. But anyway, my advice to others is that, if you want to take a course, check for publicly available proof of competence. Plus, testimonials from friends or people you respect and trust.
Even with the very top earning Medium writers (I won't name names as promised, but you know who I'm talking about!), I was initially skeptical. But in both cases, even though they had abundant proof of their success, what really convinced me, was that both of them had either friends or people I respect and trust recommend their courses. And yes, my experience has actually been very positive.
Another thing is that there are of course no guarantees for anything. I just went in, not expecting anything huge, but just to up my writing skills. And I got much more than I expected. Partly out of luck, and partly because I did many of the things suggested to me. Knowing something is one thing, actually doing it is another. Especially if those steps are hard and outside of your comfort zone. There are different roads to success, but some roads are more likely than others...
One last thing: What I enjoy most about the courses, is the sheer social accountability and influence. Again, it's easy to know what to do to perform well. It's not so easy to actually do the things and to keep doing it, even when you hit obstacles. But being in a group of highly driven, ambitious people, really helps keep up motivation. Not blindly ambitious, either, since they do openly share doubts and fears, and we help each other out on them. Our instructors also encourage honesty from us and help us with our situations. Getting personalized advice for your situation, is worth tons more than just reading tips on the internet that could apply to anyone (but not necessarily to you).
Moreover, I've noticed how much more positive my self-talk has become. Being around people like my instructors and classmates, have influenced me a lot. I'm not as cynical or defeatist as I used to be. I'm a lot more forgiving and accepting of mistakes and imperfections, in both myself and in others. I'm much more willing to take (reasonable) risks. More willing to reach out to people, even if I'm shy and anxious.
Ok I know many people would see my comment as scammy (or at best, brainwashed). But again, I emphasize the importance of finding publicly available proof (such as a massive number of Medium followers, like 100 K followers or above, etc), and also testimonials from friends and folks you respect and trust. You're right that many of them are scammers or just bad. But some of them are gems. We just need to know how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
So spot on. ‘Side hustle for sale. Value not guaranteed.’
I lived in Los Angeles and studied screenwriting for years. It dawned on me that people teaching writing out there outnumber working writers by some ratio I don’t think anyone can calculate.
I don't know who you're talking about, but I do know the type. I took a writing online course last year organized by writers who are also Medium though it's not their main channel and it wasn't a scam but their promise that anyone who enrols would be successful at online writing if they follow through with the program sure did sound scammy. The longer I write, the clearer it becomes that there is no way anyone can guarantee that you would become a successful online writer if you just need to write and publish consistently. I've also shied away from Medium, Twitter and YouTube in the past years because I kept encountering these kinds of "writers" who write to sell a course. They've grown like mushrooms after rainfall it's insane