Excellent advice. I’m considering adding Substack to cross-promote my Medium stories, but I don’t want to take too much of my writing time to get up to speed on the new (for me) platform. So I’m taking it slow. Thanks for your tips!
This might be a crazy suggestion, but if you were to use Substack to promote the topic you write about and occasionally include great pieces you come across from other writers, that might be a really novel approach. Instead of "look at ME," more "look at THIS" and go wider than just your posts but centered on the topics you write about. Just thinking out loud.
I love this idea! If I do this I will definitely consider promoting your pieces that are adjacent to mine on health and aging. Can you give me an idea how long it takes to set up and launch on Substack?
It is super easy Kathleen. I did it in an afternoon. Just go to settings and scroll down the page, look for things you can edit. Like, edit the welcome email that goes to people when they subscribe. Pick tags to help people find you. It's all real simple if you just scroll down the settings page.
I was actually considering this - like creating a weekly roundup of favorites. Is it okay to share stories from other writers on Substack and Medium in this way? I mean, from my perspective, I would love if someone did this for my articles on either platform. It seems to be a boon for everyone.
I really enjoyed this article. I love how straightforward and well-balanced you write. As I’m figuring out what to write, what audience I want to cultivate, and how to grow that audience these types of articles help me to cut through the opinions and noise. Thanks!
Thanks, Marnee. Those are the powerful questions, for sure. What audience do we want, how can we grow that audience, how can we cut through the noise, those are the important questions for sure. :)
Thank you for that validation. I also wanted to say that the particular comment you made about Substack working well for niche audiences was super helpful. I had figured that out last year when I was doing my initial research, but then wasn’t sure. I’m now working on a new way of thinking about my work in the world (and subsequently my Substack newsletter) and this particular point was super supportive as that is the direction I’m moving in. Very niche. Very professional. Very targeted. Your comment on this helps! So a big thanks for that too.
"An individual writer struggling on Medium does not mean Medium is dead. It just means people aren’t reading what that writer is writing. Very big (and important) distinction there."
From my observer's perch, any discussion about success/failure/whatever on Medium flows from your point here. Medium rewards writers that can read the room and adapt. Anyone still writing paint-by-numbers productivity advice is likely floundering right now (spoiler alert: NO ONE likes taking cold showers, and there is no romance in getting up at 5 AM). Anyone putting their own unique spin on it, using their own voice as a decent shot at getting traction. The person that really goes deep, makes it relatable and shows people how to do the same? They're probably seeing success. That goes double for the folks writing textbook/thesis level pieces about history, and transportation.
Tl/dr; If I can get 95% of your essay with a single Google query, Medium's probably "dead" for you.
On a (sorta) related note, I finally had one of my own stories boosted (dunno who it was, but I hope they know they made my week), and now have my own data set showing the night-and-day difference between boosted and non-boosted work. My point? Writers should be using "is this a Boost-worthy story?" as their North Star.
Yup, your tl/dr nails it Kevin. And your last sentence, too. Dead on. Is this boost worthy should be the North star. And it doesn't mean everything IS. But shooting for a cover story is a worthwhile way to look at our own writing chops.
Yes, "writing is a tough industry," but if you're a writer, don't stop. It's in your soul to understand "tough" just like it's in your soul to understand how words effect the miracle of communication! (Ask about the ways your soul is similar to Linda Carrol's soul, my friends, for there are bound to be some similarities!)
"As writers, it’s easy to blame a platform." How true! There was this one writer on Medium. I used to love their fiction. It was awesome! Then they published more and Medium Sucks essays until I got so sick of it on one of them I responded something like, "If you would stop writing this kind of tripe maybe you wouldn't be losing followers." This particular essay was complaining about how their follower count was dropping. They blocked me. Whaddevah!
I don't get why so many people feel there is a conflict between Medium and Substack. There are days when I wake up and write something that I know will do well on Medium, and there are days when I wake up and write something that's better suited for Substack. I think there are a lot of writers who don't want to do the necessary steps beyond writing.
Thanks for your lovely statistics. You always have such a good approach to things! I didn't expect Substack to have fewer visits. Did the data you found account for articles that were read in email? I prefer to read the articles on Substack, but I'd be curious to get data on the email reads per platform. Excellent writing as always Linda!
Unfortunately Similar Web can only read web visits. I'm sure there's tons more reads via email, but they can't read them. One thing I forgot to mention is that the substack network falls under web, so those are in the stats I showed. Funny -- I prefer to read right on Substack, too. And they'll get there. What they do fills in the gaps with what Medium doesn't. You know? If a writer can swing it, both makes sense to me. And thank you :)
That’s my strategy. I’m a longtime writer and editor on Medium, just starting my Substack journey. I can do things on one platform that wouldn’t work on the other.
Linda, you've put your finger on some of the differences. What especially resonates is the distinction between writers telling us how to make money, and writers actually making money. I often wonder why some of these writers don’t simply follow the advice they are dishing out and really clean up, instead of telling others how they can get rich.
If their tips really worked, they wouldn’t waste their time telling others; they'd be writing gold.
Having said that, there are a few writers - and you are one of them - who can lay out the strategy and write well enough that it’s the writing people come back for and not the advice.
You know what I mean? I like to read stories by and about real people showing how they succeed or fail at writing. Let’s face it, it’s no bed of roses sometimes fleshing out an idea, doing the research, writing it into a readable form and watching to see if anyone notices.
Those lessons resonate more with me than any canned dot points saying do this, do that, get your ducks in a row. Half the time I wonder if they are just using AI to write their bland recipes for writing stardom.
I’ve had fun on Medium, I’m hoping for more on Substack.
SO MUCH THIS! I had a huge breakthrough last fall when, behind the scenes, we clarified that Medium is intended as a *complimentary platform*. It's not intended to be your only basket. (And, big picture, no-one should ever put all their eggs in one platform basket.)
So the question is never "Medium or Substack" or "Medium or your own blog" or "Medium or YouTube" ... it's "Medium AND Substack" etc. We're not competing with other platforms, we're complimentary to them.
I love this perspective because it empowers writers, and makes them accountable for their choices.
I so agree. The only time we can compare two places is when they offer the same thing. Sure, compare two hosting companies, or two website platforms. But not places that are complementary not competitive. :)
Yes, I think our society as a whole needs to move more towards this "complimentary" or "cooperative" approach to all things. Too often, we just don't think like that and it causes needless friction. There's room at the top for everybody!
Walter may I ask which pieces you decide to put on Substack or Medium? Example sometimes I just want to get something out of my head that’s messy and incomplete. And I also would like to try short stories or an article. I’m new to posting anything online and don’t quite understand the flow as far as what goes where and if they “have” to all be polished. I’m tired of writing to myself haha.
The work I put on Medium is always more refined. If I'm sending something there, I want to take advantage of the Boost program, so I write to those requirements.
If I want to write a political rant, a short story, or some advice about how to succeed on Medium, I put it on Substack.
There are days when I wake up and I want to do a different sort of writing, and that's why it's valuable to have a presence on multiple platforms.
Great question. I'm fairly new to both platforms and still trying to figure out what to put where too. I have been publishing my stories and articles to medium and using substack for a weekly newsletter that links to everything I published that week plus any guest appearances I did, videos I may have posted, or just interesting things I discovered this week. But I'm experimenting with publishing articles to both to see what happens. I link to my substack in all medium articles to drive subscriptions. I will say that medium has excellent seo, so if you're looking for search engine ranking and audience building, Medium probably better. I use substack notes for quick messy thoughts and will sometimes save it and refine it into a full article later.
That's an excellent question. If you could account for reads in emails I'm sure those numbers would be very different. Just looking at my own stats, I have just over 1k subscribers with a 30% average open rate, but views coming from substack, one per post when I'm lucky.
Your long post is really valuable. As a relatively new member on both platforms I tend to fall into trap to read the bullshit and blame articles. But you are right: we are the problem but the solution lies within :-). Thanks for this piece :-)
You are very welcome. It feels so futile when we think results come from outside of us. But when we can ask ourselves what "we" can do to change what's happening, there's a ton of power in that.
<<If any one of those “money” writers started a new account under a pseudonym and didn’t tell their followers, and wrote what you wrote, poetry or personal essays or whatever you’re writing, they’d struggle just like you are.>>
THIS.
I’m thinking of a very popular guy I blocked because he only writes about making money writing. I doubt he could write a compelling piece about … dogs or politics or marriage or anything else. He’s not a writer. He’s a salesman. I don’t have time for his BS.
Right? I so agree, Michelle. He has no idea how to "make money" writing about dogs or aging parents, or poetry. Money is too easy a sell. Pushes pain buttons.
Thank you! Quick add re Substack, and it’s an observation that also explains why LinkedIn and Twitter suppress links to Substack: Substack is quietly moving into space previously monopolized by Twitter (Notes) and TikTok-Apple-Spotify-YouTube (podcasts and videos).
Linda, I appreciate your articles and desire to help people succeed on Medium and Substack. However, I find it difficult when writers are divided into two camps: the happy ones making the boost work and the disgruntled complainers, who are now the ones who are the "problem." There's a grey area in between. I empathize with writers who have tried to make the boost work but haven't managed to do so. The number of boosted posts is a tiny fraction of the total number of articles published; most people will not get boosted. I don't blame the platform; I just have seen that it's changed and feel for all the struggling people. That includes me. Although I've had many boosted posts, I'm having a dry spell.
I hear you, Sandra. I had a dry spell for a while, too and that's no fun. It might be worth looking at the boost publication list and seeing if it's time to stretch your wings, try a couple of new publications.
Linda, Thanks for your suggestion. I think that would be a good direction to try. I just haven't had the energy lately to do more or different since I have chronic health issues. I'm happy for the people who are doing well in the new system! Hope I can turn this around, and I appreciate your advice and support.
Even though it is small, I make more on Medium than Substack.
However, with all the Substack tools, such as Notes, newsletter business, podcast, chats, and DMs, Substack has the potential to be a good investment. It's a long-term investment.
Writing on both Medium and Substack is even better. I guess they serve different purposes.
lol Janet. It really is.
Useful stuff and true, based on my experience with both.
Thanks David. :)
Excellent advice. I’m considering adding Substack to cross-promote my Medium stories, but I don’t want to take too much of my writing time to get up to speed on the new (for me) platform. So I’m taking it slow. Thanks for your tips!
This might be a crazy suggestion, but if you were to use Substack to promote the topic you write about and occasionally include great pieces you come across from other writers, that might be a really novel approach. Instead of "look at ME," more "look at THIS" and go wider than just your posts but centered on the topics you write about. Just thinking out loud.
I love this idea! If I do this I will definitely consider promoting your pieces that are adjacent to mine on health and aging. Can you give me an idea how long it takes to set up and launch on Substack?
It is super easy Kathleen. I did it in an afternoon. Just go to settings and scroll down the page, look for things you can edit. Like, edit the welcome email that goes to people when they subscribe. Pick tags to help people find you. It's all real simple if you just scroll down the settings page.
I was actually considering this - like creating a weekly roundup of favorites. Is it okay to share stories from other writers on Substack and Medium in this way? I mean, from my perspective, I would love if someone did this for my articles on either platform. It seems to be a boon for everyone.
Yes, it is absolutely okay. I'd love if someone did that for my writing, too!
A weekly roundup it is then!
It works. ,, I did It.
I looked the best 5 articles in Substack about labor law, in Spanish. Most of the authors quoted were happy.
I've done it a few times. Most people were appreciative while the others ignored it.
I am in the same boat. Slow and steady seems to be a great mentality here.
I really enjoyed this article. I love how straightforward and well-balanced you write. As I’m figuring out what to write, what audience I want to cultivate, and how to grow that audience these types of articles help me to cut through the opinions and noise. Thanks!
Thanks, Marnee. Those are the powerful questions, for sure. What audience do we want, how can we grow that audience, how can we cut through the noise, those are the important questions for sure. :)
Thank you for that validation. I also wanted to say that the particular comment you made about Substack working well for niche audiences was super helpful. I had figured that out last year when I was doing my initial research, but then wasn’t sure. I’m now working on a new way of thinking about my work in the world (and subsequently my Substack newsletter) and this particular point was super supportive as that is the direction I’m moving in. Very niche. Very professional. Very targeted. Your comment on this helps! So a big thanks for that too.
I love when I hear that -- a new way of thinking about your work in the world. I am doing that right now, too. And you're very welcome!
"An individual writer struggling on Medium does not mean Medium is dead. It just means people aren’t reading what that writer is writing. Very big (and important) distinction there."
From my observer's perch, any discussion about success/failure/whatever on Medium flows from your point here. Medium rewards writers that can read the room and adapt. Anyone still writing paint-by-numbers productivity advice is likely floundering right now (spoiler alert: NO ONE likes taking cold showers, and there is no romance in getting up at 5 AM). Anyone putting their own unique spin on it, using their own voice as a decent shot at getting traction. The person that really goes deep, makes it relatable and shows people how to do the same? They're probably seeing success. That goes double for the folks writing textbook/thesis level pieces about history, and transportation.
Tl/dr; If I can get 95% of your essay with a single Google query, Medium's probably "dead" for you.
On a (sorta) related note, I finally had one of my own stories boosted (dunno who it was, but I hope they know they made my week), and now have my own data set showing the night-and-day difference between boosted and non-boosted work. My point? Writers should be using "is this a Boost-worthy story?" as their North Star.
Yup, your tl/dr nails it Kevin. And your last sentence, too. Dead on. Is this boost worthy should be the North star. And it doesn't mean everything IS. But shooting for a cover story is a worthwhile way to look at our own writing chops.
PREACH, KEVIN! Seriously.
Thank you, Ariel!
Yes, "writing is a tough industry," but if you're a writer, don't stop. It's in your soul to understand "tough" just like it's in your soul to understand how words effect the miracle of communication! (Ask about the ways your soul is similar to Linda Carrol's soul, my friends, for there are bound to be some similarities!)
Aww, thanks. lol. If we all strived to ask ourselves how we can be a little better, a little stronger, the growth would come.
"As writers, it’s easy to blame a platform." How true! There was this one writer on Medium. I used to love their fiction. It was awesome! Then they published more and Medium Sucks essays until I got so sick of it on one of them I responded something like, "If you would stop writing this kind of tripe maybe you wouldn't be losing followers." This particular essay was complaining about how their follower count was dropping. They blocked me. Whaddevah!
Paul, I am laughing. I have had the same experience.
I don't get why so many people feel there is a conflict between Medium and Substack. There are days when I wake up and write something that I know will do well on Medium, and there are days when I wake up and write something that's better suited for Substack. I think there are a lot of writers who don't want to do the necessary steps beyond writing.
Thanks for your lovely statistics. You always have such a good approach to things! I didn't expect Substack to have fewer visits. Did the data you found account for articles that were read in email? I prefer to read the articles on Substack, but I'd be curious to get data on the email reads per platform. Excellent writing as always Linda!
Unfortunately Similar Web can only read web visits. I'm sure there's tons more reads via email, but they can't read them. One thing I forgot to mention is that the substack network falls under web, so those are in the stats I showed. Funny -- I prefer to read right on Substack, too. And they'll get there. What they do fills in the gaps with what Medium doesn't. You know? If a writer can swing it, both makes sense to me. And thank you :)
Substack absolutely fills in the gaps. The two platforms fit together very well.
That’s my strategy. I’m a longtime writer and editor on Medium, just starting my Substack journey. I can do things on one platform that wouldn’t work on the other.
Linda, you've put your finger on some of the differences. What especially resonates is the distinction between writers telling us how to make money, and writers actually making money. I often wonder why some of these writers don’t simply follow the advice they are dishing out and really clean up, instead of telling others how they can get rich.
If their tips really worked, they wouldn’t waste their time telling others; they'd be writing gold.
Having said that, there are a few writers - and you are one of them - who can lay out the strategy and write well enough that it’s the writing people come back for and not the advice.
You know what I mean? I like to read stories by and about real people showing how they succeed or fail at writing. Let’s face it, it’s no bed of roses sometimes fleshing out an idea, doing the research, writing it into a readable form and watching to see if anyone notices.
Those lessons resonate more with me than any canned dot points saying do this, do that, get your ducks in a row. Half the time I wonder if they are just using AI to write their bland recipes for writing stardom.
I’ve had fun on Medium, I’m hoping for more on Substack.
Britni
On Substack, over 50% of my reads come from email.
And substack has a bad SEO. It is a pitty.
SO MUCH THIS! I had a huge breakthrough last fall when, behind the scenes, we clarified that Medium is intended as a *complimentary platform*. It's not intended to be your only basket. (And, big picture, no-one should ever put all their eggs in one platform basket.)
So the question is never "Medium or Substack" or "Medium or your own blog" or "Medium or YouTube" ... it's "Medium AND Substack" etc. We're not competing with other platforms, we're complimentary to them.
I love this perspective because it empowers writers, and makes them accountable for their choices.
I so agree. The only time we can compare two places is when they offer the same thing. Sure, compare two hosting companies, or two website platforms. But not places that are complementary not competitive. :)
Yes, I think our society as a whole needs to move more towards this "complimentary" or "cooperative" approach to all things. Too often, we just don't think like that and it causes needless friction. There's room at the top for everybody!
Walter may I ask which pieces you decide to put on Substack or Medium? Example sometimes I just want to get something out of my head that’s messy and incomplete. And I also would like to try short stories or an article. I’m new to posting anything online and don’t quite understand the flow as far as what goes where and if they “have” to all be polished. I’m tired of writing to myself haha.
The work I put on Medium is always more refined. If I'm sending something there, I want to take advantage of the Boost program, so I write to those requirements.
If I want to write a political rant, a short story, or some advice about how to succeed on Medium, I put it on Substack.
There are days when I wake up and I want to do a different sort of writing, and that's why it's valuable to have a presence on multiple platforms.
Great question. I'm fairly new to both platforms and still trying to figure out what to put where too. I have been publishing my stories and articles to medium and using substack for a weekly newsletter that links to everything I published that week plus any guest appearances I did, videos I may have posted, or just interesting things I discovered this week. But I'm experimenting with publishing articles to both to see what happens. I link to my substack in all medium articles to drive subscriptions. I will say that medium has excellent seo, so if you're looking for search engine ranking and audience building, Medium probably better. I use substack notes for quick messy thoughts and will sometimes save it and refine it into a full article later.
That's an excellent question. If you could account for reads in emails I'm sure those numbers would be very different. Just looking at my own stats, I have just over 1k subscribers with a 30% average open rate, but views coming from substack, one per post when I'm lucky.
Your long post is really valuable. As a relatively new member on both platforms I tend to fall into trap to read the bullshit and blame articles. But you are right: we are the problem but the solution lies within :-). Thanks for this piece :-)
You are very welcome. It feels so futile when we think results come from outside of us. But when we can ask ourselves what "we" can do to change what's happening, there's a ton of power in that.
Loved it! And I agree 100%.
Thanks Mark :)
<<If any one of those “money” writers started a new account under a pseudonym and didn’t tell their followers, and wrote what you wrote, poetry or personal essays or whatever you’re writing, they’d struggle just like you are.>>
THIS.
I’m thinking of a very popular guy I blocked because he only writes about making money writing. I doubt he could write a compelling piece about … dogs or politics or marriage or anything else. He’s not a writer. He’s a salesman. I don’t have time for his BS.
Right? I so agree, Michelle. He has no idea how to "make money" writing about dogs or aging parents, or poetry. Money is too easy a sell. Pushes pain buttons.
oof, "pushes pain buttons." That's such a compassionate, wise reframing Linda.
Linda is ever so much nicer than I am!
lol Michelle.
Thanks Ariel.
Thank you! Quick add re Substack, and it’s an observation that also explains why LinkedIn and Twitter suppress links to Substack: Substack is quietly moving into space previously monopolized by Twitter (Notes) and TikTok-Apple-Spotify-YouTube (podcasts and videos).
Really good points, Denise. Glad you added those and thank you.
Yes, it is a kind of reclaiming of all of the portals that have wrenched the power from the creator.
That’s a good way of looking at it!
Linda, I appreciate your articles and desire to help people succeed on Medium and Substack. However, I find it difficult when writers are divided into two camps: the happy ones making the boost work and the disgruntled complainers, who are now the ones who are the "problem." There's a grey area in between. I empathize with writers who have tried to make the boost work but haven't managed to do so. The number of boosted posts is a tiny fraction of the total number of articles published; most people will not get boosted. I don't blame the platform; I just have seen that it's changed and feel for all the struggling people. That includes me. Although I've had many boosted posts, I'm having a dry spell.
I hear you, Sandra. I had a dry spell for a while, too and that's no fun. It might be worth looking at the boost publication list and seeing if it's time to stretch your wings, try a couple of new publications.
Linda, Thanks for your suggestion. I think that would be a good direction to try. I just haven't had the energy lately to do more or different since I have chronic health issues. I'm happy for the people who are doing well in the new system! Hope I can turn this around, and I appreciate your advice and support.
Really appreciate your insight and no nonsense advice!
Thanks Linda. Now I feel clearer on what I do and why I do it.
Even though it is small, I make more on Medium than Substack.
However, with all the Substack tools, such as Notes, newsletter business, podcast, chats, and DMs, Substack has the potential to be a good investment. It's a long-term investment.
Writing on both Medium and Substack is even better. I guess they serve different purposes.
They do indeed serve entirely different purposes, Don. I haven't dived into chat and podcasts, but I really enjoy Notes here
I hope you continue covering everything about Medium with your Substack Newsletter. Thank you for your reply, Linda.