The more I hear about this frustration with the site, I'm thinking Medium should be more like Reddit. Everyone isolated in their own little genre communities, amongst our own "kind", but still writing the hell out of what they want without a great deal of excessive oversight. We all want to write what we want to get paid, but I don't see the latter part of that happening soon.
I mention Reddit because they just went public on the stock exchange and are selling shares. If Medium went public, you guys could all buy shares within your means. Then they'd be legally obliged to pay you what you're owed, and you'll have some means of calling the shots.
If you think about it, publications aren't that different from subreddits. And honestly, I can't think of any company goes public and pays more to the people at the bottom. Usually it's the opposite way. You think writers would come before shareholders? I don't.
This is a really interesting idea that I haven't thought about even though I use reddit daily! I'm also a Reddit share holder (really small, but technically true). I would invest in Medium for sure. I keep looking at their job board to see if they ever need someone to run customer support (I'm a sr. support manager) but I never see any openings.
For a while, we thought that the boost nomination program was going to be a way to speak into/have some say on the platform, but it became very clear really quickly that it was still "you do what we say." So, the grumblings go on.
Breaking the site into more clearly defined niches would be super fun and I think give some small writers a bigger chance of having their stories read/go viral.
I have often wondered the very same thing: how to get heard on Spotify without deep pockets for advertising; how to get read on any of the dozens of writing sites. How to rise up above the foam that we're all drowning in. E-mails, blog posts, music !!!
"How much can one person read? It’s not humanly possible. That’s happening with your readers, too. They probably follow a lot of people too."
You nailed my ongoing challenge at Medium - my lack of superhuman abilities to ultra speed read, process, and comment with wisdom and heart.
I so wish I could support every writer who follows me - shoot, I'm earning an "F" lately in replying to comments on my poetry.
I've started to believe Medium writers who aren't Barack Obama or a superstar celeb should view Medium primarily as a vessel of validation...a vessel of validation encouraging them that, yes, they can write...yes, they can garner readers (even if less than desired)...so, yes, tackle that book or whatever else that may well earn them bigger bucks.
Or not.
Who was the famous writer who told his son, who also desired to become a writer (and had the talent), "Welcome to hell" ???
Oh I wish I knew who said that. You KNOW it would find it's way into my writing. lol. For me the following is even harder because I'm editing 4 publications so mostly what I read is my writers and a few I stumble across here and there. It's tough to keep up.
I wish I could recall the writer's name for you - and for me. But I totally can't. What I do remember is that the writer's son recently won some award, his writer-father was also well known (albeit not by me).
There is only one way in my opinion - have a community (I don't mean R4R or reading clubs or tag bombing). There are those who talk about organic traffic and then there are those who score viral stories and boosts - you mentioned 2.4 million stories were published in Feb alone - my question is: what are the chances of scoring a viral, boost or getting many eyeballs on a post? I am an editor for a couple of well known pubs and I admit I stopped checking the stats of published stories. Let's just say there is a lot of competition out there
Ah Linda! My thoughts exactly! Like the small mom-and-pop company that gets so big so fast that it can't handle the volume. For myself, I have fortuitously found a handful of writers whose work I love (ahem - you) and whose work I try to read as frequently as it comes out because it give me pleasure, moves me or is informative. Then I have to hunt around and look for new writers whose work (I'm sure) I equally love? I'm sure they exist, but I do have a day job that pays the bills (thank God!). I want to hold onto "my" writers--some have even become friends, we've met for lunch and maintain contact, we've FaceTimes 1/2 way around the world and stay in touch. We've become friends and enthusiastic supporters. So I'm much less adventurous in expanding my email list or my followers list. I just can't handle it. Another gripe I have with Medium is that I don't know of a place where there's FAQs or where I can ask a question and get an answer. I still am wondering that "member-only" means next to a published piece. And what advantage has becoming a FoM brought me? Or anyone else? Anyway, thanks Linda. You helped me start to surface back into life after losing my beloved dog . . . still reeling and just beginning to think I might survive the grief.
Oh Patricia, I'm so sorry you lost your dog. How hard that is. The grief is just brutal. I can answer the part about FoM. The friends of Medium program doesn't give anything to the people who pay the added fee. It's a way to support writers a bit more. Every time a FoM reads a post, the writer gets basepay x4. So it's just a way to support writers more. I do love that you've made friends there. Me, too!!
I deal with this sheer volume issue by encouraging my Followers on Medium to subscribe to my Substack newsletter, where I republish virtually all of my Medium stories and they are guaranteed to see them. I would guess that around 10% have subscribed (you can see Medium as the referral source when you get a subscriber via those links). My plan is not to gradually leave Medium as it still earns much more than my newsletters, though still a ridiculously tiny amount for all the work involved. This, and what you write about, is the reality of online writing for the vast majority, despite all the articles claiming some kind of secret sauce recipe for making big money.
Secret sauce for making big money -- writing about the secrets to making big money. lol. And yeah - smart to move people from Medium to here. At least here you own your list. Working on doing the same.
Linda, it's a problem of scale, right? Because I started with medium.com so long ago, I never tried to monetize, never thought I could monetize (as mostly a poet). When I think of medium, I don't think of that other guy who started it, or Tony, or anyone else, really. I think of you. And I thank. you for that. I look forward to your posts and am grateful that they arrive in email. Your gifts are admired and appreciated...particularly your gifts of honesty and clarity. Sincerely, Mary
That is just about the nicest thing I've heard today. And yes, it's a problem of scale. But, that said, there are ways to work with it. Because most people don't think they can, or believe they can, and some don't even care. So for the small number who want to, it's totally possible.
Right??? You've just explained why I don't subscribe to everyone I'd like to engage with on Substack: it takes me way to long to wade through my email inbox every day as it is. I can't pretend I'm going to read 400 articles/newsletters a week — not if I ever want to finish a book!
Right? One person followed me and the little notification said they follow 48 Substacks. I could not even imagine getting that many emails. I'd never get anything done. lol
My reads halved which tells me the algorithm changed. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing until my first fiction book is published. I devote 20 minutes to reading on my feed. Since I’m an editor I read & clap for every post I helped with. This adds up. I spend 6-10 hours a week editing stories. I don’t think writers understand that
I’m not the best person to answer your question, my Medium writing has been sparse in the last couple of years. Because: external distractions, but that is meaningless in terms of Medium experiences and my writing in general. I am working to find a good go-forward plan which is easier said than done, it seems.
Interesting though, I find myself trying to build this plan without Medium playing a central role. Some role, yes. What and how, I’m not there yet.
So why am I planning to exclude a big Medium focus given my um…current absence ? I think it is me picking up on all the frustrations I read from others. This is not a bad thing. It’s like, with the freedom, finally, to be more involved, why put myself through the same wringer.
Having said this, I still don’t know, how much I will include Medium going forward ( lol. A nice CMA In case I turn into a four times a week writer on Medium!)🙄
Had to laugh at the last sentence. I will probably never write four times a week on Medium because I write here too. But I'll probably never leave either. I think it's smart to have a plan that includes Medium but doesn't make it central. Because we don't own our followers there, you know?
Yep, I totally agree. Now if I can just focus and get that plan together! That’s a downside of being distracted for so long. Focus…where are you? ;-)
Glad the last sentence made you laugh, four times a week ? Um, highly unlikely but never say never!
Have a super weekend. Hope you found in your overflowing inbox my additional comments about mini editorial services. It took me awhile to get them to you. That focus thang again. Sigh.xo
You are definitely inviting folks to engage their "critical thinking" with the stats you've articulated with Medium stories in the past three years. This set of sentences is the invitation to THINK CRITICALLY:
"You think that means I see it? Think again. How much can one person read? It’s not humanly possible. That’s happening with your readers, too. They probably follow a lot of people too."
Thanks for the invitation...
I am blessed that I do not have to rely on the paltry sum for the very occasional writing I do at Medium! My life has been totally nuts the last 2+ years. I have time to read, but unfortunately, not the time to write (except for myself, in my journal and to make a comment here and there).
I am blessed that I don't have to as well. But for me that means a day job. Self employed from home, which is nice. But still, it's a lot to juggle. I think one thing writers really struggle with is that emotion gets in the way of critical thinking. And I understand that. I was there for a long time, too. Taking everything personal. Once we have a little confidence in our pockets, that's when we can start to think critically about what's happening and how to get better results. But it's a process, that's for sure.
In my opinion, Medium ‘s greatest success is also its greatest failure, and that’s the sheer volume of members and articles being published every single day. It created an infrastructure designed for a lot less. The solution? As with all things, it comes down to funding. If Medium had excess funding, they could expand the infrastructure which means more people more curators more facilities to channel the flow of new articles coming in in a way that at least gave readers and writers a chance to generate more income. I understand it wants to be a membership-based platform but I honestly don’t see that working long-term and if I’m not mistaken, it’s already been long-term. The boost program is a cool thing, but it would have to be 100 times more robust, at least to make a dent in the flow of new articles coming in and getting good writers recognition. I would love to see it happen and can see it happening with more funding. This is one example where I really hope I’m wrong and that Medium comes up with another way of becoming more robust without the advertising. But right now I don’t see it.
The long term goal is to have every publication that accepts writers be part of the boost program and have it built into the system. Once they get there, more writers will get found. I think the Friends of Medium program might provide some of that extra income they need. Don't know what percent of members opted for the upgrade, but I do see it quite often so I hope it's enough to make a dent. One thing that's good is they are finally going to be profitable this month or next, after over a decade of surviving on investment dollars. Like you, I hope they can stay ad-free too. They vowed they would, so I'm hopeful
This is a great post and I've been contemplating similar things lately. You mentioned the most important part which is that you're allowed to write about things that are important to you. I've played the content writing game, I've published novels, I've sold articles and short stories, and Medium is the best way to earn and get visibility for the themes and ideas I want to explore. I have my moments of frustration when one of my nominations is rejected, or one of my own stories doesn't get a boost, but the strength of this program is that human beings are making the decisions, and human beings have diverse opinions.
Yup, I hear you. I have not published a novel. But I've done every kind of writing there is from email copy, to website copy, product descriptions, copywriting, seo writing, ghost writing. One time some guy won a writing contest with an entry I ghost wrote for him. That damn near ate my soul. Being able to write whatever I want is a big win for me.
Ouch, what a blatant example of people with money fleecing people with talent. You should write that story. In fact, that single event could be the basis of 20 articles. There were times that I deleted lines from contracted copy because I knew it was too good to waste.
I'm understanding more and more about Medium, and I realize I can't hope for a home-run with a boost, I need to concentrate on improving my craft, and that's probably the best I can do - improve so I can move to additional outlets. For me, Medium has forced me to become a better writer.
I think that's actually a really good thing, and I'd say the same. Medium forced me to be a better writer, too. I've written for decades but I'd never written a personal essay until I tried it at Medium. I think it's a great place to test things and develop our writing skills because it's so easy to see what people respond to.
Now, I don’t judge anybody for terse instruction. I’m there to help the story shine, not to debate. I was so happy when this gem showed up . I created subheading from bowls and had her describe her dogs. She will help a gazillion people with her honesty. https://medium.com/middle-pause/im-61-and-always-been-single-6d6816f55e4d
Good read Linda Caroll. Those are incredible numbers. Yeah impossible to keep up. I had an light bulb moment reading your article. " duh-uh Craig, Engage more in the comments and with others who comment to build a following like you do on LinkedIn."
I was amazed how big and how fast that happened on LinkedIn. I would think the same would happen on Medium. However, I'm consistently in consistent with my posts there. So I need to change that.
The more I hear about this frustration with the site, I'm thinking Medium should be more like Reddit. Everyone isolated in their own little genre communities, amongst our own "kind", but still writing the hell out of what they want without a great deal of excessive oversight. We all want to write what we want to get paid, but I don't see the latter part of that happening soon.
I mention Reddit because they just went public on the stock exchange and are selling shares. If Medium went public, you guys could all buy shares within your means. Then they'd be legally obliged to pay you what you're owed, and you'll have some means of calling the shots.
There is some good information here, David. Thank you.
If you think about it, publications aren't that different from subreddits. And honestly, I can't think of any company goes public and pays more to the people at the bottom. Usually it's the opposite way. You think writers would come before shareholders? I don't.
This is a really interesting idea that I haven't thought about even though I use reddit daily! I'm also a Reddit share holder (really small, but technically true). I would invest in Medium for sure. I keep looking at their job board to see if they ever need someone to run customer support (I'm a sr. support manager) but I never see any openings.
For a while, we thought that the boost nomination program was going to be a way to speak into/have some say on the platform, but it became very clear really quickly that it was still "you do what we say." So, the grumblings go on.
Breaking the site into more clearly defined niches would be super fun and I think give some small writers a bigger chance of having their stories read/go viral.
I have often wondered the very same thing: how to get heard on Spotify without deep pockets for advertising; how to get read on any of the dozens of writing sites. How to rise up above the foam that we're all drowning in. E-mails, blog posts, music !!!
https://open.substack.com/pub/jimswanaticloud/p/my-ovation-guitars?r=1bhkj&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
"How much can one person read? It’s not humanly possible. That’s happening with your readers, too. They probably follow a lot of people too."
You nailed my ongoing challenge at Medium - my lack of superhuman abilities to ultra speed read, process, and comment with wisdom and heart.
I so wish I could support every writer who follows me - shoot, I'm earning an "F" lately in replying to comments on my poetry.
I've started to believe Medium writers who aren't Barack Obama or a superstar celeb should view Medium primarily as a vessel of validation...a vessel of validation encouraging them that, yes, they can write...yes, they can garner readers (even if less than desired)...so, yes, tackle that book or whatever else that may well earn them bigger bucks.
Or not.
Who was the famous writer who told his son, who also desired to become a writer (and had the talent), "Welcome to hell" ???
Oh I wish I knew who said that. You KNOW it would find it's way into my writing. lol. For me the following is even harder because I'm editing 4 publications so mostly what I read is my writers and a few I stumble across here and there. It's tough to keep up.
I wish I could recall the writer's name for you - and for me. But I totally can't. What I do remember is that the writer's son recently won some award, his writer-father was also well known (albeit not by me).
There is only one way in my opinion - have a community (I don't mean R4R or reading clubs or tag bombing). There are those who talk about organic traffic and then there are those who score viral stories and boosts - you mentioned 2.4 million stories were published in Feb alone - my question is: what are the chances of scoring a viral, boost or getting many eyeballs on a post? I am an editor for a couple of well known pubs and I admit I stopped checking the stats of published stories. Let's just say there is a lot of competition out there
Pretty low. 2.4 million posts and 2,374 nominations for boost. You're so right. A lot of competition.
Ah Linda! My thoughts exactly! Like the small mom-and-pop company that gets so big so fast that it can't handle the volume. For myself, I have fortuitously found a handful of writers whose work I love (ahem - you) and whose work I try to read as frequently as it comes out because it give me pleasure, moves me or is informative. Then I have to hunt around and look for new writers whose work (I'm sure) I equally love? I'm sure they exist, but I do have a day job that pays the bills (thank God!). I want to hold onto "my" writers--some have even become friends, we've met for lunch and maintain contact, we've FaceTimes 1/2 way around the world and stay in touch. We've become friends and enthusiastic supporters. So I'm much less adventurous in expanding my email list or my followers list. I just can't handle it. Another gripe I have with Medium is that I don't know of a place where there's FAQs or where I can ask a question and get an answer. I still am wondering that "member-only" means next to a published piece. And what advantage has becoming a FoM brought me? Or anyone else? Anyway, thanks Linda. You helped me start to surface back into life after losing my beloved dog . . . still reeling and just beginning to think I might survive the grief.
Oh Patricia, I'm so sorry you lost your dog. How hard that is. The grief is just brutal. I can answer the part about FoM. The friends of Medium program doesn't give anything to the people who pay the added fee. It's a way to support writers a bit more. Every time a FoM reads a post, the writer gets basepay x4. So it's just a way to support writers more. I do love that you've made friends there. Me, too!!
I deal with this sheer volume issue by encouraging my Followers on Medium to subscribe to my Substack newsletter, where I republish virtually all of my Medium stories and they are guaranteed to see them. I would guess that around 10% have subscribed (you can see Medium as the referral source when you get a subscriber via those links). My plan is not to gradually leave Medium as it still earns much more than my newsletters, though still a ridiculously tiny amount for all the work involved. This, and what you write about, is the reality of online writing for the vast majority, despite all the articles claiming some kind of secret sauce recipe for making big money.
Secret sauce for making big money -- writing about the secrets to making big money. lol. And yeah - smart to move people from Medium to here. At least here you own your list. Working on doing the same.
Linda, it's a problem of scale, right? Because I started with medium.com so long ago, I never tried to monetize, never thought I could monetize (as mostly a poet). When I think of medium, I don't think of that other guy who started it, or Tony, or anyone else, really. I think of you. And I thank. you for that. I look forward to your posts and am grateful that they arrive in email. Your gifts are admired and appreciated...particularly your gifts of honesty and clarity. Sincerely, Mary
That is just about the nicest thing I've heard today. And yes, it's a problem of scale. But, that said, there are ways to work with it. Because most people don't think they can, or believe they can, and some don't even care. So for the small number who want to, it's totally possible.
Right??? You've just explained why I don't subscribe to everyone I'd like to engage with on Substack: it takes me way to long to wade through my email inbox every day as it is. I can't pretend I'm going to read 400 articles/newsletters a week — not if I ever want to finish a book!
I can spare a 600 word post, not an epic.
Yup. I hear you. I don't mind a 6-7 min read if it's well written.
Right? One person followed me and the little notification said they follow 48 Substacks. I could not even imagine getting that many emails. I'd never get anything done. lol
My reads halved which tells me the algorithm changed. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing until my first fiction book is published. I devote 20 minutes to reading on my feed. Since I’m an editor I read & clap for every post I helped with. This adds up. I spend 6-10 hours a week editing stories. I don’t think writers understand that
You are so right Margie. Before I started my publications, I truly had no clue how much time editors spend in publications.
I’m not the best person to answer your question, my Medium writing has been sparse in the last couple of years. Because: external distractions, but that is meaningless in terms of Medium experiences and my writing in general. I am working to find a good go-forward plan which is easier said than done, it seems.
Interesting though, I find myself trying to build this plan without Medium playing a central role. Some role, yes. What and how, I’m not there yet.
So why am I planning to exclude a big Medium focus given my um…current absence ? I think it is me picking up on all the frustrations I read from others. This is not a bad thing. It’s like, with the freedom, finally, to be more involved, why put myself through the same wringer.
Having said this, I still don’t know, how much I will include Medium going forward ( lol. A nice CMA In case I turn into a four times a week writer on Medium!)🙄
Had to laugh at the last sentence. I will probably never write four times a week on Medium because I write here too. But I'll probably never leave either. I think it's smart to have a plan that includes Medium but doesn't make it central. Because we don't own our followers there, you know?
Yep, I totally agree. Now if I can just focus and get that plan together! That’s a downside of being distracted for so long. Focus…where are you? ;-)
Glad the last sentence made you laugh, four times a week ? Um, highly unlikely but never say never!
Have a super weekend. Hope you found in your overflowing inbox my additional comments about mini editorial services. It took me awhile to get them to you. That focus thang again. Sigh.xo
You are definitely inviting folks to engage their "critical thinking" with the stats you've articulated with Medium stories in the past three years. This set of sentences is the invitation to THINK CRITICALLY:
"You think that means I see it? Think again. How much can one person read? It’s not humanly possible. That’s happening with your readers, too. They probably follow a lot of people too."
Thanks for the invitation...
I am blessed that I do not have to rely on the paltry sum for the very occasional writing I do at Medium! My life has been totally nuts the last 2+ years. I have time to read, but unfortunately, not the time to write (except for myself, in my journal and to make a comment here and there).
I am blessed that I don't have to as well. But for me that means a day job. Self employed from home, which is nice. But still, it's a lot to juggle. I think one thing writers really struggle with is that emotion gets in the way of critical thinking. And I understand that. I was there for a long time, too. Taking everything personal. Once we have a little confidence in our pockets, that's when we can start to think critically about what's happening and how to get better results. But it's a process, that's for sure.
Like life itself, a process.
In my opinion, Medium ‘s greatest success is also its greatest failure, and that’s the sheer volume of members and articles being published every single day. It created an infrastructure designed for a lot less. The solution? As with all things, it comes down to funding. If Medium had excess funding, they could expand the infrastructure which means more people more curators more facilities to channel the flow of new articles coming in in a way that at least gave readers and writers a chance to generate more income. I understand it wants to be a membership-based platform but I honestly don’t see that working long-term and if I’m not mistaken, it’s already been long-term. The boost program is a cool thing, but it would have to be 100 times more robust, at least to make a dent in the flow of new articles coming in and getting good writers recognition. I would love to see it happen and can see it happening with more funding. This is one example where I really hope I’m wrong and that Medium comes up with another way of becoming more robust without the advertising. But right now I don’t see it.
The long term goal is to have every publication that accepts writers be part of the boost program and have it built into the system. Once they get there, more writers will get found. I think the Friends of Medium program might provide some of that extra income they need. Don't know what percent of members opted for the upgrade, but I do see it quite often so I hope it's enough to make a dent. One thing that's good is they are finally going to be profitable this month or next, after over a decade of surviving on investment dollars. Like you, I hope they can stay ad-free too. They vowed they would, so I'm hopeful
This is a great post and I've been contemplating similar things lately. You mentioned the most important part which is that you're allowed to write about things that are important to you. I've played the content writing game, I've published novels, I've sold articles and short stories, and Medium is the best way to earn and get visibility for the themes and ideas I want to explore. I have my moments of frustration when one of my nominations is rejected, or one of my own stories doesn't get a boost, but the strength of this program is that human beings are making the decisions, and human beings have diverse opinions.
Yup, I hear you. I have not published a novel. But I've done every kind of writing there is from email copy, to website copy, product descriptions, copywriting, seo writing, ghost writing. One time some guy won a writing contest with an entry I ghost wrote for him. That damn near ate my soul. Being able to write whatever I want is a big win for me.
Ouch, what a blatant example of people with money fleecing people with talent. You should write that story. In fact, that single event could be the basis of 20 articles. There were times that I deleted lines from contracted copy because I knew it was too good to waste.
I'm understanding more and more about Medium, and I realize I can't hope for a home-run with a boost, I need to concentrate on improving my craft, and that's probably the best I can do - improve so I can move to additional outlets. For me, Medium has forced me to become a better writer.
I think that's actually a really good thing, and I'd say the same. Medium forced me to be a better writer, too. I've written for decades but I'd never written a personal essay until I tried it at Medium. I think it's a great place to test things and develop our writing skills because it's so easy to see what people respond to.
Now, I don’t judge anybody for terse instruction. I’m there to help the story shine, not to debate. I was so happy when this gem showed up . I created subheading from bowls and had her describe her dogs. She will help a gazillion people with her honesty. https://medium.com/middle-pause/im-61-and-always-been-single-6d6816f55e4d
Simply amazing
Good read Linda Caroll. Those are incredible numbers. Yeah impossible to keep up. I had an light bulb moment reading your article. " duh-uh Craig, Engage more in the comments and with others who comment to build a following like you do on LinkedIn."
I was amazed how big and how fast that happened on LinkedIn. I would think the same would happen on Medium. However, I'm consistently in consistent with my posts there. So I need to change that.
I love your words. Always so insightful.