Meanwhile, my personal writing done under my real name has mostly gone unnoticed. I had a decent-sized audience of fellow kooks on LiveJournal back when people still wrote over there, as well as on DeviantArt during my brief stint as a fantasy artist, but that's about it. Beyond that, though, I've simply gotten used to being an unknown and just doing whatever it is that I do for my own pleasure and not much else.
I sincerely didn't expect Medium to be very different from any of that when I first signed up for their partner program toward the end of last year. I knew my experience writing for the web likely meant I'd do OK over there, but I didn't expect to truly get any attention or earn any real money. Perhaps just a few loyal readers who didn't mind listening to my drivel, just like on LiveJournal, and maybe a couple of hundred extra bucks to help out with bills now and then. That profile blew up quick, though.
Yes, I'm earning for sure, and I'm getting a lot of praise for my work. I'm also getting a lot of mail from strangers who want to know more about me and -- in some cases -- learn how to do whatever it is that I'm doing these days. Companies are messaging me, begging me to mention them in future Medium posts, sometimes in exchange for money (which I don't do, by the way.) People are adding me to their networks, hoping I'll lay some more golden eggs for them to discover and take with them in their travels. It doesn't quite seem real, and I am most definitely not used to it.
As for what I'm doing? I'm still figuring that out myself to an extent. I still spend most of my professional time copywriting and creating web content for my clients, but I've been making more room in my schedule for what I consider to be my "real" writing, as well. I've made myself a little posting schedule to make sure I'm showing up consistently for my readers on Medium. And people are reading this blog -- the same little Blogger blog I've kept for years in relative obscurity -- which is crazy sauce, so I'm trying to update here a little more often as well.
........
A few people have asked me very nicely about making it as a professional writer lately. Most have wanted to know about Medium, but there have also been inquiries about my copywriting. I'm not quite at the place where I feel ready to get meta on Medium itself yet, so I thought it might be worth writing down a few words here for those coming by looking for advice.
How long did it take me to slam one out of the park on Medium? No time at all, actually. My first Medium post ever went semi-viral and earned me a nice chunk of change. Subsequent posts found small audiences here and there. A good handful got curated. Some were picked up by various publications that were interested in my work. Then I published the 8 Life Lessons post everyone's been reading, and I blew up hard.
At this point, I can't stay in denial that I've hit on something there, so I've been taking Medium a lot more seriously and posting regularly over the past couple of weeks, so my audience continues to grow. So far, I'd say my advice boils down to:
- Read the shit out of other people's content on Medium, especially articles that generate tons of engagement. Ask yourself what about those articles made them resonate with so many people and do your best to cultivate those same qualities in your own writing.
- Follow popular writers and take note of how they conduct themselves on Medium and elsewhere. Learn from how they interact with their readers, run their social media channels, and so forth.
- Write on topics that move you for sure, but if you're seriously looking to earn money there and build a following, you have to write about topics Medium readers love. Think self-improvement, tech, relationships, writing tips, money management, and other examples along those lines.
- Post frequently and regularly. You're not going to get anywhere posting once in a blue moon or only when you feel like it. Shoot for 2-3 posts per week minimum, but definitely do more if you can hack it. Most top writers post 4-6 times a week or more, as I understand it, so I would swing as many posts as you can without sacrificing quality.
- Pay close attention to formatting, as well as Medium's curation guidelines. Curation isn't necessarily the be-all and end-all, especially once you start building a following, but it's certainly something you want to shoot for. Most of your highest-earning stories are going to find their legs via curation.
- Don't sweat it too much or get frustrated if things don't start happening overnight. Some people luck out and score a hit right out of the gate like I did, but most people have to work at it for a long time before they start gaining any traction. Just have fun with it and write your heart out.
- Interact with posts that resonate with you on Medium. Clap for them and highlight them. Leave thoughtful comments that add to the conversation. It's essential to support other writers when you see them doing excellent work, and being interactive on the site helps generate interest in you, as well.
That's about it. Except I really can't stress the "don't get frustrated" part strongly enough, because you will get frustrated when it feels like curators or publications you submit to are passing on some of your best work. Just keep trucking. Eventually, you just hit a groove, and things start coming together for you.
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