I've been writing on Medium since March. I'm considering switching to Substack because it seems focused on quality writing with less distractions. I am mostly writing personal essay and memoir type pieces.
Would you have an opinion that you would share about this? As a new writer trying to build an audience and grow in my writing, what do you suggest?
Also, I am not very concerned with money, more concerned with the craft and feedback from readers at this time.
Second, congrats on staying open to ideas on where to put your writing.
I entered the literary world blogging for FREE on Wordpress, then moved from that to Patch.com (writing for $10/column), then moved to The Chicago Sun-Times & The Chicago Tribune (earning @$100/column), then moved to Medium (where I initially earned a respectable amount for what I put in, only to see the payment algorithms change and earnings drop). Finally, I moved to writing a biography and becoming a paid speaker and memoir coach and writing on Substack (where my earnings are much higher than they've ever been).
Every literary path is what we want to make of it.
For me, I was initially interested in dipping my toe in and gaining confidence with sharing my work. Money wasn't my initial motivator. I'd saved enough to (naively) spend a year focused on learning the landscape. I had no idea a year would only just scratch the surface.
The most important thing for me was learning the craft, finding my voice, gaining feedback, meeting other writers, and being a part of a community. Eventually, I wanted to support myself from my writing, but I knew that would only happen if I became a strong writer. And so, I invested my time and efforts into learning and experimenting and attending conferences and workshops and letting myself learn what it was to be vulnerable. I spend many days and nights doubting if I was cut out for a writing career, but I guess I always talked myself out of quitting. I always had hope and a desire to keep going.
I share all of this because, after trying a BUNCH of different forms of writing, when I came to Medium, I honestly thought I'd somehow "hit it big". I had some initial success that really excited me (a.k.a. inflated my ego), and I felt like "Finally! THIS is where I'll connect with a ton of readers and establish myself."
[I'm shaking my head as I type]
For me, Medium was another stop on my journey...a place where I spent time comparing myself to other writers and envying all the content and advice they seemed to turn out effortlessly. I had no idea that many of the "top performers" used Artificial Intelligence or staffs or Medium's back room to help put their content in front of eyeballs. I'd devour their stats and find myself jealous of the earnings they posted and sink into a cesspool of self-loathing. I kept hoping and wishing I could be more like them...and my writing suffered as a result. It wasn't authentic. I was competing rather than writing, and my writing reflected this. I was checking my stats obsessively, constantly wondering about my performance and my earnings. I grew frustrated by the unpredictability of Medium's earnings model and my inability to grow my own mailing list.
What sucked the most about Medium, at least for me, was that I was SO DISTRACTED when I wrote. Distracted by what? Nailing the headline. Getting the subhead, keywords, tags, and photos right. Finding the right pubs to submit to and making sure I was following their specific guidelines. I'd finish a piece and feel drained instead of excited.
On the bright side (and there always is one if you look hard enough), I forced myself to write better headlines (something I needed to understand anyway) and to write more efficiently and purposefully. Those efforts improved my writing a bit, I think.
But still...
I'm not suggesting that Medium was a toxic environment, but I definitely felt a toxic dynamic when I was there. I just wasn't motivated by the right things. Another way to say it is that Medium didn't bring out my best writing self. I'm just one person, and MANY people have massive success on the platform. It turned out not to be what I was looking for, but I'm glad I tried. It wasn't a waste of time. Not at all. I learned a LOT while I was there. And, I haven't "quit" Medium. I'm just focused on Substack.
What helped me shift away from Medium was my focus on redesigning my own website and reminding myself who I was as a writer. I'd been comparing myself against others to the point I lost my own voice, so it was important for me to rediscover what I wanted to write about and put into the world.
When I first learned about Substack, I was initially confused. Was it a blog? A newsletter? A website? It's free? It's paid? Help!
Then, I read a bunch of Substacks and got a better idea of how flexible and creative and innovative and community-oriented I could be...and it all clicked.
Since I joined Substack this year, I've become part of an astoundingly loyal and engaged community -- and I'm blown away by how quickly and authentically I've been able to build an invested audience. It kind of feels like I'm in a writing class where the instructor encourages and empowers all of us. It's a really, REALLY good vibe here for me.
Truthfully, I could be doing SO MUCH MORE on Substack, and I'm trying to figure out how to do that. I'm still so new to the platform, and I'm running a memoir coaching business full-time, so there are only so many hours in the day. That said, writing on Substack NEVER feels like work (whereas it absolutely did on Medium). The learning curve there felt a LOT higher, but as I've since figured out, I wasn't learning how to write better; I was learning how to play by their rules.
[I feel a little like a (douchey) high school boyfriend I once had who said something to the effect of, "Hey, it's been super fun, and I've really enjoyed our time together, and I'm in NO WAY breaking up with you completely -- but I think I'd be more comfortable with an open relationship right now." LOL!]
I love Substack for so many reasons, especially because it's EASY to use, collaborative, community-focused, and designed for both writers AND their readers.
This is in NO way a paid or sponsored reply (do they even do that here?), but I love writing on Substack so far, and it's only been a few months, so maybe this is just the honeymoon phase. But, from what I know so far, I'd highly recommend this platform if you want to grow your skills, connect with other writers, gain a loyal following, and make some money.
Hope that helps as you consider your options! Keep us posted :)
Thank you for this. I can relate to your thoughts/experience on Medium. I have resisted trying to please the algorithm and watch as others figure it out, get many more followers and make money. That is quite depressing, but I tell myself that I am not there for that. I am there to do me, not bend myself to an algorithm. Also, what is popular sometimes is nothing I want to put out in the world (doom etc...).
It feels like a machine to me at times, and can be toxic. I think I will take some time looking around Substack and get familiar as you did. I will keep Medium too for now. There are some writer's I enjoy reading on there.
If I was more along in my process, I would consider working with you. It's still very early for me, but it's good to know that help is available. ;o)
One last question for you. Do you think I should make an IG handle for myself as a writer? I have Twitter and I have been using that. I may be wrong, but I think Twitter will survive it's new owner. Time will tell though!
I also have a website, www.ChristineWolf.com. Substack allows you to pull content from other sites, if that helps. Their support is incredible. As for all the offerings, I’m sure I’m not yet taking advantage of all they have here — but the coolest thing is, all your questions are answered in weekly office hours, and if they don’t offer something you need, they’re very receptive to suggestions!
Perfectly said, thank you.
Hi Christine!
I've been writing on Medium since March. I'm considering switching to Substack because it seems focused on quality writing with less distractions. I am mostly writing personal essay and memoir type pieces.
Would you have an opinion that you would share about this? As a new writer trying to build an audience and grow in my writing, what do you suggest?
Also, I am not very concerned with money, more concerned with the craft and feedback from readers at this time.
Sincerely,
Jocelyn
Hey, Jocelyn.
First of all, GLAD you asked this question.
Second, congrats on staying open to ideas on where to put your writing.
I entered the literary world blogging for FREE on Wordpress, then moved from that to Patch.com (writing for $10/column), then moved to The Chicago Sun-Times & The Chicago Tribune (earning @$100/column), then moved to Medium (where I initially earned a respectable amount for what I put in, only to see the payment algorithms change and earnings drop). Finally, I moved to writing a biography and becoming a paid speaker and memoir coach and writing on Substack (where my earnings are much higher than they've ever been).
Every literary path is what we want to make of it.
For me, I was initially interested in dipping my toe in and gaining confidence with sharing my work. Money wasn't my initial motivator. I'd saved enough to (naively) spend a year focused on learning the landscape. I had no idea a year would only just scratch the surface.
The most important thing for me was learning the craft, finding my voice, gaining feedback, meeting other writers, and being a part of a community. Eventually, I wanted to support myself from my writing, but I knew that would only happen if I became a strong writer. And so, I invested my time and efforts into learning and experimenting and attending conferences and workshops and letting myself learn what it was to be vulnerable. I spend many days and nights doubting if I was cut out for a writing career, but I guess I always talked myself out of quitting. I always had hope and a desire to keep going.
I share all of this because, after trying a BUNCH of different forms of writing, when I came to Medium, I honestly thought I'd somehow "hit it big". I had some initial success that really excited me (a.k.a. inflated my ego), and I felt like "Finally! THIS is where I'll connect with a ton of readers and establish myself."
[I'm shaking my head as I type]
For me, Medium was another stop on my journey...a place where I spent time comparing myself to other writers and envying all the content and advice they seemed to turn out effortlessly. I had no idea that many of the "top performers" used Artificial Intelligence or staffs or Medium's back room to help put their content in front of eyeballs. I'd devour their stats and find myself jealous of the earnings they posted and sink into a cesspool of self-loathing. I kept hoping and wishing I could be more like them...and my writing suffered as a result. It wasn't authentic. I was competing rather than writing, and my writing reflected this. I was checking my stats obsessively, constantly wondering about my performance and my earnings. I grew frustrated by the unpredictability of Medium's earnings model and my inability to grow my own mailing list.
What sucked the most about Medium, at least for me, was that I was SO DISTRACTED when I wrote. Distracted by what? Nailing the headline. Getting the subhead, keywords, tags, and photos right. Finding the right pubs to submit to and making sure I was following their specific guidelines. I'd finish a piece and feel drained instead of excited.
On the bright side (and there always is one if you look hard enough), I forced myself to write better headlines (something I needed to understand anyway) and to write more efficiently and purposefully. Those efforts improved my writing a bit, I think.
But still...
I'm not suggesting that Medium was a toxic environment, but I definitely felt a toxic dynamic when I was there. I just wasn't motivated by the right things. Another way to say it is that Medium didn't bring out my best writing self. I'm just one person, and MANY people have massive success on the platform. It turned out not to be what I was looking for, but I'm glad I tried. It wasn't a waste of time. Not at all. I learned a LOT while I was there. And, I haven't "quit" Medium. I'm just focused on Substack.
What helped me shift away from Medium was my focus on redesigning my own website and reminding myself who I was as a writer. I'd been comparing myself against others to the point I lost my own voice, so it was important for me to rediscover what I wanted to write about and put into the world.
When I first learned about Substack, I was initially confused. Was it a blog? A newsletter? A website? It's free? It's paid? Help!
Then, I read a bunch of Substacks and got a better idea of how flexible and creative and innovative and community-oriented I could be...and it all clicked.
Since I joined Substack this year, I've become part of an astoundingly loyal and engaged community -- and I'm blown away by how quickly and authentically I've been able to build an invested audience. It kind of feels like I'm in a writing class where the instructor encourages and empowers all of us. It's a really, REALLY good vibe here for me.
Truthfully, I could be doing SO MUCH MORE on Substack, and I'm trying to figure out how to do that. I'm still so new to the platform, and I'm running a memoir coaching business full-time, so there are only so many hours in the day. That said, writing on Substack NEVER feels like work (whereas it absolutely did on Medium). The learning curve there felt a LOT higher, but as I've since figured out, I wasn't learning how to write better; I was learning how to play by their rules.
[I feel a little like a (douchey) high school boyfriend I once had who said something to the effect of, "Hey, it's been super fun, and I've really enjoyed our time together, and I'm in NO WAY breaking up with you completely -- but I think I'd be more comfortable with an open relationship right now." LOL!]
I love Substack for so many reasons, especially because it's EASY to use, collaborative, community-focused, and designed for both writers AND their readers.
This is in NO way a paid or sponsored reply (do they even do that here?), but I love writing on Substack so far, and it's only been a few months, so maybe this is just the honeymoon phase. But, from what I know so far, I'd highly recommend this platform if you want to grow your skills, connect with other writers, gain a loyal following, and make some money.
Hope that helps as you consider your options! Keep us posted :)
Thank you for this. I can relate to your thoughts/experience on Medium. I have resisted trying to please the algorithm and watch as others figure it out, get many more followers and make money. That is quite depressing, but I tell myself that I am not there for that. I am there to do me, not bend myself to an algorithm. Also, what is popular sometimes is nothing I want to put out in the world (doom etc...).
It feels like a machine to me at times, and can be toxic. I think I will take some time looking around Substack and get familiar as you did. I will keep Medium too for now. There are some writer's I enjoy reading on there.
If I was more along in my process, I would consider working with you. It's still very early for me, but it's good to know that help is available. ;o)
One last question for you. Do you think I should make an IG handle for myself as a writer? I have Twitter and I have been using that. I may be wrong, but I think Twitter will survive it's new owner. Time will tell though!
Thank you! Is this Substack website your only website or do you have another?
I'm trying to decide whether to move my website (which holds several blogs) over to Substack and, thus, eliminate my ConvertKit newsletter.
Also, does Substack have a way for authors to publicize and offer "freebies"/lead magnets?
Thanks in advance for your help as I sort through my options.
I also have a website, www.ChristineWolf.com. Substack allows you to pull content from other sites, if that helps. Their support is incredible. As for all the offerings, I’m sure I’m not yet taking advantage of all they have here — but the coolest thing is, all your questions are answered in weekly office hours, and if they don’t offer something you need, they’re very receptive to suggestions!
Thank you!
Just signed up, thanks to this post. Thanks!
That’s AWESOME! Welcome aboard! I love that we’re still connected after all these years, Ric! Thanks for reading, man. Hope all is well.