Summary

An author reflects on the strategy of diversifying publication submissions to increase Medium earnings, inspired by a challenge to submit to 30 different publications in 30 days.

Abstract

The author shares their journey of experimenting with publishing stories in various Medium publications, a strategy inspired by David Majister's challenge to submit to 30 publications in 30 days. Initially skeptical, the author found that their highest-earning stories were often published in smaller, niche publications that were a good match for the content. By analyzing their own data, the author concluded that success on Medium is not solely about getting into large publications but also about finding the right home for each story. They encourage other writers to diversify their submissions, emphasizing that writing for a variety of publications can lead to a deeper understanding of where a writer's skills align with reader interests, ultimately leading to growth and satisfaction.

Opinions

The author initially thought the challenge of submitting to 30 publications in 30 days was crazy but later recognized its brilliance.
There is a concern about the potential missed opportunity of a story going viral in a larger publication if submitted to a smaller one.
The author emphasizes the importance of tracking writing progress and performance using tools like spreadsheets.
Success on Medium is attributed to matching the right story with the right publication at the right time, along with a dose of luck.
The author advocates for not being afraid to write for smaller publications, as they can be lucrative and a better fit for certain topics.
There is an opinion that writers should experiment with various publications and topics before specializing, to see what resonates with Medium readers.
The author believes that writing frequently and publishing broadly leads to a more enjoyable and potentially successful writing experience on Medium.

30 Days of Pushing Myself to Try Different Publications

You can’t find a prince without kissing frogs

Last month I topped $100 in partner program earnings for the first time. This month I’ll earn over $200. In this article, I share what I’ve started doing differently to increase my earnings.

My first thought when I read David Majister’s story pledging to post in 30 new publications in 30 days was he was crazy.

My second thought was maybe he was brilliant. Should I try it?

Then I saw one of his rules said if a story was rejected he could submit it elsewhere but it wouldn’t count towards the 30. Nope, that was the deal-breaker for me.

He’s crazy.

Now, I’m back to my second thought. He’s brilliant. You can read about his results here.

I never officially signed on to follow David’s plan but it heavily influenced me during the month anyway.

I reached my five-month mark on Medium in March and felt like I was just hitting my stride. I write pretty regularly, not having a paying day job at the moment, so 30 stories in 30 days was not the biggest challenge for me. It was the thought of all the work of finding new publications.

I also had a lot of FOMO. What if I wasted a story that would have gone viral in a big publication on some small pub where it didn’t get seen?

So I firmly told myself to resist the temptation to join David’s challenge and just focus on my own plan.

Except, that’s not the way it worked out.

I decided to look at the spreadsheet where I keep track of all my Medium writing. It turns out I was already fairly diversified having published in 19 publications in February. Not only that but some of my top earners were in small pubs.

Note: if you don’t use a spreadsheet or some other method to keep track of your Medium writing and progress I highly recommend it. You can check out this story I wrote about mine near the beginning of my Medium journey. It has only become more powerful and useful as I grow.

Looking at my own data surprised me. The secret to growth isn’t getting into great publications. It’s matching the right story to the right publication at the right time and getting lucky.

As I write this I have a story that will probably top $100 in earnings today. This is a record for me and I’m very pleased. It’s been a slow burner earning between $5 and $10 a day since publication. The publication it is in has under 2K followers so it isn’t a big one. My second highest earner is in the same publication.

The publication is Crow’s Feet, tagline, Life as we Age. The two stories are humorous/serious pieces about colonoscopy and menopause. This is an obvious match of publication to a topic.

Which is why I think the 30 submissions to 30 publications challenge is so brilliant. I had fallen into the trap of assuming bigger always meant better.

I’ve been published in Better Humans, Better Marketing, P.S. I Love You, Post Grad Survival Guide, Slackjaw, The Ascent, and Mind Cafe. Some of these stories have done okay, some have only a few views.

Inspired by David and bolstered by an examination of my own data, I started my own challenge. Match each story to a publication and don’t be afraid to add more publications to my list.

Maybe you have read some of the stories advising you not to niche down too quickly on Medium. Write whatever you want as a beginner and see what works for you on this platform. There is plenty of time to specialize later.

This is excellent advice and I’m now convinced the same applies to publications. Experiment.

Don’t stop submitting to big publications if your writing matches their style and content, but also write for the little guys.

The more you write, the more you publish, the more different publications you publish in, the more you learn about where the intersection of your skills and interests as a writer overlap with the interests of the readers on Medium.

Before this challenge, I was trying to concentrate on just a few publications figuring that was the best way to grow. Now I’m focused on fitting the story to the publication. When I finish a story I look at my list of publications and see if it is a good fit for any of them. If so, great, I submit. If not I go looking.

I’m now a writer for 45 publications. I have a few go-to’s I publish in regularly and others I rarely even consider at this point. It’s all good.

Writing should be satisfying. Chasing an algorithm or rapid success is likely to disappoint. Push yourself to write more frequently, whatever that means for you, and publish more broadly. Experimentation at every level including what you write, how you write, and where you publish keeps things interesting for you and the reader and will lead to growth over time.

Slow and steady wins the race, especially when I remind myself I’m getting paid for an enjoyable hobby.