5 Mistakes You Might be Making as a Medium Writer

Avoid them if you want to make it big.

Everyone has a different story about their journey on Medium or traditional blogging. However, a few things happen to almost all of us. The most common steps a medium writer or blogger usually go through —

• Overwhelmed by other writers’ stats and earnings
• Disappointed after not making even 1% of the desired amount despite putting a lot of work
• Discouraged by the extremely slow growth
• Thoughts of giving up
• Finally giving up.

This is the story of every other medium writer. Honestly, for most of us, the prime motivation to write on Medium is its Partner Program. If today, for any reason, Medium shuts down MPP, there will be a massive drop in the number of writers, especially those who are just starting out.

Since the MPP works best for those who either have a large following or get curated frequently, most new writers have to struggle for exposure. There are times when it feels hard to keep up and stay motivated.

In my 5 months writing period on Medium, I have noticed a few things that often lead newcomers to quit the platform. Even though I don’t know how many people do these mistakes, I am pretty sure that the ones who avoid them in the beginning, go a longer way.

#1. Higher Expectations

Do you know one evergreen rule to survive longer? Start with the least expectations. If you can find other motivations than money to write on Medium, you are already a champ. It means you stand higher chances to survive longer. And, this is all that matters here.

In the online world, I have noted that money comes to those who don’t prioritize it. If you are a beginner, you need to know that there is a long phase of failures and disappointments ahead. You might see single digits in your stats and earnings for months to come. Everyone has to go through it. But most people fail to understand that this is a process, not outcome. And that’s how they give up.

If you take only one piece of advice to tackle this phase, it would say just expect less.

#2. Relying only on Medium earning

Let alone Medium, one should never be dependent on just one income stream, even if you run a million-dollar business. This rule applies to Medium, too.

What happens when you rely only on Medium:

• You have to work under pressure.
• Your monthly earning will be decided by Medium algorithm.
• You will start expecting more which violates rule no 1.

Too much pressure often results in a quality drop. My personal opinion is that a creative job like writing should be free of pressure. But, it didn't mean you don’t have to put in the necessary effort. You really need to work hard to be noticed, but make sure you don’t set any deadlines.

I have noted that even the writers from Medium’s top-performers club have a primary job or business. Despite earning well enough on Medium, they didn’t quit their 9–5. Perhaps, they understand things better than us. They know that any change in Medium’s policies can change the digits on their monthly paycheck.

#3. Taking it for granted

Nothing comes easy. To succeed on Medium, you have to do a lot of hard work. people are publishing daily, striving hard to make it work for them. The story you publish has to compete with around 30k other posts published on the same day.

No, I am not trying to demotivate you at all. What I am trying to put together is — Do not get over-excited by seeing other writers’ income reports. They all have seen the worst. They all have spent months of hard work to get there.

Be willing to work hard and give your best. But remember, do not set deadlines. Work harder but as a king, not a slave.

#4. Not treating Medium as a social media platform

If you are just starting out, you need to learn this fact and never forget it ever — Medium is more of social media platform than a blogging platform. What it means is posting content is not enough. Rather than being a content publishing machine, try to socialize more.

When you are not writing:

• Read other writers
• Clap/comment on the articles you like
• Build and maintain a good relationship with fellow writers
• Try to be more active
• Follow others

If you want Medium algorithm to support you, start supporting others. More specifically, extend your support to newbies. They are the ones who actually need your support. And they are also the ones who will appreciate your attention and might try to engage with your posts in return.

#5. Not enjoying the writing

You can’t survive here if you write under pressure or without a serious passion for writing.

If money is the only goal, you are less likely to get past the struggling phase that is on the way. A creative job always brings you something — either money & appreciation or peace of mind or both.

Writing must at least brings you pleasure, if not money. A motivation other than money gets you going during the toughest phases of your journey as a writer.

In their success stories, a lot of successful bloggers have mentioned that they started it all just as a hobby. They were just passionate about writing and their particular niches. Once they grew their following, it was easy for them to turn their hobby into a business.

Newbies often fail to understand it. And that’s why a large number of people give up within 6 months. You might not want to end up like that, right?

To enjoy writing, make it fun. Keep experimenting with your writing. Share a personal story for a change. Do whatever you can to find reasons to sit and write every day.

Conclusion

To succeed at anything you have never done before, you need to have a list of things to do at every step. Similarly, a list of things to avoid is equally important. This article is based on my own observations and learning. Even though the article was not that long, take one more look at the list —

• Don’t have high expectations
• Do not rely completely on Medium
• Work hard and treat it as your job.
• Remember, Medium is a social media platform. Socialize more.
• Find reasons (other than money) to write regularly.

Hope you enjoyed and learned something valuable from this post. Take a look at the below posts also.

Enjoy your day. :)