WRITING
Boost Boost Boost — Why Everyone Is Now Looking for Boosts
Here are the boosting rules and my experiences
We are all looking for writing success on this platform. Some for the money. Some for the impact. Some as professional writers of quality. Some as a silly hobby.
And others… for the friends they make here…
Medium is changing the rules all the time. And while that’s irritating for many writers who start complaining, for me it’s a sport.
A challenge. Can I be successful within the new rules? Yes. Of course. You just have to know these rules. And Medium is always kind of open about them.
The newest kid on the block is the BOOST.
Boom! Crash! Flash! Viral!
What is a boost? Medium has chosen some publications whose editors can submit stories for a boost. Some of these editors are paid editors. Some might just be chosen without being a real Medium-paid publication. The details are not always so clear unless you are a real insider.
Which I’m not.
However, recently I have been contacted by a publication asking if they can publish some of my stories. They are the boosting kind of pub…
So, I said yes. Please…
Now, some of my stories have been boosted and I view the difference immediately. Can you spot them? Which ones have been boosted and which ones are the poor cousins of stories? Tell me in the comments which ones you think and I’ll tell you if you’re right :-)
Apparently, the boosted stories rank higher in the feed of new people in my subject. And it means my crowd grows. Normally I’m just viewed by my followers or the followers of the pubs I publish in.
But of course, if you want to grow your tribe it’s most important to be viewed by new readers. New kids on the block grow a swarm…
What Are the Boost Rules?
Medium says:
We look for stories that move people forward.
My experience is that it can be in all kinds of subjects. Women’s stories. Environmental ones. Politics. Personal growth. Racial or other diversity issues. Creativity. Business. Tech.
Medium wants constructive and original.
A difference from before is that they are looking at credentials too.
Does the author speak from relevant experience?
Is the story well-written? Well-crafted? Does it have a beginning, a middle, and an end? Does it offer something to its reader? Memorability? Some advice? Some takeaway?
And then the bottom line…
Does it make people feel good about the value of their Medium subscription?
We can complain all we like, but this IS the bottom line. Medium is a business. And it should be. They would have no existence if people are not putting their money where their reading eyes are.
So, my advice to all writers?
Take your craft seriously. Give your readers what they want and expect. Value for reading money. Be original. Be surprising. Stand out. Don’t copy. Be YOU.
And realize that writing is a job. A craft. An art.
Become the best writer you can be (in your chosen subjects)…
Some Extra Advice
- Do research about the publications in your field that are able to boost you. They often advertise that fact in their guidelines or their magazine. Become their writer. Make them happy
- Take the comments from your editors seriously. Respond quickly. Adapt if they feel you should. Don’t argue. They have the job to help you. And they are often professionals who know about markets, readers’ profiles, quality writing, etc.
- Writing is a craft and a job — take yourself as a writer seriously if you want to grow in this craft and become successful in whatever way you desire
- Comment on other people’s stories too. Be a reader as well as a writer. Without readers, we wouldn’t need writers on this platform
- Form a community with the people in your publications. We want you to be active members. The more active, the more successful
- Enjoy the writing itself as much as the success. It would be a waste of your valuable living time otherwise
Here are the full Medium rules for boosting.
Enjoy the rollercoaster ride, my friends!
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Lovely to hear from so many of you again after my long period of illness. I’m cancer clean again now. And happy to be working again. Give me some of your stories to read in the comments if you feel inclined to.
I’ve missed much. But I’m back now!
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Thank you, Gaia, for giving me Wild Writing © Désirée Driesenaar, 2023