Are You Bi-Platform Curious?

Now is a great time to diversify your sexy writing portfolio

I’ve been fairly bummed about the current unsexy state of Medium. So many writers — myself included — have seen massive drops in views, aren’t the ‘chosen ones’ getting boosted, and are taking it hard. Well, fuck.

But then I remembered something…I’m clever as fuck and I’m not platform monogamous.

So, I started an OnlyFans! Oh wait, that’s not right — YouTube, I started a YouTube channel.

I chose a second platform not (only) because my earnings dropped quicker than my panties at a Bon Jovi concert — but because I was losing my audience. Damnit, I earned those beautiful bastards.

I realized how vulnerable I was to an algorithmic shift with platform monogamy. I had put all my eggs in one basket — which is a dumb move for a 40-year-old female who probably only has one egg left. I’m not the god-damned Easter Bunny, I need more eggs and baskets.

Diversifying platforms was the second-best decision I’ve made in a long time. The first was joining Medium. It gave me a sexy new beast to conquer, a renewed sense of excitement — and it quelled my anxiety-laden fears of platform vulnerability. Diversification is a step towards unfuckwithability.

I had been thinking about cheating on Medium for a while, but this was the kick in the digital coochie I needed to do it.

So, if you have been considering diversifying platforms — now is the time to satisfy that bi-platform curiosity. Well, 10 years ago was better, as was last year, and yesterday — but better late than never.

When you diversify platforms you aren’t at the whim of one. What happens if something happens to your account? What happens if that platform gets behind another writer instead? What happens if it gets taken over by sultry AI cyborgs?

Why You Should Diversify Platforms

If you’ve had any concerns about your growth trajectory here — like I did — kick those fears in the digital dick by growing on a second platform. Here are the ways that I think being platform non-binary can help:

• New Users for Audience Building: While there may be some overlap, each platform has unique audiences. If your goal is to build an audience — you can do it faster by seducing two audiences instead of one.
• Security: you aren’t vulnerable to losing your audience if anything happens to that one platform. If you’ve ever tried to log on to Medium, see that the site is down, and for a brief moment panicked — you’re relying too much on one partner.
• Agility: If you have more than one platform you can flex different creative muscles, leverage different types of analytics, and pivot your strategy if needed. If one platform goes through an unsexy dry spell, you can whisper into the ear of the other.

What Platform(s) To Experiment With?

As content creators, we have a number of options to shake our money makers for. An important element to consider is if the platform is BYOA (Bring Your Own Audience) or if it has an audience you can tap like a keg on Christmas (oh…your family didn’t do that huh?).

Keep in mind while choosing a platform, WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Why would people follow you there? What are they getting for their buckaroos if they become a paid subscriber?

If your new platform is free, but you like money, do you have a plan to monetize the audience (for example affiliate links — or selling a product, course, or feet pics)?

1. Vocal / NewsBreak

Your second platform could be a Medium alternative, like Vocal or NewsBreak. NewsBreak however is mainly for locally-based news, and Vocal is harder to make money on than Medium. Vocal’s contest prizes are quite decent — but competition is stiff. Both offer built-in audiences however SEO-ifying your articles helps attract more people (their Google ranking isn’t as strong as Medium’s).

2. Email List

I don’t know why people would go with an email list over Substack these days as email lists are BYOA. But if you’ve already attracted enough of an audience, email platforms like ConvertKit or Mailchimp offer more tools than Substack. For example, email-marketing platforms offer tools like A/B testing, email analytics, audience segmentation, automated emails, custom email designs, and landing pages.

3. Substack

Substack is the go-to for writers at the moment. It’s an email newsletter platform, but you’re discoverable to Substack’s built-in audience. With Substack you can grow an audience and that’s its sexiest feature. You can offer a free stack, or monetize it — and Substack’s paid subscriptions start at $5 per month or $30 per year.

4. Patreon

Patreon is a more engaging platform, as it offers text, music, podcasts, images, and videos. Patreon is app-based (or desktop) instead of email, so notifications are better in my opinion than Substack. It charges a percentage of the money you make (5–8% depending on the package), like a pimp, and its pricing tiers for your subscribers start at just $1/month (compared to $5 for Substack).

5. Ghost

Ghost is a website platform, similar to a WordPress blog — however, it has built-in membership plans for you to monetize your audience with. It is a BYOA platform though, so you need to bring people to the party. A cool thing about Ghost is that you can collaborate with other writers in your niche to launch and maintain a project. Twosome? Threesome? Group?

6. YouTube

Ok, this might sound like a weird suggestion, as writing and video are different. But as I’ve learned many of us Mediumites are also on YouTube (I haven’t seen any on OnlyFans, yet). You can build an audience, and do it in a way that develops a different type of connection than writing alone. Many people who go this route turn their articles into videos, either floating-head style or faceless.

7. Blog

Blog platforms, like WordPress, offer full control over your content and design. A blog takes hard work to set up though, and you have to generate your own traffic as it too is BYOA. You can collaborate with other writers, or go it alone. A great option these days for traffic is Flipboard, and blogs can be monetized by adding pay-per-click ads or affiliate links.

How I’m Satisfying My Bi-Platform Curiosity

I recently started a YouTube channel, but it had been a toss-up for a while between shaking my moneymaker on Substack or YouTube. I ended up on video because I liked the connection it can build with my audience.

I will still be doing either Substack or Patreon at some point too, but I didn’t want to take on too many new partners at once. Personally, I like Patreon’s app notifications, multimedia integration, and $1 subscription starting point. However, I like Substack’s bow-chica-wow-wow simplicity.

Should none of these platforms go well, I’ll have to move over to OnlyFans.

Keep in mind as you pick a second platform that it, like Medium, will take time to titillate. Be prepared to commit to it, because bouncing from platform to platform won’t stimulate growth.

So, figure out which platform is most attractive to you, and start a little fling on the side.

~Robin Wilding, reporting from…a cold shower.