Are You Earning Next to Nothing from Your Online Content? Why Are You (Still) Here?
Is it time to pop the online content bubble?
The Internet is the world’s largest garbage dump.
Do you agree?
Everyone who is trying hard to amass a gigantic following is busy putting up content after content online.
So far, the Internet hasn’t vomited from the content buffet put out by gurus. Or giants.
We have.
How many times have you been told to produce endless content?
Yawnz.
It’s boring.
And this is the beauty of the internet.
It is filled with parrots and broken recorders. 3rd generation influencers on Snapchat copying 2nd generation influencers on Meta mimicking 1st generation influencers killing it on YouTube.
Never underestimate our need for fame, attention, views, likes, and comments. It is an unbelievable social driving force, man.
Pretty honestly, millions of people are simply saying the same, darn, thing. They want us to,
- Produce endless content,
- Write long-form,
- Go short-form,
- Make videos,
- Then shorts,
- Go dance,
- Engage.
Look. I have no issues producing content. But endless content? Until what end?
Don’t forget. Everyone is sold on the same dream. Your colleague is also doing their best to produce endless content to bury your barrage of content.
Everyone is busy dumping their previous comments, ideas, and thoughts online. Yes. Everyone.
It begets a [simple] question.
Why?
Next question.
What for?
Final question.
What do you get out of this?
Is it about money? Oh, really?
Let’s talk about content creators who talk a storm and make $0.00
That’s easy.
That’s me.
I was in between jobs then. I attended a workshop on LinkedIn and how critical this social media platform will be.
The speaker was impressive.
In short, I was prematurely sold.
- I was advised to create content daily. I did.
- I was told to build a personal brand. I typed what I believed in.
- I was tasked to connect with 10 strangers a day via DMs. I went hi, hi, hi, hi, hi.
It worked. My LinkedIn account grew from nothing to 10,000 followers in 4 months.
I was happy for a while.
It didn’t last.
Here’s why.
I could no longer ignore that inner voice in my head. It got louder and louder. In a nutshell, it was blasting thunders in my social media nutty mind.
- “Why the F are you doing this? Are you too free? Don’t you have better things to do?”
- “10,000 followers. And SO? Do you even know these guys?”
- “What do you get out of this?”
4 months in, and I paused.
I knew this was the right thing to do. To reflect. To think.
Something is acutely missing.
I [simply] could not answer the why question.
This whole thing about creating content, writing comments, replying to strangers, and DMing with endless hi’s is like running on a treadmill that never ends.
Of course.
It doesn’t feel good when creepy peeps say hi to you…
And I remember thinking.
Why am I torturing myself, working so hard for… nothing??
I apply the same line of thinking to online writing.
Why am I working so hard [just] to earn pennies to a dollar? Am I here for the peanuts?
What are you here for… if not for the peanuts and pennies?
You cannot be here for the peanuts and pennies.
I know I am not. I know you are not.
I repeat.
You cannot be here for the peanuts and pennies.
Here’s why.
You will,
- Be disappointed,
- Throw your hands up,
- Be really [really] annoyed when you read how the heavy hitters are earning big dollars.
As much as I hate to say this…
You must look beyond the money when writing online. At the beginning, at least.
You will not earn $800, $900, or $1,000 monthly on the Medium Partner Program. Not the first six months. Or the first year.
If you can, congrats. I’m happy for you.
But for millions of virtual Joes and Janes in the digital world… nay.
We are far better off regarding ourselves as students of our chosen craft and getting paid a stipend during our Internet internship.
Let me be clear. Our earnings from Medium is akin to a stipend paid on our Internet internship.
The question is what sort of internship?
I’ll start.
I want to crack the internet business code. This has been my goal for the past three years, ever since I started writing online. Or on Medium, specifically.
I needed to figure out all the pieces of the online puzzles before starting my website I can call my own.
- This involves writing good sales copy online.
- This involves active study, practice, and more practice.
- This involves understanding consumer psychology on the web.
So, yes. I am here, earning on the job, trying to figure out what gets clicked, what readers will read, and which ones get swiped left quickly.
This is a tough game.
That said, I tell myself to be patient. I am not here to earn more from my writing. That is a bonus.
I want to earn big(ger) dollars online in the next 2–3 years with my website.
That is my goal. And I am actively trying to figure this Internet business sh!t out.
The close
Let’s get real.
You aren’t here to earn pennies to a dollar.
It makes no business case trading 1,000 words, 2 hours, [just] for $0.22. You are better off flipping burgers at MacDonald’s.
The pennies and peanuts cannot justify why you are typing your life away like a madman. You have mouths to feed. You have real work to do.
You must think writing is the journey, not the end.
This is the [only] way you can look beyond the pennies and peanuts.
If not?
Well.
You will give up. It is [just] a matter of time.
Many people are trying to kill it by writing online. You are spitting out thousands and thousands of words…
… [simply] to stay afloat and not be buried by the competition.
Is it worth the effort?
Only you can answer.
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