Buy Me a Cup of Coffee!
Does This Little Fundraising Gimmick Really Work?
Many Medium Writers seek to augment the pennies that are pouring in for their Medium Masterpieces by adding a link to the bottom of each post that asks readers to buy them a cup of coffee.
Does this request for cash actually work? I decided to find out.
I created a Ko-Fi page for myself.
Then I added this line to the end of the bio that runs at the bottom of my posts: Buy Roz a cup of coffee here.
And, of course, I wrote about it.
My predication? Not a single reader would buy me coffee. After all, I’d been ignoring these little requests for a java myself since I arrived on this platform in February 2019.
Moments after that post was published, Lulu deCarron proved me wrong by buying me a cup. I was thrilled — but not shocked. Lulu is the proprietor of Expresso Shot. And she used to run a coffeehouse.
Ask for a coffee, and she’s on it.
But she wasn’t the only one. Sixteen readers contributed to my Ko-Fi account after reading that post, earning me $61.48.
My post also received 28 comments, from “I love the opportunity to directly support art” to “No coffee for you — But I’ll read this post 100 times instead.” It also received a lengthy, impassioned critique from a writer on Facebook.(Who didn’t buy me a coffee.)
It’s been three weeks. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Writing a post about asking people for coffee will definitely inspire some people to buy you coffee.
But after that? Not so much.
The majority of the money that came in was clearly in response to that post. Since then, donations to my Ko-fi account have been few and far between.
Still, every time I get a cup, it’s a thrill. It’s positive reinforcement, and every writer needs that. That’s one of the reasons I love checking my stats:
Not only that but Ko-fi donations are personal. I always recognize the writer who made them, and it’s usually somebody whose work I enjoy. And they often come with a supportive message. Which is fun.
But? These positive things must be balanced against the fact that
(1) this request for cash will prevent your post from being boosted and
(2) some readers are annoyed when you hit them up for money. (I received a number of variations on the theme of “You got my eyeballs for 2 minutes and that’s all you’re getting.” and “If you want more of my money? Write something else.”
My conclusion? Asking readers to donate money via Ko-Fi at the end of your Medium posts doesn’t really work. At least not for me. (If your results are different, I’d love to hear about it.) It won’t bring in much cash and it will kill your chances of being boosted.
And yet? Going forward, I’m leaving that Ko-fi request at the end of my bio. Why? I’m an optimist. I live in hope. All I need is one billionaire who is feeling generous to buy me a zillion cups of coffee.
Maybe that billionaire is you.
Meanwhile, I’d like to thank everyone who donated to the cause of keeping me solvent and caffeinated. When the $$ finally comes in from that generous billionaire?
We’re all going to party on my yacht.
Writing Coach and editor-for-hire Roz Warren, who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, can help you improve and publish your work. Drop her a line at [email protected]. (That’s Ros with an “s,” not a “z.”)(And? Buy me a cup of coffee here. You know you want to!)