Getting into Publication is Overrated
I recently got into 5 different publications and have published some of my content on their platform. It’s crazy to see the hype about getting into publications. Many writers promote and share their journey toward getting into a publication.
The reason for their craze is their expectation of getting thousands of views and making money from it. However, contrary to what people believe, it will not happen.
I will be going through what you should be doing instead, what not to do, and how to effectively use publications.
What you should be focusing on Instead
Not to say that I completely gave up on publication, but I feel there is a better audience you should be focusing on instead. Your READERS!
Your first line of making money is and always will be your following readers. I have seen many writers write content that fits into the publication they desire but not considers the type of content their reader wants.
Build your Loyal Followers
To my readers who have been reading since my early days writing content on the HustleVentureSG website. Thank you for staying with me!
Although I now have over 30,000 followers spread across 6 different platforms. I’m still dedicated to replying and helping out my followers. The engagement I have with them helps build trust and create a closer connection with the readers.
What not to Do to your Followers
So now you know that followers should come first. Next, you need to know what not to do to your followers.
Buy followers
Buying followers has been a common practice for influencers and businesses to look successful online. However, it doesn’t help to promote the brand and reach out to your audience.
These fake followers aren’t your actual readers and do nothing to your content. And Medium pays you a portion of the profit based on the readership, not followers.
Provide Value
No one is going to care about whether you’ve brushed your teeth or made your bed. To get the reader's attention to read to the bottom of the article, you need to provide impactable value to the readers.
Post regularly
Writing 300 to 500-word content only takes about at most an hour of work. It isn’t hard to keep your post updated regularly. However, not many writers are doing it.
A great trick to post content regularly is to write content in advance and schedule the post. That way, you never have to stress about whether you have published content today.
How to Use Publications Effectively
This content is not to say publishing on publication is not good. I believe that in order to do well in publication, writers need to know how to use publications effectively.
Before publishing your content on publications, you need to make sure whether the publications suit what their readers are looking out for.
Next, make your article stand out. You may be posting 3~5 content a day but publications will be posting 10 ~ 20 articles daily. You need to make your content stand out. Here’s how I make my content sell for itself.
Getting published on publication is fine and all. If you want to grow a larger audience to your content, do a shout-out! Comment on other writers' work and share your article with them to share personal experiences or helpful tips.