Hope and Optimism for Writers
Give Your Long Stories a Second Life with Short-Forms
I offer an additional opportunity and privilege to our contributing writers to use short-form stories to increase the visibility and readability of their stories.
Introduction
After reading so many concerning stories and email messages sent to me by our writers, I can feel the pain about not being able to reach the desired level of the audience on Medium.
The recent changes affected most of us. Therefore, I am committed to helping our writers with whatever is required for their success. Not finding readers for a writer hurts and discourages creativity.
Many of us experienced a sharp drop in our stats for both viewing and reading times perspectives. November was mentioned as the worst month for stats. These mentions align with my status too.
There appears to be some workaround using short-form stories. It looks promising. Several writers who used short forms noticed some difference in their stats. I started experimenting and noticed a minor improvement; however, I have not posted many short-form stories yet.
I introduced short-form stories to my publications and encouraged writers to use them.
Privilege for contributing writers
Considering that short-form stories can alleviate metaphorical pain, I want to offer our writers to submit up to three short-form stories referencing their long-form stories and even older ones buried under the dust.
The benefit of a short story is to reach out to as many readers as possible. I hope some of the viewers of your short stories could be interested in your long stories and start reading them.
I see a short-form story like a captivating hook thrown into an ocean. The word captivating is crucial because you need to attract the attention of your readers with fewer than 150 words.
Besides the creative use of words and phrases, the format of a short-form story also matters. It needs to be pleasant and attractive to the readers. Rather than many links and convoluted statements, I suggest you articulate compelling reasons for the readers to click on your long-form story.
Here are the key points you need to consider for short-form stories
1 — Your short-form story needs to include an opening sentence with bold font so that Medium algorithm recognizes it as a short-form story. The first sentence of your short-form story must be bold.
2 — Your short-form story needs to be maximum of 150 words describing your long-form story.
3 — Provide an embedded link to your long-form story. You may even consider adding two or three long-form stories as links if they are on the same topic.
4 — Include an attractive (captioned) photo at the end of the story so that it can look good on the publication frontpage.
Additional privilege for writers contributing to three publications
I want to give additional privileges to our contributing writers submitting to our other publications. You can submit up to three short-form stories per publication. We have three publications.
If you are contributing to ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curated, and Technology Hits, you can submit nine short-form stories in a day. Of course, the type of story needs to comply with the guidelines of each publication.
One critical request from my end is the quality of short-form stories.
Please ensure that you meet quality requirements as you did for your long-form stories. Yes, you must caption your photos in short-form stories, too.
It is a good idea to use the attached checklist before submitting your stories.
I also have a long version of the checklist to increase the chance of boosting on Medium.
As there can be a large volume of stories, considering the number of our contributors, we want to spend the minimum possible time editing your short stories.
Upfront, if you submit more than one non-compliant story as part of this offering, we will decline your stories, and you will lose your privilege. I trust you will take personal responsibility to keep our publications usable by all contributors.
Submitting several short-form stories can help you find new readers and give your older stories a new life.
This is an opportunity for you.
By following the above rules, you can start getting the benefit of short-form stories to gain visibility of your long-form and older stories.
Who knows, this workaround can alleviate your recent pain with regard to your stats. I am optimistic. Therefore, I highly recommend experimenting. We will not know without trying. And we have nothing to lose in trying.
After some trial, please share your experience, especially about the changes in your stats. You can write a story about it by referencing the number of short-form stories and the type of response for each of them. Possibly you will get some results within two to three weeks' time.
For your reference, here are three sample short-form stories I shared recently.
The outcome I received so far is a 95%+ reading ratio for short-form stories. This means almost anyone opening my story is reading it. I love this outcome. Obviously, readers enjoy short-form stories. For example, this short story I submitted earlier today received a 100% reading ratio. What else could I ask?
Here is the proof.
Short stories, of course, don’t earn much income, but the purpose is not to earn income from short stories.
The purpose is to increase the visibility of your longer stories and give them a second life.
I hope you enjoy this new journey. I am one message away from connecting with you and answering your questions at our Slack workspace.
Please review our submission guidelines for several publications.
Recently Updated Submission Guidelines
Publishing and Conduct Guidelines for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION
Thank you for reading my perspectives.
Here’s my writing collection that might give you some valuable insights.
2023 Update
After three years of experimentation with short forms, my perspective changed. Even though they are valuable for new and busy writers, they are not as effective as long stories. I explained it in a newer story to give you a valuable perspective.
For example, I plan to repurpose hundreds of mental health stories to reach a new audience.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters.
ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on cellular, mitochondrial, metabolic, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 23K writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background. You may join Medium with my referral link to enjoy unlimited content.
