WRITING
How to Grow Your Impact and Earn More with the New Medium Features
Practical tips from me
A quicky in between. I’m busy creating the four qualitative stories for the Medium Writing Competition. Not so much to win it. I’m a non-native writer. I’m not sure if I’m good enough (yet) to stand a chance. But I’m challenging myself to become an even better writer. And for that, the challenge is an ideal training ground.
But I also notice some other changes on Medium that might interest you. And that you might want to read my professional marketing opinion about.
Medium is speeding up its new ways of molding the platform. From what I see, they are favoring interaction (the bonuses from April-July). Honest conversations between writer and readers.
Spotlighting each other’s stories is perhaps part of that new policy too. And because I’m all the time inspired by other writers and like to tell you about my process of learning and inspiration, I don’t mind. Interaction is what makes this platform fun.
They are also finally giving us the option to organize our stories, in a YouTube kind of way. I asked for it many times because a portfolio is everything for a writer. And finally, they seem to understand that too.
So now, our readers can more easily browse through what we wrote AND what we find interesting from other writers. Don’t forget to include those, portfolios become even more interesting when combined with many inspirations by other writers and creators.
You can organize your portfolio with the function ‘Lists’.
And thirdly, they are offering us options to create our own mailing lists in easier ways. Readers can subscribe and get our stories in their email. It’s the button at the top of a profile, like this example on Yael Wolfe’s profile.
She’s a writer I admire very much and she’s on the road to success in her own unique way.
The fourth bit of change is that Medium has embraced affiliate links. There are two ways to use this: we all received a personalized referral landing page. How do you get there? Click on your picture, click on settings. And go to ‘audience development’. You’ll find everything you need to know right there. Copy links, personalize your messages, etc.
Secondly, when a non-paying reader subscribes to your email, they will be asked if they want to become a member. When they do, you’ll receive half of their subscription money.
Extra ways of earning. The details can be found here.
How Will I Use It?
I’m not so big on self-promotion, so how will I use all these new goodies in a conscious communication way?
- My audience comes to me via different channels. Mainly Medium and LinkedIn. I just finished my own personal website to give me even more possibilities for conversion and my own balance between money, time, and freedom. My rule number one: only I decide who I have free-flowing conversations with. And I have them often. But if people want something extra, something specific from me, they do need to pay
- I write posts every day on LinkedIn and a few times a day on Facebook. I will include now the options to either receive everything I write in their inbox (the Medium option). Or to subscribe to my website’s mailing list (every week a short informative message with a link about complexity and simplicity)
- I always keep in mind that my main aim is inspiration, education, and a call to action. All my messages, stories, and posts I write with that aim in mind. Because I do inspire with my writing voice, people will not perceive an incidental post about one of our Womxn Leadership events, Design Labs, or membership intrusive
- I have personalized the message below my stories now
Conscious Communication
A bit of reflection on conscious communication to finish off this story. Conscious marketing is all about:
- never pushing!
- always pulling with inspiration, knowledge, and wisdom. If you tell people about the ‘why’ and ‘what’, they will come to you if they want to know more or ‘how exactly’
- leaving people completely free to come and go. Don’t hold them in any way. They’ll resent you for limiting their freedom when they realize that’s what you’re doing
Happy learning journey, my friends. At the risk of being found intrusive anyway, I truly think these people might be interested to read my marketing tips this time. Martine Trista Selma Elisabeth Amy Michele Rebecca Rebecca Zelam Dew Tree Agnes Agnes Jenine Adelia Kaia Yael Maria CR Annelise Nicole Caroline Melissa Charlotte Gurpreet Lanu Aurora Annick Neha Noma Sherry Paul Bill Kathryn Joe George Jessica B. A. Tony Rasheed Henery Chowa FILZA 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 Simona Tamela Jayne Infiniti Russ Salam Ravyne Liam The Maverick Thewriteyard Stuart Maria Sumera Ntathu Arthur Britni Dipti Eliot Daniella Ryan Do The Green Helen Jo Ann Kevin Nicole Kim Priya J.J. Roz Jyssica Radha Upen Suzanne Tre René Terry Jill Eli Shin Karen ◦•●✿ Christina Kat Dr. Christine Keno Dennett
I’m getting back to being a marketeer for Gaia now. And becoming a much better writer than I ever was before. And of course, I remain very interested to hear how you are getting on with growing your audience, your impact in the world.
Tell us. Let’s talk…
You can find me somewhere on our beautiful planet, with my hands in the soil and my eyes focused on the stars. Abundanism.com and Linktree.
© Désirée Driesenaar
