Summary

The author emphasizes the importance of consistent, high-quality writing over chasing viral success for long-term income and readership on Medium.

Abstract

The author shares their perspective on the value of steady writing versus the pursuit of viral articles. Despite earning over $200/month on Medium without a viral hit, the author prefers the reliability of incremental growth in readership and income. They argue that the true measure of success is not a one-time viral sensation but the ability to consistently produce content that resonates with a loyal audience. The article suggests that a sustainable writing career is built on passion, quality, and engagement with readers, rather than trying to replicate viral formulas or focusing on trends and SEO tactics.

Opinions

The author values a steady income from writing over the unpredictable nature of viral articles, likening the latter to a lottery ticket.
They enjoy reading about viral article success stories but caution against making such occurrences the goal of one's writing efforts.
The author defines a viral article as content that is shared by each reader with at least one other person, leading to exponential growth in views.
They believe that the success of a viral article is often fleeting and does not guarantee continued readership or financial success in subsequent writings.
The author advocates for writing about topics the writer cares about, suggesting that this approach is less stressful and more fulfilling.
They emphasize that consistent writing and engagement with readers are key to building a reliable income from writing.
The author points out that top writers on Medium have typically been creating content consistently for over a year, underscoring the importance of patience and dedication.
They use the example of Dolly Parton as a model for sustained success through continuous creation and connection with the audience, as opposed to one-hit wonders like Chumbawumba.

I Have Never Had a $2,327 Viral Article . . . and I’m Cool With That

I still make more than $200/month on Medium

Is $200/month enough to pay my mortgage? Nope. But, I plan to make more and more every month. And my data says that I’m most likely going to do just that. My projections, however, do NOT include any kind of viral articles.

Because do you know what’s even better than having one $2,327 viral article? The knowledge that every article you put out there (not just one every now and then) will be read by more and more people every time you write something new.

I’ll take a steady paycheck over a lottery ticket any day. How about you?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good “I made this-much-money-from-my-viral-article” article. I could skim those all day. They’re like reading about lottery winners who have blown all of their money buying houses and Bentleys for their aunts and grandmas.

(And, by the way, you know you like to read them, too. Even if you pretend to have higher intellectual standards. You don’t have to admit it. I’ll admit it for you.)

But, enjoying reading about these anomalies and trying consistently to “go viral” are two different things. Trying over and over to write something you think will be shared by everyone and their brother and then making $0.21 for your efforts isn’t fun. That, my friends, sucks like an Electrolux.

What the heck is a viral article anyway?

No, but like, really. There’s an actual definition for what makes something “viral”. The correct usage of the word “viral” means that “on average, every time one person engages with your website or watches your video, they share and get at least one other person to visit the site.”

So, if you have 40 followers that read your piece, those 40 folks would then share it with at least one person, and then you’d have a total of 80 views. And then, those 80 people would each share it with one other person and then you’d have 160 . . . you get the idea.

But the question of the day is: Will those 160 people read your next article? Probably not. Maybe a few of them will, but not many. So, awesome. You make $2,327 in one pop. And then you make $0.21 for the next 150 passionless articles you write as you desperately try to recreate the formula that made your first article blow up. I have news for you — chances are, lightning ain’t gonna strike your Medium account twice.

Instead, I have an alternative.

How’s about you stop trying to write a viral article and consistently create high-quality articles about things you care about? Let’s say you make, maybe, $3-$4 per article during your first month of freedom from the shackles of the viral article lottery. Then, maybe you make $4-$5 the second month, you make $6-$8 per article the third month, and finally, you (glory of all glories) every now and then make $10 per article in your fourth month.

Doesn’t that seem way less stressful than trying every time to find what’s trending, writing an SEO-optimized article about one of those topics, and making sure to tag the appropriate people even though you really didn’t care about whatever that topic was in the first place?

And, the wonderful bonus is that every one of those good articles on topics you care about is automatically (by default) entered into that mysterious viral article lottery as well. The only difference is that you’re not obsessing about it and you’re writing about things you want to write about.

If you let the people who enjoy your work find you, patiently keep writing, and amass a network of loyal and engaged readers rather than intermittent scrollers, I wager you’ll eventually collect yourself a regular paycheck from your writing.

How to ensure your writing paycheck

Nothing is guaranteed in life. Let’s get that off the table to start. You’re not owed anything and, as evidenced by the past year, life happens, often to eff things up. Nevertheless, you can bank on odds. And the more you write, the more people you will find who will like your writing, and the more likely they are to read your next article.

So, how do you ensure your writing paycheck? Well, first you should continue to earn it. And second, my recommendation is to stop trying to hit the viral article jackpot. Not only does this potentially muddy your authentic voice, but it also can make you sad and frustrated when you don’t make as much dough as you had hoped.

I know it’s frustrating and not as exciting, but the surefire way to ensure a regular paycheck from your writing is . . . to write. And keep writing. And engage with your readers. And offer value. And one by one, people with whom your work resonates will click the follow button. And they will continue to read your stuff. And cent by cent, you’ll increase your monthly payouts.

People look at the most successful writers here on Medium and try to emulate their success. They dissect their articles and compute the data. Do you know what? There’s not a single top writer that I could find on this platform that hasn’t been here creating consistently quality content for over a year.

According to this article by J.J. Pryor, Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D. joined in 2017 (235,000 followers). Darius Foroux joined in 2016 (161,000 followers). And the brilliant Sarah Cooper joined in 2017 (144,000 followers). Of the 50 top writers, I could only find one who had joined within the past year and a half. And that was Katie Couric. And she’s . . . Katie Couric.

The point is that until you’ve been on this platform consistently creating kick a$$ content for 2 or 3 or more years . . . maybe don’t expect to be a success overnight. And the moral of this entire story is that you can ensure your writing paycheck by . . . putting in the dang work. The more you write, the better you’ll be at writing, the more people will like your work, the more loyal readers you will collect, and the more money you’ll make. Eventually.

Is this the insta-famous win-the-lottery overnight payout answer you were probably looking for? Probably not. Do those insta-famous people stay in the spotlight long? Nope. Not at all.

Anybody remember Chumbawumba? No? There’s a reason. They had one “viral” song. Chumbawumba probably thought at the peak of their notoriety that they would be the next Beatles. Unfortunately, lightning didn’t strike twice. Conversely, you know who we do hear about on a regular basis? Dolly Parton. Why? She keeps creating and iterating and connecting.

So no, I’ve never had a viral article. I may never have one in my lifetime. I’m cool with that.

Because, at the end of the day, I know that the more work I put into honing my craft and providing value for my readers, the more I solidify the longevity of my career. And I want to do this writing thing for a long time. I don’t want to be the Chumbawumba of writing. I want to be the Dolly Parton of Medium.

Happy writing, friends.