avatarWalter Rhein

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Abstract

ers, and promoting your article on social media is a good idea, but it doesn’t guarantee huge popularity.</p><p id="b86c">It’s important to dedicate time to promotion, but you shouldn’t become so overly focused on promotion that it cuts into your writing time. Also, don’t second guess yourself and lament that you didn’t put in enough effort. When articles hit, they hit. The ones that have hit for me have usually done so days or weeks after I finished my promotion efforts.</p><h1 id="3197">Earnings from top articles</h1><p id="6808">My top earning article for September was the same as my top earning article for August. Here’s the highest earner which made me 175 for September:</p><div id="3094" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-morning-fight-with-a-trump-supporter-c0847526b20f"> <div> <div> <h2>My Morning Fight With a Trump Supporter</h2> <div><h3>Another reminder of what we’re up against</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*yu_lD_navbzlkNYDTwIiyw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="1259">My next highest earner was this one at just under 18:</p><div id="0cc5" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/idiots-with-guns-3c6547da3908"> <div> <div> <h2>Idiots With Guns</h2> <div><h3>The Cowardly False Bravado of Gun Rights Advocates</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*dlJHjeS3fiBYtnWf8oys1g.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="cfbf">Basically, my objective is to write articles that make me around 50 over the course of their lifetimes. The majority of what I write trickles in a few cents per day, which is fine. Again, my current objective is to produce 1,000 quality articles and evaluate at that point. Right now I’m sitting at just over 200 articles.</p><p id="efcf">I think it’s useful to look at your earnings month to month and take out the amount from your highest earner. Earnings from articles other than my highest earner amounted to 252 for September. That’s approximately the same as my baseline without the top earner from last month.</p><h1 id="5b49">Curation</h1><p id="ef11">21 of my articles were curated in September. Back in August I had my first article curated in one of my own publications.</p><div id="7af5" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-mom-the-winter-warrior-8a30ea3d5fa5"> <div> <div> <h2>My Mom The Winter Warrior</h2> <div><h3>32 years of skiing through ice, wind, and cold</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*UR5SYwfIgBqK4USGlmedaA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="fa9a">Some people talk about having a curation rate that is closer to 80%, but I’m content with mine. Sometimes I write aggressive or controversial articles, and I think some are disqualified for that reason. I find it’s much easier to place what I feel to be a “bland” article than one where I engage an issue I feel strongly about.</p><p id="4010">It also seems like articles are more likely to be cu

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rated when they’re published from Tuesday to Friday, but that might just be my perception. When you’re submitting to publications, you don’t have much control over when the article is published, so it’s not worth thinking about.</p><h1 id="7587">Objectives for October</h1><p id="d407">With the election coming up, I expect most of my October articles will be political. I am extremely bothered by what I perceive to be efforts from the Trump administration to obstruct voting, and I feel strongly that there will be dire consequences for our nation if Trump remains in office. If you are undecided, please commit to voting for Biden. There’s plenty in Biden’s platform I disagree with, but he doesn’t represent a threat to our way of life.</p><div id="7641" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-denounce-white-supremacy-31dcf2bd4945"> <div> <div> <h2>I Denounce White Supremacy</h2> <div><h3>How hard is that to say?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*HNRyFmUYIrwxC8Tp_ehdYA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="7716">I hope to write more than 47 articles in October, but we’ll see. At the minimum I’d like to get back into the 60+ range. I’ve found a nice publication that is interested in original photography and more creative work, so I need that as a kind of mental break. Check them out here:</p><div id="f292" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/chance-encounters"> <div> <div> <h2>Chance Encounters</h2> <div><h3>Exploring visual stories of happenstance. Follow us to join the experience.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*EIhgxEjfT4wXR1SQWnfaZA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="c5d1">Also, check out my latest trending article over at P.S. I Love you:</p><div id="b708" class="link-block"> <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/the-best-way-to-find-a-partner-is-to-stop-looking-for-one-46077ce1d2e2"> <div> <div> <h2>The Best Way to Find a Partner is to Stop Looking for One</h2> <div><h3>That’s what worked for me</h3></div> <div><p>psiloveyou.xyz</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*YxIWf2L8BYf-PRUY0H0Hjw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="d364">Best of luck to all of you in your writing and life objectives for October and beyond!</p><p id="232c">Please let me know if you’d like to be a contributor to my writing publication:</p><div id="bbc9" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/write-and-review"> <div> <div> <h2>Write and Review</h2> <div><h3>To request a book review, sign up for a free account on Medium and follow this publication. Send an email with the…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*GFwNhT7ItMdOBiOx-V5njw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

I Made $427 on 47 Articles in September

Tips and tricks for getting the most from your writing

Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash

Those of you who follow me know that I like to start out a new month with some reflections on earnings and strategy going forward. I’ve only been working seriously on Medium since July, and it’s remarkable how much my perception changes from week to week.

If any of you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out either on this article or by sending me an email. I often find that reflecting on questions is the best way to unlock knew approaches.

As I wrote in my assessment from August, I expected to see a drop in earnings this month. I had a trending article last month which accounted for $600 in earnings all by itself. Trending articles are nice, but I’ve found that the best approach to writing is to have a steadfast commitment to producing regular, high-quality content.

Virtual learning

My wife and I elected to enroll our children in the local school district’s virtual learning program. It’s been a bit of an adventure so far. Two weeks into the program, the school district decided to change the curriculum provider and interface. We had just started to learn the platform and get into a rhythm when the rug got pulled out from beneath us.

Although we’re lagging behind in the content for the school year, I think there’s great value in teaching my kids to work through a variety of educational program. The more fluent they are with that type of learning, the better.

Even though the content is very basic, I’m finding it mentally exhausting to work through it with my kids. I wrote 70 articles in August, and I’m down to only 47 for September. I attribute that to the extra work of explaining things to my children. I do feel I’m writing with greater efficiency, so I’m pleased with hitting 47 articles and feel, under the circumstances, that it shows improvement.

Trending articles

A lot is written on how to write a trending article, but most of what I’ve read does not seem to contain accurate or actionable information. I consider that all of my articles are of consistent quality and it’s relatively random which ones grab attention.

Some authors will lead you to believe that it’s incumbent upon the author to go through a series of steps to improve the chances of your article gaining traction. My perception is that there’s not a lot you can control. Following good practices like submitting to a publication, cultivating a list of followers, and promoting your article on social media is a good idea, but it doesn’t guarantee huge popularity.

It’s important to dedicate time to promotion, but you shouldn’t become so overly focused on promotion that it cuts into your writing time. Also, don’t second guess yourself and lament that you didn’t put in enough effort. When articles hit, they hit. The ones that have hit for me have usually done so days or weeks after I finished my promotion efforts.

Earnings from top articles

My top earning article for September was the same as my top earning article for August. Here’s the highest earner which made me $175 for September:

My next highest earner was this one at just under $18:

Basically, my objective is to write articles that make me around $50 over the course of their lifetimes. The majority of what I write trickles in a few cents per day, which is fine. Again, my current objective is to produce 1,000 quality articles and evaluate at that point. Right now I’m sitting at just over 200 articles.

I think it’s useful to look at your earnings month to month and take out the amount from your highest earner. Earnings from articles other than my highest earner amounted to $252 for September. That’s approximately the same as my baseline without the top earner from last month.

Curation

21 of my articles were curated in September. Back in August I had my first article curated in one of my own publications.

Some people talk about having a curation rate that is closer to 80%, but I’m content with mine. Sometimes I write aggressive or controversial articles, and I think some are disqualified for that reason. I find it’s much easier to place what I feel to be a “bland” article than one where I engage an issue I feel strongly about.

It also seems like articles are more likely to be curated when they’re published from Tuesday to Friday, but that might just be my perception. When you’re submitting to publications, you don’t have much control over when the article is published, so it’s not worth thinking about.

Objectives for October

With the election coming up, I expect most of my October articles will be political. I am extremely bothered by what I perceive to be efforts from the Trump administration to obstruct voting, and I feel strongly that there will be dire consequences for our nation if Trump remains in office. If you are undecided, please commit to voting for Biden. There’s plenty in Biden’s platform I disagree with, but he doesn’t represent a threat to our way of life.

I hope to write more than 47 articles in October, but we’ll see. At the minimum I’d like to get back into the 60+ range. I’ve found a nice publication that is interested in original photography and more creative work, so I need that as a kind of mental break. Check them out here:

Also, check out my latest trending article over at P.S. I Love you:

Best of luck to all of you in your writing and life objectives for October and beyond!

Please let me know if you’d like to be a contributor to my writing publication:

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Promotion
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