Leaving ManyStories Was a Big Mistake

Every writer looking to grow on Medium in 2023 needs ManyStories — whether they like it or not

ManyStories is a third-party platform created to help Medium writers reach a wider audience and expand their readership far beyond the pool of Medium.com users.

It’s now the sole product of Penname, created by software engineer Lincoln W Daniel.

There also used to be Smedian — a Medium publication leaderboard for editors seeking writers to grow — and Signal — an additional distribution network for writers to share content — within the fold. However, due to limitations on scalability, Lincoln shut them both down back in September 2022.

This was only a positive sign.

Here’s why.

ManyStories has been around for a few years now and its core is focused on laying foundations rather than rapid growth, which I admire.

That being said, a number of features have already been implemented in Beta mode to help improve the reading and publishing experience:

1. Each week, they feature their top writers in a sidebar.
2. The most engaged readers are featured weekly in another sidebar.
3. For easy navigation, visitors can type inquiries in a search field.
4. There’s a writer’s page where you can check out writer profiles and their stories.
5. A ‘collections’ tab shows you stories that writers have curated.
6. There are review and guide sections that feature member stories about the site.
7. A carousel widget displays the writers’ names, story titles, and followers, and you can follow them if you wish.
8. Additionally, there’s a display of the most-read articles/stories in a large carousel widget on the top banner.
9. You can log in with your Google account or with your email address to share your story.
10. Your articles can be shared by simply providing the website URL.

I appreciate all the work that’s been done so far with this iterative approach. It’s a business model that primes ManyStories to serve writers and their readers while learning with the times.

So why did I delete my account?

I have the habit of rage-quitting accounts and rage-deleting stories.

Call it a product of a complex ADHD brain that longs for simplicity.

This is why I appreciate the update Lincoln made in October 2021, where you can remove your shared stories on the platform yourself without needing to request it.

Before it, I’d become a bit of a pest and constantly messaged Lincoln on Twitter to “please delete my story”.

It is a time that I look back on and facepalm.

I rage quit earlier this year because I thought I had my marketing all figured out. I would engage with so many readers on Medium, become Twitter famous, and everyone will discover me because of all the work I put into each story I published.

I truly wince at my naivety.

The writing and blogging advice I’ve since discovered has completely changed my perspective. I think the best of it has come from this list by David B. Clear.

He knows what’s up.

I’ve realised that diversifying is ultimately the best way writers can find their audience, and so, I’m back on the old ManyStories waitlist.

What can I say? Hindsight is a b*tch that will never be slapped.

The bottom line is, social media and third-party platforms like this have powerful potential, regardless of your calibre or experience.

I’d like everyone to know — whether they like it or not — they should try adding ManyStories to their arsenal of marketing and growth strategies for 2023.

You can’t afford not to put yourself out there if you truly want to scale.

Are you a writer looking for your tribe? Love to read? Want full access to Medium? I’ve got you covered.

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