Medium did what? You don’t say.
What to do, what to do?
Extra! Extra! Medium changes rules again.
(Even though it’s only clarification, and the intent to enforce its existing rules)
I am relatively new to writing on medium. I’ve only been doing it for a little over a month. Prior to that, I didn’t even know I could get paid for writing on Medium.
It was a story by Shaunta Grimes about the recent changes to the Medium’s Partner Program(MPP), from claps to read time, that brought to my attention the fact that it was even a thing.
So I dug right into it, learning everything I can about it from people who have been doing it for a while. What I understood was, and I may be wrong, that Medium felt that some writers were gaming the system to make more money without providing the quality of content which Medium had come to be known for.
Again, I may be just shooting in the dark with that interpretation. Still, Medium changed the rules to reward quality content as determined by the time spent reading, as opposed to the popular content determined by clap count.
As a new writer, that was exciting for me. It meant I had an excellent chance to be successful if I produced quality content that people would spend time reading.
I learned, to be successful as a writer on Medium, one of the goals was to get curated by the Medium editors. The curation guidelines emphasized quality as the prime criterion for curation, in addition to proper formatting for the platform. So, I knew I was on the right track when one of my stories was selected for curation in two different topics after submitting only a few stories. Medium curated three of my first 15 stories. A far cry from where I would like to be, but it’s a start.
Another thing I read as a success strategy from seasoned writers, especially under the new MPP, was to republish some of your old content that was no longer being read much. Or, delete more recent work that wasn’t curated and republish it in the hope that it will get curated. Well, that strategy is null and void, even though I didn’t have enough backlog to make it work.
Did Medium construed that it was double-dipping or gaming the system?
Whether that was anyone’s intent or not, Medium has made it clear by sending out emails, I have not received one, but Shaunta has included a screenshot in her story about the changes. I recommend you read it to get more details. I have always admired her writing and how she keeps herself up abreast of matters concerning Medium. She is so generous about sharing it with everyone else as well.
Here is her advice in light of the latest development.
It’s now highly important that you put your absolute best work out immediately. There’s no chance to take it down and try again. No revise and resubmit, in other words. You get one chance.
Or to put it bluntly, you can’t throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks. As a reader, I like that because it will rid of a lot of fluff that we have to read to get to the good stuff. As a new writer, it excites me because the readers will find value in our stories and will be more inclined to continue as a paid member.
A willingness to adjust and adapt is the most crucial trait of successful people. If you want to earn a living as a writer, you must treat writing as a business. Observe, analyze, and improve.
I didn’t know what to expect or how to determine what would qualify as success when I started the journey as a writer on Medium. I am happy thus far with the results I am seeing. There are things that I can control, and there are other things I can’t. As long as I stay focused on doing what I can within my power, I can control my destiny.
Before you go…
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.” If you agree, you’ll like my free weekly emails. Get it here… Freedom Lifestyle
