Social Sites Are For Building Audiences Not Money
Everyday there’s writers talking about the demise of Medium.
These opinions come from people chasing money. They started writing because they saw dollar signs. For them, Medium is a dollar grab. Publishing on social sites for money is the wrong reason to hit publish.
Instead focus on creating good content and building a following. The money will come later.
Building an audience is better
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, is a great example of audience building. James started writing his blog in 201²¹. He spent 3+ years writing twice weekly.
During this time he started building an email list. After 3 years the list had grown to 200,000. He used his email list to find his agent. This turned into Atomic Habits and has sold 4 million copies.
Chasing the easy money on a site like Medium isn’t going to reap the rewards building an audience will. If the site goes away so does your audience. This is why owning access to your audience is more important than the money. You control the end game.
Direct readers to something you own
In every article, recommend something you own to the reader. You can link to anything that will help them in the future. You want to make sure you’re giving them something extra value.
Giving them free extra context goes a long way. This builds leverage for the future. More leverage will bring more rewards in the long term.
When getting something free, how do you feel? Like most, you feel like you owe something in return. People online feel the same way. Overtime, they’ll be begging to let them pay you.
A good call to action will direct your audience where you need them to be. There’s a few places you should be sending them. Let’s dig in.
Here’s 3 places to direct your readers
Email list
An email list is the only place you own the rights to your audience. Having their email address is the best thing you will ever have. If they shared their email with you, they want to hear from you.
If you don’t have an email list, start one today. There are services offering email newsletter services. Check out Substack, Revue, or ConvertKit. They all have free offerings.
Relevant posts on your blog
Your blog should be a central place for your content. Even if it were to get shut down for some reason you still own the content. You want people to get into your ecosystem and become familiar with your work.
The goal here is to get them on your email list. Sometimes it takes more than one article to get them to convert. Plus you can offer a free present to help convert them to your email list.
Another platform
Other social platforms are the last place you want readers to go. But other platforms are another chance to see your work in action. Again, your goal is to get them on your email list.
The ultimate goal for content creation is to get direct attention on your work. People in it only for the money will burn out. The money doesn’t happen fast.
This is why you see many accounts come and go. The money never shows up. Then they disappear.
Patience is your best friend. Instead, create because you love creating. Patience is your best friend as a creator.
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