Summary

A writer shares their journey of rediscovering their niche, facing rejections from Medium's Partner Program, and ultimately being accepted after multiple attempts and accounts, only to encounter another setback with a publication due to a disclaimer about AI use.

Abstract

The author recounts their experience with writing on Medium, initially aiming to establish a presence in a specific niche by leveraging past blogging experience. Despite challenges in adapting to a broader audience and being rejected twice from the Medium Partner Program, they persevered and eventually gained acceptance. Their success, however, is complicated by an identity crisis due to managing multiple accounts under different aspects of their name. The story takes a turn when their first submission to a publication is rejected because of a disclaimer stating the use of AI for proofreading and SEO optimization, leading the author to decide against using AI tools in the future to maintain the integrity of their work on the platform.

Opinions

The author initially saw blogging on Medium as a way to reconnect with an old hobby and establish themselves in a niche, indicating a sense of nostalgia and purpose.
They believe in the importance of finding one's niche but also acknowledge the need to adapt it for a larger audience when transitioning to platforms like Medium.
The writer expresses determination and resilience, having applied to the Medium Partner Program three times before being accepted.
There is a hint of self-deprecating humor in the mention of the "Fire Nation attacking," which lightheartedly references a significant shift in their blogging strategy.
The author values engagement with their audience, as evidenced by their past experience with a steady audience and constructive criticism.
They face an identity crisis due to multiple Medium accounts, suggesting a struggle with personal branding.
The rejection from a publication due to a disclaimer about AI use reveals the author's commitment to transparency and their willingness to adhere to platform norms, as they decide to forgo AI tools to align with Medium's expectations.

004 | MEDIUM

Third Time is the Charm for Medium Partner Program

My story was rejected from a publication due to a disclaimer statement

The Struggle of Writing — An AI-generated sketch

Finding My Niche

When I first started my Medium journey, I had a nice little idea of establishing myself as a significant figure in my niche by developing a consistent character.

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It seems silly now, but blogging is not entirely new to me, and it feels like reconnecting with an old friend I haven’t seen in a while.

I used to write on two separate blogs on Google Blogspot, one for poems and the other for general stuff. At the time, I had limited knowledge of technology, making it a challenge, but looking back, it was a happy memory.

While blogging, I had a steady audience with whom I would engage. We discussed each other’s works and provided constructive criticism for identified shortcomings.

Thinking back on those times fills me with nostalgia, which is why I have decided to start blogging again. In today’s world, everyone advises you to find your niche and write accordingly. Hence, I also searched for my niche.

Looking back on my past experience, I realized that I had already identified my niche without acknowledging it. However, starting again posed the challenge of rediscovering my niche using my previous experience.

My significant challenge was that my niche was built around my local audience, which may not be suitable for a larger audience such as Medium. Therefore, I needed to redefine my niche to appeal to a larger audience.

I decided to tackle this issue by creating two accounts, each discussing a separate niche. So, I started another account and maintained two identities, talking about my separate niches and living in perfect harmony.

But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

You know the story, don’t you? — An AI-generated art

The struggle of Applying for the Medium Partner Programme

We’ve all been there — that moment when we reach 100 followers on Medium and get excited about applying for the Partner Program, only to be left heartbroken with teary eyes three days later.

I even had a special story written, ready to be published after receiving the Partner Program membership. I must have edited it countless times to make it perfect. But destiny had other thoughts.

You know this story all too well, don’t you? Well, it’s happened to me not only once but twice.

After the first failure, I tried to focus on my other account and forgot about the niche altogether. But the same result.

After receiving the second heartbreaking news, anyone with a sane mind would probably accept the reality and move on. But I was determined to prove myself and wanted to do this badly.

So, I created another account and started writing again. Call me crazy, but I finally received the Partner Program membership. Thank You! Thank You!!

Identity Crisis

But now I have another problem. Here I am with three Medium accounts and no clear identity, having used all parts of my name to create accounts. Don’t even mention the niche at this point.

Now, I have to build up my identity first, and that means dissolving at least one of my accounts. I’ll probably keep my original account since it was something special. And in the future, I’ll try to maintain my niche separately. It’s all about finding the balance, right?

Another Rejection

Originally, this post was supposed to end in the previous paragraph, and it seemed to be a perfect story with a happy ending. However, it turned out that the story is not finished and had another episode with a twisted ending.

I tried to submit this story to a publication as my first-ever attempt at submission. However, they responded the following day that they couldn’t accept it due to my disclaimer.

I added this disclaimer statement based on the instructions of the Medium Official Post. If there is any AI content in our post, it instructed that I should clearly disclose that. In my case, it is not about the content or any other part as described in my disclaimer statement.

But I actually used an AI model for the purpose of proofreading and to improve my title. Since I thought that is a positive way of using the AI model, I added those details in my disclaimer statement. However, that is not the case, and it is also a valid reason to reject the story from a publication.

While I thanked them for their evaluation, I made up my mind not to use the AI model even for the purpose of proofreading. Because it is the correct way to start my journey on this platform.

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Disclaimer

Please note that all ideas, storylines, structures, styles, and flow of the content have been created solely by the author. The ChatGPT AI language model has been used only for the purpose of proofreading and improving the SEO title. The images used in the content were generated using the DALL-E AI model, with the author providing the necessary prompts. Therefore, the author takes full responsibility for the content of this material.