Why people just trying to copy me on Medium are going to fail

I recently saw a story by someone who appears to be copying everything about my account — all the way down to writing about sobriety and addiction.

I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

But I think at some point you need to look in the mirror and ask if you’re the kind of person who wants to fake a substance abuse problem to make a few bucks.

After a couple of silly lead paragraphs detailing an anecdote that doesn’t seem credible at all, it reads like something written by ChatGPT.

Another story I saw from another writer looked like a cheap imitation of the viral story I’ve written about on numerous occasions.

It was fluff content, all of it.

Let me tell you why people who just copy others will ultimately fail as content creators, and what I think you should do instead.

If you want to succeed writing on Medium, don’t just be a copycat. (Credit: James Gordon/Dall-E 2)

Find your voice

If you want to actually make a sincere go of this, here’s my advice: stop trying to copy other people and start working on finding your own voice.

Although you can certainly learn a lot from reading and studying other people’s stuff — that’s what I did when I first got on here — if you don’t write authentic content from the heart, you’re not really going to get any traction here.

As I wrote in this piece earlier this week, “1 major reason you must STOP writing about Medium to make real money,” trying to do what everyone else is doing on Medium (or anywhere else) is a dead end.

You’ll get lost in the sea of cookie-cutter, boring content.

And if you’re trying to fake it, people will see right through it.

Sometimes I see people writing on a topic who are clearly just making a cynical play for clicks using AI or their own lazy internet research.

Typically those stories get little or no engagement (and rightfully so).

If you’re trying to drum up a “problem” you can solve out of thin air, you’re on the wrong track.

Before I move on, here’s a video I made a few months ago about this very thing.

I suggest you watch it, because it holds the key to actually getting some early traction on this site:

To gain early traction, you need to help people solve the same problems you’re facing.

Look at your own life for topics. Do you struggle with anxiety? Are you out of shape? Are you a lazy procrastinator? Do you have financial difficulties? Are you trying to start a business? Do you hate your job? Do you feel like you’re struggling as a parent?

Surely, there’s something from your own life you could draw on.

At the end of the day, if you don’t write with honesty, integrity, and heart, you’ll just be a number among the literally 1,000,000+ articles published on Medium every single month.

So, what have you learned in your own life that could help someone going through the same thing as you?

Got it? Good! Now get writing!

Friends, thanks so much for taking the time to read this piece. If you enjoyed it, please give it some claps so others can find it! I love to hear from you in the comments too!

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Summarize

Why people just trying to copy me on Medium are going to fail

Find your voice