Why You Should Dig Deeper

Whether it’s research or selecting images.

I used to read on Medium before they introduced the paywall and limited the non-members to three pieces per month. I didn’t see any reason to pay for reading when there was so much free stuff available online. It all changed when I discovered a couple of Medium Writers who compelled me to pay to read their stuff.

Once I became a member, I started reading a little more. Still, I found no compelling writers. I am not saying that Medium writers don’t write quality articles or stories. What I am saying is that I hadn’t seen many who wrote above what was available for free.

Then I came across an article by Shaunta Grimes about the changes in Medium’s Partner Program. I had missed the memo that Medium was paying writers, so I was intrigued. I started researching and came across a few articles that explained why I wasn’t finding high-quality stories that drew me to Medium in the first place.

People had found a way to game the system to make money, and some of them were supposedly making big bucks. They were even teaching how to do the same.

So Medium made changes to their Partner Program. As I understood it, the new system was designed to reward quality writing, the kind of stuff people would spend time reading. Popularity was not the prime determinant of how they would pay, though it would certainly play a role in how Medium would decide what to circulate among readers. The writer would be paid based n the time that people spent reading their material.

I was excited. I decided to join Medium’s Partner Program (MPP).

I have been writing, on and off, for many years. I enjoy the process of expressing my thoughts through written words. I have even published a book. But I knew that if I wanted to make money — the pay-your-bills kind of money, I would have to improve my writing.

As I spent time researching what makes for a successful story on Medium, I came across multiple articles using the same photograph from Unsplash. It was bothersome because I would look at the photo and think, I’ve read that story, only to come across the story I had read, and realizing that they were two different stories.

I had initially chosen this picture for the featured image for this story because I rely heavily on my intuition to make a lot of decisions, and I want to recommend that others do the same. Thoughts weren’t coming together on what I was trying to communicate, so I saved the draft for working on it later.

I just submitted a story to a publication about how not paying attention to my intuition cost me big bucks. When I saw this photo, I knew it was perfect. I checked the 10 or 12 most recent posts because I thought I had used it before, but I didn’t see it, so I used it. When I came back to work on this story, there it was. So now, I am going to look for another picture for use in this story.

My goal for this story was to encourage writers to dig deeper, not just to find relevant material to support their viewpoint, but also to find a picture that is not too common, even though it may seem perfect. I suppose it’s easier said than done. However, the people who go the extra mile are ones who stand out by creating better quality work.

“We teach best what we need to learn the most.” ~ Stephen Covey

I knew I needed to improve my work if I wanted to be successful in my writing business. It is prudent in any endeavor, but more so on Medium, where we’re all vying for more eyeballs to stick. So this is just as much a note to self, as it is a recommendation to others.

To sum it all up, let’s work as a team and hold each other accountable, so we may produce only the highest-quality content for Medium and their readers who are making it possible for us to earn a living doing what we enjoy.

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