Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of following skilled writers, effectively managing time, and mastering at least one marketing platform to enhance one's writing career.

Abstract

The author of the article shares insights on the multifaceted approach required to excel as a writer, particularly on a platform like Medium. They suggest that aspiring writers should follow established authors to learn from their techniques and styles, and to continuously improve their own writing. Time management is highlighted as crucial, with the author advising writers to use their time wisely and focus on activities that contribute to their growth or income. Additionally, the article stresses the necessity of marketing one's work, suggesting that writers should become proficient in at least one social media platform to promote their content effectively. The author also encourages writers to engage with their peers by reading and sharing each other's work, fostering a supportive writing community.

Opinions

The author believes that learning from experienced writers is key to improving one's own writing skills.
They advocate for the efficient use of time, suggesting that writers should prioritize activities that either make money or enhance their skills.
The article posits that self-promotion is essential, and writers should not rely solely on platforms to disseminate their work.
Mastery of a single marketing platform is recommended over spreading efforts too thinly across multiple channels.
The author emphasizes the importance of reciprocity in the writing community, implying that engaging with others' content is beneficial for all parties involved.
The author encourages writers to develop a daily routine that includes both writing and marketing their work.
They suggest that writers should step out of their comfort zones and continuously refine their craft to achieve greater success.

Writing is Only Half the Battle

Follow Good Writers, Use Your Time Well, and Master at Least One Marketing Platform

Someone asked me how have I grown so fast on this platform. I honestly can’t give a definite answer. But I have a theory: I follow the good writers.

I may not be a huge writer on this platform since I am still a small writer compared to many others who have thousands to tens of thousands of followers. Some writers I follow are Tim Denning, Toni Koraza, David O., Lincoln W. Daniel, Niklas Göke, Jon Brosio, Karen Barnes, and a few others.

For me, I like to see what they write about, how they write, and how often they write. What tips can I learn from them? Following an experienced writer, you can learn something from them. That one method they use could help take you to the next level.

You have to follow the good writers.

See what they do and learn. You may be a good writer but you can always get better. No one is a Shakespeare, a Stephen King, a John Grisham, or a J.K. Rowling. You need to find your style, your audience as well as your true fans.

You may relate to one, two, or several writers. What can you do to make your writing better?

Writing is an art as well as science. There is no magic formula. You may just have to keep writing until you find the right balance of art and science. Your audience is out there, but you just need to find your style.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to the visible.” — Tony Robbins

Time Waits for No One

Granted you will have to put in the time to see what works. We all have the time but you need to make sure you are using your time effectively. Once you use time, you can never, ever get it back.

Time is one thing that we all have but you need to make sure you use it wisely.

You have to ask yourself, is this making me money? If you answer no, then stop doing it. You need to get in the mindset that you are losing money when you are not learning to write better, marketing your content, or writing a new article.

Network marketer and businessman Eric Worre wrote the book Go Pro. He said when you go into business, you are either an amateur or a professional. So ask yourself, do you want to be an amateur writer or a professional writer?

“I realized that to earn more, I needed to become more.”

— Eric Worre

Then you need to get to your why — why do you want to write? Are you spending an hour a week and killing time to write as a hobby? Are you writing just for fun? Or do you want to be a professional writer and turn your writing in a fulltime job?

No one can answer these questions but you.

Are You Really Marketing Your Writing or Do You Expect People to Find You?

As I mentioned earlier, social media is the name of the game today. You can write article after article but if you don’t market your work, who will find out about it? You need to dedicate time to share, promote, and market what you wrote.

Don’t be afraid to hit the share button or copy and paste your link onto social media. Basically you are your own marketing agency unless you have a virtual assistant doing this for you. Sure a company will share your information but you need to do the same.

I mentioned marketing on Twitter before. I have used Twitter for years and you can say I was playing around with this social media platform hoping to win the lottery somehow. I finally figured out how to use Twitter and I average 20 to 30 new followers a month in my niche. Those who don’t follow me like and retweet what I share, which gets more eyes on my content.

Whether you use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, you should pick one platform and master it. These social media platforms are all different and reach a different audience so the key is to find where your audience is hanging out. Yes, this is more time but spending a few minutes a day won’t hurt. You may get a couple more views on your blog. So it won’t be a total loss.

Personally, I share my content on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest, and YouTube. I spend more time promoting my articles on the first few social media sites and less on the others. These are listed in the order of precedence that works for me. For you, the order could differ.

If you don’t like social media, I encourage you to get over it. There is a goldmine available on these sites. The worst case is you can join a Facebook Medium group. There are several where you can share your article and get a few more views.

Make sharing your articles a habit. This means you need to dedicate time to this. Using your time could be in the morning or it could be in the afternoon. Whatever works best for your schedule.

Make your time to market your content a daily habit. You don’t need hours, but just a few minutes each time to share your content. You could probably share your content in ten minutes. But the more you share, the better you’ll see results.

Then you need to turn around and give your time to read other writers’ content as well. It’s a give and take relationship. Other than top writers who are probably very busy, why would someone read your content if you don’t read their content? If you were in their shoes, this would make you mad, wouldn’t it?

Your Plan of Action

This was a lot of information I threw at you and you may not have time to do all of this tomorrow. I encourage you to pick out what you’re comfortable doing and then master this new habit. This new habit needs to be part of your writing process.

Once you have mastered one area, add another. If you’re content with the additional habit, then just focus on that new habit you added. I won’t lie, working on these takes up a lot of your time. You just have to ask yourself, is all of this really worth it?

No one is going to take you to the next level but you. You need to decide if this is the path you want to take. Hone your craft and get out of your comfort zone. It’s actually easier than you think.