What I’ve Learned From My 1st month on Medium
I’ve been a member for a month and have earned a penny. I know there are other articles about writers making hundreds of dollars their first month but that didn’t happen for me. I’m guessing it’s not what happens for most people.
The fact is that I am not really concerned with my measly penny. I’m not trying to be a freelance writer. I have a full time job that pays the bills. I just enjoy being here. I enjoy the stories I’m reading and I very much enjoy writing. The penny is just another penny in my pocket. Cheers to that.
Here’s what I’ve learned this past month:
Curation doesn’t mean success
Two of my ten stories have been curated. One of the two has made the penny. The other hasn’t. The “penny story” has the most views. The other curated story has less views than a non curated story. This tells me that curation doesn’t equal success.
Posting to social media helps
I’ve posted three articles to social media. I posted penny story on Facebook. I’ve posted a story on Leadership on LinkedIn. After I wrote penny story, I opened it up to the Medium Partner Program and published. I then shared the link on Facebook. A lot of my friends shared the article and viewed it. The same day, I received a message that my article was curated and I received an invitation for it to be published.
The leadership article on Linked In did not receive as many shares. It was not curated.
I posted a story on motherhood to Facebook as well. This one did not receive as many views but was still curated.
While I haven’t cracked the curation algorithm, I have discovered that sharing on social media helps.
Honesty triggers the most views
We’re living in a funny world these days. People look at fake pictures on Instagram but want to read articles that are honest. Opening up about a challenge you are facing, a troubling event in your life, or something you struggle with on a daily basis will resonate with readers. I look for honesty myself. I like stories I can relate to. I can tell when a writer isn’t passionate about what they write. Write from your heart and you’ll get views. Penny story was written from the heart.
I have a lot to learn about Medium and how it works but I can say I’ve found relaxation since joining. I’ve read so many articles on topics that interested me. I’ve been able to put a tremendous amount of my thoughts on paper. Both of these have helped relax my mind. That’s yet another benefit of being on this platform.
I’ll keep you all posted when I reach a dime. For now, I’ll take the penny as the most relaxed penny I have ever earned.
