I’ve Changed Platforms and Rocket-Fuelled My Writing
How a decision to refocus has put me back in control
This morning, it finally got to me.
A challenging weekend. Rising household costs. Seeing the anguish suffered by fellow writers.
It was time to act.
Today, we'll explore my change of heart.
My writing priorities have changed. You could benefit from looking at where your writing is hosted and where it is headed.
Grab a drink and let's talk.
Even I'm Tired of the Uncertainty
I've been blogging since 2021.
I had a slow start. It was in November 2023 that I upped my game and took a new approach.
And writing on Medium has been a huge and essential part of that.
If you have heard about recent changes to the platform, you may be wondering whether to stick around.
If you've seen favourite writers disappear, some without a trace, you might be curious. What has been going on?
I don't have any answers for where Medium is headed right now.
But I do know that another place I write has started to feel more and more vital to my continuing blogging career.
I've been building up to this moment for a couple of months.
Today, I snapped.
This Morning, Enough Was Enough
Before today, my blogging routine was to submit several articles per week to Medium.
Then, I would choose one on which to base my free weekly Substack newsletter.
Now and then, I'd pick another Medium story from the week. I would release it as a paid email or article on the Substack site.
The income I received for a month of articles on Medium had started to climb steadily.
I was ecstatic at my progress. My first $100 month was followed immediately by a second.
And then, that was that.
My earnings in June were around 25% of those in May. I don't think they're going back up any time soon.
But in the meantime, something else was growing.
Something important.
Modern creatives are often advised to start an email newsletter.
The advantage of "owning" your audience, not relying on a specific internet platform? Clear for all to see.
It also offers a more intimate and flexible form of contact between the reader and the writer.
At the beginning of 2024, I started my free weekly newsletter.
I'm glad someone advised me to choose Substack as the platform to host it.
I'm starting to get a feel for the extra features of Substack now and could not be happier.
As my newsletter grows, there is less overlap between my Substack readers and those on Medium than I thought.
They're both increasing, of course.
But Substack is starting to feel like the more certain "long game".
So today, I decided to write on Substack first and copy the content to Medium as a secondary channel.
And I wonder whether you might be planning the same.
I Feel So Much Better Already
I spent around an hour today on the changes I needed to facilitate this.
My Obsidian templates and Trello boards needed some tweaks to get it all to work in the opposite order.
But the relief I felt as I made the changes was like a weight lifting from my mind.
From now on, my growing audience on Substack will be the first to see most of my blogging.
Those who choose to pay for a Medium membership rather than fund me directly? They will still be able to catch up with some of it there.
I'm excited about the change.
It feels like the next logical step. One that was always coming. But I wasn't sure when.
Right!
Many thanks for spending your time with me and reading today.
I'm off to find out if those workflow tweaks hold together.
The very best of luck to us all.
Don't forget to check out my other newsletter, The Dancing Stepdad, for insights into the challenging and rewarding world of step-parenting.
And if you found today's issue helpful, I'll bet you know someone else who'd like it too. Share the love and tell your friends!