A must-read for all content creators in 2021
Would you take advice from a fat personal trainer? Or a Doctor mid-way through smoking a cigarette? Probably not.
In this metaphor, I am that unhealthy doctor, a hypocrite.
A writer who preaches about owning a piece of something, turning yourself into the product, having control — and then publishes on a platform where I have none.
That’s why I’m leaving Medium and starting my own membership. Maybe you should too?
You have to have control of your own audience
People like Medium because they can leverage the eyeballs here to jumpstart their audience. Zero to one is easier here than it is on your own.
However, Medium, in the last 12 months has made some massive changes to their site and the way that content is distributed. I contributed to their platform for years and then growth just… stopped dead.
They control what gets seen and what doesn’t and they throw me the scraps on the bone as revenue. I could have 50,000 readers in a month and only gain 100 followers and $500— the majority of the revenue goes to Medium and the followers go to the publications I post within.
Charging readers $4.99 per month, Medium gives you about 1 cent per read, as if they were the big-bad music industry for writers. That’s only 0.2%.
Like Californians fleeing the state, writers are leaving in their droves for Newsbreak or their own, individual publications. Ask yourself why.
It’s not always about the money
The tiny percentage of revenue could be appreciated if:
the readership increased over time.
the distribution/curation of your work increased over time.
Platforms are fantastic to leverage if they have eyeballs — a growing audience. But if the readership of Medium is going down, or their distribution of your content is going down, it’s a sinking ship.
If they favor their own publications over independents, it’s a sinking ship.
If they suppress new content in favor of their biggest writers, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy — and thus, a sinking ship.
For me, one month could be 50,000 readers, the next could be 10,000. Did I get 80% worse as a writer that month? No. It’s because the mighty Medium overlords are promoting other content — often drivel.
Their algorithm rewards quantity over quality, which makes it hard for new writers to cut through the noise.
I’m not the only one saying this either, my Medium homepage recommendations are all saying the same thing.
So what am I doing about it — and why?
Instead of blogging into the abyss, I started my own membership using Ghost over at https://www.1minutewonders.co.uk.
This isn’t an advert for that, as much as I’d love you to join. It’s a call to arms for all writers to start their own thing too — and to own 100% of the distribution of your creativity.
It’s better to own 100% of the distribution because one change in Medium’s rules could wipe out or significantly reduce your entire revenue stream or source of income.
Let me explain… Nike vs Facebook
Nike built their Facebook fan page to 8million fans before Facebook ads were introduced. One day, Facebook flipped a switch and Nike’s fan page distribution dropped as low as 15%.
They had to pay to reach the rest of their fans. Is that fair? That’s what happens when you are beholden to a platform. Their house, their rules.
On Medium, you’re a caged-chimp in a Zoo. The footfall is controlled by the Zoo, not you. The number of adoring visitors coming to see you, is controlled by the Zoo.
They have the power to make you their most popular attraction, or the loneliest animal in their care.
I for one, am escaping the Zoo.
For more stories like this, join my personal email group.