If you’re on Medium, you’re probably going about the writing career in the wrong way. Many people here publish and hustle and push each day to increase their audience to attract corporate clients.
To catch eyeballs, you write about pop topics that trend. But then the work that you want to do and actually pays dollars is the corporate stuff. The problem is that people in the corporate world and the readers of these publications know the difference between content that is pop-heavy and insight and thought leadership light.
Most aspiring writers are active on one of the major platforms, Medium, Substack, Newsbreak, and Vocal, either aggressively or passively, while doing their other hustles like selling ebooks, walking dogs, or creating courses teaching others how to create get rich quickly courses.
Often, writers compete in overcrowded categories in a race to the bottom, trying to beat each other out. If you were to study Porter’s Five Forces, this is one of THEE worst things to do.
So focused on keeping up with the rat race, you focus on quantity over quality.
Long-term success and a winning strategy are about creating value by being unique. Read more about that in the link below:
https://benjaminwann.com/blog/the-one-tool-to-identify-career-value-porters-five-forces
What Not to Do
A great example of what not to do is human-potato, er, what’s his name, Tim Denning. The guy is prolific. But he writes about nothing. There is no real experience; there are no insights. If you read his history, he got laid off and needing to make rent; he started writing. Over time, his style morphed to appeal to the greatest common denominator of people. One article that sticks out was when he wrote that 22-year-olds could be experts if they believe in themselves hard enough.
The F#&k?
What world do you live in? I live in a world where 10 years of experience, professional certifications, and a portfolio of successful projects driving change only just qualify you as an expert.
I’ve seen one or two of his article in large publications, and they’re not great. He rehashes common knowledge. But he does it quickly, I guess?
This isn’t a long-term success strategy. There is an endless stream of Tim Denning look-alikes out there. Competing in this way with quantity over quality will only burn you out and waste years of your time.
What You Should Do
The landscape for writing platforms is changing.
See link for context: https://bettermarketing.pub/i-got-a-sneak-preview-of-facebooks-paid-writing-platform-5496039782a1
What was once ruled by big publications is giving way to “voices.” These are people with a distinct brand, voice, and the writing chops to share their knowledge. It reflects a growing demand for perspectives from individuals rather than bureaucratized media giants. Readers want to hear from people who have experience on the subject that they’re writing. Readers want to hear from subject matter experts who can entertain, inform, and demonstrate thought leadership.
To stick out as a writer, don’t quit your day job. I know, I know, that’s the big dream. Drinking tequila out of a coconut working 4 hours a week sure sounds fulfilling.
But… hear me out. You can be a six-figure writer overnight if you focus on getting good first and then focus on writing. That’s what I do. There’s no desperate rush to push out content, I have full control of my work, and I have little/no competitors. Sure, other experts out there have more experience, but my position will only become stronger as my portfolio expands and I continue to rise in the corporate world over time.
To prepare for the writing industry of the future, make your career first and use that experience to create great content. Try new things, lead projects, take leadership.
Then share your experiences.
That is how you win the long-term.
