TONI TALKS | BEEN THERE | DONE THAT
Behind The Boost
Confirmation via 3 Boosted Posts [included] bumped eyeballs and earnings, which doubled as proof of writing competence.
Last year (2023), Medium became an obsession. The reason is apparent. It gave me something to do after crossing the career finish line. February 1st, 2022, marked my retirement from being self-employed in the arts since the mid-90s.
In retrospect, it was an exciting time. After college, I spent a decade working on a corporate cube farm. Then, on February 1st, 1996, I leaped into the arms of entrepreneurship.
Once I jumped, God had my back like a bra strap. He put people in my life who stood under me with a safety net. Creativity kicked in and gave me mad skills. I crafted wings while free-falling.
Medium is 🧲 a Magnet
The Universe delivered a free link to the site in 2018, courtesy of the USA Small Business Association. At the time, I volunteered my entrepreneurial expertise as a program planner. When it ended in 2019, I joined.
I regularly read a handful of pubs: Zora, Level, Forge, Gen Mission, Spiralbound, P. S. I Love You, The Writing Cooperative, The Entrepreneur’s Handbook, The History of Yesterday, and The Start-Up.
Between 2019 and 2021, I read around 4,000 writers. Quy Ma published my first post in his pub, “About Me,” in October 2021. I crawled down Medium’s rabbit hole Spring of 2022, after gaining traction in an R4R Club.
Then To Now
When I retired in 2022, Medium filled the void work left. Putting in the effort to gain traction took a lot of work. For instance, on average, I invested four hours a day on Medium last year.
The time expenditure to complete a 5-minute post spans 90 minutes. Half of that time investment is happily spent on Canva. It’s a big part of what’s made content creation so enjoyable.
The lion’s share of my blogs in 2023 were written to the 80 members of the “Booster Club.” I’d launched it as a source of encouragement to great writers (many of them) who had never been boosted.
Getting Boosted
Is a way of writing life on Medium for Frances A. Chiu | writing coach | editor.
As of this writing, 9 of her posts have been boosted.
She deconstructs her ethos HERE.
Medium changed the game when they prioritized quality. The result prompted writers to do a better job polishing up posts. After the site’s first conference (August 12, 2023), I set my sights on earning a boost.
Assistance from the editorial team at Middle Pause, Marilyn Flower, Debbie Walker, and Margie Pearl helped me earn two boosts in succession in September of 2023.
Average earnings on 3 boosted posts = $150
Read Them Below:
My 3rd Boosted Post
Arrived in late December. Frances A. Chiu gave me beneficial editing advice. I’m equally grateful to Rodrigo S-C for nominating it even though it wasn’t in his pub… Full Frame.
Reference: Boosted post word count was between 1,700–2,000 words.
For What it’s Worth
To put earnings in perspective, I compared what Medium paid to “real world” freelance writing income.
Depending on the client, pay fluctuates. For instance, stringing jobs via the Chicago Sun-Times paid around $250 for a 500-word article. Today, a suburban Chicago newspaper’s going rate for 500 words is $40.
Corporate writing pays $1 per word… or what you’re skilled enough to negotiate. These writing jobs aren’t advertised. Mine came from word of mouth. Experience does count. Being published in a major newspaper was a key selling point.
Late in my career, I tapped into government writing gigs. Contract work starts at around $10,000. If you’re in the USA, these are bid-only contracts for government-certified businesses. It’s a considerable time investment to complete all the certification paperwork.
Once your done, finding jobs to bid on is no walk in the park. Yet once you get your foot in the door it’s worth every bit of the effort.
Conclusion
On average I invest 5 hours per piece on the boosted posts. Now that I’ve achieved the boosting goal, I’m back to the 90 minute per post model.
What I like most about writing on Medium is that there’s no pressure.
The only writing challenge I’m taking on in 2024 is writing daily. Though it sounds counterintuitive, it’s a way to keep my time in check on this site.
Low-Key: The arc of my new career is just beginning. The goal is striking a balance. Writing on Medium does it for me, so I want to maintain a presence. However, the real action is out in the real world 🌎 versus being glued to a screen.
I’ve put myself back out there in the boldest way possible. If you’ve just found me, read this.👇🏾
❤️About Me 🎤Toni the Talker ←🆘Growing Older & Bolder ❤️
Rewriting my Reality ➖ Walking My Talk 💬 Becoming Better NOT Bitter
