Why Leaving Medium Might Actually Be A Bad Idea
When there’s change, there’s opportunity
I have seen a couple of articles from dissatisfied writers either announcing their departure from Medium or threatening to leave.
Medium has implemented changes to its algorithm and distribution system. As a result, readership has hit a new low for many authors, which has expectedly led to a drastic reduction in earnings.
I’m still relatively new to Medium. I don’t have much of a frame of reference to compare my current statistics with, so I can’t tell any difference in readership.
However, I understand the frustration of not reaping the rewards for your hard work.
So why did Medium change its distribution system?
A handful of theories have been purported as the reason behind Medium’s new distribution strategy. This particular one stuck with me:
According to the commenter, Medium’s new distribution strategy is geared towards supporting newbie writers who are struggling to get readers.
This perspective makes a lot of sense to me.
The truth is that most people who join Medium do so to take a shot at writing, not to read articles by professional writers or experts.
Here’s the question.
Will you renew your membership if, as a newcomer, you produce 50 articles that no one reads because no one sees them and get 50 bucks for your year’s work?
Think about it.
Personally, I renew my membership because I enjoy reading articles from Medium, but if my main intention was to make money, I would not.
A new writer who hasn’t earned more than 50 bucks from their year’s effort is more likely to be discouraged than an established writer making four figures a month.
So it makes sense for Medium to want to tweak its distribution strategy to favor new writers more.
The good news is that it’s a win-win for everyone.
All changes to Medium will be geared towards retaining existing members and adding new ones. That means you’ll always have an audience to write for.
Medium is still a business at the end of the day. There are numbers and ratios that have to be in place in order for it to survive, and that’s what they’re trying to equalize.
Don’t give up yet!
I believe that when there’s change, there’s opportunity.
There’s still a sizable audience on Medium, and people are joining the platform on a daily basis (two people I know joined last week).
Before leaving, consider first giving it your all. Then, if it still doesn’t work out, at least you know that you tried your best.
That’s my policy in everything I do — fail quickly and move on.
I’m someone who believes a lot in personal responsibility. If you do the right things for a long enough period of time, you’ll start to see results, Medium is no exception.
For example, it took me a month to reach 50 followers. I have gotten at least 20 followers each day for the last five days. My stats are also getting better.
Here’s what you should do.
1. Double down
For the next few months, commit yourself to do the following:
- Post at least three times a week
- Study the top writers in your niche to figure out what works
- Engage with the community by commenting on at least 30 articles per day
- Study different publications to see those that give the best results
While executing all of that, remember to do this very important thing:
2. Diversify
It’s never a wise idea to put all your eggs in one basket.
Here’s what I recommend:
- Create a newsletter. Ask your readers to sign up for your email list to keep hearing from you. You own your emails; no algorithmic change can take them from you.
- Create a personal blog. The truth is that you still don’t have complete control over the SEO performance of your personal website. But at least you 100% own it.
- Write on other platforms. I recently started writing on LinkedIn. If you don’t have time to write original content, you can repurpose your content and post it there.
Just because it’s tough now doesn’t mean it’ll remain that way. Do your best and give it a bit of time.
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