Episode 4: Medium versus Substack
An exclusive weekend series: Leverage Medium to build your Substack
Since I left Medium some months ago, I have not caught up with what has been going on back on that platform.
But there is never a short of news about Medium. There seems to be a rise in Medium writers coming to Substack to write, and worst, to write about Medium. Reading what they have written here didn’t give me a good feeling about what is happening there. The news about Medium is almost always not positive, whether it be the lousy algorithm or the declining views.
It is appalling to see the platform I once regarded as the best place to write being criticised that lowly. Still, I think there is goodness about Medium that many new writers might have missed. Hence I will use this article to compare the difference in writing on Medium versus writing on Substack, the pros and cons and how you can leverage one platform to lift the other.
Writing on Medium—The Pros and Cons
It is not uncommon to hear Medium writers complaining about their decline in views, reads and earnings, etc. But, but, but, however bad others might be saying about Medium, I still think it is a great place to write. I would recommend that new writer begin their writing journey on Medium first.
The Good. You can start earning income for your article immediately at Medium, and the platform pays based on the reads you can get. You can make three to four figures off Medium if you know how to generate traffic and engagement. Though I think it is getting tougher by the day with the ever-changing algorithm, remember it is not money you are trying to make but the Ethos you are trying to build. Regardless of what others say, engagement is high on Medium, and it is a great community to be a part of. It is not difficult to earn your first one thousand followers there.
The Bad. On Medium, not only do you have to spend time researching and writing good stuff, you have to deal with the claps-for-claps and comments-for-comments type of reciprocity. If you don’t spend time engaging with other writers, no one is coming to read or comment on your writing. That is reality. And if you get too preoccupied with community engagement, it is easy to lose sight of your original purpose in developing yourself. You may find yourself getting lost from time to time.
Writing on Substack—The Good and Bad
Here, on Substack, nobody writes anything about the Substack algorithm, probably because there isn’t one to write about. Even if there is, chances are it would be something good about Substack.
The difference in the business model: The Substack business model differs greatly from Medium. In essence, creators help Medium attract paid subscribers, and Medium will pay the creators based on the read time members spend reading their content. Substack’s model is the exact opposite. Substack helps the creator build up their own paid subscribers, and in return, creators pay Substack a 10% cut.
The Good. You can focus on your writing and build up your subscribers without distractions. You get to decide and plan how you want to make your money. Your subscribers are yours to keep. You don’t have to worry about the algorithm not giving enough exposure to your articles. And you certainly don’t have to worry about getting kicked out by the platform for saying something wrong.
The Bad. You don’t get paid by the number of articles you write. You can't blame anyone but yourself if your publication doesn’t perform well. The engagement, such as likes and comments on the newsletter, is significantly lesser than on Medium. Unlike Medium, Substack is not initially designed to facilitate engagement (although I will add Substack is working very hard to improve on that). Over 90% of your readers will be reading your work via email, and only a small fraction will bother to click through to Substack to leave you a comment or like. It can be a little lonely sometimes but rest assured your newsletter will reach all your subscribers. Whether they open it to read and click on to engage are separate matters.
Why it is important to write on both?
If you are a new writer starting from a clean sheet of paper with zero pre-existing subscribers to import into your Substack newsletter, it will not be easy for your new publication to take off. You will need a strategy. Otherwise, the chances of throwing in the towel after your first month are very high.
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