I recently wrote about how Medium is really disappointing me as of late. As
, , and others have pointed out, recent changes to the Medium Partner Program have made it nearly impossible to reach the level of income once possible on the site.My best month on the site earned me over $1100. This month? I’ll be happy if I can break $100. And that’s a big if. I don’t know if I’ll be able to.
At this point, it’s clear that Medium simply can no longer be relied upon as a sustainable source of income - not that it was ever really stable, but it was at least a decent bit of grocery money on the side. Now? Not so much. And so, it’s clear that a bit of a course correction is in order for me and my business.
As much as I like Medium, I definitely don’t want to continue to rely on it to be anything more than a drop in the bucket each month. I don’t plan to stop writing there, of course. I do like the site.
To be clear - I don’t want this to sound like I’m whining. Medium’s leadership has every right to run the site as they choose, as disappointing as some of their decisions can be and have been recently.
But where do I go from here?
I’ve been giving that some thought, and I’ve landed on a few things - in no particular order.
First and foremost, I’ll be focusing on creating content for YouTube and other video platforms. I believe that video is one of the most important types of content today. And while text and image content is still great, nothing beats video for engagement and reach. Right now I have a couple of YouTube channels that are pretty small and insignificant, but I’m hoping to grow those over time. And I plan to explore other sites in the near future too.
I’ll also be focusing on Substack. So far I love this platform. It’s easy to use and has lots of great built-in features. For now I have no plans to turn on paid subscriptions. My goal here is to build an audience while providing content that hopefully helps others. I strongly believe in the importance of building an email subscriber list. I’ve done so a bit in the past but didn’t keep up with it. So I’m excited to use Substack to start building it back up the right way.
Lastly, I’ll be doing a bit with my own blogs. Like I’ve said before - and will say again over and over - I believe it’s very important to own a platform. Every creator should own a platform - or more - because that gives you something to fall back on if and when a platform you don’t own falls apart or makes decisions that hurt your business.
Planning for the long haul
Content creation is a slow game. For sure. My Side Hustle Road didn’t really start taking off until about a year after it launched. It took that long for Google and other search engines to notice it and start sending traffic my way.
At one time, I was stuck thinking in terms of days when really I should have been thinking in terms of years. It takes more than a few months for a site to really get traction, and it takes time to grow on YouTube or anywhere else.
I mean, I didn’t get to where I am on Medium overnight. That’s for sure.
So as I look to grow on other platforms, I’m preparing myself mentally for the fact that it will take time. I know that I can’t expect overnight success and that anyone who says differently is either clueless or lying.
I’m hoping to grow here on Substack, of course. And I have some digital product ideas in the works that I hope to bring to fruition in the next few months.
Ultimately, I’m optimistic. I know God is in control, no matter what anyone else says, and I’m looking forward while looking up.
So… what about Medium?
While I’m certainly disappointed in the turn that Medium has taken over the past few months, I’m not giving up on it. Not yet. I think the platform still has lots of potential, and I do appreciate each and every person who has taken the time to read, comment on and clap for my stories there. And those of you who have followed me there? You’re rock stars, and I appreciate it.
But, frankly the monetary incentive for writing on Medium has been reduced so much - and to the point that I wonder whether it’s truly worth it for me at the moment. Yes, I do love writing, and I do love what Medium has been, but there are only so many hours in a day, and I want to make sure I’m focusing on things that will be beneficial in the long run.
I don’t plan to leave Medium, and the content I’ve posted there will remain. But I don’t think I’ll be posting there as much for now. That may change in the future, after I get some other side hustle / content creation things in the works. I definitely want to continue to support my fellow tech writers there, as I know they’ve been hit hard by the changes to the Medium Partner Program.
But at the moment, I’m not considering Medium as much of a side hustle as I once did. I’m hopeful that things will change for the better and that earnings will pick up for us all as time goes on. Right now, though, I’m not sure.
Also diving back into marketing
I’m also excited to be reviving my marketing side hustle which has been more or less on hold for the past few years, and with that comes old challenges, new headaches, but also lots of fun.
I’ve done some design and marketing work in the past and enjoy it. So I’m looking forward to getting that off the ground again and picking up steam.
Marketing, to me, is a way to help promote fellow business owners and support the efforts of likeminded men and women who are working hard to support themselves and their families. In my mind, that’s a noble thing to do.
Because, ultimately, we all need to support each other. That’s how we grow together.
I’m just getting started
I have lots of fun content and business steps planned which I’ll be building upon in the very near future, God willing. Ultimately, I’m having fun with it. Substack, Medium, my side hustle website… it’s all fun. Where it goes from here, God knows. But the journey is sometimes just as important as the destination.