I Earned $1200 From a Single Story on Medium - My Evaluation for You

Can I replicate this on Substack?

Photo by Joshua Brown on Unsplash

I have been writing on Medium for the last 24 months.

I have over 400 stories with a 46% read ratio and have earned more than $10,000 to date.

With over 4,000 subscribers on Medium, I write for 5 different publications, which helps me reach a broader audience.

I currently have approximately 25 stories that have received a significant boost from Medium, enabling me to connect with a much larger global audience.

Let’s talk about this story now:

However, the story I penned on April 16, 2023, titled "Notion's Dirty Little Secrets — Why I Kissed Notion Goodbye and Embraced a New Love," has generated approximately $1200.

I have always wondered what makes my stories successful.

How exactly does the algorithm of Medium operate and function to determine the content users see on their platform?

Is it the right time to post the blog?

Was it the SEO that occurred while I was composing my story? (Yes, I do search for SEO keywords for every blog I write)

or,

I just got LUCKY :)

---

Boosted Story Stats in Visuals.

These stats look amazing, but can I replicate this? That is the million-dollar question I have.

Seeing your story go viral, especially on Medium or Substack, is something we all crave but rarely get a chance to witness.

It’s a hard nut to crack but can be cracked strategically with the right tools. Along the same lines, the success of this article wasn’t an accident.

It came from countless dedicated hours of hard work, persistence in penning down 400 article pieces one after another, and following a strategy.

Thank goodness my strategy worked!

Here, I decided to track the success of my story and share the insights with you. After all, we all want our stories to be read, clapped, and appreciated.

Let’s find out what made this article stand out from my other stories.

Why did this article strike a chord?

Which strategy did I follow?

1. Hitting the Right Note: Choosing Topic and Channel

It’s the digital world. Getting somebody’s attention has never been more challenging.

You merely have 8 seconds to captivate the readers and persuade them that your story is the one they have come to read.

The topic that you write about should resonate with your audience. It’s the first thing that you should be concerned about.

On Medium, where most readers are passionate writers sharing their stories, I chose something relatable: pacing.

It is a crucial part of captivating writing, but only a few talk about it. So, it was the right topic to write on at the right platform.

2. Real-World Examples: Bringing it Home

I strengthened my points through real-life examples that helped the readers understand concepts better and kept them involved and engaged.

I cited examples from popular books like “The Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter” written by different authors.

It helps readers (better calling them writers, though) understand the techniques that famous writers skillfully used in their masterpieces.

3. Actionable Advice is King (or Queen)

Beyond saying “pacing is important,” I provided practical tips and tricks. That’s what people appreciated most in the comments.

Like a recipe — I offered the ingredients (techniques) and showed how to use them (examples).

This hands-on approach helped readers put the knowledge into action.

4. Variety is the Spice of Life (and Pacing)

The article wasn’t just theory; it had balance. I included quotes from established authors for credibility and real-world examples from famous books.

This mix kept things exciting and helped readers see how pacing plays out in real life.

5. Providing Value: The Real Goal

The content gains as much traction as its value to the audience. Did my article give readers something they could use?

Did it help them improve their writing in any way?

In the end, my goal was to provide value to the audience. I was delighted to see people in the comments getting genuine value from the article.

6. Building a Strong Foundation: The Structure

A clear structure helps the readers digest the content more easily.

Unstructured or poorly structured content makes up a mess and ruins the quality of your story.

“The key to a good story structure is to write a great beginning and a great ending and keep them close together.” — Anonymous

• Hook: I started with an engaging introduction. It grabbed the reader’s attention. Then, I made the readers continue reading by elaborating on why pacing is vital in writing.

• Body Paragraphs: I divided the content into paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of pacing, such as different pacing techniques or their impact on the reader. I also used subheadings to separate the information further and make it easy to follow.

• Conclusion: I concluded by summarizing the key points and encouraging readers to experiment with pacing in their writing.

Final Thoughts

You see how seemingly ordinary topics can resonate well with your audience if you present them thoughtfully and with value in mind.

The “ping-pings” , the “claps”, the “comments” are such big morale-boosters.

The true success of your stories on Medium lies in a strategic approach, hard work, and persistence. It’s not gonna be achieved overnight.

Keep writing, keep learning, and keep improving.

You never know; your next story might be your most impactful yet!

This is also my plan for Substack - fingers crossed :)