Platforms Change. What To Do?

The last Medium update almost made me give up.

This week, I’m rethinking Medium. 

Their August 2023 update has tanked my results. 

This is why I’d like to take a moment to talk about what to do to minimize the risks that come when earning through platforms + how to adapt to the changes. 

Today’s Secret to Success: Adaptability

All my solopreneurship income comes from working on platforms. I’m currently earning through: 

• Fiverr 

• Medium 

• Substack 

• X (not earning yet, but soon) 

• LinkedIn (through leads) 

All these platforms are constantly changing, and I’m used to the ups and downs. Doesn’t mean I don’t get pissed. 

Here’s how to deal with platform changes so you keep your income and keep growing long-term. 

1. Always work on more than one platform. When income from one platform drops, you can count on the rest. 

2. Try to figure out what the update is about. Medium now wants us to make readers stick around. You only earn money when someone reads your story for 30 sec or more. 

3. Adjust accordingly. To respond to that update, I plan to post fewer articles and focus on improving each article’s opener to draw people in. 

4. Update priorities. Medium has been my top priority for the past months. This may change in the coming weeks. I won’t stop showing up there, but I might prioritize Substack more. Some top Medium writers (like Tom Kruegler) are already choosing Substack over Medium. Makes me think. 

Peek behind the curtain.

I share one success, one failure, and one new thing I’m trying in every post.

Recent success: 

My X followers are growing faster than I thought they would. I started 3 weeks ago, and I’m already at 320 followers. It takes at least 500 to be able to monetize X. It also takes 5 million impressions over 3 months. I have a plan for how to get there, and I’ll share it with you soon. 

What’s a new thing I’m trying:

TopMate is a platform that allows you to offer services online. What I love about it is that people can book a DM conversation with you. Basically, they can pay you to DM you with a few questions. Really cool & simple way to monetize your knowledge. 

I just created my profile, and I’m still poking around to learn more. I’ll report back. 

My miserable failure: 

I admit that the Medium update depressed me. I thought about quitting for a moment. I spent half a day looking at job posts—even though a few months ago I promised myself that, this time, I’m doing this.

Good thing I snapped out of it and regrouped. I should be careful with these moments of weakness, and so should you!

Are you writing on Medium? Have you noticed any changes in your results over the past couple of months?

I’d love to know!

Sending you the courage to keep going,

Maya