We’ve seen many great writers leave Medium in the past year. Tom Kuegler, for example, moved to Substack. Nick Wignall even deleted his entire archive. They left because they claim that Medium isn’t as profitable as it used to be. Wrong. Seasons change. People change. And so does Medium.
I tried YouTube for awhile as an experiment. I made a series of videos that were as well-produced as I could manage, and directly related to the kind of writing I do. Some videos went a little viral, which, cool, and I grew followers, but no community. It led to people wanting more videos—they could take or leave the writing behind them.
I decided it wasn't for me. It's too far removed from what I work on and it didn't interest anyone further in the writing.
I wouldn't recommend others not try—it does work for some—but it is important to know exactly what success and failure is getting you on every platform you're on, and if those things align with your writing goals.
For a while, I've been wondering if I should leave Medium. But, now I understand that it is possible to combine Medium and Substack and make money. I've heard of this strategy before, but you explained it with confidence and clear language. Thank you for writing this article!
Excellent and very helpful post, Lea! I agree. Thank you! Yes, let us never give up, don't let anyone bring us down, and become even stronger :-) Have a very blessed and awesome week! :-)
Awesome article Lea! I'm just now realizing how great Substack is as a community as well! I started writing on Twitter/X and didn't get nearly the same engagement I'm getting on Substack with notes. Plus, linking Medium and Substack together is an awesome idea because they have similar interfaces that make it easier for writers to copy and paste. I can't believe I wasn't on Substack sooner, but I'm glad on on it now!
I’m a new(ish) writer on Medium but am keen to start a Substack which will feel more grounded and coherent as a communication point. I love the idea of connecting with a particular community through a newsletter (I even have its name!) but I hadn’t realised it’s ok for me to add my published Medium articles to my Substack 💪
I tried YouTube for awhile as an experiment. I made a series of videos that were as well-produced as I could manage, and directly related to the kind of writing I do. Some videos went a little viral, which, cool, and I grew followers, but no community. It led to people wanting more videos—they could take or leave the writing behind them.
I decided it wasn't for me. It's too far removed from what I work on and it didn't interest anyone further in the writing.
I wouldn't recommend others not try—it does work for some—but it is important to know exactly what success and failure is getting you on every platform you're on, and if those things align with your writing goals.
Thank you for sharing this insight Lea! I honestly hadn’t heard about Medium until I found Substack so this gives me something to think about.
For a while, I've been wondering if I should leave Medium. But, now I understand that it is possible to combine Medium and Substack and make money. I've heard of this strategy before, but you explained it with confidence and clear language. Thank you for writing this article!
Excellent and very helpful post, Lea! I agree. Thank you! Yes, let us never give up, don't let anyone bring us down, and become even stronger :-) Have a very blessed and awesome week! :-)
Awesome article Lea! I'm just now realizing how great Substack is as a community as well! I started writing on Twitter/X and didn't get nearly the same engagement I'm getting on Substack with notes. Plus, linking Medium and Substack together is an awesome idea because they have similar interfaces that make it easier for writers to copy and paste. I can't believe I wasn't on Substack sooner, but I'm glad on on it now!
Do you have any advice for getting started on Medium? I made an account and posted one of my best articles and it only got about 2 views.
Excellent advice as always Lea.
Great article
This is all great and helpful but I also really wanna know how/where you got that sweet pixellated self portrait.
What was your prompt?
I’m a new(ish) writer on Medium but am keen to start a Substack which will feel more grounded and coherent as a communication point. I love the idea of connecting with a particular community through a newsletter (I even have its name!) but I hadn’t realised it’s ok for me to add my published Medium articles to my Substack 💪
Thanks for the really clear outline here