I started writing on Medium in February of 2020. I had no followers from other platforms. I’ve been making over $100 a month consistently since May. November was my best month so far. Thanks to one story that went viral, I made $1,200. I currently have just under 1,400 followers on Medium and over 1,200 on Twitter. Several things have worked in my favor: 1. I read and comment on other writers’ stories regularly. 2. Early on, I followed a lot of writers on both Twitter and Medium, and I mean a lot. 3. I write primarily for four publications where I now have name recognition. 4. I write about topics that fewer people tackle. 5. I experiment with different genres and topics, but make sure I continue to produce what’s been working best for me. 6. My two highest earning stories were about fascinating subjects accompanied by great photos that grabbed attention.

When I write something in a topic area that is over-saturated, I don’t do well. It’s easier to get reads when you write about things that fewer people tackle. It’s a little tricky to find something that a lot of people want to read about, but few want to write about, but if you can do that, I think you’ll find you’ll do better. I think if you do personal essays, you have to build your brand. Pre-internet examples would be Erma Bombeck, Garrison Keillor, and Dave Barry. You might not want to do that, which is understandable, but there is something to be said for modeling the behaviors that worked for other people. Being a good writer isn’t enough. It never was. You need to work the angles. Lord Byron’s poetry became popular in large part because of the persona he cultivated. He was rich and titled, but countless rich and titled people published poetry that nobody read.