I wrote an article about people moving to Substack just three days ago. I was considering growing a subscriber list to earn a little money or reposting my Medium articles on Substack to improve my Medium statistics and earnings. I thought the grass might be a little greener on Substack. It didn’t take long, but I learned my lesson.
In the past few days, I have republished some of my Medium articles on Substack and have seen only a few likes and one follow. One person has subscribed to my newsletter. I wasn’t surprised, though, as it had only been a few days.
But more importantly, I realized that I would have to accumulate many subscribers to earn anything near what I am presently earning on Medium. I asked myself, “Would I pay money every month to read my articles?” “No way!” I also asked myself, “Would I pay $5 per month to read the work of just one writer”? Once again, the answer was no.
I would think for a writer to earn a substantial amount of money, they would have to be a damn good writer with a large and loyal following. I think I would have to write a great deal more and put in much more work to earn even a little money on Substack.
I don’t honestly think I would gain any benefit on Medium by also publishing on Substack. It would only mean more work for me, which I am not willing to do. I write as a hobby and to keep my mind active. I don’t intend to have another career as a writer, nor do I intend to get rich writing.
I earn a modest amount of money writing on Medium without being a slave to the platform or working too damn hard. I may complain at times about my earnings and stats on Medium, but hell, I have it quite easy here. I have also met some fantastic people on the platform who share my interests and genuinely support my work.
I had the itch to see if the grass was greener on Substack, and I found out it wasn’t. I realized that writing on Medium isn’t that bad and that I should be honest about my writing and my expectations.
I may still repost some of my articles on Substack, but with no expectations. I will probably rejoin the Friend of Medium program next month, too. Maybe I will push myself to work a bit harder, too. I might be able to make my own grass a little greener. Hey, I can’t say I didn’t try.
