I personally don't, but you certainly can. I've been on Medium for 4 years and I only just started on Substack. I generally repost things on substack from a few years back, but I want to give my readers a reason to follow me on both platforms.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!! This is super helpful and I see your point and reasoning! I would be just starting on both 🤣 but generally, I'm not a wild fan of copy-paste-crossposting. Perhaps I'll structure it differently. I'm just experimenting over here for now because I rarely do so without internal pressure :)
I'll go into my process a bit more in my next newsletter. My process was to start with Medium and then move over to substack, but it's possible to succeed in a number of ways. Best of luck!
I love both Medium and Substack. Medium came first but I joined Substack very soon after. I've been writing for both for just over a year. Thank you for this article.
Loved reading this this morning. So genuine and informative. I write on both, I’m new to both platforms. I’m interested to read more of your posts on the two platforms with advice on how to improve and connect with readers. The Boost program on Medium is something I’m new to and hope to be a part of one day! Thanks for the post!
This was so important to read and hilarious! LOL. I’ve been thinking of dabbling between Medium & Substack, or Substack & Beehiiv as I’m working on a local perfume newsletter in NYC but also want to rant about my own thoughts on the fragrance industry as well.
Do you have any advice for writers who have zero following anywhere—is it better to start on one platform or the other? Or does it depend mainly on the content you provide?
i am a Medium writer who left the platform when they started boosting only specific types of stories. i write poetry, fiction, humor, memoir, whatever tickles my fancy in the moment but medium stopped rewarding me, so i left. i made some money on medium, including the bonus they sent some people a year or two ago. but then the publication, p.s. i love you, closed and they were the ones publishing all my fiction. :(
i discovered substack and like it here although i'm not growing my list or getting any love in notes - i have a handful of paid subscribers. i'm 100% free so those paying folx just want to give an extra support. recently i figured, why not do both medium and substack? so, i'm back on medium too but my question is - do you post the same content in both places? thank uuuuuu!
i can't remember. one of the editors reached out personally to me to thank me for my contributions. and they said some nice things about my writing, which was nice. maybe they sensed medium was going in a different direction. there's that onslaught of "how to make it on medium" articles. which is a far cry from fiction, poetry and memoir.
The key to any platform is identifying how you can leverage it the best to meet your goals in a way you enjoy. I do that with Substack, Medium, ConvertKit, KDP, Skool, and more.
Walter, I liked your reasonable approach! I've been sending my newsletter out via email on Substack for three years, but I only recently became active on Notes and started to see the potential of Substack as a writing platform. Although I've gotten a good number of boosts on Medium, I'm going through a dry spell! I need all the help I can get.
Thanks for this breakdown on the differences between Medium and Substack. I've been writing more or less consistently on Medium for a little over a year even though I've been a member since 2020. I'm one of those folk who used to get pissed off when a writing platform changed its rules (e.g. HubPages), but change is inevitable so I'm figuring now why get all bent outta shape when it happens. I got my first boost on Medium last week and was really surprised because it is a story about the crocheted granny square. And while I subscribe to Substack, I haven't started writing here. My writing topics are all over the place and a lot of it is on non-mainstream subjects like astrology, tarot, and the law of attraction. I'd be totally shocked if one of those stories got boosted. Very rarely do I write on subjects about racism and diversity, popular topics on Medium, even though I am a POC and female who lived in the latter years of the Jim Crow era. But I've decided to see if I can write more boost-worthy stories and have started studying how to do so. Thanks again. I'll look for you on Medium.
Thanks for breaking this down for us Walter! I’m new to the online writing space and have been confused about what Medium even is and if it’s worth getting involved with. Archiving this newsletter for the future in case I need it again!
This is really great insight - thank you for sharing. What do you think Substack's viability is with something similar to Medium's publications? This kind of guest post works essentially the same way I suppose!
Great article! Can you cross post word for word to each? Do you do that?
I personally don't, but you certainly can. I've been on Medium for 4 years and I only just started on Substack. I generally repost things on substack from a few years back, but I want to give my readers a reason to follow me on both platforms.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!! This is super helpful and I see your point and reasoning! I would be just starting on both 🤣 but generally, I'm not a wild fan of copy-paste-crossposting. Perhaps I'll structure it differently. I'm just experimenting over here for now because I rarely do so without internal pressure :)
I'll go into my process a bit more in my next newsletter. My process was to start with Medium and then move over to substack, but it's possible to succeed in a number of ways. Best of luck!
I love both Medium and Substack. Medium came first but I joined Substack very soon after. I've been writing for both for just over a year. Thank you for this article.
Loved reading this this morning. So genuine and informative. I write on both, I’m new to both platforms. I’m interested to read more of your posts on the two platforms with advice on how to improve and connect with readers. The Boost program on Medium is something I’m new to and hope to be a part of one day! Thanks for the post!
Such a transparent and heart-warming read!
Helped clear plenty of misconceptions.
Would also love to know your thoughts about writing on LinkedIn, and what works there now, because I can't get much out of it yet.
Thanks a ton Walter and David!
Take a bow!
Thanks for the nice comment! I have no expertise whatsoever on writing on LinkedIn. Maybe David can handle that one!
I love both Medium AND Substack! This is a great post, filled with valuable insights!
This was so important to read and hilarious! LOL. I’ve been thinking of dabbling between Medium & Substack, or Substack & Beehiiv as I’m working on a local perfume newsletter in NYC but also want to rant about my own thoughts on the fragrance industry as well.
Do you have any advice for writers who have zero following anywhere—is it better to start on one platform or the other? Or does it depend mainly on the content you provide?
You had me at sonic screwdriver *grin*
And if I am Spanish and write in Spanish is this place for me ?
Good question
i am a Medium writer who left the platform when they started boosting only specific types of stories. i write poetry, fiction, humor, memoir, whatever tickles my fancy in the moment but medium stopped rewarding me, so i left. i made some money on medium, including the bonus they sent some people a year or two ago. but then the publication, p.s. i love you, closed and they were the ones publishing all my fiction. :(
i discovered substack and like it here although i'm not growing my list or getting any love in notes - i have a handful of paid subscribers. i'm 100% free so those paying folx just want to give an extra support. recently i figured, why not do both medium and substack? so, i'm back on medium too but my question is - do you post the same content in both places? thank uuuuuu!
Omg I miss P.S. I love you!!! It was one of my favourite pubs to read. Such a shame they closed.
i know, right? it really was great. and they cared about their writers. it felt personal. good times indeed.
Do you know why they closed?
i can't remember. one of the editors reached out personally to me to thank me for my contributions. and they said some nice things about my writing, which was nice. maybe they sensed medium was going in a different direction. there's that onslaught of "how to make it on medium" articles. which is a far cry from fiction, poetry and memoir.
The key to any platform is identifying how you can leverage it the best to meet your goals in a way you enjoy. I do that with Substack, Medium, ConvertKit, KDP, Skool, and more.
You are right
Great perspective and an enjoyable read, thank you so much.
Walter, I liked your reasonable approach! I've been sending my newsletter out via email on Substack for three years, but I only recently became active on Notes and started to see the potential of Substack as a writing platform. Although I've gotten a good number of boosts on Medium, I'm going through a dry spell! I need all the help I can get.
Thanks for this breakdown on the differences between Medium and Substack. I've been writing more or less consistently on Medium for a little over a year even though I've been a member since 2020. I'm one of those folk who used to get pissed off when a writing platform changed its rules (e.g. HubPages), but change is inevitable so I'm figuring now why get all bent outta shape when it happens. I got my first boost on Medium last week and was really surprised because it is a story about the crocheted granny square. And while I subscribe to Substack, I haven't started writing here. My writing topics are all over the place and a lot of it is on non-mainstream subjects like astrology, tarot, and the law of attraction. I'd be totally shocked if one of those stories got boosted. Very rarely do I write on subjects about racism and diversity, popular topics on Medium, even though I am a POC and female who lived in the latter years of the Jim Crow era. But I've decided to see if I can write more boost-worthy stories and have started studying how to do so. Thanks again. I'll look for you on Medium.
Thanks for breaking this down for us Walter! I’m new to the online writing space and have been confused about what Medium even is and if it’s worth getting involved with. Archiving this newsletter for the future in case I need it again!
You said. Here you have more control 🕹️. And that is very important.
This is really great insight - thank you for sharing. What do you think Substack's viability is with something similar to Medium's publications? This kind of guest post works essentially the same way I suppose!