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Vocal Media Review: 1 Year Later Making Money Writing
Vocal Media has been touted as Medium’s main competition, offering writers a chance to earn money from views on their content.
I’ve been a member of Vocal Media since February 2021; I’m now prepared to give my assessment of the platform and whether it’s definitively worth it for writers to join over Medium. Here are my findings:
I MADE MORE MONEY ON VOCAL MEDIA THAN MEDIUM
When I tallied my earnings on both Medium and Vocal Media, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my earnings on Vocal Media outpaced what I earned on Medium.
However, the reason for my success on Vocal Media over Medium isn’t straightforward.
First, it’s important to explain how writers can earn money on each platform:
How Medium Works
Writers are paid based on a nebulous algorithm which rewards content that is engaged with by members of the Medium Partner Program.
Basically, it means 10 engaged followers and readers that are paying members of Medium do more to impact your earnings than 1000 random readers that found your content through a Google search.
How Vocal Media Works
Writers are paid $3.80 per 1000 views, regardless of whether the reader is a Vocal+ member or not.
There is also a payment threshold for both platforms. For Vocal Media, members have to earn a minimum of $20 before cashing out; non-members must reach a minimum of $35.
In 2021, Medium announced it would raise the minimum threshold to $10. As of the writing of this post, Medium has not yet implemented the minimum threshold, but in the near future, it is Medium’s intent to raise the payment threshold to $10.
What’s interesting is that I received substantially more views on my Medium content than my Vocal Media content.
So why did I earn $103.32 on Medium but $162.18 on Vocal in 2021?
The Answer? Bonuses.
From reads alone on Vocal Media, I’ve made barely $6, a far cry from the $20 minimum required for members.
However, through a combination of tips and bonuses accrued from reaching milestones and creating content deemed by Vocal Media as “Top Stories”, I swiftly made up the difference.
Couple that with an annual membership ($120 value) I was gifted by the Vocal team as part of my willingness to volunteer in a survey, and my returns far outweigh what I made on Medium.
It’s apparent that earnings on Vocal Media are less predictable than Medium. If my writing does well on Medium, I can anticipate a higher-than-average return on investment (ROI).
With Vocal Media, my views and engagement are consistently poor, but as long as the Vocal Media team deems my writing worth sharing on their front page and I can provide value to the team in other ways, it’s a lucrative relationship.
However, given the volatility of Vocal Media’s business model and how it works to get paid, I likely will not renew my Vocal+ membership when it expires.
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