7 Things You Find in Vocal That You Won't Find Anywhere Else

I'm a newbie writer. Sure, in the past I've written some short stories and kept them to myself. Initially, it changed from personal files on my hard disk to Blogger.com, where I kept my writings in private mode since I'm not the kind of person who shares my thoughts in public. Last year, I joined Medium during the lockdown, but my writing there was short-lived because it was not clear to me, the list of features that Medium supports, especially as an Indian writer (Medium Partner Program made too many changes for writers from India, Brazil, etc.). So, I was mostly writing on Medium to keep up with my passion for writing and not for audience or rewards.

Then I came across this article from Jyoti Meena where the author talks about how Vocal as a writing platform is better than Medium. This caught my eye. Naturally, I joined Vocal. Creator onboarding was simple and it took me only a few minutes to set up my Vocal account. Voila! My search for a great writing platform ended there. I have been creating and reposting all my articles for the past 10 days I've been here and given are the reasons why it's going to be a long-term relationship with Vocal.

1. No Public Display of Hearts or Tips

In here, whether you're a newbie or a seasoned creator, all creators' profiles look the same. You cannot judge a creator based on the number of hearts or tips received because it is not displayed to the public. This is a personal favorite of mine because this eliminates the mob popularity of the articles. Also, from the eyes of a new creator, this encourages them to contribute more without the fear of not being popular. You can read more about it here.

2. Staff Picks Encourage You to Write More

Staff picks are the stories that the Vocal team identifies and picks as the top stories, sharing them on the home page. They range from personal experiences to current affairs. The genres of staff picks are so diverse that each story has something to offer. I got to explore the writings of many creators from staff picks. This also helps in getting to know the creator more by exploring their other articles. I look forward to reading the staff picks every day. More information here.

3. Challenges That Instill Creativity

This is probably the most popular and unique feature on Vocal which takes creative writing to a whole new level. The Vocal team puts up weekly challenges around a variety of themes to which creators submit their versions of the themed stories. And guess what. At the end of the challenge, the top three submissions are picked and rewarded hugely. The prize money attracts and encourages more writers to submit their stories. Vocal puts up challenges for both Vocal+ members and non-members. More information here.

When I saw the grand prize for this challenge, I had to look twice to believe my eyes. My initial thought was that someone must have mistakenly added an extra zero to the prize money. But believe it or not, it is a GRAND prize.

4. Quality Creators and Their Personal Experiences

Since Vocal moderates all the content thoroughly, (This article tells how the senior content manager Joshua Johnson read around 35000 articles in 2020 alone!), it eliminates the articles which do not meet the writing criteria. The outcome of this is quality content, hence gaining popularity among readers. Over the past few days, I've learned all about how a coffee nap is better than a coffee or a nap (I tried it too!), about Ciabatta - the pet Groundhog, the sky diving experience of Restless Wanderer, how cozy is only a state of mind and many more. It is amazing how many refined stories can be found on a single platform.

5. No Comments Please

Being the introvert that I am, I couldn't help but notice and admire this feature. There is no obligation to say anything after you read an article, which is fine with me. This also avoids unnecessary conversations that sometimes spring up due to the opinions of the creator. If you want to leave a thank you note or say something to the creator, you can always reach out to them on social media provided they've shared one on their profile.

Psst. I read somewhere that the comments feature is under construction. Possibly a rumor?. Anyway, if the feature is released, I'll be happy if I'm convinced otherwise :)

6. A Platform with Elegant, Minimal Features

Some writing platforms get confusing the more you explore and the usage of the platform gets unclear. Vocal likes to keep things simple and uncluttered. Be it, the number of communities, the editor features, the design of the home page, things are easy to look at and use as they are. You can explore all the features mostly on your own without reading too much about them.

7. Of Course, Earning Money

Creators put their time and effort into research and write stories. And Vocal rewards them in multiple ways. The number of reads, tips, staff picks, and challenges provides you with opportunities to earn money for your writing. There are no broken promises, no ads, no tricks or shortcuts to employ to make money. You earn for what you write. It is as simple as that. Vocal has gained my respect for the appreciation it shows to writers. And it will certainly gain yours too.