I Reached My SECOND $20 Vocal+ Payout!

Well folks, your girl did it again. On January 9th, I was able to reach my second Vocal+ payout of $20. ($21.13, to be exact.) Yes, I know some creators on this website have literally withdrawn hundreds of dollars from reads. But hey...baby steps. There was a time when I thought it impossible to withdraw the first $20. I had no idea I'd be doing it twice in my blogging career. I'M RICH!

If you read my first article about Vocal withdrawals, you'll know it took me a year and a half to earn the original $20 Vocal+ rewards for reads. In that story, I made a comment about how, after the first withdrawal, my rate of earning naturally quickened. Turns out that theory was right: where it took me a year and a half to withdraw my first $20 on Vocal, this second withdrawal only took 2 months to achieve.

Once you get over the first minimum payout hurdle, making money from reads gets easier. Why? Because earning through reads depends on both the quality and quantity of your articles. Once you master the quality part, you can easily control the quantity. And it's that quantity of "chef's kiss" articles which makes your read rate skyrocket.

Since the second withdrawal, my cents-per-read rate is getting even faster. It's been 2 days since that $21.13 went into my bank account, and already my wallet is telling me I have $6 in reads. It will probably only take a month to withdraw my next $20. My dream of earning passive income through Vocal may soon come to fruition. Basically, I don't have to put so much effort into creating new content anymore: my articles are doing the hard work for me.

So...what's my secret? Spill the beans, woman! I was able to reach my first $20 through publishing more content, getting staff picked, placing in challenges, and sharing my work around the internet. With this second $20 withdrawal, I've learned three more things that may come in handy to those starting out on Vocal. If you've been writing on here for a while, these may come in handy for you, too.

I don't want you guys making the same mistakes I did when beginning a blogging career - that's why I'm sharing this knowledge. Follow these three tips, and it will take you less time than I took to earn that glorious $20 (Or $35, if you're not on Vocal+ yet).

Find a Niche and Stick to It

If you read my last article, How I've Earned Over $200 In Vocal Tips, you'll know I talked a bit about writing "valuable" content. To give a summary of what that means: if you're a master at something, you need to publish articles about that thing you're so good at.

If you're like Andrew Sotomayor and have a successful career as a makeup artist, you'd fare well on Vocal writing about makeup. If you've got a green thumb like Farmer Nick, writing about how to live a plant-based life will prove useful to readers. If you're strong at something or have a unique experience in a specific field, creating content about it will get you clicks: especially if your stories center around how to achieve something in said field.

As for my own niche...it seems like my current part to play on Vocal is the girl who gives advice about challenges, as well as hacks and tips for aspiring authors on this website. Which, y'know...is something you're reading right now.

It's crazy: I started out on Vocal writing memoirs and goofy challenge entries. I have 40 published stories on this site, yet five of my six most-read articles are related to Vocal itself. Take a look at my stats below!

I don't think all of my newer stories are going to be about Vocal. After all, I have several years of experience in the film and acting industry I'd like to incorporate into future content. Plus, I love challenges and don't want to give those up! Still, it's good to know that if money isn't coming fast enough, I can draw from my experiences writing on Vocal and whip up a quick advice article for viewers.

Find your niche that allows you to earn money while simultaneously creating stuff you want to write about. It's that healthy balance between writing for work and writing for pleasure which keeps you happy and not burnt out! And who knows - the stuff you write for fun might get lots of clicks, too.

Interlink Your Articles

This is really important for earning consistent reads.

Let's face it: as your articles age, they lose popularity. They get pushed farther away from the first page of your profile. New staff picks come in, and your work isn't on the Vocal homepage anymore. When you post new content, try as best as you can to refer back to things you said in past articles. Then link those older articles into your new article. That way, your old work is seen by new viewers.

For example...in my resource article, How I've Earned Over $4000 from Vocal Challenges , I included a link to my article, How To Win a Vocal Challenge. I did this not only so the latter article could get a boost in views, but because I knew people reading the former article might be hungry for more Vocal challenge tips. Therefore, they might find my other article useful, as it covers the same topic. Because the first article is still getting reads on a daily basis, the second article still profits as well - despite the fact it is three months old.

Now, STOP. Did you see what I just did there? :) Re-read that last paragraph.

Because I just used an example in that paragraph, I was able to interlink two of my previous Vocal articles! In fact, if you were paying attention, you may have noticed I've already linked four of my previous articles into this new article. Now all of them have a higher probability of getting new reads!

This is why it's so important to post frequently on Vocal. Keep writing and publishing so you have work to refer back to. If one of your articles does well and you have another article linked inside it, that linked article could potentially benefit. You'll get double the reads!

Show Commitment and Kindness, and You'll Grow a Loyal Following

I don't know if any creator on this site has talked about this yet, but...when you're as active on Vocal as I am, there may come a point when you realize your life outside of Vocal is affected. I'm talking about an increase in Instagram followers (all of whom are Vocal creators), requests from said followers to DM you questions and compliments, and podcasters asking you to talk about your work on their shows. Plus emails, LinkedIn connection requests, and paid assignments from the Vocal staff themselves.

I wouldn't call myself "Vocal famous," but when you start making money and a name for yourself on this website...things in your life may change.

This is both an awesome and terrifying thing. On the one hand, gaining a loyal following allows you to get feedback on your work, shoutouts in other Vocal articles, more tips, and a possible Creator Spotlight. Vocal is actually something you can put on a résumé.

On the other hand, this is scary because, well...people are paying attention to what you have to say. You're not writing in the deep dark depths of the internet anymore. Creators will quote you and look up to you. You don't want to let them down. As Uncle Ben says to Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility."

So if you'd like to grow a loyal audience or keep your readers coming back to your articles, I think you must do more than post frequently or have writing talent. You must also show commitment and kindness to the Vocal community.

It's important to pay it forward. Leave tips on articles you enjoy! Reach out to people on social media and tell them you liked their work! If someone compliments you, thank them! I never used to get DM requests or tagged in Facebook group posts, but nowadays I try to respond to as many messages as possible.

It's important to show your readers you care. Sometimes, you can tell who on Vocal is writing for the joy of it and who's just writing for the money. Respect is earned, not given. If you show respect to your readers, they will show respect right back to you. I write these advice articles because I'd like to help fellow struggling artists receive some of the joys I've been fortunate enough to experience. I hope all my tips have helped. ^-^

And with that...my advice for today has concluded. Who knows if I'll learn three more things the next time I reach $20. But if I do, I'll make sure to share them with y'all. ;)

Now...get writing and make your own $20!

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As always, thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this piece, make sure to drop it a like. Tips are greatly appreciated! If you are looking for more advice on how to gain reads on Vocal, make sure to check out the part 1 to this piece, "I Reached My $20 Vocal+ Payout!".

And of course, feel free to tag or DM me @katyisaladybug on Instagram if you have any questions or comments. I always love hearing from you guys.

Thanks again. I promise the next article will be about something more interesting than Vocal stuff. :) Until next time,

-Katy