Medium vs Vocal Media | The Pros and Cons

Medium vs Vocal Media - A Comprehensive Review

Want to publish your work, but can't decide between Medium or Vocal Media?

If you are an online writer (or thinking about becoming one) and are looking for platforms to publish your work, you probably have heard of these two.

You may have seen content creators using and/or promoting them, or you may have seen the platforms' ads while you're scrolling through social media.

Either way, you are curious and you want to know where to start. Don't worry. I got you!

This is the reason why I joined Medium, because I want to know and share with you what my experience is like as a first-time user.

Disclaimer:

1. Even though I truly love Vocal Media (and this is where most of my content lives), I am fully transparent with my opinions and I am here to provide you with information
2. I wrote this because I believe that I can provide some insight into what you may be looking for. Also, please note that this post is reflective of the time that it is written
3. If you are reading this months or years (heck, even in a few weeks) after it is published, the information that is provided here may no longer be accurate

Disclosure:

There are links on this blog post that will lead you to my Merch Store and/or my Fiverr Profile (and Fiverr Referral Program).

I also am a Vocal Ambassador. So, if you sign up as a Vocal+ member (e.g. that link is sponsored) within 60 days when you use my link, I will earn a commission.

To find out more about the Vocal Ambassador Program, click here.

What are Medium and Vocal Media?

Medium and Vocal Media are all-in-one online platforms that let writers share their written content.

This content can be a poem, a short story (or chapters of your series), fanfiction, a blog post, etc.

Both of these platforms give writers a chance to get paid for their work and build an audience.

To see how Vocal Media pays its creators, click here.

To see how Medium pays its creators, click here.

Let's talk about Medium

Let me start by describing my experience with Medium and compare it with Vocal Media as I go.

Pros:

1. You don't have to be a paid member to start publishing
2. It is easy to set up and use
3. You can edit your article after you have clicked published (you don't have to be a member to do this)
4. You can change the colour themes on your profile
5. There is a "listen" option for your articles
6. You can republish your content here from another site (and vice-versa)
7. You can optimize your SEO Settings
8. You can add tags to your article/content called "Reader Interests"
9. There is a "Story Preview"
10. Your content gets published right away (you don't have to submit your work for review)

Cons:

1. You have to be a paid member if you want to have unlimited access to everyone's work
2. The profile/web and article aesthetic is not as visually pleasing as Vocal Media (I will elaborate more)
3. You need to have at least 100 followers on Medium before you can apply for the "Partner Program." Click here to read more
4. There are no writing contests unlike Vocal Media does
5. The categories/communities are not on a separate page (I will go over this more)

You don't have to be a paid member to start publishing:

Although you have to be a paid member to have unlimited access to everyone's content on this site, you don't have to be a paid member to publish your work.

Being a paid member won't also affect how much you get paid for reads (I will cover this in a bit).

If that is the case, why would you be tempted to be a paid member?

Medium is rich with helpful content and your favourite writers may have their content exclusively published there.

It is also a way to support your favourite creators. Plus, you will have unlimited access to every content that Medium could ever offer.

To know more about the perks of becoming a member, click here.

However, keep in mind that Vocal Media also has a wide selection of creators and writers as well. There are many knowledgeable and creative creators there too.

It is easy to set up and use

It only took me a few minutes to set up my profile and account. This includes my "About Page" and uploading my profile picture.

To check out my "About Page" on Medium, click here.

Now, how about the writing process? What is that like?

Just like in Vocal Media, the writing process is straight-forward. It also is easy to format. See the image below.

You can also change your settings as you can see from the above image.

In addition, what impresses me about Medium is that my draft automatically saves (unlike in Vocal Media so far. I have to click "Save Changes" each time).

So, if Goddess forbids my computer or my wi-fi decides to glitch, I don't have to worry about losing all my hard work.

P.S. I still advise that you save your work no matter what platform you are on. Don't be like me who has made the mistake of forgetting to save her work...it's not worth the tears. Believe me.

The ability to edit after you published

Yes, I know that you should always check your work before submitting it.

However, mistakes happen and it is always nice to have the ability to correct them.

Unlike in Vocal Media, you don't have to be a paid member.

The "Edit Feature" is only available for Vocal+ members (I am one because I know that this is a much needed feature for me).

Change the colour themes on your profile

I find this neat since the white background tends to give me a headache. As a writer, this can be problematic since I stare at a screen for hours.

From the images that I provided, you can see that my background is set to sepia.

You are also not limited in your colour choices! You can change the colour to whatever you want. You don't have this option with Vocal Media.

I would advise though to keep your readers in mind. You don't want your readers to cringe at your colour choices or trigger their migraine (E.g. hot pink text against cobalt blue background...yikes!)

Your readers can listen to your story

I love this option!

I know the audio sounds robotic, but this option gives someone who may have visual impairment the ability to enjoy your content.

I hope Vocal Media will have this one day.

Ability to republish your content anywhere

As a content creator, this ability is important to me. I like knowing that my content belongs to me and I get to say where I want to publish it.

Vocal Media also allows you to do this. Which is what attracted me to this site as well. Read more about it by clicking here.

This also helps you spread out your content and maximize your earnings.

Word of advice:

Make sure that you declare on Medium that your content was originally published somewhere else. See the image below.

SEO Settings

If you are a blogger or a content creator, you probably have heard of SEO aka Search Engine Optimization.

In simple terms, optimizing your content can increase its visibility in Google or other search engines.

Depending on your content goals, this may be important to you.

P.S. If you have questions about SEO, the best way to learn about it is by checking out Google's Course (this is not an affiliated link): Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals

I currently don't have the authority to teach you everything about SEO, but I can give you quick tips.

Worry not though! There are many courses and resources out there that can help you learn more about this.

Reader Interests

Think of this as tags or keywords.

It helps the platform put your content into the right category so your targeted audience can find it.

In Medium, you cannot choose which community/category you want to publish your article under unlike in Vocal Media (I will go over this).

Story Preview

Medium lets you see what your story would look like to someone who is browsing the site.

This one is not as important to me but I know that it may be to others. So, if you are curious, this is what it looks like on your settings (this is not available on Vocal Media).

Ability to publish your content right away

On Medium, you don't have to submit your content for review. As soon you hit that Publish button, your article is immediately available to be consumed by others.

On Vocal Media, you have to submit your content for review to make sure that you meet the Community Guidelines.

The first time I signed up on Vocal Media, they took up to 24-72 hours to approve my stories.

However, the more I post and the longer I have been with them, the faster my content gets approved.

For example, my last five articles/poems/short stories only took a few minutes to get approved. I advise that you adhere to Vocal Media Community Guidelines to the best of your ability.

My comment on aesthetics

Please note that this is coming from someone who appreciates visuals and designs.

I truly appreciate how Vocal Media designed its platform.

It's visually pleasing and for someone who has a short attention span like me, Vocal Media does a great job capturing and holding my attention.

So, let's visually compare Medium and Vocal Media.

Medium:

***

Medium approached the simplistic design.

The categories are divided by For You (based on what you have previously read and liked), from the people you follow, and the topics that you have selected as your interest.

You also have a "Search Bar" to search for what you would like to read.

Note that the Medium Home Page is catered to your interests

Vocal Media:

***

My favourite part about Vocal Media is their consistency on their Menu Options, how the articles can immediately capture the reader's attention, and how easy it is to find what you are looking for.

You have also seen what my Medium profile looks like. Although it is straightforward, Vocal Media takes it a step further.

See the two images below.

***

***

Vocal Media makes your profile look more personalized, professional, and the platform is incredibly organized!

Your readers can easily find your content and if you write in different genres, this platform sorts everything out for you (this is helpful for writers like me who has no particular niche).

My only suggestion (or wish) is for Vocal Media to take this one step further and let you have a separate category for your series.

Follower Count Matters

On Medium, before you can apply to be a Partner and get paid for reads, you must have 100 followers first.

I find this barrier to entry quite unfair.

Since Medium requires the readers to be a paid member to have unlimited access to the site, you are mostly at the mercy of the fellow creators on that site.

Your traffic is also dependent on those who already have a paid membership.

Even though there is a share your link with a friend (which will give anyone access to your content for free), this barrier still stops visitors (who stumbled on your content) from reading it - especially when they have already maxed out their free reads of the day.

On the other hand, Vocal Media awards and pays their creators even when they are not a Vocal+ member.

Your content is also available to everyone! So, your fans and visitors of the site can read as much as they want.

Vocal Media also helps their creators/writers.

If your story/content does well, they will highlight it in the Top Stories.

Well, what is the benefit of being in the Top Stories?

I can only speak of my experience so far. Being in the Top Stories can help your traffic (and traffic = getting paid for your work).

I was also awarded with $5.00 for each time my content does well (unfortunately, I cannot verify if this is the case for everyone else)

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Okay, CyCy. How do you make it into the Top Stories?

From my observation so far (from reading the Top Stories), Vocal Media likes it when your content is helpful, well-written, and/or it evokes heartfelt emotions.

I also am not a moderator, and so, this is solely based on what I noticed. My advice is to keep writing and spreading your work everywhere!

P.S. If you are reading this and you have tips and tricks to share, I invite you to leave a comment (only if you are comfortable to do so) for everyone to read.

If you have also written an article about this, feel free to direct people to yours :) Let's support one another!

Writing Contests:

Medium does not put out writing contests unlike Vocal Media does.

In Vocal Media, they call it Challenges.

Although this is only available for Vocal+ members, this feature allows their members to put their best work forward.

I personally have not won any of the challenges, but I occasionally enter them because they are fantastic writing prompts.

These Challenges also help me overcome my creative block, and take a break from the manuscripts that I have been working on.

If you have other tips and tricks on how to win these Challenges, I also invite you to leave a comment below. Feel free to also direct the readers to your article! :)

Categories and Communities

What Vocal Media truly wowed me with is the Categories/Communities section.

Yes, I know. I have a Type A personality.

However, the separate Communities Page allows the readers/visitors of the site find the niche that they are looking for.

Your content is also divided under these Communities. So, you are not always at the mercy of inputting the right keywords.

In Conclusion:

So, what is my verdict?

I personally love Vocal Media. However, both Medium and Vocal Media have their pros and cons.

I have noticed that if I don't advertise my work on social media, my traffic drops to zero. I am not too sure if this is also the case on Medium.

According to my writer friends on Twitter, Medium is pretty much the same. You have to hustle and if you are a fiction writer, your content may not do so well.

In regards to how much I have earned on Vocal Media, it is a miniscule amount. I have made $46.00 so far since signing up on July 2022.

Keep in mind though, I have not been a frequent poster until much recently. I also have not been aggressive with promoting my work until this month.

I know that there are people who have made a significant amount on this site, so please don't take my earnings as your basis of how much a person can earn from here.

Another thing to note about Vocal Media is that after they have posted your article, they also will send you this via email.

It helps those who are just starting to learn marketing (or those who are not too comfortable with it yet).

Anyway, between the two, you can tell that I am in favour of Vocal Media. However, this does not mean that I am discouraging you from trying Medium!

I usually go by these guidelines:

1. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
2. Don't knock it until you have tried it
3. See for yourself what works out best for you

Remember, these sites have free versions. So, take advantage of it and see which one you like the best!

I will continue being on Vocal Media but I will be trying out Medium as well.

Stay in touch! You probably will see me post about this again later in the year.

Hi, I'm CyCy!

Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate it.

I usually create darker content, whether art, video shorts, or stories. If this is something that you also enjoy, let's be friends :)

You can connect with me on Instagram, Twitter & TikTok @cyrls_corner and read my Lux et Obscurum issues at https://cyrlscorner.com/short-stories/lux-et-obscurum-grimoire/.

P.S. I would truly appreciate your support whether it would be subscribing, sharing this page with your friends, leaving me a tip, or giving your pledge (which is $2.99/month). If you also want updates on my latest releases, sign up for my newsletter here.

P.P.S. I also offer Beta-Reader services if you are a writer/author and need a Beta-Reader. Check out my Fiverr link here.