My Vocal Perspective
Is it worth it?
My Vocal Perspective
“Is it worth it?” — Anonymous Questioner(s)
My answer is yes. Your answer depends on your definition of “worth.”
If you value writing as a craft, then this platform comes with a lot of benefits. If you’re looking for a way to get rich quick, unless you’re a writing phenom with a massive audience, this is not the place. It takes time, patience and dedication to hone your craft and possibly transform it into a career. The opportunities for development of writing as a career is the value I find in this platform. The financial rewards I receive at this point are a small perk, which I love, don’t get me wrong, but remain far from paying the bills currently.
Why I find it worth it
1. Community - The environment is encouraging, supportive, safe and knowledgeable. In a give-take, the relationships build friendships and reliability. I can receive support as well as offer it authentically and enjoyably. Engagement is what creates cheerleaders and confidence. This is what creates growth and development towards being a strong writer, with a good writing career.
2. Practice - Because of the trust and support I’ve found here, I have the confidence to practice, learn and stretch my writing abilities. Because of a willingness to learn, I can find my voice, experiment and work toward developing a niche, within the freedom created by a group of like-minded peers. It helps me nurture my desire for developing my craft to it’s potential.
3. Portfolio - I have a place to keep, and refer, my creative work to interested people and professionals. It’s easy to use and access and is professional looking.
Things to consider
1. Time - Writing for Vocal, or any platform, is not likely to produce overnight success and great financial reward in a matter of days. It takes patience. The timeline to progress as a writer is an individual journey. Do you have the patience for growth? If you are going for financial gain immediately, this is probably not it, but if you have the time to devote to growth, this is a good option. Growing a following takes physical time. Realistically, do you have time for writing and engaging with readers in order to build up to the desired financial rewards?
2. Effort - Building a profitable writing career takes effort. It takes work to write and promote your writing and yourself. It can be done, and Vocal can be a very beneficial part of that if you are realistic about the amount of effort you have to devote to it - the platform and promotion.
3. Expectations - I was lured in initially by the potential to earn mega bucks, as were many. I learned quickly that it wasn’t the case for me. I adjusted my expectations from the pie-eyed notion of being an overnight success, to enjoying the long game. I am happy with the results. My numbers are trending upward consistently. You get out what you put in.
The reality - making money through writing is work. It takes time. But so does anything truly of worth. Worth doesn’t come easy. To me, the Vocal platform is worth dedicating my time and efforts to, for the gains received.
My advice - sign up for the free membership for a month or two, write stuff, publish stuff, get involved with the Facebook Vocal groups. Engage. If it’s a place for you, sign up for the full membership, if not, that’s okay, too. It’s not a competition, and it’s not a race.
Thank you for reading! What advice can you add? As a writer on the Vocal platform, in what way do you find it worth it?
About the Creator
KJ Aartila
A writer of words in northern WI with a small family and a large menagerie.
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Comments (35)
You raise some important points. As with many other endeavours you get out no more than you put in.
I definitely agree with all of this! Money=time + effort
I couldn't agree more with this article! I'll be bookmarking it as a guide to recommend to friends considering joining the platform! Well done!
I just wish there was a way to at least see how many views my articles are getting. If there is a way, it’s not obvious enough for me to find it ☹️
Really helpful keep up the good work
What FB Vocal groups would you recommend?
Thanks. I enjoyed reading your article. I also found it inspiring and truthful. It has given me hope for my own future in writing. It's been many years since I've written much and I'm working on getting back into it. It does take time. Time to get bold enough to publish what I write has been my biggest obstacle. Thanks for the encouragement.
Interesting post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Good Advice for beginners
Great advice, thank you !
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I think this is a great perspective. Writing is a craft and having community engagement is so helpful both for writers and readers. I just joined and was lured by the writing challenge because it offered a prompt. I joined a paid membership so I could enter the challenge. I think it’s a great platform.
Perceptive and helpful article. Thanks for sharing
These are the exact thoughts I had after posting my first story and despite it being a Top Story I didn't make a lot in terms of money. However, I gained my confidence and love for writing back which is honestly the best feeling. I only write for fun and don't plan on ever doing it professionally, but I love reading niche pieces and insightful comments!!
The thing I like about this article is its realism. Any platform has benefits and drawbacks, but platforms can feel disappointing if someone comes in with one set of expectations that aren't really viable. It can feel like one's been had, especially when only positive hyping is the go to. Thats a red flag for me on any platform. Its nice to see a more measured analysis.
Well done, nicely written. I am a Vocal supporter and like everything you said about it. My one question is, lately I do not have the belief that everything is read by the curating team, a promise that was given to us as members of Vocal.
What a nice and right on point submission! I was sitting here emailing my 91 year old neighbor, Char and I realized that that email alone is probably long enough to enter the "Reset Your Password" challenge. So I hit send, and printed the email for a little reference to clean up and submit. It sure beats a blank page, and believe me, that's what I need on this grey day. Once I get this out of the way, it's on to creating a slide show for my old partner in crime who is receiving Hospice Care at home.
Thank you for your insight! I needed to read this to correctly align my expectations, seeing as I’m rather new to Vocal. Congrats on your top story!
Congratulations on a well-deserved Top Story, Keila! There are some great points in here, and I agree with every single one of them. Vocal is in its infancy. It doesn’t yet seem to have much credibility with search engines, but that’s not to say that it never will! The more writers, the more readers, the more monthly traffic and daily users come here, the more Google and the like will take note. If our writers can entertain patience and leave their work here for the long term, they may end up surprised a few years down the line!
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Thank you for these thoughts, Keila. We’re glad you find community here and are happy you’re with us!
Very comprehensive and well thought out assessment of the platform. I appreciate how upfront you are about Vocal and still make it sound like a wonderful place. I think your contribution with this overview will change the opinions of the people who don’t appreciate Vocal for it’s worth. Thank you for supporting our community!!
So agree. I am so happy to have found Vocal and the facebook groups give such great support and advise. Overnight success no, but being able to grow and learn yes. Well done on your article. Congratulations on your top story 👏 ❤️
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Brilliant article!