Review: Several Months on Vocal Media

When I joined Vocal Media in December of 2019, I was uncertain if I would or wouldn't like it. All I knew was I had found a new platform. Of course I had to do some reading to understand how it operates, and how creators can contribute to it, but I caught on very quickly. Funny thing is that when I began searching, I was out of luck only to suddenly come across a mention of it on a discussion forum.

Honestly, I had never contributed stories on a consistent basis as I do on here. That isn't to imply I wasn't writing at all for long periods of time. But my interest in a couple of other platforms simply waned. Believe me, I tried to motivate myself to be consistent yet it wasn't working. Not only that, they didn't keep me engaged because of how saturated the categories were. The other reason being that there was no room for new members to receive the spotlight.

But on Vocal Media, stories are smack-dab on the homepage and don't get lost in the shuffle. Basically, what you see is what you get in a certain community under a certain category. Also, you don't have to be curated to be visible. Considering there are other platforms which can be cliquish, and have their favorites, practically anyone who creates on here can garner attention without any loop-holes. As long as one takes heed to the guidelines.

There are four points which I've learned over the past several months:

SEO Can Be Powerful

When I began implementing SEO to my story titles, and by the use of keywords in my stories, back in March, it did the trick. The reads didn't take too long to spike and some of my stories are either on the first, second, or third page of a Google search result.

The strategy is basic and "keyword stuffing" isn't recommended at all to ensure that Google will detect a specific keyword or even key terms to rank highly. This is why I make sure that while I'm writing about a certain individual, or a certain TV show/movie, I incorporate a catchy title or notable references in my stories. But I don't overdo it. It's definitely working and it's a formula which I intend to continue to use. If it isn't broken, I don't see a need to fix it.

Every Read Matters

To me, a read means that someone had taken the time to pay attention to your opinion regarding a certain subject. And I mean they actually clicked the link because they were curious enough. I consider it a path to gaining traction even if it's gradual. And you never know who will read your stories.

[Please note that reads can be unpredictable and I'm sure other regular creators would tell you the same. One day, I received 52 reads but then I received only 6 reads the next day.]

To Earn Significantly Can Take Time

I began to earn faster after I learned how to word my titles. Actually, I earned my first dollar within a couple of weeks. For a few months, I obsessed over my earnings and I constantly anticipated how many reads my stories would receive per day. But I've learned to simply allow it to take its course. I'm still working to achieve such and I realize it doesn't happen overnight.

Yeah, I still get slightly antsy; especially when another day has passed and my reads and earnings are in the pending stage, but now I'm used to the wait. Sometimes I forget to check and won't remember until a couple of days later.

Promotion is Important

Driving traffic to stories can help garner a mass amount of attention and reads which may not be achieved without doing so. Social media is one way to promote while directing other users to click a link. Discussion forums are another way. At the same time, a creator can build a rapport with participants of forums to gain trust.

However, it's easy to fall into the category of spamming although it may be unintended. So to be cautious is to be careful as well as to use the proper judgment to know how to promote sensibly.

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Where two previous platforms weren't working for me, I feel that I've found a good fit. A few months had passed before I figured out the two niches I'm most passionate and genuine about. This is why I'm gradually transforming my profile into one which contains stories only of those two niches rather than several.

Vocal Media is still a work in progress because there are other features which are coming. They've already started by having created challenges. I think the two most important features are interaction among creators and the ability to follow profiles. Admittedly, sometimes I get an urge to comment on a story but then I remember that I can't. But baby steps are good and I'm definitely happy to be here during the evolution process.

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If you like what you've read in this Vocal Media review, feel free to send me a tip through my profile to show support.

And thank you for having taken the time to stop by. I truly appreciate it. :o) - Renata