3 Popular Platforms With 3 Often Overlooked Income Opportunities

The beginning of 2026 marked the start of the first full year that many former Medium writers would finally cut ties with the website that continues to drastically sink in popularity.

Ever since the spring of 2025 and the huge migration of writers that left the platform due to unacceptable changes, many have been looking ahead to a life outside the once popular and well-loved writing community.

Among the countless writers and content creators who have made periodic departures from Medium, are prolific writers like myself, who still manage to find interesting ways to continue monetizing our stories and other online content.

In spite of having departed from the Medium community, currently, my own promotional and marketing activities still consist of helping fellow writers and content creators earn more money online.

That is the sole purpose of this particular story; to assist and encourage others who are also on the grind and struggling in their efforts to profit from the familiar platforms we typically use.

Both new and existing members of the websites being discussed, can benefit from valuable tips about income sources; sources that many creatives don't even bother to look into.

My desire and natural instinct to take time to alert other writers to great resources and opportunities is not new.

I've spent years, helping support writers and content creators in a number of ways, including marketing and promoting their online activities.

Helpful Marketing & Promotional Activities

When it comes to my past marketing and promotional activities online, the creative projects and unique ways I choose to advertise and bring attention to content has been useful to me, as well as to other creatives.

For example, I published a 13-minute-long Medium story in 2023, showing just how thoroughly committed I've always been, to promoting and marketing digital products and services for other writers and content creators, and not just for myself.

Notice this screen shot, showing an image of the directory at the top of that story. At that time, I offered this "Affiliate's Row" promotional opportunity to fellow Medium members, purely as a courtesy.

My "Affiliate's Row" interactive story creatively lists and showcases everything from apps and tutorials, to monthly memberships and newsletters; all produced by writers and content creators with monetized content.

As an affiliate on the platforms they were using, I did my best to help get more visibility for the products, services, and stories, as well as the online writers and creatives themselves, and the sites they belong to.

Unfortunately, over the years, my primary interests never completely shifted from Medium, so I never truly got a chance to get to know any of these platforms as well as I could have.

Based on what I've read, this has also been the case with other writers, prior to them making a definitive decision to walk away from Medium.

Personally speaking, I spent more than four long years committed almost exclusively to one platform and earning opportunity.

Big mistake!

From the summer of 2021 to spring 2025, I was just like lots of other writers who formerly spent the bulk of their time (if not 100%) writing on Medium.

Ironically, I became familiar with a variety of different online earning opportunities, many of which I wrote detailed stories about.

Although I often signed up to join and take advantage of some of those platforms, I rarely stayed long enough to reap the true benefits and rewards that those opportunities presented.

Does this sound like you?

Are you now or have you in the past, been committed to one writing platform for a long period of time, whether or not you've been reaping any worthwhile monetary rewards or not?

If so, you're probably a writer or content creator just like me and others; a member of the following well-known platforms, yet failing to utilize all the different ways to make money on them.

Recently, I've been on a mission to change all that. I'm learning to take advantage of all the different earning opportunities that each of these more popular platforms offer.

I've seen how various types of writers, content creators, and service providers, all tend to approach and join a website, usually with just one objective in mind.

Having this kind of tunnel vision can cause you to overlook other available opportunities on some of those very same platforms.

Favorite Platforms We Don't Fully Utilize

Out of all the platforms I've joined, but haven't fully utilized like I should, three in particular come to mind. All three are websites I signed up for in the past, but I'm revisiting now, with a new focus.

It was several years ago that I joined and became a member on the: Benable, Gumroad, and Vocal Media platforms.

My earliest stories and mention of these sites were, directed to my followers in the Medium writing community, which I belonged to at the time.

Even though I signed up for the websites myself, my main purpose was to check them out for the readers I was writing stories for. As a member, I researched the sites, so I could convey whatever I happened to learn about them.

When I first joined each platform, I did pretty good in the beginning, when it came to following instructions and getting things set up. But eventually, for whatever reasons, I discontinued trying to get more involved with my activities on each site.

Ultimately, any offsite activities I performed, merely served as content to write about, in the Medium stories I published.

For instance:

In January 2024, I shared a Medium story titled: 10 Best Valentine’s Day Gifts to SHOP for In Advance! In that story, I used the opportunity to insert a link to one of my very first Benable lists, which contained some awesome apparel and other gift ideas for the occasion.

The list still exists today, though I've updated it several times since.

What was once just a seasonal list of romantic gift ideas and products, is now a more inclusive list of items that are perfect on a year-round basis (Love & Romance: Relationship Gifts, Self-Help & Date Night Ideas)

As for Gumroad, in mid 2023, I was writing about the site and sharing stories like: "How To Get MORE Sales for Amazon, Fiverr and Gumroad Products!" It provided details I discovered first-hand, about creating digital products to sell on Gumroad, as well as other product and service provider platforms, including Fiverr.

Once again, most things back them seemed to revolve around Medium, including the majority of my Gumroad products created with my Justiss Goode profile.

My first encounter with the Vocal Media platform started just a few short months after joining the Medium website. Initially, I tried to divide my time between the two writing sites, and even published several dozen stories on Vocal. At one point, I was even writing daily status reports on Medium, all about what was happening with my activities on the Vocal platform.

However my allegiance to Medium had already taken root, and eventually I drifted away from continuing to try to take advantage of the earning possibilities on Vocal.

Fast forward to 2026, and I'm once again reevaluating my non-Medium related activities and reactivated myself on the platforms. However, I now participate a lot more, and I take advantage of the multiple ways that can benefit me.

Start Taking Full Advantage of Available Earning Opportunities

When you read the names: Benable, Gumroad, and Vocal Media, chances are, you have an immediate interest, because you probably belong to one, two, or all three platforms.

As you read the following information, concentrate on the main point being made about the often overlooked earning opportunities.

Even if you're already a member of the platforms being discussed, take a closer look at the information, just in case you're missing out on any of these important income streams available to you.

You might be surprised at the additional earnings you could be making, if you're willing to become more actively engaged and more than just a member of these websites.

Have you tried these under utilized ways to make money on these well known platforms yet?

1. Benable income due to non-tangible product listings (such as stories)
2. Gumroad customized affiliate options to promote and sell your products
3. Vocal Media Challenges for story visibility and potential cash winnings

HERE'S HOW:

More Benable Profits When You Earn From More Than Physical Products

Recommend your own articles, resource guides, and other digital content alongside traditional product listings to attract readers, build trust, and create additional income opportunities.

More Gumroad Profits When Others Get Paid to Promote Your Products

You can enable Gumroad's affiliate feature and let others market your digital products in exchange for a commission, helping you expand your reach without handling the promotion yourself.

More Vocal Media Profits When You Stop Neglecting to Enter Writing Challenges

Start submitting eligible stories to Vocal's writing challenges for added exposure, besides the chance to win cash prizes. Entering challenges helps create opportunities to reach readers beyond your regular audience.

Final Steps

These days, I'm making sure to do a whole lot more, than simply sharing valuable information about potential profits available on these familiar websites.

• Besides my primary Benable profile, where I list and promote a variety of cool products and items for sale online, I've also created my Goode On the Grind (GOTG) Benable profile, containing mostly non-tangible listings.
• In the strategic way that I've chosen to use my new Benable profile, I'm able to list and showcase my own Gumroad products; the same products that Gumroad affiliates can also promote and earn money from.
• I also use my GOTG profile to help make all my promotional activities work together effectively. I do this by creating product listings that consist of Vocal stories related to writing, content creation, and making money online. I list useful stories, services and resources that I know are worthy of sharing.

So far, I'm seeing a huge growth in traffic on both my Benable profiles, and everyday, more referrals using my special Invite code to join and follow my product listing activities.

My last product purchased on Gumroad appears to have been the result of an affiliate who promoted my motivational journal book.

And as for my progress on Vocal; I can only say that besides the joy and cash rewards I've received from two writing challenges I took the time to enter, my participation is causing me to extend myself as a writer, and explore other forms of writing. It's a win win.

Now that you've considered some of the ways you might be missing out on earning a little extra coin, what will you do?

If you aren't already a member on the platforms, maybe it's time you were.

And if you already belong to the sites, if you find yourself neglecting the ways mentioned, to make more money online, why not see what further steps you should take on these popular platforms, so you can start earning more.