1001 Reads for This Vocal Piece!
Woot! My First... And What it Taught Me
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I've just passed my three year anniversary on Vocal and also just achieved my first 1000+ read story. These things aren't connected; the story that achieved 1000 reads isn't even a year old.
Still, making this milestone cemented some things that I've learned over the past three years.
Things I've Learned Over the Past Three Years on Vocal
- Everyone has their own reasons for being a Vocal writer/creator. Some people like to see their words in print (ummm; hello?! I certainly do!) Others want to make a fast buck (ummm- nope; but please refer to my third-most-read 'story' about making money on Vocal using AI. That sure hit a cord!)
- A good title to a piece exists. It doesn't have to be click-baity to be good. It just needs to encourage someone to want to read it.
- Many Vocal writer/creators like to read about Vocal writing. Not all do, of course, but many do. Many is, in most instances, just enough to matter.
- If something is working for you/just discovered/a new hack: share it. Document it, give examples, explain why it matters, and share it.
Pro Tip: For instance when you use a slash (or a dash), as I did above, the words connected to each other by the slash only count as one word. Why does this matter? Well, it comes in handy on microfiction and challenges with strict word count. I used it on the entry for a limited word Vocal Challenge. I didn't place, but it was recognized as a Top Story, so I got that going for me. Here's that color-outside-the-box entry, which did clock in at 50 words, despite how long it is!
Applying What I've Learned
For one thing, piping up with suggestions about Vocal is welcomed and possible. I did so through the Creator Chat ( an every-other-week opportunity here on Vocal), explaining that the Creator 101 content was out of date, and offering suggestion to fix it.
I was surprised to get an email from the Vocal team asking for more detail (which I gave) and even more surprised when they asked if I wanted to actually write it. Which I did so I did.
There were originally 8 steps and I expanded them to 10. #6 Maximize Your Earnings is now my most read piece on the Vocal platform.
I did a few of the things I learned:
- straightforward title
- used the subtitle to explain why it matters to you
- broke up the content into Basics, Next Level, Expanded past this platform into the rest of the writer/creator's body of work
- included links within the piece to answer questions as I thought the reader may have them
- engaged with people that made comments, even if I didn't agree with them
- linked to the next post in the series (I often do this in my other writing, to encourage an additional read while they are there. Am I an Enabler? Why yes; yes I am.)
- make changes to this and the rest of Creator 101 as the platform changes
I didn't include a CTA (Call to Action), even though it was one of my tips. That's because Vocal made these posts for me, and TBH- I really wasn't sure that I would earn on these when I agreed to do them. (Dear Vocal: thank you for exceeding my expectations and surprising and delighting me. Please don't take it back. Amen. Love Judey)
I wonder- are there things in the Maximize Your Earnings Article that are new to you?
Have you used Vocal for crowdfunding?
Do you cross-post you content from blogs or other platforms such as Medium?
Do you promote your own product within your work?
Do you use your digital content to enhance your writing?
Please leave me a comment: Let me know your tips for maximizing your Vocal earnings!
Share a link to your highest reads story and tell me why you think it has attracted the most reads. {Yes- I am asking you to share a link AS LONG AS YOU tell me why you think it is so. Let's use this to spread the love.}
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About the Creator
Judey Kalchik
It's my time to find and use my voice.
Poetry, short stories, memories, and a lot of things I think and wish I'd known a long time ago.
You can also find me on Medium
And please follow me on Threads, too!
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Comments (14)
This comprehensive and informative article is quite helpful in maximizing the reads for any writer. Thanks for sharing it. I joined this platform some days ago, and I posted my personal story of struggle and success, which got almost 58 reads in two days. On the third day, the total of my reads was 118, which is significant for me. Because I am a junior writer, I feel happy and lucky if 118 people read my stories. I am sharing the link to my story, which got the maximum reads so far due to the title picture of the story, where I am riding a bike. Please spare some time to read my life story. Thanks and best regards. https://vocal.media/motivation/from-fear-to-victory
Wow that is amazing. I’ve never come close to that. Outstanding work
Well done, Judey. My most read story doesn't even come close to that mark of 1,000 reads ("Goodbye" currently sits at 284 with 57 hearts--it's about a woman's reaction to discovering her husband has a small penis & was gobbled up by Naomi Gold as being worth reading, so that probably had something to do with its being my most read). Admittedly, I have not done much to increase the monetization of my work, though I think your suggestions are extremely apt.
hi judey :) thank you again for a wonderful, informative, and inspiring read. your generosity towards other writers is so important and appreciated. https://vocal.media/poets/an-abecedarian this is my most read piece, i think because it was a top story and a fairly brief read. i'd like to also think that the content was relevant to people, although the title doesn't offer much explanation of what to expect... anywho, mostly just wanted to thank you for being a vocal beacon. an icon. love your writing and your spirit.
Hi Judey! You are so on top of these things! What would we do without you? I wish I could participate at such a level. I do what I can. My highest earning piece to date was my collection of coffee limericks. I won’t say I’m not proud of them, but I’ve written tons of other stories with more nuance lol. People like what they like, I guess https://vocal.media/poets/coffee-limericks
‘j’ ~ As The VillageBucket StepMom and everyday good-egg. Your ‘Original’ contributions are not Only from your pen🖋…! — My Respect — ‘j’ in.l.a.
Congrats on that incredible milestone!! 🎉
Congratulations on 1000 that’s a great achievement. My most read was the story I loved most so therefore I shared most until I got a top story and that blew all my tiny read numbers out of the park
Congratulations on hitting that 1000 reads milestone! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊 You do so much for so many of us here at Vocal and for Vocal themselves too!
Congratulations , a thousand reads is damn impressive. You work hard and you deserve it
Congratulations 💗🥰🎉🥳Well deserve!!! You support your fellow creators, by sharing your knowledge, Thank you for that !!!!
Congrats on hitting your first 1000 read article. That's wonderful. No link being included, but my highest read is Heaven's Curtain, for obvious reasons. It's short, and won a challenge.
Congratulations on 1001 reads, that is impressive. And your advice is excellent and you are respected by Vocal something that has always eluded me.
You are always so eminently practical, personable, and encouraging! Your style is unique while your suggestions are emulatable. Thanks for being a friend to your fellow writers!