Hey Reader,

If I had to predict how priorities and best practices for writers/creators are changing in 2024, I'd say stability and predictability are becoming more important.

Growing competition makes it hard to build an audience if all you do is to occasionally publish average content.

Building credibility, trust, and an audience in 2024 requires you to have a clear (and compelling) selling point for your content.

Yes, this applies to all creators and writers.

No, it doesn't mean you have to actually sell your content.

It means you have to be intentional about why anyone should spend their precious time consuming your content instead of doing a million other things. 👋

See, when you wanted to make money on the internet a decade ago, you didn't have access to step-by-step instructions, guides, or accessible mentors who've "been there and done that."

That's not the case anymore.

Instead of relying on trial and error, you can now avoid wasting your time and follow a much more systematic approach.

When I started to write, I threw spaghetti on the wall to see what would stick. 🍝

I didn't know what else to do.

I had no prior writing experience and I didn't know anyone who was actually making money as a writer (let alone making money by writing on the internet).

I published over 150 articles to realize I could use a shortcut by learning from top writers who were already doing things correctly.

Once I realized that, I spent half of my time studying great (online) writing and being much more intentional about what I wrote.

Monetizing your knowledge, ideas, and passion online doesn't have to be a high-risk project in 2024, Reader.

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All you need are a few components that work well together:

• 💻 You need a content publishing platform to gain visibility (for me, that's Medium because it's the only platform that pays me to grow my audience as a writer)
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• 📥 You need an email newsletter to serve your biggest fans and loyal readers who love your work. As creators, we have less faith in social algorithms and more faith in our own skills to provide value to a specific audience.
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• 💰 You need different income streams to monetize your work independently. These could be your own offers, collaborations with other creators, sponsorships, and many other things.
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But that's not all. I also see a few more subtle shifts happening in the creator economy right now:

🕵️‍♀️ Instead of chasing virality, we're now focusing much more on genuine attention. A fan who spends ten minutes consuming your work is so much more valuable than a hundred people who click on your content but don't engage with it.

💕 I also see connections becoming more valuable than mere transactions. This is true for the reader-writer connection but also for connections between writers who support each other - e.g., through collaborations. 👇

💼 You won't come far if you view every other writer as your competition. Instead, you want to build your own support system of people who're on a similar path and who support you to achieve your goals.
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I recently wrapped up my biggest course launch to date and our affiliate partners generated almost 20% of our total sales.

That's just one of many ways you can leverage connections with peers by collaborating instead of competing.

⚫︎ Updates to Medium's Quality Guidelines

Last week, Medium's Director of Content Curation published an update on quality guidelines, which I was thrilled to see.

Why?

Because it confirms what I've been teaching and preaching the last few months, and I like being right 💁🏻‍♀️.

I made significant changes to our Medium Writing Academy course content over the last three months and I obviously enjoyed reading that my updates and teachings align with Medium's official quality guidelines.

This is my favorite paragraph from Terrie's post:

This 👆 is part of why I'm proud to have chosen Medium as the "home" for my writing.

You can read the full post on the updates here:

I hope you have a wonderful end of the week, Reader.

I'm currently spending four hours per day in driving school, so I can't wait for a weekend without road signs and traffic rules. 🚦 🛑 😅

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Big love from my screen to yours,
Sinem

PS. Did you know my friend Nick Wolny is currently hosting a video series to help you make 2024 your best writing year yet?!

You only have a few more days left to sign up for *free.*​

Want more?

• ​ 🎥 Find video trainings & interviews with top writers on my Youtube channel.​
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• ​🚀 Join Medium Writing Academy to grow your audience + income.​​
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• ​💕 Join our community with over 10,000 writers.​