Getting Out of Curation Jail? Is That Even Possible on Medium?

If you've been in Medium curation jail, I get it. Here's what I've thrown in their faces lately.

I refuse to give up.

Y’all likely know that about me by now. In spite of my pathetic curation drought, or curation jail or whatever you call it…I keep writing on Medium.

Why? In spite of horrible pay, low reads, and almost NO curation?

Because I LOVE Medium. It’s been my home for words and friends for a long time now. (Here’s where you can jump into the pile of other word-loving dorks, just like yourself!)

This is not me reading a book. I wish I looked this good reading a book. (Image Source)

I probably met you on Medium.

Perhaps we exchanged stories at some point?

So, let’s reconnect through our work and our mutual love for the written word, stories and poems that remind us to seek all of life with curiosity because, without curiosity, we are all utterly done for.

I mean this.

Curiosity keeps us happy and feels our souls! So, in spite of NO curation hardly ever anymore, I’ve been writing…and I did what Tony Stubblebine said to do.

I wrote a well-researched SEO piece on a topic in which I am an expert…and guess what.

They curated it!

For those of you not familiar with Medium, a dedicated staff of curators reviews our stories, and decides what to promote in their distribution system.

If the curators bypass your work and don’t read it, it can negatively impact your ability to earn some money for your writing.

Some people call this intentional overlooking by this curation staff a kind of “curation jail.” Others claim “curation jail” is a myth altogether.

This is a screenshot by the author. You can find this app as a Google Chrome extension.

Here’s my latest!

Curated: (So you can see what Medium is choosing to feature of my work.)

• 7 Things You Should NEVER Do to Your Skin

• For Those of You Who Need to Hear it: Being Single Is OK

• A Few Warnings for All Freelancers

• If You Can’t Lose Weight You Might Want to Change This

• How to Find the Best Professional Quotes for Your Blog

It took me 3 months to get these curations under my belt. As much as I publish, this means I am not curated very often. (Some thoughts on this later..)

Not Curated: (Most of these were not even reviewed by curators. Which is one reason I think I am in curation jail. Perhaps they only read the titles and then decide whether or not to review them?)

• How I Write 4K-10K Words 7 Days a Week

• Don’t Call Me a Sell-Out for Ditching My Poetic Status for Dollars

• I Stopped Hiding My Fat and Men Are Suddenly Drool-y

• Dating Messaging Gone Wild—This one’s got the horse penis pic story. Now, you don’t want to miss that one!

• It’s Ok If You Suck as a Content Creator

• Would You Recognize Your Writer’s Voice in Your Earliest Works?

• I Never Used to Be this Invisible ← MOST DISAPPOINTING NON-CURATION
  

Note: There is a clear trend here. Between what curators are ignoring and what they are selecting. Can you see the trend? Read those headlines once again.

Each headline for the curated ones is VERY reader-centric and offers value to the reader.

*****Getting curators to OPEN your story is key to getting them to see the quality of your work and select it for distribution. They are the gatekeepers and you have to get the curators to CLICK!*****

Unless you have a certain name, of course.

If your name is, for example, Tim. I said what I said.

Speaking of names…in case they are ignoring my work because they know who I am…perhaps a less “feminine” name might work better for Medium? Y’all know very few women are at the top of the earnings (*gasp*) pyramid on Medium, right?

So…CM Ward? Sounds generic enough, right? What about a play on lettering…Sea Ward? Change my profile pic to a dolphin or something? Catchy names seem to do well on Medium, right?

Let’s face it, I am throwing everything at the wall on Medium.

OFF of Medium, this week I:

• Made $1400 in less than 30 hours for one of my clients — Some last-minute promo pieces they wanted me to write.

• I did 3 pieces for LA Times!

• I did 3 pieces for the Village Voice out of New York!

• I took on my 6th poetry manuscript to edit in a manner of 2 months! (Total, I think I’ve done over 50 of them now.

• And next week..I am writing for OK! Magazine!

But on Medium…it is a crapshoot…a very fun and wonderful crapshoot that we all love.

So, come on Tony Stubblebine…don’t let us down!!!

Anywhooo, I have babbled enough today.

I hope that some of these reportings help you to put the pieces together if you are a struggling Medium writer, or I hope you’ve found something to read in my list today that made your day.

I like making people think and breathe a little deeper, and look at life with kid’s eyes—curious eyes.

Go and be well, my friends!

Christina,
…um, I mean CW… or whatever :)