My First 30 Days on Vocal Media

Twenty-one days ago, I posted a review of my first 7 days on Vocal called My First Week on Vocal. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, click here.

The first week I was on fire. I felt like I went from zero to hero in 7 days, my stats shooting into a straight upward curve. My goal was to post a story daily, share it on social media, and commit to this great project that would allow me to express myself on a daily basis. What could be better than that?

Then COVID-19 hit Canada. My business instantly stopped being relevant, my husband was laid off, an aging extended-family member tested positive for the virus, and we watched pictures on the news of acquaintances who had passed away. The world as I knew it had officially turned upside down into an unrecognizable mess.

My Vocal Media plan halted. I couldn’t concentrate properly, and sleep was sporadic at best. I stopped sharing previous stories I had written for Vocal on social media and didn’t write any new ones. That once climbing curve of success looked like a graph any country fighting COVID-19 would be envious of. I flattened the curve, just not the right one!

Strangely, I still had reads, though. That is a testament to Vocal Media because I literally did NOTHING. On a personal note, I switched gears and a friend and I started to work on collecting positive stories from across Canada about citizens helping each other. I was interviewing people from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, buoying me with stories of love and hope, collecting them for an upcoming book called Not Cancelled: Canadian Caremongering in the Face of COVID-19. It was a selfish endeavor. I needed these stories to keep ME going. The book can be pre-ordered through Indigo.ca. I will be sharing a few of the stories on Vocal from time to time like The Tooth Fairy Is Not Cancelled, so be sure to check in once in while!

Despite my total abandonment of Vocal for three out of the four weeks I am reviewing, some really cool things happened despite my lack of effort:

• I received $14 in tips
• An article was featured on their landing page as a staff pick
• My top 3 performing articles had 4,985 hits combined
• I withdrew some money

And those are all wins!

Analysing the stats, it is good to see what articles were most successful. My three top stories were as follows:

• 19 Signs You Are a Long-Distance Runner
• 5 Tips for Being a Good Friend With Someone With PTSD
• My First Week on Vocal

I think maybe the reason these were so successful is because they had a distinctly defined audience. It was easy to find those interested in these topics. It was relatively effortless to find online hangouts for runners, those with PTSD, and writers.

Just like the Berenstain Bears The Bike Lesson, it might also be worthwhile to take a look at what NOT to do. Here are my lowest performing stories:

• Gratitude is More Than an Attitude
• Climate Change Begins at Dinner
• Autism in the Face of COVID-19

Although veganism and autism are quite defined audiences, I did not make as strong an effort to find their hangouts. In retrospect, I feel the gratitude story was too general, and I regret the graphic I chose. I don’t think it really reflects what the article is REALLY about.

After 30 days on Vocal, I have no complaints. In fact, I am still really enthusiastic (and no, I do not work for them nor have I been asked to write this review). The platform is easy to use, customer service has been nothing but stellar, and they do deliver on their claims. I have even encouraged three of my friends to sign up, and they are enjoying writing for Vocal, too! However, I think it is safe to say that writing regularly, sharing on social media, and being consistent as a writer will greatly augment your results.

I will be checking back in 60 days with my next review of my first 90 days writing on this platform. Please pop by to follow my progress and if you missed my first review, click here!

Stay safe, everyone!