Digital Publishing Platform Updates and News
Blogging Guide April 2020
Hey everyone!
I’m introducing a new Monthly Blogging Guide segment, called Platform Updates and News.
This segment will cover news or updates relating to major digital publishing platforms, including Medium and Substack.
I will also include any Blogging Guide-specific updates and a concise list of some of the top articles from Blogging Guide, posted this past month.
Medium
Platform Updates and News
Medium staff released 4 new articles and one new video in April.
Articles
Videos
While Medium sometimes fails to address writer concerns in these releases, these updates can provide a glimpse into what Medium staff are looking for in featured writers.
Medium Platform Changes
While Medium still allows writers to cover COVID-19, anything pandemic related (even if it’s not medical advice) continues to be flagged with a disclaimer and anecdotal reports suggest that articles by less established writers are being heavily scrutinized (and in some cases, not curated).
Substack
Platform Updates and News
Substack staff released 2 new articles, 1 thread, and one video in April.
Articles
Videos
Thread
Open thread: What's your home setup like?
Medium Platform Changes
Substack has added a ton of new features, improving both article formatting and the overall techical capabilty, of substack. This includes an additional subscription tier that allows your readers to pay more than the regular plan, a button to pause your paid subscriptions, which will suspend billing cycles for all of your active subscriptions (if you need a break from writing), and you can now customize the list of benefits that appear on your Subscribe page.
Blogging Guide News
Our Medium publication hit 2,000+ followers!
I was recently asked to do an interview with YouTuber Shelby Church discussing Medium.
Blogging Guide was awarded the Substack Independent Writer Grant!
I have started/continued my testing of a number of digital publishing platforms, including Vocal, HubPages, and Ghost. So new revenue stream ideas for writers to come!
Several of our subscribers have been awarded grants or financial aid through a post containing programs that I published in April. Many are still accepting applications so please check them out and apply.
April Articles on Blogging Guide
In case you missed it, here are some fantastic articles covering Medium, Substack, and digital publishing in general, this month, on Blogging Guide:
7 Insights From Generating 1,000,000+ Views on My Medium Articles
Online Writing Jobs: 10 Websites That Will Pay You to Write in 2020
Amazon Affiliate Payout Rate Reduction and The Impact on Bloggers
What questions do you have about making money writing online? (THREAD)
How to Remove Deleted Blog Posts From Google (or Update Outdated Posts)
April Industry-Wide Articles
These articles were not written by me, but are some resources that I found useful:
Poll: Most freelance workers still haven’t gotten unemployment or government loans — Vox
Light after the lockdown — the future of books—Financial Times
Apple News hits 125 million monthly active users — TechCruch
New survey: Digital publishers reveal strategies for growth—AdAge
Magazine publisher BluInc closes down, citing MCO, digital challenges—TheStar
Pay Cuts Come to Condé Nast, the Glossy Publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair—The New York Times
The Goa Writers Group is blogging about the lockdown —The Hindu
On Digital Gardens, Blogs, Personal Spaces, and the Future—WordPress Tavern
Patch this popular WordPress plugin now to avoid site hijacking—TechRadar
Until next time!
Casey
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