Two Great Tools for Online Writers to “Practice in Public”
By Jen Phillips April

What’s the fastest way to learn a new skill?

Practice a lot.

And when it comes to writing, that means hitting “publish” as often as possible.

That way, you can validate your ideas and get immediate feedback on your writing.

You learn and improve, which is the goal. But there’s an added benefit. When you practice in public, you also build connections. That means there will be more people who will think of you when in need of your skill set.

The Power of Practicing in Public

Nicholas Cole started answering a question daily on Quora and now runs a successful executive ghostwriting agency. He encourages beginner writers to publish something every day. It’s how he started, and it’s paid off.

The power of daily publishing is that you benefit from the act of writing. It clarifies your thinking and builds your reputation.

I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say. ~Flannery O’Connor

Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard. ~David McCullough

Fortunately, today’s writing tools are much easier to use than a stack of typing paper, correction tape, and a Smith-Corona. Nowadays, you can fire up your laptop and start working no matter where you are.

When you challenge yourself to write on a topic and publish daily or at least a few times a week, you’re practicing consistently, which means consistent improvement.

By hitting “publish,” you win three times over.

• You’ve hit “publish,” which gives your brain a dopamine rush.
• You give other people a chance to discover you, and that kind of discovery is the first step toward landing paying clients … essential to a successful writing career.
• You build your confidence.

As you have conversations with your readers, you’ll gain new perspectives and ideas for writing.

Two Tools Freelance Writers Can Use for “Practicing in Public”

Around 2015, I led beginner blogging courses through a local continuing ed program in the Philadelphia suburbs. My advice then and now is the same. If you want to write and express your thoughts, start on Medium.

Since then, Substack has emerged, and it’s a favorite for many people, so I wanted to include it in this article as well.

Both platforms remove the technical side of building a blog. Instead of spending hours sorting out technical issues, you can start an account and start writing.

The other reason is there’s a social component where readers can find you much more easily than they would find your blog.

Don’t worry if you’re feeling shy. You won’t have hundreds of readers when you first start publishing. Remember, this is a time to practice. Write about what you want to learn more about. Or write about something you’ve already learned.

Think of it as starting an exercise program. You’re learning the moves and putting in the reps. If you keep at it, you’ll see results later.

Which tool makes sense for you? Let’s look at the differences.

Medium

Started in 2012 by the co-founder of Twitter, Ev Williams, Medium is an ad-free publishing tool open to anyone who wants to write.

You can start writing immediately with the clean design and easy-to-use formatting features. Write a headline, choose an eye-catching copyright-free image on Unsplash to enliven your words, and away you go.

You can even earn a little money if you build up an audience. Some Medium “superstars” have more than 100,000 followers, meaning every time they publish, their articles attract a lot of eyeballs. They also make money from Medium via Medium’s Partner Program, which pays per view and time spent reading your article.

You can see I’m not hitting the big dollars yet, but I’ve published only 70 or so pieces there over three years. And money isn’t the only way Medium pays off. The real magic happens when people reach out to hire you to write for them.

The key to building an audience (and income) on Medium? Write and publish a lot. The highest-profile members often publish five or more times a week. I have a goal of publishing there at least twice a week this year, because I want to grow my audience.

Medium shows your work to people who follow similar writers. You can also get published in popular Medium publications and use specific tags to improve your chances of getting noticed.

Substack

Substack is a newsletter tool that lets you email your blog posts to your subscribers. You can create free content and content behind a pay wall. Once you start growing a subscriber base, some of your fans will pay $5, $7, or $12 per month to access your exclusive content.

Several prominent journalists left prestigious publications to write the stories they wanted to write using Substack as their publishing platform. Take climate journalist Emily Atkin. Formerly of The New Republic and ThinkProgress, she left traditional journalism to write a climate-focused newsletter called Heated. She has over 67,000 subscribers and no longer needs to please advertisers or worry about page views.

One writer I know says they prefer Substack because they find it easier to connect with other creators there.

However, discoverability is the name of the game online. If you start a Substack as a prominent journalist, you have the advantage of a big audience, some of whom will join your community.

If you’re a new online writer and don’t have the advantage of an existing audience, it seems building an audience on Substack is a tougher nut to crack.

That’s why I opted for Medium. There’s more opportunity to get found. Building an audience is a long game, and I don’t want to make it harder than it needs to be.

No matter your tool, practicing in public is a great skill. With today’s tools, the barriers to entry have never been lower, and the potential payoffs include a sense of purpose and new clients. The fastest way to learn is by doing. If you commit to it for a year, you’ll amaze yourself!

Are you practicing in public on one of these tools or on another tool like LinkedIn? We’d love to hear your experience. If you have a moment, will you share your thoughts below?