Purposeful Withdrawal from the Boost Program for Community Benefit

After considering the advantages and disadvantages, I've resolved to return ILLUMINATION-Curated to its foundational mission by sacrificing the Boost program...

Monthly Updates for July 2024

In July 2024, I concentrated on four primary platforms, as suggested by my mentors: Substack, NewsBreak, Quora, and X Premium+.

The key takeaway is that Elon Musk did not fulfill his promises, which left me feeling disheartened. Nevertheless, I decided to give the platform another chance by subscribing to X Premium instead of Premium+. On the other hand, Chris Best, a CEO who is half my age and leads an excellent writing platform, continues to deliver on his commitments.

Here are some significant highlights from my experiences:

1 — Substack vs. X Premium+: The disparity between my investments and returns was striking. I invested $26 in X Premium+, which yielded no income and only attracted 37 followers, while my $0 investment in Substack resulted in over 20,000 subscribers and an impressive income of more than $5,000 within just one month. Between 2019 and June 2024, I accumulated only 3,000 followers due to dedicating 95% of my time to Medium, but my following skyrocketed thereafter.

Here’s my latest Substack post, which has already garnered 8,000 views:

2 — Success on NewsBreak: My earnings on NewsBreak increased by 62.5%, thanks to a viral story that captured a broad audience across the U.S. This impactful story, which was close to my heart and had the potential to save countless lives, was not only ignored but also censored by Medium, earning me just $5. The support from NewsBreak in promoting this important content was incredibly rewarding.

3 — Insights from Quora: Although my income from Quora was minimal, one monetized story gained significant traction, boosting my follower count by 10% and increasing my Quora spaces' visibility by 20%. In July 2024, I dedicated only 1% of my time to Quora, but it now outperforms Medium, where my follower count has stagnated despite reaching 101,000 followers a few months back. The Medium support team has been unresponsive for two months regarding this stagnation.

They have also failed to assist with replicating my publication on my WordPress website. This neglect has caused me to lose faith in Medium.

4 — Disappointment with X Premium+: The primary reason for this update is to express my dissatisfaction with X Premium+. Last month, I upgraded to X Premium+ for 26 AUD to explore its new article-writing feature, but unfortunately, my expectations were not met.

Having decided to upgrade based on recommendations from mentors with a collective following of 3 million on the platform, I shared my experience in a Medium article. Yet, fewer than 1% of my followers engaged with it, while 95% of my Substack subscribers read and widely shared it.

Reflections After One Month with X Premium+

I want to present my high-level statistics through a screenshot to illustrate the results of my X Premium+ subscription in July 2024.

These results were consistent with my previous experiences, making the outcome seem illogical.

For those unfamiliar with X plans, I've included screenshots to provide a broad overview.

Comparison of Plans

I downgraded from Premium+ to Premium, which is available at half the price.

Performance of Articles on X Premium+

The outcome was a significant disappointment.

Despite having 7,334 followers, the article I pinned on my account garnered only 554 impressions over the month. Isn't it disheartening for a writer paying for a platform that claims to enhance visibility?

Here’s a screenshot of my initial article linking to my boosted stories on Medium for complete transparency.

My mentor, Tim Denning, an expert on X, noted that articles often fall short in performance for unclear reasons. He suggested I focus on threads instead. Unfortunately, those did not perform any better, achieving even fewer impressions—18 and 24, respectively:

The encouraging news is that Tim received over 164 million impressions, which he shared publicly on X. Clearly, he has a firm grasp on what works, and I plan to leverage his expertise even more.

Tim's advice regarding Substack proved invaluable. After he suggested monetizing my content, my subscriber count soared by 567% in just one month. I interviewed Tim again to guide writers about Substack.

The Importance of Interviews in Content Strategy

I believe that Medium's management, including its head of curation and even the CEO, should consider the significance of interviews in content. Censoring such stories could hinder the platform's growth, leaving it vulnerable to an influx of inexperienced writers and AI-generated content, which could dilute quality.

Medium must prioritize user needs and align its offerings with measurable outcomes to cultivate loyalty and trust. This experience emphasizes the need for content platforms to ensure that features and upgrades provide real benefits to users.

A New Disappointment After Downgrading to Premium: Loss of Blue Badge

Last month, upon upgrading to Premium+, I received a blue verification badge after providing my personal identification, including my driver's license, trusting Elon Musk's security commitments.

However, after downgrading to Premium today, I lost my blue badge, meaning my followers can no longer see my verification status, and potential new followers may hesitate to trust my profile.

I now feel that my $13 investment in X for August 2024 has been squandered. I hope they can restore my hard-earned blue badge, especially after sharing my personal information, which is risky on digital platforms.

Interestingly, my editor friend Aiden, the owner of Illumination Gaming, was motivated to upgrade to X Premium recently but later changed his mind and wrote about it.

An Editor's Perspective on Upgrading to X Premium

Another editor friend, Mike Broadly, is also contemplating an upgrade but is concerned about the platform's immature algorithm. While he wants his content to reach a broader audience, he remains cautious about making the investment.

Conclusion and Insights

In my first month using X Premium, I faced notable disappointments that prompted me to reevaluate my investment in the platform. Despite initial hopes for increased visibility and engagement, the reality fell short, with verification issues, limited content reach, and an overall unsatisfactory platform experience.

These experiences underscore the necessity of aligning user expectations with actual benefits. Here’s a summary of my points to help you navigate your decisions regarding X Premium+ and other platforms:

Verification Issues: Downgrading from Premium+ to Premium resulted in the loss of my verification badge, undermining my credibility.

Investment Concerns: The $26 spent on X Premium in July 2024 did not yield the anticipated returns, feeling more like a wasted investment.

Platform Strategy: It’s crucial for platforms to ensure that features and upgrades provide tangible benefits, rather than superficial enhancements.

User Trust: Trusting the platform with my personal information did not offer long-term benefits, raising doubts about such investments.

Content Strategy: Successful content strategies are vital for platforms to retain user engagement, which X Premium failed to demonstrate.

Broader Implications: This experience highlights the need for content platforms to prioritize user satisfaction and align their offerings with measurable outcomes to build loyalty and trust.

These reflections emphasize the importance of selecting the right platforms for content creation and distribution. While Substack and NewsBreak have proven to be valuable allies in July 2024, my experiences with X Premium+ and Medium reveal the frustrations that necessitate refining content curation and distribution strategies.

As I continue to refine my content strategy, I remain committed to sharing my insights with my readers. Please feel free to leave questions in the comments or reach out through my website inquiry form or Substack Notes.

Thank you for taking the time to read my perspectives. Wishing you a healthy and fulfilling life.

For those interested, I have authored several articles for writers and readers, which are compiled in a list titled Writing, Content Development & Marketing Strategies. You can also find distilled versions in my Substack newsletter, Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights.

If you’re new here, feel free to explore some of my topics, such as mental health, cognitive function, significant health conditions, nutrition, and life lessons gained over the past 50+ years.

I publish health and wellness content under EUPHORIA and share concise versions on SUBSTACK. Please note that my posts do not constitute professional health advice; they are based on my experiences and observations aimed at raising awareness.

Writers are welcome to join my publications by sending a request through this link. I support 31,000 writers contributing to my publications on this platform. For non-Medium members, I have shared friend links to my sample boosted stories. You can read this article on Substack for free.

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