Welcome to Curated Newsletter, where the future of writing is crafted now with guidance and collaboration and every authentic and ethical writers is invited to join
In August 2024, I made the difficult decision to close ILLUMINATION-Curated, a publication that has been near and dear to my heart. It was a moment filled with mixed emotions — tears not just of sadness for what we were leaving behind but also of joy for what lies ahead.
As I have shared in my bulletin, change is essential for survival, growth, and ultimately thriving. Sometimes, making tough decisions is necessary to pave the way for more meaningful, lasting pleasures. Creators need to learn to market and sells their products and services with confidence.
Over the past two weeks, I have received countless messages from writers concerned about why they were removed from ILLUMINATION-Curated. Even our dedicated former editors, like Desiree Driesenaar, who temporarily lost contact due to health reasons, had their worries.
Let me assure you: we never remove authentic writers. But we don’t support those who attempt to cheat the system, engage in plagiarism, or produce harmful content.
Purpose of this Post
In this post, I will outline the new/draft submission guidelines for what was once ILLUMINATION-Curated. While the spirit of the old guidelines remains, they have evolved to better align with our current vision. These changes reflect our shift away from the boost program, which no longer serves most of our contributors. I explained the reasons behind this in a story titled I Withdraw from the Pilot Boost Program Intentionally to Create Better Outcomes for the Community.
Rather than going into the details of the old guidelines — which still hold valuable lessons for aspiring writers — I will highlight the fundamental changes to guide our contributing writers and set the expectations of our readers.
I will show you how the new, flexible, and empowering guidelines can enhance your writing journey to delight our loyal readers. This publication has never been just another platform. It was meticulously architected, carefully designed, and diligently managed by a team of caring, experienced editors to support writers and readers.
We strive to maintain high-quality standards without causing unnecessary stress, ensuring our loyal readers receive the content they expect and deserve to consume.
Why I Created a Curated Newsletter Publication
I have closely followed content development, dissemination, and marketing evolution. I also listen to writers’ struggles and celebrate those who achieve their goals. I combined the ups and downs to set our strategy.
The media landscape is rapidly shifting towards more personalized, subscription-based models. As traditional media faces challenges, newsletters have emerged as a preferred method for readers seeking niche, high-quality content. Writers who adapt to this trend are more likely to thrive in the future as the demand for specialized content continues to grow.
While writing stories and articles is valuable, turning them into newsletters is a strategic path for writers to achieve financial freedom. Medium is an excellent platform for gaining initial visibility, but Substack is emerging as a powerful tool to help writers reach their strategic goals. This publication is designed to serve as an educational resource that bridges these two platforms, helping writers navigate and succeed in this evolving landscape.
Understanding newsletter writing is essential for every writer, and its importance for the future cannot be overstated. Newsletters offer a direct line to your audience, free from the algorithms that dominate social media platforms.
When readers subscribe to your newsletter, they invite you directly into their inbox, creating a more personal and engaged connection. This direct access ensures that your content reaches your audience consistently without interference from third-party platforms.
Unlike social media, where content is subject to the ever-changing rules and algorithms of the platform, newsletters allow writers to maintain ownership of their audience and content. This ownership provides stability in an evolving digital landscape, ensuring that your hard work isn’t lost due to platform shifts or policy changes.
Newsletters also offer a powerful avenue for monetization. Subscription models, sponsored content, and premium offerings enable writers to generate income directly from their audience. As readers increasingly value curated, quality content, newsletters become a viable way for writers to sustain their careers and achieve financial independence.
Moreover, newsletters help writers establish and grow their personal brand. By consistently delivering valuable content, writers can position themselves as experts in their niche, building credibility and trust with their audience. This reputation can lead to opportunities beyond the newsletter, including speaking engagements, book deals, and collaborations.
The creative freedom that newsletters provide is another significant advantage. Writers can experiment with different styles, topics, and formats, tailoring their newsletters to the preferences of their audience. This flexibility fosters innovation and keeps readers engaged with fresh, diverse content.
Newsletters also offer a unique feedback loop. Subscribers can respond directly to your content, providing insights, ideas, and encouragement. This interaction helps you better understand your audience, refine your content, and promote a sense of community.
For writers looking to diversify their income, newsletters are an excellent tool. Beyond subscriptions, newsletters can be leveraged for affiliate marketing, partnerships, and selling products or services. This diversification is crucial in a rapidly changing economy, providing multiple avenues for financial stability.
As newsletters continue to grow in popularity, writers who master this tool will be well-positioned for future opportunities. Whether launching a new product, writing a book, or expanding into other media, having a loyal newsletter audience can be a powerful launchpad.
In summary, learning newsletter writing is an investment in your future as a writer. It offers a platform for creativity, direct connection with your audience, and monetization, making it an essential skill in the evolving world of digital content.
The Dual Mission of This Strategic Publication
This publication is built upon two fundamental missions.
1 — Preparing writers for the future
First, it is dedicated to empowering experienced writers to transform their stories and articles into compelling newsletter formats.
By doing so, writers can attract new audiences and cultivate a loyal readership through their mailing lists and platforms such as Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost, ConvertKit, etc.
This strategic shift broadens their reach and enhances their ability to engage directly with their audience.
2 — Lowering the Workload of Illumination
Second, the publication aims to alleviate the growing workload of our largest pub, ILLUMINATION, which supports 31K+ writers and has 50 times surpassed Medium’s capacity and can no longer support further expansion.
I aim to delegate at least 30% of this workload to experienced writers, enabling them to submit their high-quality stories to our Curated Newsletters.
This approach ensures that ILLUMINATION remains sustainable while maintaining the exceptional quality our readers expect and deserve. So we will invite experienced writers of ILLUMINATION to Curated Newsletters.
By fulfilling these two purposes, this publication supports the professional growth of writers and ensures the continued excellence and expansion of our curated content offerings.
Mandatory Rules Based and Our Policies
The following three policies apply to all our publications on Medium.
1 — No harmful content against platform rules, and plagiarism is accepted. We have a policy about it.
In our previous publications, we implemented stringent rules to enhance the chances of getting stories boosted by Medium. However, boosting is no longer our primary goal. While Medium continues to organically boost stories from our publications, we now view it as a bonus rather than our main focus.
For this new publication, we will shift our emphasis toward the following core values for accepting submissions. The following six simple rules can significantly increase the quality and visibility of your stories.
1 — Value to the Reader: Prioritize reader-centric writing that resonates with your audience.
2 — Clarity and Impact: Create concise, clear, simple, and impactful content.
3— Rigor: Base your content on solid evidence and rigorous research.
4— Integrity: Write with honesty, avoiding any misleading or deceptive information.
5 — Self-Editing: Ensure submissions are clean and error-free through thorough self-editing to save time for volunteer editors.
6 — Organization: Present well-organized content that is easy to follow. Use proper formatting and include relevant, appropriate images.
This eclectic publication accepts stories from any topic as long as the content adds value to the readers. Of course, not every content will resonate with every type of reader, but variety can create vitality. Reader preferences are dynamic and evolving. A reader who might not like a topic now might like it in the future.
How We Will Integrate Medium with Substack
Our writing and reading community thrives on both Medium and Substack, two complementary platforms. We are committed to helping our writers and readers use these platforms effectively.
To kickstart this integration, we have launched a new publication called Substack Mastery. This is a hub for writers to introduce their Substack newsletters, share their progress and experiences, and attract new readers from Medium — or bring their Substack audience over to Medium. These platforms aren’t competitors but collaborators, each empowering writers uniquely.
Another key initiative is the Curated Newsletterpublication, which I cover in this story. This publication is designed to showcase writers’ newsletters, helping them find new readers and potentially convert these readers into newsletter subscribers.
Our curators will feature the profiles and newsletters of our contributors on both platforms, enabling cross-pollination among writers and creating a more collaborative, enriched community.
Additionally, we are introducing a new blogging environmenton my website to enhance the visibility of Medium stories and Substack newsletters. This approach will boost SEO, making it easier for readers to discover content through search engines and increasing the likelihood of converting visitors into newsletter subscribers.
We are also launching a new video and podcasting service on our community YouTube channel, further expanding the reach and visibility of our writers’ work across multiple mediums.
To this end, our hardworking and brilliant team has now created a Substack YouTube channel to leverage the power of videos, audio, storytelling, and blogging. Our media coordinator Aiden (Owner of Illumination Gaming) will be leading this initiative. He created a short video with some descriptions of the services we will provide. Join our exciting journey to reap the benefits of community spirit.
Empowering Creators Through a Three-Tier Service Offering
To meet our goals, I developed a three-tier service offering tailored for creators, freelance writers, and entrepreneurs.
I have outlined the value proposition and implementation details in a blog post on my website. This new structure is designed to empower writers at three different levels, enhancing collaboration across the board.
For instance, funds collected from tiers 2 and 3 will be used to support creators who cannot afford subscription fees, ensuring that financial barriers do not hinder their creative journey.
Here are our draft service definitions for creators, freelance writers, and content entrepreneurs. We will explain the details in our upcoming newsletter. Here’s a high-level illustration of my proposal.
One of our key charitable goals is to assist readers who cannot afford a Medium membership. We plan to gift them paid memberships and help them subscribe to select Substack newsletters, aiding their professional development and growth.
Conclusions and Takeaways
Change is inevitable, and embracing it is essential for growth. As platforms evolve, so do reader expectations and writers’ capabilities. Our ability to adapt is what will keep us thriving.
The submission guidelines for this new publication are a draft designed to evolve alongside our community. We remain flexible and ready to introduce new rules and services that better support our writers and readers on both Medium and Substack.
I view publications as powerful tools for nurturing creativity and connection — not as commercial entities but as community-driven initiatives managed by dedicated volunteers.
Medium and Substack are both exceptional communities on their own, but by uniting them, we can achieve our shared goals more effectively. I created multiple community resources on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Quora, and Reddit.
I recently authored a book called Substack Mastery to guide writers in this exciting journey. I share free versions of the chapters on multiple platforms for beta readers. Here is the latest chapter linking to the previous ones.
I am also authoring a new book about integrating Medium with Substack to give our writers a competitive advantage. I will announce it in another story.
Based on my research survey, I noticed that 46% of writers want to use both platforms to gain a competitive advantage. We will support this goal through our new publications and publishing policies. Stay tuned.
I wrote this story as a way to give back to the writing community, as I owe my success to my mentors. Mentorship and collaboration can enhance our knowledge, make awareness and skill-building easy, and make the journey enjoyable on different platforms.
I also interview writers to introduce them to my audience. You can contact me if you want to be interviewed. You can find samples in the attached collection.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
I publish my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIAand share distilled versions onSUBSTACK. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
This story was initially published at DigitalMehmet.com. My blogs and website offer free access to inspiring and educational stories for freelancers and content entrepreneurs. Please use this portal to contact me with inquiries and feedback.
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