Time to Prune the Branches of Our Big Oak Tree: ILLUMINATION’s Evolution
New Submission Guidelines — September 2024
As the world grappled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I walked away from my consultancy job with the federal government in Canberra, carrying a mix of disappointment and untapped ambition.
Returning home to Melbourne, a spark ignited within me — a deep calling from my higher self. On March 19, 2020, in the midst of global uncertainty, I took a bold step and founded ILLUMINATION, a publication grounded in the values of diversity, inclusion, and equality, inviting around 100 writers to start this exciting and joyful journey with me.
Just as the publication and community began to flourish, something unexpected occurred on 24 April 2020. In the project’s second month, Medium abruptly suspended my account due to allegations of a person with sour grapes, leading to the publication’s closure and causing panic among writers, editors, administrators, and readers.
We quickly took steps to immunize ILLUMINATION against unexpected challenges, and this precaution significantly affected its growth. In an effort to amplify traffic to Medium and spark viral success for its writers, I began curating published stories and blogging about them on my personal website. By syndicating this content to collaborators’ sites, I created a ripple effect that funneled even more traffic back to Medium.com — a platform I had grown to love deeply during that time.
But then, everything came to a halt. The downloads stopped abruptly, leaving me with cryptic error messages despite my best troubleshooting efforts. Frustrated, I contacted Medium’s support team, only to be hit with an unexpected blow: the publication had grown too large — over 1,000 writers strong — and Medium could no longer generate the CSV files. What had once been a thriving system now felt like a door slammed shut.
As one door closed, another cracked open. A kind-hearted support representative, Jordan, made an exception by sending me monthly CSV files for three months. Those files allowed me to keep the momentum going, sharing stories and attracting more contributors.
Before I knew it, the publication swelled to over 3,000 writers, reaching nearly 30,000 readers. But just as things were soaring, Medium stopped providing the CSV files — it had simply become too much for them to handle. The path forward, once so clear, now grew uncertain again.
Determined not to lose momentum, I turned to a group of volunteer editors for help. Together, they gathered links to the published stories, enabling me to curate and amplify them across social media. With this collective effort, I crafted hundreds of curated collections that drew in waves of new readers to Medium. The reach expanded, and the community grew stronger with each new connection.
Yet, as the publication flourished, unforeseen technical challenges emerged. Each support request was met with the same disheartening news: our publication had outgrown Medium’s infrastructure. In a shocking turn of events in 2021, Medium removed over 100 editors from ILLUMINATION, leaving us with just 30. This abrupt decision left many of our dedicated volunteer editors reeling and wondering what the future holds.
I escalated the matter to the support team’s supervisor, who expressed regret but firmly stated that exceptions to the rules were off the table. We were left to navigate the complexities of managing ILLUMINATION with only 30 volunteer editors. However, amidst the frustration, the supervisor revealed a glimmer of hope: Medium was investing in modernizing its platform, aiming to better support a growing community of writers and editors.
I held onto hope until 2024, but despite my patience, Medium had made no significant investments in supporting publications. Instead, they shut down their in-house publications, a move I could empathize with, given the challenges they faced. Undeterred, I appealed to the leadership team for an exception to add ten more editors to our team, hoping to alleviate the growing workload. Unfortunately, my request was met with silence.
Compounding the challenge, a persistent bug continued to hinder our efforts, limiting editors to publishing no more than 15 stories a day. For example, the issue remains unresolved despite a support ticket submitted six weeks ago by Douglas Kwon.
This left me in a relentless battle, constantly reallocating the workload among our dedicated global volunteers. Several committed volunteers frequently rise above and beyond, heroically pushing through over 100 drafts from the backlog just to alleviate the strain.
A few weeks ago, the backlog reached over 2,000 drafts, with some stories delayed by up to 21 days, leaving writers unhappy and frustrated. Despite escalating these concerns to Medium, my efforts were met with silence. But hardworking editors melted the humongous backlog in five days. So, If You Want a Job Well Done, Give It to Busy People.
I understand Medium’s challenges and respect their decisions, but they seem to expect publications to manage the platform’s growing issues like AI-generated content, harmful content, and plagiarism.
At Medium Day, the CEO, Coach Tony, rightly referred to publications as a way to clear the platform’s metaphorical ‘garbage’ and enhance user experience. Yet, in a stunning twist, the same CEO wrongly dismissed ILLUMINATION as an ‘abomination,’ criticizing our 30 dedicated editors for publishing only 109 out of a thousand stories. We were unfairly labeled as ‘lottery ticket collectors’ rather than the diligent ‘garbage collectors’ we strived to be.
Unfortunately, Medium has yet to allocate any resources to support publications. While we didn’t anticipate financial backing, the stringent restrictions — such as the cap of 30 editors — have persisted, compounding our challenges.
Around 32,000 writers have contributed to this publication, and it is followed by 125,332 readers as of today.
Embracing this reality, I have taken personal responsibility for navigating these hurdles. Moving forward, my strategy is not to expand ILLUMINATION further but to pivot our focus to Curated Newsletters. This new publication, which replaces ILLUMINATION-Curated, marks a fresh start aimed at more effectively supporting our writers.
Just yesterday, I published our new submission guidelines for the Curated Newsletters and made them publicly accessible. To my dismay, Medium’s algorithm censored the post, restricting visibility and leaving only a handful of readers able to access this crucial information that could have given our platform a significant competitive edge.
Once again, I took personal responsibility and published the guidelines on my personal website as a free resource, distributing them directly to our writers. I will also post them on Substack. Ironically, to promote Medium, I had to use my own website and my hard-earned subscribers from Substack, while Medium itself hasn’t contributed to this. Instead, Medium’s algorithm censored an asset that could have added value to the platform. It’s disappointing.
In a strategic shift, we are reducing ILLUMINATION’s workload by 30% as we transition high-quality stories to Curated Newsletters and another 30% to ILLUMINATION’s Mirror for less polished content. This reallocation means inviting about 30% of our seasoned writers to contribute to Curated Newsletters while directing another 30% of emerging writers to Mirror.
With this new arrangement, we are effectively mobilizing 60 additional volunteer editors to indirectly support ILLUMINATION’s workload, cleverly circumventing Medium’s limitations. As the saying goes, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ Nothing can deter us from serving our vibrant, authentic community. Access has already begun to be granted to our contributors, ushering in a transformative new chapter for us to prune this oak tree.
Unfortunately, when I closed ILLUMINATION-Curated, some writers thought they were removed from the publication because it no longer appeared on their list, so they stopped submitting stories. It gave us a bit of breathing space, but many writers miss the opportunity and keep sending their stories to ILLUMINATION.
Despite my announcement of closure on a positive note, Medium’s algorithm once again censored that important story, preventing thousands of writers from seeing the update. Medium claims such stories go through “network distribution,” but this is untrue. Readers only find my stories through direct links, which I have documented multiple times with evidence. I even tagged Medium’s head of distribution in a constructive story from my secondary account but received no response. That’s fine — I will continue to support this community, even without platform support.
With this context in mind, I want to share a few key points on how writers can help us manage the workload of ILLUMINATION. We no longer enforce strict rules or adhere to the boost program guidelines as rigorously as before.
I resigned from the Boost program for valid reasons, which I explained in a previous story. You are still welcome to send boost-worthy stories that can be organically boosted, but we will not be editing your stories or requiring extensive revisions to create a “masterpiece” as we used to do. The editorial team is exhausted and disappointed with the lack of support from Medium; some resigned, and some even deleted their accounts. It is simply not worth the editorial effort. If your story gets boosted, that’s great, but we view it as a bonus. Our focus remains on delivering quality content that truly resonates with readers.
News Submission Guidelines for ILLUMINATION
To streamline your submissions and ensure your best stories shine, I’d like to give you some essential guidelines to follow before submitting them to ILLUMINATION and our associated publications.
We operate under a unified set of core rules across our 15 publications, with each special publication having its additional guidelines. You need to follow these basics to maximize your chances of success and stand out in our diverse and dynamic community.
Mandatory Rules and Our Fundamental Policies
The following four policies apply to all our publications on Medium. They are non-negotiable.
1 — No harmful content against platform rules, and plagiarism is accepted. We have a policy about it.
2 — All images must be copyright-free and captioned, linking original sources per our policy.
Revised & Distilled Image Copyright Rules for Writers of ILLUMINATION Publications on Medium
3 — No AI-generated content is accepted. We have a publication that serves this purpose (the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION).
AI-Generated Content Policy for ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications
New Partner Program Rules: ILLUMINATION’s New Policies and Guidelines to Adhere Platform Rules
4 — All affiliate links need to be declared.
Preferred Content for ILLUMINATION
As of July 2023, our editors implemented stringent rules to enhance the chances of getting stories boosted by Medium. It was rewarding to see some stories getting boosted. 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.
We will shift our emphasis toward the following core values for accepting submissions. We are not after fancy and contrived rules, as I mentioned before. Our approach is pragmatic to make writers’ jobs easier while making our readers happier. From my interactions, readers are after well-crafted, insightful, and inspiring stories. They don’t expect overly polished and clinically edited stories.
Based on reader feedback, I offer the following six simple rules that can significantly increase the quality and visibility of your stories.
1 — Value to the Reader with Authencity, Creativity, and Variety: Prioritize reader-centric writing that resonates with your audience. Write content you want to read yourself.
2 — Clarity and Impact: Create concise, clear, simple, and impactful content to delight your readers.
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 or peer-reviews 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.
Additional Rules for ILLUMINATION
Please submit only one draft a day as we don’t accept more than one draft and we don’t pubish self-published stories anymore as they don’t perform and waste the precious time of volunteer editors.
At ILLUMINATION, our commitment to diversity and inclusion means we celebrate various stories and topics. We welcome content that adds value and adheres to ethical standards, regardless of style or format.
While not every story will resonate with every reader, embracing variety can ignite interest and vitality. Readers’ tastes are ever-changing, and what may not appeal today could be compelling tomorrow. We must welcome creative experimentation — sometimes, the unexpected can lead to extraordinary discoveries.
By the way remember to tag Illumination and Curated Newsletters in your stories to aggregate them on the topic pages on Medium for readers to find them easily and for search engines to index them easily.
Our New Strategy Is to Integrate Medium with Substack
Having served on Medium for years and recently recognizing Substack’s value for writers, I am excited about the synergy between these two powerful platforms. We are now dedicated to empowering our community to leverage both effectively for maximum impact.
Our research reveals that 46% of writers are eager to use the strengths of both platforms for a competitive edge. To support this ambition, we are rolling out new publications and policies tailored to enhance your experience. Stay tuned for how we’re turning this vision into reality.
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 Newsletter publication, which I covered in a previous 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 environment on 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.
Please subscribe to our Substack Channel to get Cuated Content from Experienced Writers
Here’s Aiden’s introduction to this service in a recent story.
How to Use the ILLUMINATION Substack Mastery YouTube Channel to Grow Your Audience
Practical tips for uploading your videos to our community channel as writers on Medium, Substack, and other platformsmedium.com
Here is how to apply for the guest blogger and writer position on my website.
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.
A Heartfelt Message to Our Community: Celebration of 109 Founding Members of the ILLUMINATION Substack Mastery Program
Our administrators have informed me of an exciting milestone today. We now have 109 founding members supporting ILLUMINATION’s Substack Mastery Program. I am deeply grateful for their generous contributions, which reflect their belief in our vision and mission.
In return for their unwavering support, I commit to reciprocating their generosity — multiplied many times over. This means finding creative and meaningful ways to give back to our community through opportunities, mentorship, and growth.
These funds are a critical asset in helping us expand the ILLUMINATION community, ensuring greater diversity, inclusion, and equality. With this support, we will continue to promote an environment where creators, freelance writers, entrepreneurs, and innovators from all backgrounds can thrive and make their voices heard.
Thank you to each founding member. Your investment empowers us to build a stronger, more vibrant community that champions creativity and excellence for all.
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.
We all face setbacks, criticism, and rejections. These are normal human behaviors. The important thing is to reframe them, forgive, let go, and move on toward our goals.
So, despite these challenges, I remain steadfast in my mission to empower writers and readers by cross-pollinating them to build a resilient community on Medium and beyond. I am happy with the joy and pain of my community work. So, I invite you to join me on this exciting journey.
The new submission guidelines for ILLUMINATION are still 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 am thrilled to announce my latest bestselling book, Substack Mastery, designed to guide writers through this exciting journey. To ensure its value, I am sharing free versions of the chapters across multiple platforms for beta readers. However, due to algorithmic restrictions, these chapters have only reached a select few so far. Don’t miss out — explore the insights and strategies from my hard-learned lessons!
I have also had the pleasure of interviewing successful writers, particularly those thriving on Substack. Just yesterday, I spoke with Veronica Llorca-Smith, a bestselling Substack writer who now earns $10,000 a month — an achievement she couldn’t realize on Medium. You can enjoy her story and check out other interviews linked at the end of the story as I know you haven’t seen them because Medium also blocks interview stories unless they are published by their staff members, like the famous TikTok story.
Interview with Veronica Llorca-Smith
Professional Speaker, Award-Winning Author, Bestselling Substack Creator, Ironman Triathlete, Polyglot (6 Languages)…medium.com
I wrote these submission guidelines myself in my busy schedule 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 wrote several books and stories like this for writers and readers and linked them to a list titled Writing, Content Development & Marketing Strategies. I will distill them in my newsletter Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights on Substak. You can contact me directly via this portal on my website.
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.
Meet the publishing editors of ILLUMINATION.
Bill Abbate, Brooklyn Muse (editor), Mike Broadly, DHSc, Cristina Marshal, Dr. ADAM TABRIZ, , Josh Balerite Acol, Joe Luca, Lawson Wallace, Michael Patanella, Dr. Preeti Singh, Maria Rattray, Aiden (Owner of Illumination Gaming), Neha Sandhir S, Patrick OConnell, bluesapphire, Tser Dennis, Douglas Kwon, Indra Raj Pathak, Kurt Dillon, Annie Wegner, Liam Ireland, Sobaan Saeed, Sufyan Maan, M.Eng, Suzanne E., Dr Michael Heng, Annelise Lords, Sylvain Zyssman, The Sturg (Gerald Sturgill), 🥰Lanu Pitan🥰, myself Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Newsletter). and our spare accounts ILLUMINATION editors, ILLUMINATION-Curators when someone get sick or become unavailbe we choose from a pool of 159 consultting editors who contribute to the load of this colossul publication as major knowledge source on this platform and beyond.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life. I look forward to your feedback on refining the first version of this submission guidelines. As I use my main account for newsletter activities, I created a new account to support my readers within my expertise areas from the following account.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz (NEW) — Medium
Read writing from Dr Mehmet Yildiz (NEW) on Medium. Four decades of health, science & technology insights with profound…medium.com
If you are a new reader, you may check out some of my topics, including the brain, mental health, cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, including 100+ Insightful Life Lessons from My Circles for the Last 50+ Years.
I publish my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIA and share distilled versions on SUBSTACK. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 31K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. You can contact me via my website. I also have another profile to write and curate tech stories. Friend Links to My Sample Boosted Stories for Non-Members of Medium.
You can read the distilled version of this story on Substack for free.
You are welcome to join the ILLUMINATION Community on Medium and Substack and our education tool, Substack Mastery, curated by ILLUMINATION-Curators. Here is the Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
Join me on Substack, where I offer experience-based content on health, content strategy, and technology topics to inform and inspire my readers.
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