Writing is a very solitary activity, but many creators are eager to get their work out into the world to be read and enjoyed by others. That would be much better if they could make a little money from their post. The problem is that their own website may not generate much traffic. That’s why many writers are now sharing their stories on Vocal Media.
Vocal Media is a proven way for writers and other creators to earn more money for their stories. Using their storytelling tools, you can earn a solid income from your writing.
Not sure if this platform is the right fit for your creativity? Let’s dive in and see if it’s a match for you today!
First things first, we need to explore what exactly Vocal Media is and what it offers to its creators. This is a robust platform that allows you to publish your creative work and receive payment based on the number of people who engage with it.
How does it work?
First, you sign up for an account and then start to post your very first story. It can include text, music, images, and more, depending on how creative you are and what mediums you like to work in.
After you implement their storytelling tools, your piece gets sent out to their engaged communities. In exchange for engagement, Vocal Media believes in rewarding creators.
The more people who engage with your story, the higher your pay will be. Plus, users can send you tips and pledges to continue supporting your work long-term.
When it comes to media, Vocal offers just about every type of medium you can think of creating. They believe that every creator deserves to have a place where they can share their work with the world.
If you can dream it, chances are you can share it on this platform.
To give you an idea of how creative you can be, here are a few categories they permit:
Blogs
Stories and essays from authors
Professional videos
Original music
Podcasts
Photography.
However, most of the work featured here is submitted by writers. It’s a great place to share your stories and build up a following if you want to do more publishing work in the future, such as writing a book.
If you have no experience writing a book, you might learn more by utilizing Vocal to start.
While they are fairly open to all creative pursuits, they do have some rules for submissions. These can be found under their community guidelines.
Of note, authors should heed their word count (600 words minimum for prose, 100 words for poetry), the grammar rules, and formatting.
Keep in mind that your work may not be appropriate for Vocal if it is NSFW or contains graphic content of any kind. You must also think about their rules on the assertion of personal beliefs (namely, they do not accept content that could be divisive for their readers).
They also only allow work submitted in English at this time. Of course, you must also own the right to share work and maintain the copyright on it. Plagiarized work is not accepted.
Unlike other sites, Vocal Media has a subscription service, but it isn’t for readers; it’s for the creators. For a small membership fee ($9.99 per month), you can gain access to new features that can scale your income and grow your audience.
It’s a small price to pay for the potential to almost double the earnings on your reads.
For example, you earn $3.80 per 1,000 reads with a normal account. That number jumps to $6.00 per 1,000 reads with a Vocal+ subscription.
In addition, you get a 4.1 percent reduction on fees from tips. This membership also allows you to accept pledges from your audience.
Keep in mind that you can also gain access to their challenges when you sign up for a subscription. It’s one of the easiest ways to make money writing.
If you already have a body of work, it can be time-consuming to think about where to upload to earn the most money. Vocal Media might be the right choice for you, with some of these tips to earn more.
As mentioned earlier, Vocal creators earn based on the number of people who engage with the content. This is calculated on a CPM (cost per mille or cost per 1,000 views) basis. For every 1,000 views, you can earn $3.80.
Of course, you also earn more if you happen to be in their Vocal+ program ($6.00 for 1,000 reads).
This might not seem like a lot, but it can really add up if you get featured on their main page. Keep in mind that you may even be able to get your piece to rank on Google if you pay attention to keyword research and search engine optimization while writing.
Writers and other creators can also earn more money by tapping into the bonus system on their social media and website.
They have a straightforward bonus system of helping to support creators who nurture readers along the way. The extra payments are factored in addition to your CPM revenue and can range from $5 to $50.
Here are a few of the bonuses you might get for tapping into your creativity with Vocal:
First 5 articles: $5
First 10 articles: $10
First 50 articles: $50
Liking 15 stories from other creators: $5
Top story qualification: $5
Awesome story qualification: $5.
It pays to be active on the platform to understand what readers are looking for, regardless of whether you write fiction, non-fiction, self-help, or any other type of creative endeavor.
Maybe what you write resonates with your audience. When they come back to you time and again, they may find themselves compelled to support you.
The tips function allows them to do just that via a one-time payment to creators. The amount you will net depends on the generosity of your supporters.
However, you will lose some percentage of this tip to the Vocal platform. Creators are hit with a 7 percent transaction fee (2.9 percent for Vocal+ members).
Vocal+ members can be rewarded for their hard work due to the pledges function that was added to the platform just a couple of years ago.
When someone loves what you create and wants to support your efforts on an ongoing basis, they can commit to sponsoring you month-to-month.
Pledges cost readers $2.99 per month. After fees from both Vocal and Stripe, creators net $2.30 per pledge.
The best way to capitalize on pledges is to focus on creating a consistent fan base. People aren’t likely to pledge to you based on a single article, especially considering they can read it for free.
It may take some time to build up a catalog of work and create a consistent readership.
Want to stretch those creative muscles and let Vocal review your work? Join in on the Challenges section of the blog, and you could tap into a massive grand prize.
This could be a massive windfall of hundreds of dollars all in one fell swoop. Some prizes even top $1,000.
While competition to win is fierce among the artists on the platform, it can be a great way to get noticed by more people around the world.
Some of them are even quite short, requiring a maximum of 50 to 100 words for micro-fiction pieces.
You can browse through their past challenges to get an idea of how much money you could earn if you were to win some of these categories.
Maybe you know lots of other artists who are keen to get their work out into the world as well. Once you sign up for a Vocal account, you can start to refer other people to the website and membership plan as part of their Ambassador program.
For every person who signs up using your unique link, you can earn $20. Not bad for not having to do any heavy lifting, right?
The best part is that you don’t even necessarily have to be active on Vocal Media to cash in on this money. As long as you put your link out into the ether, anyone who signs up using it nets you $20 in your account, no questions asked.
They have the possibility of earning more, and so do you; it’s a win-win situation!
Curious how you can cash out with Vocal before you get started? All you need to do is sign up for a Stripe account, and you can cash out as soon as you hit the $35 minimum in your account ($20 for Vocal+ members).
The benefit of using a Stripe account is that they don’t have access to your bank information. Money gets directly transferred from your Vocal wallet into your Stripe account, where you can move it around as you see fit.
It takes just a few clicks to get the two systems integrated, even if you have to create a Stripe login.
If you’re looking for a platform that prioritizes rewarding creators, Medium often comes to mind first.
Unlike Vocal, they aren’t as straightforward on how earnings are calculated. It’s a complex mix of time spent on the page actively scrolling, reading, and listening time.
Boosted content that might show up on their front page often earns higher rates than regular content.
Of course, content is locked behind a paywall. If someone wants to read your work, they have to sign up for a membership that allows them to peruse the site as much as they want.
You get a share in the profits once they read your work. Vocal doesn’t require anyone to pay to read your work.
For more information on other platforms, be sure to see our article on Substack vs Medium here.
If you are looking for a free platform to make money from your creative work, then Vocal Media might be the right place to turn.
Your first piece may not go viral, but future work could build up to a long and happy career with lots of tips, pledges, and reads. It’s a legit and safe way to earn money, especially if you can win their challenges.
What’s stopping you from signing up for Vocal Media today and starting your writer side hustle?
