How I intentionally create my own luck (and big money) writing on Medium
Early on in my Medium journey, I got a sassy comment on one of my YouTube videos that the only reason I had any success on the platform was that I was “lucky”.
Despite my prolific efforts — few people were writing 1,000-word, high-quality articles as much as I was at the time — the guy suggested it was simple dumb luck that the algorithm picked up a story I’d written and turned it into a viral hit.
Now, was there some luck involved?
Of course!
Luck is intertwined with every aspect of our lives, whether people like to admit it or not.
Many opportunities in my life have been the result of fortuitous timing or serendipitous meetings or whatever.
HOWEVER, it was my preparation and planning that ensured I could take advantage of those opportunities when they presented themselves.
When you stop looking at everything in terms of certainties and embrace the idea of probabilities, you realize all you can do is try to work the odds in your favor and let the chips fall where they may.
In that spirit, here’s a look at 3 ways I create my own “luck” (and money) writing and publishing videos online.
Strategy 1: Accept accountability
The №1 reason the jealous YouTube commenter failed to get traction on Medium was that he was fishing around for excuses on the internet rather than focusing on what he could do to change his own path.
Instead of looking in the mirror and saying “what can I do today to increase my odds of success,” he logged onto YouTube and yelled at me!
How exactly is that kind of behavior supposed to help him achieve his goals?
The short answer is: it won’t.
This misdirected anger would be better used as fuel to get better, not to try and bring others down.
Accept that you can only control what you can control, but also accept that you are 100% responsible for what you can control.
Can you honestly say you put in your best effort today?
If not, you have only yourself to blame.
Strategy 2: Research, experiment, adjust
In my first few months on both Medium and YouTube, I put a lot of time into studying what was working and what wasn’t on my accounts.
I also spent time reverse-engineering accounts that were way more successful than mine:
I looked at what tag combinations were working best.
I reseached general and platform-specific headline strategies and looked at which ones were most effective.
I put more time and effort into selecting eye-catching art on Medium and actually taking the time to design catchy thumbnails for my videos on YouTube.
I experimented with different approaches and made note of which ones worked and which ones fell flat on their faces.
Then I adjusted accordingly.
I can’t tell algorithms to like my stuff.
That’s outside of my control.
But I can study what algorithms like and work the odds in my favor by bringing my work into alignment with their preferences.
Strategy 3: Actually do the frickin’ work
The most important strategy of all?
I kept publishing.
If you step out of the arena, you cannot win.
As I wrote in this piece about the №1 reason people fail to make money writing online, some of the best writers I’ve seen on this platform vanished into the mist before almost anyone knew they were there.
They quit.
The name of the publication you’re reading now is “Publish Every Day”.
It’s an aspirational title at this point, but one I ultimately want to live up to because it’s the true secret to success.
It’s why I was so successful on Medium initially — when I was publishing 30–50 quality articles per month — and built the kind of audience that allowed me to take my foot off the gas eventually.
This is the key to everything: You must actually get your butt in the chair and do the work.
Yes, the algorithm has enjoyed some of my stories, but it has completely ignored most of them.
That’s just the way it works in the content game.
I’ve said this before, but the 80/20 principle applies here: an overwhelmingly large amount of your success will come from a tiny fraction of your work.
But by throwing a ton of darts at the board, I drastically improve the odds that one of them will hit the bullseye.
Put another way, it’s easier for “luck” to find me if I write 5x more than the typical writer.
I don’t control the algorithm, but I know what the algorithm loves more than anything: consistency.
Being consistent is something I can control, and you can too.
Accept the challenge
Another reason most people fail at making money online — besides quitting altogether — is that they go into it with a piss-poor attitude.
They go into it like my YouTube commenter did, with the belief that they’re just unlucky and that successful people have horseshoes up their butt.
But the truth is this is hard work. Anyone who suggests otherwise is lying to you or trying to scam you.
Being consistent is hard.
Showing up every day — even when you’re tired and you don’t want to — is a skill.
But if you can master it, good things will happen for you too.