How I use VidIQ to give a powerful boost to my Medium earnings ($1000s)

I’ve learned a lot about writing blog posts from creating videos and vice-versa.

I’ve also learned that tools created for one platform can be very helpful in boosting your performance on another.

I’m currently slogging through a quest to get monetized on YouTube (the threshold to get paid there is a lot more onerous than Medium’s standard), and my early confusion and frustration led me to seek out strategies and tools that might give me some direction.

To be honest, I was totally lost when I started posting YouTube videos.

I had no idea what might work and what certainly wouldn’t, and I had no idea how to tackle headlines, thumbnails, SEO tags … nothing.

This isn’t unique to YouTube.

Frequently I see new people posting on Medium with cryptic headlines, the most boring possible feature images and, perhaps worst of all, no tags.

I didn’t know exactly what I was doing wrong on YouTube early on, but I definitely knew I was doing something wrong.

Enter VidIQ.

Digital illustration of a video camera (James Gordon/Dall-E 2)

Bad tagging killed the video star

VidIQ is an incredible tool that not only identifies SEO keywords you should be focusing on in your content creation journey, but which ones have the least competition in your area of expertise.

This is important because if you’re trying to gain some traction as a content creator, it’s going to be really tough to establish yourself in a super popular, over-saturated area.

Take my writing on Medium, for example. Over at my main account, I’m now a top 10 writer on the platform in Health (I passed Tim Denning for a short while in that category if you can believe it!).

But the way people found me here was because I was laser focused on a much smaller sub-niche of health — sobriety.

This approach has helped me to start earning $1,000+ writing on Medium as I’ve expanded from that initial Health sub-niche.

Find your niche

Tools like VidIQ can help you find a sub-niche that works for you.

I’ve used the keyword search tool to find not only main topics but also sub- and sub-sub-topics that are ripe for content.

Here’s an example from VidIQ of a keyword I’m trying to expand to with my new website puredividends.com:

Example of VidIQ keyword meter (author’s screen cap)

As you can see, the keyword “stock market” has very high search volume but only medium competition, making it a potentially lucrative area to explore.

As a blogger, you can do searches like this to find new areas to focus on.

(Side note: Before we go any further, I’m just going to drop my affiliate link for VidIQ here for those interested in checking it out.

There are several tiers you can sign up for (including a free one). I use the entry-level one, Pro, which costs just $10 a month and I find gives me all the depth I need from the tools as a small creator.

I never, ever recommend stuff I don’t use and deeply believe in, so trust that I’m not wasting your time with this. VidIQ has been a complete game-changer for me.)

One thing to keep in mind is that different topics get different traction on different platforms.

Take, for example, alcohol and caffeine.

I write a lot about quitting things. My two main targets are alcohol and caffeine.

Although quit alcohol content really resonates with people on Medium, it’s a lot tougher to make headway on that subject with YouTube.

Early on, however, VidIQ identified caffeine and coffee keywords as an opportunity for my channel based on a video I did on that topic (once you start posting videos, the tool will direct you to areas of opportunity).

Using the tool, I adjusted my headline and keywords and this video really took off:

This video is now the most-viewed on my four-month-old YouTube channel at nearly 4,000 views.

Some of the hottest tags on the internet at large are some of the most ignored on Medium.

If you have a niche you’re interested in pursuing, I would definitely take the time to use the keyword tool to see if you’re on the right track.

VidIQ can also help you as a writer if you’re short on ideas.

It has a “Daily Ideas” section with AI-generated headlines.

Here’s an example from my account today:

VidIQ daily ideas (author’s screen cap)

If you do decide to check out VidIQ (my affiliate link again), you may find even more ways to leverage it while you build your blogging empire.

My most-read Medium articles:

1. I made hundreds on Medium in my first month

2. You’re depressed about low views on Medium — this is how to fix it

3. Why Medium is the most underrated way to make money online

4. My Medium earnings finally exploded in my fourth month

5. How I became a top 6% writer on Medium in 23 days

6. I tripled my hourly wage on Medium in my second month — you can too

7. My Medium earnings dipped in my third month and it’s all my fault

8. Avoid the mistake I make every time my story goes viral

9. My first viral story taught me not to chase viral stories

10. Why writing on Medium is far superior to freelancing

11. Can you have more than one Medium Partner Program account?

12. How to get ignored as a writer on Medium

13. If you want to succeed on Medium, ask yourself this question