Let’s face it, we’re all here because we love to write, but wouldn’t it be nice to make a few bucks while we’re at it?

As someone who’s been plugging away on Vocal for a while now, I’ve picked up a trick or two about turning those words into dollars, be it just a smaller fraction of my content creator income.

The basics: Pay per view

First things first, let’s talk about the bread and butter of Vocal earnings: pay per view.

It’s pretty straightforward — for every read your story gets, you earn a little something. It’s not much, and it changes if you’re a Vocal+ member.

Is it going to make you rich overnight? Hell no. But it’s a start, and it can add up if you’re putting out regular content that people actually want to read.

You’ll get $3.80 per 1000 views.

The trick here is to write stuff that people give a damn about. Clickbait titles might get you some initial views, but if your content is crap, people won’t stick around.

Focusing on human content and relatable, emotional stuff can go a long way in this AI-infested writing landscape right now. It’s why platforms like Substack are booming.

Tipping

Vocal’s got a built-in feature where readers can throw a few bucks your way if they really dig your stuff.

A virtual tip. Pretty nice to have that built in.

To encourage tips, you’ve got to create content that resonates with people. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them think — just make them feel something.

And here’s a pro tip: don’t be shy about mentioning that tipping option at the end of your stories. A little “If you enjoyed this, consider leaving a tip!” goes a long way. Just don’t be obnoxious about it.

Challenges

Here come the big bucks. But lots of competition as well.

We’re talking serious money in many cases, hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

Vocal runs these writing challenges with cash prizes that can be pretty damn impressive.

Keep an eye out for challenges that align with your interests and strengths. Even if you don’t win, participating can help you improve your writing and get your work in front of more eyeballs. A

And who knows? You might just surprise yourself and take home the big prize.

Vocal+ membership

“Pay money to make money.” Isn’t that what the rich people say?

Upgrading to a Vocal+ membership comes with some perks.

You get higher read bonuses ($6 per 1000 views), access to exclusive challenges, and faster payouts.

Plus, it shows you’re serious about this whole writing thing, which can attract more readers and potential collaborators.

It won’t magically make you a top earner on Vocal, though.

Is it worth it? That depends on how much you’re writing and how committed you are to making this Vocal thing work.

I was a Vocal+ member a few times over the past few years. Sometimes it worked, others not so much.

Exclusive Stories (new feature)

So, Vocal’s rolled out this new feature called Exclusive Stories.

It’s basically a way for you to offer premium, members-only content to your ride-or-die fans.

Here’s the deal:

You create content that’s only accessible to paying subscribers. You can set the amount, and you can start pretty low, in contrast to many other platforms (Substack for example where $5 is the minimum monthly amount).

The content behind paywall could be anything from a serialized novel to behind-the-scenes looks at your creative process.

It’s a way to reward your fans and potentially earn a more stable income.

One cool thing about Exclusive Stories is the community aspect. Subscribers get access to private comment sections where they can chat with you and other fans.

You also get more creative freedom with this feature. No word count restrictions, and your stories get published instantly. No more waiting around for approval.

Now, full disclosure: Exclusive Stories only available to Vocal+ members. This is unfortunate, but I get it. They want to make some money too.

Is Exclusive Stories going to revolutionize the way we use Vocal?

I’m skeptical. But it’s an interesting option that could help you build a more sustainable income stream and stronger connections with your readers.

Newsletters

On to the nitty-gritty.

Aside from the aforementioned ways to directly make money in Vocal, I found most success with other tricks.

Like my newsletter redirection tactic.

It’s pretty simple. I post weekly newsletters with story snippets and links to the full story. Those links are sometimes to my Vocal stories. That means when my growing newsletter audience (on Substack) clicks on a story link and continues reading on Vocal, I earn money.

Straight forward.

Medium or blog redirects

The same trick can be applied similarly on other platforms than your newsletters.

I do it on Medium and my blog as well.

Here’s how:

My Medium stories are usually behind paywall, which means non-Medium members cannot read them. For those viewers, I’ll often add a paragraph at the top of my Medium story, saying something like “If you’re not a Medium member, read this story for free here”. On the “here”, I then link to my Vocal story.

That means, I earn money on Vocal from people who don’t pay for Medium’s monthly membership.

As for my blog, I used to do something similar.

My blog used to show Google ads. Some people are annoyed by those. Including. That’s why I sometimes added a paragraph at the top of my blog posts, saying “If you want an ad-free version of this, read the story here”.

Again on the “here” I link to my Vocal content.

The bottom line

Vocal is a nice writing platform. It’s no true competitor for Medium or Susbtack, but it can be a great 2nd or 3rd option for your content, as well as an additional income stream.

With the methods I mentioned here, you have 7 different ways to earn money on Vocal in 2024.

Might be worth a shot. If you want to try, head over to Vocal* and give it a go!