Member-only story
Stop Gaslighting Writers
It’s not our fault we aren’t making money.
This may turn into a vent of sorts. But I am annoyed, no, make that pissed. I have worked extremely hard to build a following on Newsbreak. I have put my heart and soul into engaging content that would appeal to anyone. I write about TV, celebrities, LGBTQ, and politics.
Out of nowhere, my traffic halted. It happens. Every time it happens, it surprises me. I should expect it after 20-plus years of writing online. I never expected Newsbreak’s traffic to halt.
When I say my traffic stopped, I went from 50–60K daily to 2–4K views per day. It’s halted, basically. A few days ago, I got excited about 2K views. Three months ago, that amount would have made me angry.
I remain as optimistic as possible about the situation, switching my writing game to another platform. But some Newsbreak writers think it’s their place to tell others they need to try harder.
‘Just Switch Topics’
The well-meaning writer says that if one niche isn’t working, it’s time to explore others. Well, sassy Susan, don’t you think we have tried that? Don’t you think we switched up our writing to determine if it was our fault before complaining? Most writers with low traffic tried editing their articles, switching topics, and polishing their work.
