2025 Predictions: Answers to 12 Big Questions About Writing Platforms and Social Media with Insights for Online Writers
A comprehensive and distilled interview with our chief editor, Dr. Mehmet Yildiz, to inform and inspire you for the new year
We published this exclusive interview for freelance writers on Medium.
Dear members, the digital writing landscape is growing and evolving quickly, giving writers constant challenges. Platforms rise and fall, trends shift unpredictably, algorithms are tweaked, and audience preferences change almost overnight. We have 2 weeks to a new, exciting new year.
In this dynamic environment, writers will no longer be just content creators. However, they will have multiple roles, like strategists, marketers, business people, accounts, entrepreneurs, and storytellers striving to adapt and thrive. Our goal is prepare you for 2025 by informing, educating, and inspiring with our resources.
To help make sense of it all, we sat down with our chief editor,
for a few hours to explore the future of media, technology, and online writing as we approach 2025.Dr. Yildiz is known for his thought leadership and practical insights as a seasoned book author, content creator, digital marketer, and strategist. This exclusive conversation covers the challenges, risks, pitfalls, and opportunities facing online writers in 2024 and guide you on what you need to know for 2025 to survive and thrive.
What emerged from our discussion is more than a simple Q&A, which we turned into a 12-minute summary script. This exclusive interview offers actionable insights on 12 of the most pressing questions our writers ask about the year ahead. Each response has been carefully edited and distilled to provide brevity, clarity, guidance, impact, memorability, and inspiration.
We are delighted to share this conversation with our Medium Substack subscribers because we believe in offering value that goes beyond surface-level commentary. These answers represent the expertise of a seasoned professional and might serve as a comprehensive resource — essentially the summary equivalent of 12 expert-level articles packed into one cohesive interview.
By sharing this on Medium and Substack, we aim to support our work and the broader community of writers who rely on us for thoughtful, impactful content. We believe this investment in quality reflects our commitment to you, our readers, as we walk through this rapidly changing digital writing domain together.
Whether you are an established book author, a growing writer, an aspiring freelancer, or just starting your online writing journey with hope as a side hustle, this exclusive interview might offer eye-opening perspectives, practical tips, and a clear roadmap to help you succeed in 2025 and beyond. With this post we will start offering premium content to our subscribers in 2025.
We will share key takeaways from this interview and new premium content for free members in our upcoming newsletters. We also use this interview and other educational material to turn to an interactive podcast using Google Notebook learning and interactive podcast technology and will share it on our Substack Mastery publication as a supplementary resource soon. The writing academy for freelance writers as an extension of the Subtack Mastery Boost will also be piloted after January 2025.
Thank you for reading and sharing it. We look forward to your feedback. Dr Yildiz agreed to answer questions on both the Medium and Substack versions of this interview. So please feel free to leave comments or ask questions. He is also happy to be contacted via his Slack workspace or website to support our members.
1. Is Medium a Platform in Decline or a Sleeping Giant?
Interviewer: Hi, Dr Yildiz; many writers feel Medium has lost its edge. Is it still worth investing in, or is it in decline now?
Dr. Yildiz: Medium is not what it used to be, but it is far from dead. With 200 million monthly visits, it still has a large audience and excellent domain authority as a publishing platform with a rich content ecosystem. However, success on Medium requires a different approach now. It is no longer enough to churn out content and hope for views and reads.
Writers need a focused strategy and use it only as a supplementary source. It is definitely not a money-making machine. If anyone tries to sell you a course Medium as such, question their motives.
The platform favors high-quality, niche content that keeps readers (paid members) engaged and continuing their subscriptions. I am a proud tier two member (a Friend of Medium), paying 3 times more than standard ones, and I invite my friends to upgrade to it to support creators.
Writers who aim for a balanced and focused depth and breadth rather than trying to please everyone are the ones who succeed. Medium works best when combined with other platforms like Substack or Patreon. For example, you can publish and share generic, engaging posts on Medium and direct readers to Substack for more exclusive content that can encourage paid subscribers.
Medium and its publications are growing in areas like self-improvement, memoirs, spirituality, technology, science, business, and many other topics in storytelling format. If your writing fits these niches and you are good at storytelling, it remains a good content marketing tool. However, relying only on Medium’s internal distribution without promoting your work elsewhere will leave you stuck.
For new writers in 2025, Medium is still worth trying. Publications can help grow your audience. Community and meaningful engagement are key success factors. Intangible benefits like building an audience or getting new leads are much better than tangible benefits like earning income directly. Some established writers stopped monetizing to build their audience. I covered this unique strategy in my upcoming book for advanced Substack writers.
You can focus on writing valuable content and engaging meaningfully with readers. Medium is no longer a money-making machine and not a quick path to earning substantial money, but it is great for finding new readers, building an audience gradually, sharing your ideas with like-minded people, and gaining influence as a content developer and thought leader.
2. The Newsletter Boom: A Bubble or the New Content Standard?
Interviewer: Newsletters are everywhere. Do you think this trend will continue?
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