![A futuristic home office A futuristic home office](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93f33228-ec75-420d-863f-8c68f26655e1_1792x1024.webp)
Over the past few months, I’ve been investing heavily in the future.
This means spending more time researching, experimenting, and consulting with successful writers. And, more than anything, I’ve discovered 2 truths:
There are no rules
Trends change fast
Here are 9 trends to look out for in the future. And, how they will shape the next 3 years of writing online.
The pendulum has already begun to swing.
In the early 2000s, blogging was all the rage.
Secret millionaires walked amongst us, cashing in on their covert audiences. And, anyone capable of setting up a website held the keys to unlocking their financial future.
But, just 5 years later, the landscape completely changed.
Platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube dawned the age of microblogging. And, today, it’s nearly impossible to monetize one’s blog without extensive knowledge of social media & marketing trends.
The fire of tomorrow was lit yesterday. 🔥
And, where you position yourself today will determine whether you can safely warm your hands — or, get burnt.
Admittedly, no one can predict the future. But, here are the sparks I’ve begun seeing catch fire…
1. Medium will continue to be a predominant force (for beginners)
When Medium first burst onto the scene, it was coveted as the future of digital writing.
Its revenue-sharing model meant writers no longer had to write for SEO. And, it attracted thousands of world-class writers all sharing their unique perspectives.
But, by the late 2010s, Medium switched to a members-only model, drastically cutting down its average monthly users. And, after a directional shift in 2020, it has become less and less appealing for career writers to cash in on their quality words.
But, it’s still the easiest way for beginners to build an audience. ✍️
Especially those who are passionate about writing — but, not marketing.
Medium has over 100 million active monthly users. But, the truth is, only about 1% contribute to writers’ earnings.
In 2023, Medium removed the ability for non-paying Medium members to read paywalled stories. And, since Medium is a revenue-sharing platform, this change has drastically decreased how much writers can earn from the Medium Partner Program.
Medium likely won’t be a place to get rich in the coming years. But, if you’re new to writing, it’s a great place to earn a side income while building an online audience.
2. Audio will become essential for all writing platforms
With more people wanting to increase their productivity, audio content has become a way of life.
Today, 75% of Americans regularly consume audio content. And, websites and blogs offering audio articles have begun seeing a drastic increase in visit duration.
According to a recent study, websites offering audio versions of their articles saw a visit duration increase of 973%.
Platforms like Medium and Substack have already adapted to this trend, equipping creators with audio features. But, if you’re planning to start a blog of your own, audio will become increasingly important.
![Stats via beyondwords.io Stats via beyondwords.io](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe667189b-d2ad-4e69-8488-0a09d7eef085_1478x541.png)
Luckily, if you don’t want to create voiceovers yourself, there are many tools to create A.I. voiceovers. Personally, I used Eleven Labs to create the audio for this article.
3. Education will grow as a niche
Over the past 5 years, college enrollment rates have slowly dropped.
And, as more information has become available online, younger generations are choosing to forgo formal education to pursue self-learning. As a result, the education niche has become increasingly popular:
A recent study shows 51% of YouTube users use the platform to learn new things (as opposed to being entertained or for downtime)
Another revealed 37% of consumers trust social media influencers over brands
As more people pursue self-learning, the market for educators will grow. And, with more tools available to create catered learning, the easier it is to get started.
It’s why, as of today, the most profitable niches for writers are:
Marketing
Productivity
How to write
Not to mention, old faithful… how to make money online.
I’ve been writing online since 2019. And, have been surprised at how fast my audience began to grow the moment I started writing… about writing. At the end of the day, people want to learn from people they trust.
And, more and more, they want it for free.
4. More writers will make Substack their home
Medium & Substack are currently locked in a head-to-head battle for writing platform supremacy.
For the better part of the past decade, Medium has dominated the space — offering career and hobbyist writers a home for their words. But, after recent changes to the Medium Partner Program, the playing field has been levelled.
And this year, Substack has released a plethora of new features:
DMs
Notes
Polls & surveys
Audio integration
Not to mention, a little birdie has told me Substack plans to release an algorithmically-fueled discover page by June of this year. Which, in theory, will drastically increase discoverability for new writers.
Here are the pros and cons of each platform… ✅ ❌
Medium: ✍️
On one side, Medium offers a streamlined path to earning from one’s words. But, with Medium removing free reads for non-members, the pool for potential earnings has drastically decreased.
With that said, Medium has a high search authority on Google, meaning stories naturally garner a lot of external views. So, if you’re looking to build an audience or earn through affiliate links, Medium is one of the best places to post your writing.
Substack: 💌
On the other side, Substack takes longer to monetize as it requires building an audience and then converting paid subscribers. But, with organic traffic coming from Notes, and an algorithmically-fuelled discover page lingering in the future, Substack shows a lot of promise.
My experience: 🙋♂️
Personally, I’ve been writing on Medium since 2019.
And, even though I still regularly enjoy $1,000+ months, they’re inconsistent. And, it’s stressful to structure my life around uncertain payouts. So, I love the idea of consistent earnings through monthly paid subscribers.
With that said, even with a newsletter of 2,000+ readers, I’ve only been able to maintain 10-20 paid subscribers each month.
Admittedly, I haven’t been using all of what Substack has to offer. So, I’ve recently started posting Notes and will be investing more of my time into creating premium content for Writer’s Hub. 💌
5. One-person businesses will flourish
One of the most overlooked aspects of starting a business, in the past, was the necessity to hire, network with, and manage others.
This was a major roadblock for many writers. 🙅
Especially introverted ones, like myself.
But, since the explosion of A.I., it has become easier than ever to start, run, and grow a business all by yourself. Gone are the days of hiring consultants or freelancers for every little task.
Instead, the majority of your business can be outsourced to A.I.:
Marketing
Social media
Website design
The tools to start a business have never been cheaper, easier, or more accessible than right now.
And, because of this, the rise of ‘solopreneurship’ is beginning to skyrocket.
6. Freelancing will change drastically
When I first set out to make a living from my words, it seemed as though every writer followed 1 of 3 career paths:
Write a book
Work as a freelancer
Start a copywriting business
So, I picked the route with the lowest barrier to entry.
Eventually, I expanded my offerings and scaled to $60-$100 per gig. But, I never felt fulfilled. And, it wasn’t until I discovered Medium.com, from one of Tom Kuegler’s YouTube videos, that I discovered you could make a living writing about… well, anything you want.
I promptly deactivated my Fiverr account. And, as it turns out, it was perfect timing.
Although I don’t believe A.I. will ever truly replace human writers, it has flipped the industry on its head. And, truthfully, 90% of news articles, product reviews, and uninspired informational blogs are written with A.I.
Freelancing is still a viable career path. But, the role of a freelance writer has changed. Yes, there is still room for 100% human-written content. But, a lot of clients now know how to use A.I. themselves.
And, will start looking for professional word curators to spice up their A.I.-drafted writing.
7. A.I. will NOT replace human writers
When ChatGPT burst onto the scene, every writer had the same thought: ‘Oh, crap’.
It seemed as though writers would be amongst the first wave of jobs to be taken over by artificial intelligence. But, now that the dust is settled, the writing community has let out a collective sigh of relief.
Not all intelligence was created equal. 🤖🙋
Yes, A.I. does a great job of conveying information. But, in my opinion, it is still decades away from capturing the nuances of human storytelling.
And, since society operates on a pendulum, even if A.I. learns to capture a human voice, we will crave something different. Our innate inability to be satisfied is both a blessing and a curse.
And, staying ahead of the times simply means adapting with them.
Personally, I’ve begun using A.I. in various side hustles to fund my writing exploration. And, have found it does a pretty good job of completing… well, boring tasks. The ones I never enjoyed spending my time on in the first place.
Plus, with more people relying on A.I., those who continue to keep their writing skills sharp will only become more valuable in the future.
If you enjoy writing, keep writing. Your brain will always be an appreciating commodity. So, invest in it.
8. Blogging will continue to change
When I first started writing online, I thought being a writer meant one thing… you wrote words and got paid for it.
But, as I continue to pull back the curtain on more writing business models, I’ve begun understanding the various sectors of the space. Writing falls into 4 main categories:
Blogging
Copywriting
Article & essay writing
Authoring/book publishing
This has helped me discern where I fall. And, what platforms are best suited to my writing interests.
As it turns out… ✍️
I never enjoyed writing on Twitter or LinkedIn because… well, I don’t enjoy copywriting.
I could never stick to one idea long enough to write a book about it… because I’m not an author.
And, recently, I discovered the reason why I’ve never started my own blog is because… (you guessed it), I’m not a natural blogger.
As of today, blogging is more about analytics than it is writing. And, it takes a finely-tuned brain to start a successful blog. Google’s recent “helpful content” update has created a digital society of SEO capitalism.
Websites with high page authority will continue getting clicks. And, small blogs will continue to fight over the leftover scraps.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ee71675-a5e1-4a93-872d-48437949277d_1280x720.png)
It’s not impossible to start a successful blog nowadays. But, if you do, you’ll need external traffic from websites with high page authority — like Twitter, LinkedIn, Medium, Reddit, and Quora.
Although you may not like it, diversifying where you post content is about the only way to succeed with a personal blog, in 2024 and beyond.
9. Critical thinking will become genius
My mom is an English Communications professor at a college.
And, over the years, she’s kept me updated on what the 20-somethings are into — and, where they struggle. For the past few years, she’s noted the same lapses in skillset:
People skills
Critical-thinking skills
With so much given to us nowadays through algorithms, media, marketing, etc., the ability to think for oneself is becoming a lost art. Especially amongst young people.
Although sad for future generations, it presents a glaring opportunity.
Anyone capable of using their brain to solve simple problems has now been elevated to that of a guiding light. With so many people searching for answers, you can build a business around providing them.
No matter how small or simple they may be.
Final thoughts: how to win the next 3 years as a writer.
The only constant in life is… well, change.
And, trends inevitably change faster than the average person can adapt to them. It’s the sad reality of life. And, why capitalism exists to this day. So, although I’m no prophet, I’ve begun seeing trends that I believe will pay off in the next 3 years:
Running a one-person business
Investing in personalized content
Continuing to develop as a writer (without A.I.)
Using A.I. to save time, earn money, and learn new skills
Going against the grain can be painful. But, it will always result in a sharper mind. 💪
Thanks for reading! 🙌
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That’s it from me.
Talk soon! 🙋♂️
— Hudson
Writing resources:
✍️ 100+ viral headline swipe file
👉 This is my favourite book on writing 📚
👉 This is everything else I’ve got going on 🙋♂️
👉 This A.I. voiceover was created with Eleven Labs
As a freelance writer and copywriter, I've certainly noticed how AI has created a shift in what clients want and expect, and even in their willingness to pay. It's reached a point where I am exhausted and I know I need to pivot somehow. I just don't know how to yet. This article is very insightful and gives me food for thought.
Enjoyed this article, and I appreciate the tip about audio becoming more important!
Re: Google and SEO, mind you, changes are afloat. But like you said, diversifying where we share content should help with that.