I have been writing online since 2017, that’s more than five years.
During this time, I have written on multiple platforms. I have owned several blogs and accompanying newsletters.
And I have completed thousands of articles and social media posts. These posts have been completed for myself and for others too.
Five years, thousands of posts later, I have learned an important lesson for writers that I want to share with you today.
This lesson is simple but essential. Whether you make it as a writer or fail, it will make a difference. It’s the reason I’m still writing today.
What is the lesson? It’s the art of the Pivot.
The Art of the Pivot
When it comes to writing online, things change. They change every year or quarter. Heck, things can change online every month!
In five years of writing, there have been platforms that have created tremendous amounts of success for me. And now, they are barely doing anything for my overall work.
The fact of the matter is that we as writers need to learn how to pivot and do it well. Otherwise, we get left in the dust, get frustrated, and quit. But pivoting isn’t something we do simply because success isn’t there.
“Pivoting isn’t Plan B. It’s part of the process.” — Jeff Goins, The Art of Work
It’s easy to think of pivoting as going with ‘Plan B.’ But the truth is, it is part of every writer’s natural evolution. Some of the biggest names have been pivoting too.
You will see authors who have multiple New York Times bestsellers start YouTube channels or move into creating merchandise for their books.
We have seen it with successful writers around us too. They were making thousands on different platforms and then moved to other ones to pick up with things starting to slow down.
To succeed as writers and authors, we must become good at pivoting.
An Example from One of Our Own
Tom Kuegler from Medium is one of the old guards of Medium. He has been a considerable influence on my writing, and so encouraging in my interactions with him.
Over the last couple of years, Medium hasn’t been as impactful to his writing goals, so he pivoted to a platform that sees big growth points for writers.
On LinkedIn, he has helped many creators grow their platforms and succeed in their businesses. He has led the way into a new space that has helped him grow his business.
He hasn’t abandoned Medium. But, he changed his focus and saw a huge opportunity. On top of that, it has opened doors for him with other ideas and ventures.
We can learn from him in this for our writing. While many writers may not have huge followings, courses, or communities, we can understand that when we adapt, we can step into new opportunities, which is essential for longevity as a writer.
How to Discover Your Pivot
I’m in a season of trying to figure this out again. As my online writing results change, I am forced to rethink where to put my efforts.
And while it may seem like a problem, the reality is that it could be a huge blessing. After all, if something isn’t working, there has to be something that will work.
Questions to Ask Yourself
But how do we evaluate our pivot? What steps can we take to move from one thing to the next? These are essential questions, and here’s what I have come up with:
What is your goal? What do you want to achieve?
Where do you have favor or success currently as related to your goal?
If you can answer these questions, you can start with something familiar first. If there is no favor or success with anything you are working on, then you need to back out a little further:
What am I good at? How can I share that knowledge with the world?
What platforms or opportunities exist related to my knowledge?
Answering these questions can give you a chance to make some moves. If your knowledge or interests work in a completely different area, it’s time to move on from your current work.
Definite Your Next Actions
I’m good at looking at my current situation and seeing what is wrong, but taking the next actions can be challenging. I had a mentor who used to remind me constantly:
“What is your next action?”
This always helped me get moving. After doing a few of these next actions, I was reminded to define the next three. Then I could get some congruency and find success.
So, what are your next three actions? Make sure they are single actions. They should do things like:
Research five blogs within my niche.
Analyze data from the study.
Define the new audience.
These are three separate things, not one significant action. So, the more specific you are, the better the action will be when you complete it.
Then, take your actions to make your move within your pivot. This will help you get momentum and help you more clearly move toward your goals.
Final Thoughts on the Art of the Pivot
The trick is doing it. When we take the time and effort and commit, we can successfully pivot to something new.
And remember, you don’t have to abandon one thing for another completely.
Sometimes that is the case, but most of the time, it simply means focusing more time and effort on the new direction and less on the old one.
As you start to see success in the new direction, you may be able to abandon the other one, or it may continue to provide some level of success for your unique goals.
Pivoting isn’t a science. And what works for you may not work for me, and vice versa. Since it’s not a science, we know that this is the art of the pivot.
Do you need to pivot in your writing? What might that look like for you? Share below.
Start Here!
Are there other books to read? Sure are. I have two short lists of them in my Writer’s Starter Pack on Gumroad (It’s free, you should check it out). The only other book I want to highlight is my own.
It’s called Transform Your Medium Stories.
Initially written for writers on the Medium platform, the content of this book works for any online content. And it is a great short guide to help you write and publish your first book. So grab your copy today!
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!
***Please note: affiliate links and links to my products in this post.***
I’m half way through my pivot moving away from Medium towards Substack