2023 Annual Review
As a writer
Hey there.
In this article, I’ll be writing my unfiltered reflections on the past year.
I figured it would be a fun experience for myself and — for my 300 readers- an opportunity to share the lessons I’ve learned along the way as a writer making money online.
Anyway…
Here’s a summary of what will be covered:
- Quitting Medium
- Making Money on X
Quitting Medium
Okay so let’s start off with why I stopped writing on Medium.
I quit because:
(1) I can’t get paid by writing on Medium in the Philippines
(2) most of the articles on Medium were: how to grow on Medium by writing on Medium (teaching how to grow on Medium by writing on Medium).
Seeing that most of people on this platform were writers themselves, I found it difficult to grow an audience, which I could then monetize. A great analogy would be a copywriter making money by teaching another copywriter (on the same level) how to write copy.
It wasn’t the right strategical move.
Instead…
I moved to X (Twitter) and built an audience of 1,096 followers there (arrogant flex I know hahaha).
It was a much better environment to build my personal brand, while gathering business opportunities. Not to mention the networking opportunities were insanely better there since I could reach out to 6–7 figure entrepreneurs with a single Direct Message.
I’ve also made tons of friends on X — people with similar values and goals as me.
This, I think, was one of the most life changing events in the past year. Before April, I was struggling with loneliness because I was surrounded with people who I couldn’t relate with in university.
My interests, traits and entrepreneurial desires didn’t match the people I’ve met. So as a result, I distanced myself.
Big mistake.
I became less productive, more anxious and experienced minor depressive states where I spiralled down into negative thoughts everyday.
“What am I doing?”
“Ah I still have schoolwork to do.”
“Nobody understands me.”
That was until I made friends on the internet. People who also want to make money. Young men my age who consistently exercise, sleep early, eat healthy, read books and with actually decent social skills.
For the first time in a while, I felt at home.
This gave me the safety and confidence to finally reach out to people in the physical world more. Since I did not need to rely on people I didn’t vibe with as my support system, I felt free to talk to whoever I please — because I knew I had a high-quality reference group online.
And that’s pretty much what’s happened for the past 8 months.
Made friends. Made money. Built skills. And improved as a person.
Money X
Let’s talk about X (Twitter).
I started out as a ‘writer’ posting writing tips and sharing whatever I thought I should post. For the first month of April, I was confused. Sure, I met beginners who came from Dan Koe just like myself, but I was then taken aback by the presence of…
X Growth Coaches.
People selling growth like posting templates, optimizing your profile, etc.
At first, I didn’t like it, but I soon realized I could sell growth to other creators. I became a ‘growth coach’. I learned all I could about how to gain more followers fast: giveaways, networking, commenting.
And consumed and consumed.
But soon…
I burnt out.
I came to X to share my ideas, self-actaulize and make money.
I ended up consuming low-quality advice and doing the same thing.
So I started hating growth coaching and pivoted my brand.
But here’s what I should have realized at the time.
If I could go back in time and tell Arlo back in July, here’s what I’d say:
Everything comes in stages Arlo. You learn from the ground up. You start with the fundamentals before becoming an expert. Growth on X isn’t that bad. Why? Because you’re going to use it in the future. It is the foundation of your brand, the trianing wheels of your bicycle. Hate it all you want but you need it for now.
Anyway…
Fast forward a few months later, I:
- Built an audience of fans instead of followers (by showing my authenticity and giving as much valuable advice for free)
- Tried to be a growth coach myself, failed, but earned a bit of money ($100–$200? can’t remember) from 1 hour consulting calls. The only con was I burnt through my high-quality fans.
- Went on several sales calls only to realize I’ve been attracting broke people.
- Joined a cohort for $895 (without telling family or friends about it) then made back the investment eventually.
- Turned into a ghostwriter — which just means writing social media content for rich people so they can grow their account and get more sales.
And that brings us to the present.
I’ve been hired by a Content Marketing Agency Owner, which means he goes through all the hassle of finding clients.
I just wait to be assigned one.
And so far it’s so good. The only con is I’m underpaid but I think that’s a good thing. It means I won’t be comfortable.
Another benefit is, unlike other beginner ghostwriters, I get to have client work ASAP. Which means the results I get are proof. And you know, when trying to land clients, the most effective way to close them is make them feel certain you can get results. And the best way to do that?
Case studies and testimonials.
So overall, I’m grateful for where I am right now.
I made a lot of mistakes.
Learned a lot of lessons.
Met tons of people.
Studied hard in school.
Faced a lot of challenges in the past year.
But hey… that’s life isn’t it? Isn’t the point of life to suffer and grow from it? Happiness doesn’t come from a life without problems. It comes from a life with GOOD problems.
And on a scale of 1–10 of how good my problems are?
I’d say an 8.5.
Looking forward to facing better problems along the way. I hope you enjoyed this rant, and if you’re somehow reading until the end, I have 1 request only.
Feel free to follow me on X. I’m more active on there: https://twitter.com/thearlosanchez
Have a great day,
Arlo.
