Vocal Milestones and Bonuses
An Un-Official List of 13 Achievable Milestones for Creator Bonuses
What Vocal Writers are saying about Milestones and Bonuses:
Does anyone know the Vocal milestones?
I just received a $10 bonus from Vocal and don’t know why?
Does Vocal pay bonuses on every 15 reads or just the first 15?
Can any of you tell me how Vocal’s bonus system works?
I received a congratulatory email but no bonus.
Many Medium writers publish on other platforms. Vocal.Media is a common website you’ll find familiar names and faces you’ve come across here on Medium. One of the benefits of writing on Vocal is the opportunity for bonuses. Unfortunately, Vocal likes to keep writers guessing when it comes to if and when they may be eligible for a bonus.
If you’re a writer on Vocal, you may have noticed some inconsistencies when it comes to awarded bonuses. Some writers have announced receiving their first $5.00 bonus after publishing their fifth story. Others have boasted about their Vocal Wallet swelling from a “Top Story” bonus, an “Awesome Story” bonus, their stories having reached 1000 reads, or for recognition after hearting the work of fifteen other writers. The bonuses don’t stop there, but Creators had no way of knowing that until now.
The thing is, bonuses haven’t been consistent for all Vocal writers across the board. Personally, I have yet to receive a bonus based on the number of pieces I have published (43 so far) or for the number of reads (nearly two thousand) my work has received.
The concept of receiving a bonus for your contribution to the writing community is a great one, particularly when you can anticipate the reward. Bonuses are incentives that drive action and encourage repeat action. Knowing what milestones can be achieved and determining how close or far you are to the next milestone, can provide the motivation a writer can use to churn out his or her next compelling piece.
That’s why I reached out to the Vocal Customer Support Team and submitted the following request: “I’d like to write a piece on Milestones and Bonuses. There seems to be inconsistency in regards to awarded bonuses. Having achievable goals is a great incentive when you know what they actually are. Is there some specific information you can provide on the subject, besides what is written in “Introducing Creator Bonuses on Vocal”?
The response I received wasn’t revealing, “bonuses are awarded to creators when their story was selected as a Top Story, they’ve reached an exciting reads or profile milestone, they’ve won a Creator Challenge, and/or when they’re giving back to the community by liking, sharing, and tipping other creators.” Basically, the answer I got was a reiteration of the content from “Introducing Creator Bonuses on Vocal”.
Additionally, the response mentioned my having been “bonus’d on 03/10, 03/14, and 04/14,” and that I should “read the descriptions on each bonus which can help [me] get more familiar with them!” I understand why I received the 3 bonuses, I just don’t know if there are more to come?
That’s all the information Vocal Customer Support could or would provide. Information should be provided on Vocal Milestones and Bonuses. If Vocal doesn’t want to be held to providing guaranteed bonus awards, why not include a disclaimer stating that bonuses are subject to change and or be discontinued without prior notice? That way writers are informed.
Until then, instead of leaving you all in the dark, I went back into the Social Media trenches to see what Vocal Authors have claimed earned them those unpredictable bonuses. There seems to be no guarantee every writer will receive every available bonus. However, this list gives individuals something to look forward to while writing their next viral story.
Here it is fellow/fellista/non-fellow-conforming Vocal Writers!
Introducing the Un-Official Milestones for Achievable Vocal Creator Bonuses:
After the introduction of Vocal Bonuses in early 2021, the following forms of monetary encouragement have been deposited in Vocal Wallets across the internet.
The Bonus Amounts seem to fluctuate between $5.00 to $50.00 each. I’ve included 13 I’ve discovered and indicated amounts for those I am aware.
- $5.00 Bonus for 5th published piece
- $10.00 Bonus for 10th published piece
- $50.00 Bonus for 50th published piece
- $10.00 Bonus for creating a successful Facebook group (might be a one-time deal)
- $5.00 Bonus for hearting/liking 15 stories by other creators
- $5.00 Bonus for “Top Story”
- $5.00 Bonus for “Awesome Story” (typically has Vocal as the topic)
- $5.00 Bonus for Reaching 1000 views
- Bonus for Moderator appreciated story even if it’s not a “Top Story”
- Bonus for Challenge wins
- Bonus for tipping other Writers
- Bonus for being mentioned on Vocal’s Instagram Page
- Bonus for Reaching 10,000 views
While we all want to be acknowledged and compensated for our work, keep writing and publishing whether you receive bonuses for hitting Vocal Milestones or not. It’s certainly a kind gesture for Vocal to show appreciation for its Content Contributors; however, readers will continue to provide financial support through tips (Medium has just introduced this option) and collective views. Hopefully, all of these incentives motivate you to write.
If you’d like to see more from me, kindly give a coin of encouragement.
Originally published at https://vocal.media.