My Experience Writing on Vocal Media
More likes than reads, and what that taught me about visibility and belief .. and a question about Vocal+
It’s a screenshot of my Vocal stats. On one side, reads. On the other, likes. And if you look closely, you’ll notice something that feels… wrong. Almost embarrassing to admit.
In nearly every piece, I have more likes than reads.
More hearts than footsteps.
I’ve tried to explain it to myself gently. Maybe the system didn’t count some views. Maybe people liked the title, the opening line, the mood. Maybe they tapped the heart and moved on before the thirty seconds Vocal needs to believe they were ever there.
Whatever the reason, it leaves a strange hollow behind.
This isn’t my first time on Vocal. I lost an account before. I disappeared, came back months later, and started again from zero. I didn’t return because Vocal promised success. I returned because this platform understands short stories, poetry, and fragments of feeling. Fiction lives comfortably here. Silence does too.
I write on other platforms. I even stepped back from them to focus here. For a while, Vocal became the place where I wanted my words to grow roots. A place where slower writing might still matter. And yet, growth feels shy. Careful. Sometimes absent.
My best pieces get ten, maybe fifteen reads. On a good day, twenty. I tell myself it’s fine. New account. Algorithms take time. Numbers don’t define worth. I repeat these lines like prayers, hoping repetition will turn them into truth.
But still, seeing more likes than reads hurts in a very specific way.
It feels like being applauded by people who never stayed for the ending.
It makes me wonder if my work is being skimmed rather than entered. Felt briefly, then left behind. As if the words are touching something, but not long enough to leave a mark.
Lately, I’ve been asking myself a harder question. Should I invest more into this place? Vocal+ costs around a hundred dollars a year. As a student, that amount isn’t small. It’s not just money. It’s belief. It’s time. It’s the hope that maybe paying the door fee means the room will finally notice you.
So this is where I pause, and where I ask.
Not as a complaint. Not as a demand. But as a writer standing quietly at the edge of a platform he believes in.
If I invest in Vocal+, does it change anything meaningful?
Does it open a door that is currently closed, or does it simply decorate the same silence with better lighting?
I don’t expect guarantees. I understand that writing isn’t a vending machine where effort turns into attention. But I do wonder whether belief, when paired with payment, becomes visibility, or whether it remains belief alone.
Because right now, it feels like my work is being liked more than it’s being read. Felt more than it’s being followed. And that gap is where doubt grows.
I don’t want to quit. I also don’t want to pretend I’m not discouraged.
So tell me honestly. PLEASE
Is Vocal+ an invitation to be seen, or just another way to prove patience?
And if the answer is that growth here is slow, quiet, and uncertain, then I need to know something else too.
Should I keep writing exactly as I am, short, precise, fragmentary? Or should I stay longer on the page? Build bigger rooms for readers to step into? Trust that time, not tools, is what eventually notices us?
I’m willing to do the work.
I just want to know whether this place hears footsteps at all, or only the sound of hearts tapping on the way out.
******
Thank you for reading.
If you’ve ever felt unseen while still showing up to write, know that you’re not alone. This piece is as much yours as it is mine.
I genuinely appreciate thoughtful feedback, whether it’s encouragement or criticism. If you see ways my work could be stronger, clearer, or more honest, I welcome your perspective. Growth matters to me more than comfort.
Thank you for staying till the end, and for walking these quiet questions with me.
About the Creator
Aarsh Malik
Poet, Storyteller, and Healer.
Sharing self-help insights, fiction, and verse on Vocal.
Anaesthetist.
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Comments (14)
Being seen can be a hit or miss. It is often a timing thing. Just write what comes naturally and from the heart and the people who are meant to read your work will gravitate to it. Also, some of the hearts to reads stats were broken for the longest (we're talking years lol) that I stopped paying attention to them! lol I appreciate your wonderful work and thoughtful comments. Please do continue to write! ☺️
I think the overall design of Vocal tells a story itself. I believe it's basically a site for writers, not so much, readers. So, the vast majority of readers on here are also writers. I'm not sure if someone searches a basic story title on google and what the likelihood of a vocal story being part of that search is. Vocal+ has a few perks but the challenges, as you know, is the draw for that. Most Vocal+ members are here for that only. They don't care if others are reading their work, as long as the judges are. Then there are silent readers: People who read and don't like or comment. I never understood this. I mean, if you're going to take the time to read, at least acknowledge. At the same time, they are probably used to not interacting. They are not going to write to a publication to let them know they enjoyed a certain story they read inside of it. So, their same routine may apply to sites they read stories on. I don't know but do know you should keep writing. If it's in your blood, it means the itch isn't going away anytime soon. Thank you so much for voicing your thoughts.
Aarsh, thank you for being brave and vulnerable to share your inner thoughts. Truth is, you're not alone in these feelings. I think we've all asked ourselves these same questions. My hope is that you'll keep writing and follow the path that fits best for you. ☺️
There is definitely a difference between scrolling and casting a like, and actually sharing with others. Thinking of Instagram here. As to vocal, I am with you on not paying for + as if I need more frills. My own writing, your writing, all of us writing, must stand up to peer scrutiny on its own merits.
WOW
If it helps in understanding the Vocal stats that I've added to with my read, there was a couple of days delay in me "hearting" and commenting because I needed the time to do it properly. First, your writing is stellar quality in general, and I thoroughly enjoy reading your work. We're ALL improving and developing, but PLEASE don't EVER stop writing! You have a perspective that delves between cracks and crevices and heals a reader just by being. Second, do factor in the reality that we live in the age of "skim reading" where people are in a hurry to get to the end and move on to the next something or other. Minds evolved and are now accustomed to NOT slowing down (not all, but many.) Digital formats don't help much. Our brains read differently in terms of patterns on a screen than on actual paper. Screens tend to channel focus into an 'F' or 'E' template of reading from left to right across the lines of text. Biology says we weren't meant to read on screens, but in the coming decades, with inevitable adaptation, I don't want to be around to see what people's eyes will look like as a result. And lastly, keep doing whatcha doing by breaking up the online text into bite-sized reading chunks. Insert media and other embeds to aid those "brakes" for the mind of the reader. But know this: Those who truly want to absorb your words will discipline themselves to slow down. Read multiple times, even. I know I do. Glad you're here, Aarsh!
Beautifully written Aarsh. This piece definitely spoke to my soul and all my doubts I've experienced over my years on Vocal. I've been on the platform for four years, I think. Last month I broke even financially from what I've invested in Vocal+ and then this month I have well exceeded it. Up until that point I felt the investment was worth it in the same way college tuition is worth it. I've honed my skills, pushed my limits, and received validation that I have actual talent. Vocal+ was investment in my craft. I was overjoyed when I finally saw financial gain from it. But if I hadn't, I would still be here because what I get from my "tuition" cannot be measured financially. That being said, I had many discouraging moments on Vocal. I have some early pieces that never got a single read. I've published some that I felt deep pride in only to see them completely overlooked. It is a rollercoaster. But it is one that is worth the cost of entry. I've been meaning to read your work for some time, but I think this is one of the first pieces I've read. So far, I see an eloquent writing style with a lot of promise. I will be back to read more and I'll do my best to leave you meaningful feedback.
Welcome back. I was on Medium for years, they revoked me many times. I left. Thank you for your support. I am disabled and this helps me. HUGS
your talent is worth your investment in any way that feels accessible or right to you. i'm sorry it has taken me so long to find your work. you model a heartfelt clarity i strive for and can learn from. thank you for being here in whatever capacity you have.
I have noticed the same thing in my stats. Some stories have more likes than reads. I like Vocal + because I enter all the challenges. I've placed runner-up and honorable mention in some, so I have won some of my money back as well. The challenges have also made me step out of my comfort zone, I didn't write fiction before I joined Vocal and now I've placed in some fiction challenges. Don't stop writing on Vocal! You do one of the most important things, and that's supporting others by reading and commenting on their work.
"Numbers don’t define worth." Absolutely true, my friend. I've had to step away from looking at those numbers. I used to post a piece and check religiously for days and feel so discouraged when it wouldn't get any play. I'm glad you're here and keep doing what you're doing, Aarsh
I don’t have any answers to those questions, but I’ve asked myself the first one like a dozen times. I actually stopped looking at my stats because I noticed the same thing on my writing— and somebody explained it to me as vocal tracking time spent on the page to determine whether a thing was read. So fast readers who don’t comment won’t spend the minimum time necessary to track as a read. In a way, I think likes and comments rather than vocal’s read count are actually better metrics for whether your work resonated with readers. Also, I think of all the stories I’ve written (hundreds) and all the reads I’ve accumulated over the years I’ve probably only made around 5 dollars on actual read pay outs. I just don’t see any return in terms of money, on reads. The investment value in vocal+ (in terms of money) comes from being allowed to submit stories to their themed contests. I’ve been lucky enough to win more money on contest placement than I’ve spent on vocal + memberships, but the simple truth is there are plenty of free writing contests available if you go looking, and many pay better than vocal. All that being said, if i were to track the money I’ve made on vocal, subtract the membership fee, and divide by the number of hours I’ve spent writing here, I’m absolutely certain my hourly rate would be far lower than what I make in my actual job as a low level laborer for the county parks dept, so in terms of monetary investment there’s not much to be said in favor of a vocal + membership, at least in my experience. But I get a lot of value out of writing here beyond the financial stuff, I think the challenges are uniquely engaging and they push me to learn and practice new writing techniques. I also think the community of writers here can be very encouraging, and insightful. And while I’m not swimming in reads I find a lot of personal value in knowing that something I’ve written has resonated with somebody— for me the quantity of reads doesn’t really matter if I know I’ve managed to create some art that connected with at least one person. That’s a good feeling, and it’s definitely one you can achieve on vocal, even without a plus membership… but it can also be found off vocal, anywhere you can share your writing really. So I still can’t answer your questions but that’s my experience and maybe some of it can be helpful. As for your writing, I appreciate the stuff I’ve read of yours, I feel your command of the craft is too notch, your writing is especially clear and direct which I admire, and you seem to share thoughtful insights which are thought provoking and worthwhile. So definitely you should keep writing, and i personally hope to see more from you here on this site, but whether it’s worth it to you in terms of investment is really up to you.
It's a slippery slope Aarsh. When I first joined, I read a lot of stories, wrote a lot of stories that had 0 reads. But I was undaunted,. I kept writing until I got my first Top Story. The i got a bit of recognition. Reads started coming in. I found that in reading other creator's work, I was learning. I kept on learning and got better at writing. I have grown a lot personally, by doing research for stories I learned many new things. Things have changed...people have moved on - reads are drastically down, likes are up a lot. Likes annoy me tremendously, i don't do likes only, it feels like an insult to a creators hard work of creating a poem or story. Poetry is my strong point, stories not so much. Find your strong point and hone it, while experimenting in other areas.
Those of us who read quickly(I’m roughly at a 1:4 time read), it doesn’t take but two or three minutes to read an eight-minute piece, and without staying to comment, I’m not on the page long enough for my read to count.