Vocal Reviews

Vocal

2.82
60 reviews
Average Rating
Based on 60 user experiences
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H

Don t expect to get paid bonuses or become successful by publishing on here

I published work on here when I discovered VM last year I didn t get feedback or reads until I joined their Facebook groups there are many You can share your VM published work on these groups then you may get more reads and feedback I even managed to get a Top Story maybe because someone from the group liked one of my poems I m sure that wouldn t have happened if I hadn t joined their FB groups Payments - I am not a paid Vocal member so obviously I dont get paid hardly anything however I should have been paid bonuses for submitting over 10 articles and the Top Story I had I didn t I asked on the Facebook groups about this I m not the only VM contributer who had not been paid bonuses - I discovered its a common thing I was told to email support I did several times but got no proper answer even got suggested by someone on the Facebook group that I had used AI and that was the reason No I don t use AI and never will All my work is original She clearly hadn t read any of my stories otherwise she wouldn t have suggested it I m still waiting to be paid what I m owed and waiting for a proper explanation as to why I m not receiving my bonuses I think like FB algorithms not everyone sees your published work When you go onto the FB vocal groups you see the same publishers all the time They always get top stories and often win competitions challenges story of the day week etc I think many of these publishers who seem to do well are actually VM moderators who read each others work so they all get hundreds of reads in order to get paid On a plus it does get your work out there your friends and others on Facebook can see it if you share it You can also share your published work on Medium Pinterest Tumbler Twitter etc in order to try and get more reads but it s harder than it sounds But making money and becoming an established writer through vocal media No
C

I do not know what is going on

I do not know what is going on either Facebook is blocking reactions to my poem Once There Was a Rose from my friends and other viewers or it is Vocal blocking access to viewers in reading my poem I notified Vocal about first placing my poem within the wrong community After speaking with Heather the poem was then placed into the poetry community However after posting to Facebook and Instagram on seven different occasions I have been told that when several individuals someone tries to open the site it says Page Not Found I have accused Facebook of purposely blocking my poem from an audience and Facebook has chosen to ignore my accusations In order to see if what I had expressed was incorrect I placed my poem Once There Was a Rose into my Facebook website page ExpoCorruption Direct reading of the poem to acquire readers and exposure Although Facebook shows that the poem has reached approximately 245 people as of March 4 2021 it also shows only one 1 reaction and seven 7 likes I know better and it is either Facebook Vocal or both who is trying to keep this poem from acquiring any type of positive or negative reactions Since I am not personally known to or by Facebook or Vocal for such as stated above to be occurring I have to believe that the issue is of another origin and that origin have to be the color of my skin Now prove me wrong and stop blocking my written work because I did not submit my poem to earn money from Vocal
S

Only get if you are passionate about writing

I love writing articles on Vocal Media I am extreme grateful for the site and will continue to write as I am passionate about it You have a chance to be picked for their Weekly Five which will dramatically boost your views Even though chances of this are slim There are a number of downsides to this website Firstly what I find extremely annoying is that when you write it does not highlight any grammatical errors or punctuation mistakes Secondly you are able to view the number of times people have clicked on your article which is good In agreement with the review below it is extremely dodgy how a view is recorded and this is also unfair Vocal Media need to review this and be more lenient with this Thirdly the fact you must pay a monthly fee to become a Vocal member does not sit right with me You should be eligible to become a member when you have written a certain amount of articles or a certain amount of views maybe just an idea Furthermore the chances of you winning a competition are very slim But I must praise the generous amount of money that is given if you do win Finally the fact that Vocal Media use Stripe and not PayPal is very stupid and sly I and many others have not heard of the Stripe app until we signed for Vocal Media It limits the amounts of tips you get greatly as no one wants to fuss with downloading the app and uploading their debit credit info Everyone has PayPal so why not use PayPal Very tactical from this company
T

I Found My Voice

Surprisingly Vocal has helped me find my voice I started writing on Vocal when I was in a dark place I don t make enough money on the site to quit my day job but I ve learned from so many people I took a risk and wrote fiction for the first time I jumped back into poetry I entered Vocal Challenges
K

Simple but has teething issues

This is not the website for you if you re trying to make money for your writing Personally for me it is the site for me for now Especially after they work out their kinks I m not trying to make money from writing just was looking for an easy platform to submit and share And other established platforms seemed too instagramy for me Vocal is relatively new and still has heart I can understand people s frustration it seems to be in its early developmental stage An issue they have is that there isn t an edit feature edit they introduced one today for paid members The stats are all also delayed by 42 hours I think they would benefit from some sort of community communication I can understand why they don t allow people to comment etc But even a feature like allowing other writers to have a column on their profile of favorite stories from the website would be beneficial At the moment it s just write publish and that s it They do have staff picks But that is problematic within itself cause it would be inherently bias cause it s coming from a limited source of people It s okay and vocal media does have potential sticking to it for now
N

Review After 3 Months on Vocal

I ve been using Vocal for 3 months now I originally joined to enter one of their poetry contests So far I have broken even on the cost because they give bonuses at certain milestones They also pay 2 3 of a cent for each read Not very much You need to do a lot of self promotion and bring your own audience to the table exactly like anyone in the visual arts or music world if you want to make money My main focus is to become a better writer The only way to do that is to write and the challenges they offer do inspire writing Although the judges on the most recent fiction challenges have not been identified the judges on the corporate sponsor challenges have been clearly named and you can look them up to see what they might be looking for in the contest Overall I believe Vocal is trying to improve as a writer s site and their parent company Creatd seems to be attempting to develop it further The jury is out on how they will go forward
T

Why I won t get vocal and How not to write a review

These reviews for the most part demonstrate poor writing skills Many of the poorly written reviews are quite negative accusations of nefarious intentions among an elite club of judges abound This leads me to the conclusion that most people who think they can win some money by signing up for this kind of service have not studied the odds of the lottery nor have they grasped the nature of internet capitalism I do not have an account with vocal but I feel after reading the reviews and plotting myself on a graph of some kind that my chances are higher than average The only problem is I like pizza more than gambling
S

It s a marathon not a sprint

I agree that Vocal has a lot to clean up with editing profile management both on computers and definitely phones but that doesn t make it a SCAM They are gradually working things out and have improved dramatically - even over the month I ve been a user Building websites takes time especially for startups Mechanics aside these reviews sound like a lot of bitter people who want everything to be free It s a couple Starbucks visits not a month s worth of salary to join Vocal and a lot of people seem to be making conjecture about the review process without any direct knowledge just their personal opinion I too joined to enter a competition and I did win - with my first entry I am proud of my entry and have expanded it since then I took all my money out after my win but continue to get reads I m in my second month and have another 20 in there I can withdraw I m waiting for results on the competitions I ve entered this month If you re joining to get rich quick as a writer you are in the wrong profession Just enjoy the process I really need money too but that s not my main focus Vocal is a nice outlet for my creative expression and the prompts are helping me develop a style I also take a lot of care in the mechanics of what I present so acting like every winning story is a pile of garbage filled with grammatical errors is not accurate either I go back numerous times to re-read and edit my entries prior to competition judging they have added a quick edit feature My second story also received hundreds of views and numerous likes I ve written 8 or 9 at this point and they all have reads and likes even if only a few For those questioning tips yes they happen I ve received 4 tips also I ve also received additional money from Vocal for Top Stories I may tire of the platform but for now it s more than paid for itself to me It did take some times to get my winnings through Stripe but I got them I d rather have them be careful and it should go more smoothly now that I am verified I was hacked right before judging so I was very happy to wait and make sure my money went to the right account If you find the right approach and have a little patience Vocal can be a great outlet I enjoy it more than Medium Once they grow and develop a little more I think it will be a terrific outlet
N

Vocal is what it says

A lot of the reviews here smack of sour grapes Could Vocal be better Of course no hosting site is perfect and there s always room for improvement Personally I d love the ability to leave gushing comments on other stories On the flip side Vocal is at least willing to listen to its users having recently sent out a survey swiftly followed by introducing the ability to subscribe to writers More improvements to follow Vocal s big draw is undoubtably its Challenges and the Winning Prize Money Mostly limited to Vocal paid members whose subscriptions pay for prize money Challenges run on a monthly or fortnightly basis with three winners and several thousand disappointed writers who didn t make the cut Vocal s other draw is that you are paid per read other members can leave tips and there are a number of bonuses that will earn money on top of that Being selected as a Top Story featuring on Vocal s social media and assorted milestone bonuses are how most Vocal writers make a lot of their money The biggest drawback is that outside of being a Top Story or winning a challenge or writing something good enough to have another member rave about you on Facebook it s honestly up to you to generate your own traffic Vocal doesn t do paid promotions or ads you have to promote yourself and your work Welcome to Indie life A lot of people join Vocal with big dreams then let disappointment get the better of them when they find themselves struggling I entered for the Challenges fantasised about winning then moped when that didn t happen Then I picked myself up and kept writing Maybe I ll win one day maybe I won t If all I ever manage is the ability to take my partner out for dinner once a month that s still better than I expected Vocal never claimed that it would do the work for me and I never expected it to
J

Great website Need to increase demand readers to maintain supply writers

It seems that most of these reviews are about minor website issues that can easily be fixed if the problem is made known to Vocal Not people who actually gave it a shot Vocal is by no means a walmart manager that isn t taking your expired coupons It s an up and coming platform attempting to give those with a passion to write a voice Yes there is a small monthly cost that is no more than a spotify subscription The funds for contest payouts have to come from somewhere As far as areas of work goes The most important thing to note is that this is a platform of writers NOT readers Writers will read others works in trade for them to read theirs back It s not very genuine at times There needs to be more work done in creating authentic reads Perhaps a different side of Vocal made of people who want to read about specific topics as opposed to write publish and seek exposure Maybe a penny paid for each paper read too There are incentives for reading and hearting other peoples writings which is nice but there is far too much supply of content than there is a demand for it to be consumed Many writers wonder why their reads never skyrocket and this is why Unless your writing isn t promoted heavily or picked in a contest the read count might not go very high It s sad to see people externalize their worth and creations into pennies views and hearts That saps the passion away

About Vocal

Vocal is a platform for supporting, discovering and rewarding creators.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Vocal Media is an online publishing platform designed for creators to share stories, build an audience, and earn money. It operates as a hybrid community, combining aspects of a blog network, digital magazine, and creator-focused ecosystem. Its primary mission is to offer a space for writers, poets, journalists, and other storytellers to publish content directly to readers, providing tools for growth and monetization without traditional editorial barriers.

Content on Vocal is organized into themed groups called 'Vocal+ communities.' Each community focuses on a specific genre or topic, such as Fiction, Poetry, Business & Tech, True Crime, Travel, or Music. This structure helps creators target relevant audiences and allows readers to easily discover content that matches their interests. Users can subscribe to communities and follow creators to personalize their feed.

Creators on Vocal can earn money through multiple avenues: the Creator Earnings Program, which pays based on story reads from members and non-members; a Vocal+ membership, which offers higher per-read rates, exclusive challenges, and advanced analytics for a monthly fee; direct tips from readers on any story; and participation in regularly hosted writing challenges with cash prizes sponsored by the platform or external partners.

Vocal+ is a premium subscription for creators on Vocal Media. It unlocks higher earnings per story read, provides access to exclusive writing challenges with significant prizes, and offers advanced analytics to track performance. This membership is designed to enhance a creator's potential for revenue and engagement on the platform.

Yes, Vocal Media is free to join for both readers and creators who wish to start publishing. Creators can publish stories and earn through the base Creator Earnings Program without a subscription. However, optional paid memberships are available: Vocal+ for creators seeking enhanced benefits, and Vocal Listener for readers wanting an ad-free experience.
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About Vocal

An Overview of Vocal Media

Vocal Media is a dynamic online publishing platform that empowers creators to share their stories, build an audience, and earn money from their work. It functions as a hybrid community, blending elements of a traditional blog network, a digital magazine, and a creator-centric ecosystem. The platform's core mission is to provide a space for writers, poets, journalists, and storytellers of all kinds to publish their content directly to a readership, bypassing traditional editorial gatekeepers while offering tools for growth and monetization.

Platform Structure and Communities

The website is organized into a series of themed communities called "Vocal+ communities." Each community is dedicated to a specific genre or topic, such as Fiction, Poetry, Business & Tech, True Crime, Travel, or Music. This structure helps creators target their ideal audience and allows readers to easily discover content aligned with their interests. When users join Vocal, they can subscribe to their favorite communities and follow specific creators, creating a personalized feed of stories and articles.

Creator Tools and Monetization

Vocal distinguishes itself with a strong focus on supporting its creators financially. It offers several pathways for earnings:

  • Creator Earnings Program:Creators earn money based on the number of reads their stories receive from both members and non-members.
  • Vocal+ Membership:For a monthly subscription fee, creators can upgrade to Vocal+ to unlock higher per-read rates, access to exclusive challenges, and advanced analytics.
  • Tips:Readers can directly tip their favorite creators on any story as a show of appreciation.
  • Challenges:Vocal regularly hosts sponsored and platform-funded writing challenges with substantial cash prizes, which drive engagement and high-quality submissions.

Content and Audience Experience

For readers, Vocal Media offers a vast and constantly updated library of original content. The reading experience is clean and ad-supported for non-members, while a Vocal Listener membership provides an ad-free experience. The platform encourages interaction through features like comments, likes, and the aforementioned tipping system, fostering a sense of community between writers and readers.

Key Features for All Users

  • Accessibility:The platform is free to join for both readers and creators to start publishing.
  • Ownership:Creators retain full copyright to the work they publish on Vocal.
  • Integrated Tools:The platform provides a straightforward story editor with basic formatting options, image embedding, and draft-saving capabilities.
  • Discoverability:Stories can be shared easily across social media, and the platform's internal recommendation system helps surface new content.

Overall Value Proposition

Vocal Media successfully carves out a niche in the crowded digital content landscape by prioritizing the creator economy. It lowers the barrier to entry for aspiring writers seeking an audience and a potential revenue stream, while offering readers a diverse and direct pipeline to unique voices and perspectives. It is not just a publishing tool but a comprehensive ecosystem designed to nurture storytelling and connect creators with supporters.