I’ve been writing for Medium for a while now, and I’ve been pretty happy with the results. I’ve managed to make a little bit of money from it, and I think it’s a great opportunity for anyone who wants to start making money online. In this article, I want to talk about how the Medium Partner Program works, and how much I made for my first paycheck.
Hi, I’m Dredd De Jesus, and I’m on a journey to make money, pay off debt and build wealth. If you’re on the same path as me, or want to know more about making money online or side hustles, you’ve come to the right place! Make sure to follow my socials to get notified of new content.
I’ve always been interested in finding new and effective ways to earn money online for the things I already do. I’ve seen videos and articles talking about how Medium is a great way to make some money online, so I did some research.
It turns out, I learned about Medium years ago and made an account just to dabble as an online writer. This was at a time when I was still new in affiliate marketing, and I joined this thing called Wealthy Affiliate. But that never really got me anywhere because I wasn’t into it and I didn’t have any incentives to keep on trying.
But it was only until a year ago that I learned that Medium had created a Partner Program. So I decided to log in to my account and give it a try again. Medium is designed specifically for writers who want to make money writing articles, or “story” as they call it.
I was really excited about this new opportunity. But the problem was I didn’t know what to write. I’m not a writer at all. But I realized that since I was already making content on YouTube, why not turn some of those videos into articles? This ended up being a great way for me to get started with Medium again, and it’s how I’ve been making some money on the side.
The Medium Partner Program
Let’s talk about what the Medium Partner Program is first.
Simply put, it is a program that allows you to earn money through your articles. It’s the same as being a YouTube Partner, but only through written content. In order to be eligible for the Medium Partner Program, you need to do the following:
- You must have published at least 1 story.
- You must have 100+ followers.
- You must stay active and publish at least 1 story every 6 months.
There are two ways to earn in Medium through their Partner Program.
- Member Reading Time — According to Medium’s FAQ, they “calculate reading time based on the amount of time that a viewer spends actively reading on the page. [They] consider the viewer’s scrolling and activity, and then determine how long the viewer spent reading the story.”
- Referred Memberships — Medium also offers a monthly premium membership, where you can read premium articles. If you refer people to become members, you get half of their membership fee, less processing fees.
This moves us to the next portion of this article, and that’s how much have I earned in Medium as a writer.
How Much Have I Earned in Medium?
I started writing again in Medium back in January of 2022. But before rejoining, I already had 38 followers in my account. Then I reached 100 followers in June, writing at least 4 stories a month. I didn’t get into the Partner Program until July 10 because I forgot to do so. Then at the end of July, I was really surprised to get an email saying that my first paycheck from Medium was coming.
From July 1 to 31, I only monetized 1 story. And I earned…
$0.24.
Yes, that’s my first paycheck from Medium. It’s quite small, but it’s a good achievement for me. It’s basically proof of concept that I can make money online writing stories that I like.
Then from August 1 to 31, I wrote more stories and made $0.85.
At this point, I knew that I really had to write more stories that catches people’s attention. I could already see the potential of this platform becoming a passive income stream for me.
But I faced an issue: I got too busy. I was focusing more on other things, such as growing my Agency. I had other responsibilities as well that kept pulling me away from writing more on Medium.
But I didn’t want to give up on Medium because it’s still a great way to make some extra money online. Once a story is written, it can continue to earn for months and years on end! I just have to find the time to write more and keep up with my audience.
So for September, I wrote more stories. But the difference for this month was that my stories generated 2 membership referrals. That boosted my earnings to $6.69. $2.15 were from my stories’ views, and $4.54 from those referrals.
I was shocked at how much you could actually earn from referrals alone. I didn’t do anything extra. My only job was to turn my video content into written content. This really gave me the confidence that what I was doing in Medium was working.
But now we move to October 1 to 31, where I earned $5.31. For this month, $3.04 came from my stories and only $2.27 from memberships because 1 referral cancelled.
While that’s not a big deal at all, it got me thinking. Why did that person cancel? Did they not get value from reading in Medium? Or maybe from my stories? I really don’t know. But at least this scenario gave me some perspective that not everyone is going to stick with the platform, and that’s okay.
So, those are my earnings for Medium so far. A really small amount, but it’s something I’m proud of. I know that if I keep writing more stories, I’ll earn even more in the future. And if you’re interested in trying your hand at making some money through Medium as well, then I would definitely encourage you to do so. The Medium Partner Program is a great way to turn the stories you love to write into an opportunity to bring in some extra cash.
What I’ve Learned Writing in Medium
Before we end this, I’d like to share with you some of the things I learned while writing for Medium in case you want to try this as well.
First, I learned that you have to keep writing. Consistency is key. If you want to make money, it’s not just about publishing once and calling it a day. You need to stay active on Medium by continuing to publish stories regularly. This could be once or thrice a week, or once a month. The more you can do on a regular basis, the better. It increases your viewership and the probability of one of your stories to go viral.
Second, I learned more about doing research. Like every content creator, research is part of the process. It’s important to make sure that your content is accurate and well-written. I played around with different writing styles, added relevant images, keywords and data. Basically, anything that would make my stories better.
Third, I learned how important it is to find the right audience for your content. There are so many different topics on Medium, so how do you make sure that your articles are reaching the right people? I’ve found success by targeting specific topics and tags in my writing, which helped me find my ideal audience.
Lastly, I learned how to leverage publications. Even if you just started, you can join publications, which are basically groups of writers who share a common theme and work together. In a nutshell, it’s similar to a magazine. Being part of a publication can help boost your readership and engagement on Medium, ultimately leading to more views and higher earnings.
It’s a great experience overall. I’m excited to continue writing and earning money in Medium. I hope that other people will be interested in trying this out for themselves! Who knows how much you could earn? The possibilities are endless. You might be a better writer than me and you’d get more people to read your stories.
If you have written in Medium already and started making money, share experience in the comments. I’d love to read your first paycheck story! If you haven’t tried Medium yet, give it a shot. If you like writing and want to make money, this could be a great opportunity for you.