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I started writing on Medium a few months ago, and I quickly realized it’s a platform with a ton of opportunity. 

Although I’ve only written a handful of stories, I’m still surprised to see the passive income I earn every month (even if it’s not enough to pay my rent- yet!). 

I love being able to spend an afternoon writing a story, hitting publish- and then making money from that same story in the months to come. If you have the time to write on there consistently, the income potential is even greater. 

If you’re looking for a side hustle and you like to write, Medium could be a new source of income for you!

What is Medium?

Medium is a blogging platform where members can read stories from a wide variety of writers. It’s also a place where anyone who wants to write can share their stories (on any topic) with these members. 

Members can also follow their favourite writers to see each new story that they post. 

How do you get paid to write on Medium?

You can earn money on Medium through the Medium Partner Program. 

How the Medium Partner Program Works

Medium makes money via members paying $5 a month to read stories published on the site. When members read a story, the writer gets a portion of their monthly fee. They can also ‘clap’ for stories that they like.

It’s completely free to join the Medium Partner Program, but it’s recommended to also sign up as a paying member ($5/month) so you can read other stories on Medium. This can inspire you on what to write, it lets you see what stories are popular, and it gives you a chance to support other writers!

How are earnings calculated on Medium?

Your earnings in the partner program are based on how long members spend reading your stories. 

There is no exact formula to figure out how much you’ll be paid, but generally the more time members spend reading a story (and the more members who read it), the more money you’ll make. 

Writing longer articles is a great way to boost your earnings.

What do you need to start making money on Medium?

To start making money on Medium, you will need to create an account (it’s free to join). 

You don’t need to sign up as a paying member, but if you do, it’s only $5 a month.

No experience is required to be a writer on Medium, which is great if you’re a new writer! They do have some guidelines for writing though, which you can check out here.

You can also write about any topic you want, and you don’t need to stick to a specific topic all of the time. This is one of my favourite things about the platform- you can write about anything from relationship advice to business stories (and everything in between!).

You could write about:

-Your life experiences

-A topic you’re knowledgeable about, like your major in college or the industry you work in

-Your current or past relationships with a romantic partner, friends, or family

-Self-improvement

-Current events that you want to share an opinion on

-Fiction stories

-Poetry

-And anything else you think you want to share with the world!

If you’ve been thinking about writing to earn money online, this is an excellent place to start. Many other writing platforms require you to pass a writing test or submit a writing sample or portfolio. Medium is open to writers of all levels and is free to join!

How much money can you make writing on Medium?

Approximately 5% of writers earn over $100 a month on Medium. Although that may not sound like a lot, some top writers are earning over $25,000 a month!

I think that the key to success on Medium is writing stories consistently- so that even if you’re only making a few dollars on each story a month, all of it will add up over time.

It’s hard to say what percentage of writers on Medium are writing consistently, which definitely affects how much you can earn. If you write stories on a regular basis, there’s (probably) a greater likelihood of being in that 5%.

How quickly can you make money on Medium?

Your stories can start to earn money as soon as they are posted. 

Payments are made once a month (on the 8th) and take 3-7 business days to be deposited to your bank account. 

In order to make money on the platform, you will need Medium members to read your stories.

You can get more eyes on your stories in two ways:

1. By your story getting curated by Medium
2. By publishing your story in a publication on Medium

How to get your story curated on Medium

Medium has a team of curators who review the stories submitted by writers- if a story meets the standards for curation, they can distribute it to more members (it is ultimately up to the curators to decide).

If a story is curated, it will be distributed to readers who are following that topic on Medium.

When you write a story, you get to pick up to 5 tags for it- for example, if you’re writing about relationship advice, you could pick tags like love, life advice, relationships, and romance.

These tags help curators decide which topics to distribute a story in (members pick the topics they like and follow them, so can they see these types of stories).

The story will continue to be distributed to members in the future, which means you’ll have the opportunity to make long-term earnings from the story!

Around 30% of my stories on Medium have been curated- usually, the earnings graph looks like this: 

There will be a spike in the beginning that drops off soon- that being said, the earnings will be consistent (even if they are small!) afterwards. This is another reason why it’s important to post stories consistently here if you’re looking to make money.

You won’t get an email letting you know if your story has been curated, so you’ll need to periodically check on your story’s stats to find this out. This is what you will see under your story’s title:

How to get your story accepted in a publication on Medium

Medium has publications (collections of stories in certain topics) that you can submit your stories to. If the editors of that publication accept your story, it will be seen by the followers of that publication. 

Some publications have tens of thousands of followers, so don’t be afraid to submit your stories- there’s a chance they’ll get tons of views if they’re accepted. If this is the case, you’ll get an email letting you know that the publication has accepted your story (yippee!). 

On that note, don’t feel bad if your story isn’t accepted. Around half of my stories have been accepted into publications- sometimes, the article isn’t the right fit for the publication. 

I’ve even had three stories that were rejected by publications at first- then editors of different publications who saw the stories reached out and said they wanted to feature them.

If you want your story to be accepted by a publication, start by reading Medium’s guidelines for curation. If your story has these qualities, it’s much more likely to also get accepted into a publication.

Also make sure to read each publications’ guidelines before you submit a story- they will usually be very clear on what they are looking for and exactly how to apply. They typically will have a link to this on the first page of the publication.

One major benefit I have noticed from submitting my stories to some publications is that they get curated way faster- usually it takes a couple of weeks for me to see if my story has been curated, but if I submit it to a publication, it can get curated that day!

You can earn affiliate income on Medium

You can also make money on Medium by posting affiliate links in your stories. 

If you are an affiliate for a company, you can include the link in your story- if a reader clicks the link and makes a purchase, you can earn a commission. 

Of course, you will need to disclose your affiliate link (and that you will be compensated for purchases made using the link) in your story.

You will also need to make sure that you’re following the rules of the publication your story is in (and Medium’s guidelines, as well). 

How to earn bonuses on Medium 

Sometimes, the editors at Medium will notice a particular story and will love it so much, the writer is given a bonus! Some writers have reported getting a $100 bonus for a story, for example.

I wouldn’t bet on this as an income stream on Medium, but it is definitely a possibility to keep in mind. 

Benefits of writing on Medium:

Although I still think it’s best to write on your own blog (especially if you’re looking to start a blog as a business or to earn side income), there are a ton of unique benefits to writing on Medium. Plus, you can always do both, and many writers (like myself) do just that!

Gaining Followers

Readers can follow you if they like your stories. When they do, they will see your new stories when you post them (either on their home page or in emails from Medium). 

Since I’m focusing on my own blog right now, I only have around 30 stories on Medium- and around 60 followers on Medium. This isn’t a number to brag about, but as I post more stories, this number keeps on growing! 

Since you get paid when Medium members read your stories, this is a big help in getting your stories in front of paying members.

Promoting your own blog

If you do have your own blog, you can easily use your Medium stories to promote it! Here’s a few ways you can do that:

Medium stories can also appear in Google search results, so sometimes you’ll get people who aren’t members reading your stories (Medium allows non-members to read up to 3 free stories a day). 

Since they’re not paying members, you won’t get paid for this- but it is still great exposure! If you have links to your blog or email list, these readers can discover your other writing online.

Freelance writing opportunities

Once you start writing on Medium, your stories will start to gain exposure. Although it’s easy to only think of Medium members as an income source, potential clients could also be reading your stories.

If they are a fan of your writing, they may offer you paid opportunities to write for them! 

Networking with other writers

Medium is also a nice spot for connecting with other writers or people in your areas of interest. You can get feedback from them on your writing and you can make new friends, too. 

You also never know where these connections will take you in the future- it could lead to more writing opportunities, job offers, or a chance to partner up on a business or project. 

You don’t need experience to start writing

One of the best upsides to Medium is that you don’t need any writing experience to get started!

Of course, your writing will need to meet certain quality standards in order to be curated or get accepted in publications, but there is nothing holding you back from getting started. 

I have tried other writing platforms before where you need to submit a writing portfolio or sample, but if you’re a brand new writer, you probably won’t have any of these things. 

Plus, if you sign up as a paying member, you get to read stories by established, successful writers- this is an excellent way to improve your own writing, too. 

You can write about any topic you want

You’re not limited to writing about one or two topics- you can write about anything you want to! 

If you have your own blog or if you’re thinking about it, you probably know that it’s best to pick a niche to write about (one specific topic that all of your articles are based on).

On Medium, this really doesn’t apply- you can write about anything!

I have written a few different stories, and in my experience, my best-performing stories have been:

-Topics I am really passionate about

-Stories about how to make money online

If I’m really passionate about a story (like one story I wrote about relationships), it tends to perform well, even if I’ve never written about it before. I think that when we love a topic or know a lot about it, it comes across in our writing! Draw inspiration from your personal experiences or subjects you are really knowledgeable about. 

That being said, I just wrote my first story about how to make money online, and it has gotten more views than any of my past stories. If you have any experience making money online and want to share your story, go for it!

Have you given Medium a try, or are you considering posting your first story there? Let me know what your experience has been like!