Agree Medium is a place for networking and branching out. If i did not write on medium, i do not think i would have had the confidence to write anywhere else, and of course I would not have met you! You inspire me to push and be better, and your clear analysis of what is happening in the writing world always is refreshing.
Yes! It's such a great point. Gaining confidence as a writer is so important, especially when you're first starting out. And, I feel the same way. I feel like I belong to a nice little community of writers now. 🙂🙏
I agree with this. I started writing on Medium last week and it’s giving me the confidence to post online. I tried on Twitter in the past and I always had so much anxiety around posting.
I’ve heard from successful content creators in the past that the best platform to use is the one that creates the least amount of friction for you to get started and be consistent. For me, that’s Medium.
Hi! I started writing on Medium around 2019, but dropped it because I was doing my master's degree. After a long time, I am now seeking new directions and I returned to writing there. I have been steadily been gaining followers every day just publishing 1-2 articles per week.
As a professor frustrated with the disinterest of my students, I value that greatly. There are people who actually set time aside to reas my thoughts and even comment on them. I am not too concerned with the earnings, I am using it as a place to expose my ideas and gain a following.
My thought align with the ideas you write here. I am building a different life for myself and writing online, especially on Medium, is an important part of that journey.
As someone considering making more of a time investment towards earning a nominal amount of income on the platform, I am frankly concerned about the periodic spate of days in which a group of writers (some of whom I know and respect) all report being abruptly disconnected from the Partnership Program. What concerns me most is the penumbra of mystery around this. It is a bad sign when a writer feels the need to throw out feelers to other site users to try to get an idea of WHY they have been ousted. Technical glitch? Suspicion of AI involvement? Problem with Stripe?
It is bad enough to deal with the epidemic of ghosting in the traditional job market in 2024, ranging from silence after multiple interviews, to finding out that the job posting itself is a ghost and there is no "there there".
Given people are investing at least a small amount of their own money to be on Medium (with "Friend of Medium" status encouraged for yet more out of a limited budget), I think the process of removing someone from access to profit should be transparent and not a shock to the writer.
Ah, that's too bad. 🥲 And, I totally agree. I think transparency is always the way to go. If you haven't already, you could try reaching out to Medium's help desk. In my experience, they always respond and are generally quite helpful.
Good writing ABOUT WRITING, Hudson. Getting exposure seems to be the best predictable pay Medium offers me. Even if I can't estimate how much cash I'll earn, I know that my "street cred" grows monthly. I won't be "Tom WHO?" forever.
Sadly Medium is not what it used to be - by a long shot. I was a 10 X top writer on the platform with 7000 followers up until April 2023 when they kicked me out because I complained multiple times that I'd been shadow banned since the new (very rude and aggresssive) CEO took over.
I'm a nutritionist,health coach, wellness and healthy living practioner who's been follwing the ket diet for 10 years. Thus, I write a lot about health, food, fitness, and especially benefits of eating meat opposed to veganism.
King Stubblebine, apparently didn't approve of my content and since December 2023 my earnings started to rapdily tumble from $3500 per month to $500 in April!
I asked why many times as my content was only getting better, but I received the standard customer service reply (nothing).
It soon became apparant that most of my followers were not seeing my new stories as I had slowly been throttled out of the algorythm.
So much for Medium and giving a crap about it's writers. I invested 90% of my time and energy into Medium for 2.5 years to get to where I was, then had the rug pulled from me for no reason.
I'd highly recommend being very, very careful with that platform as long as the current CEO is in control. Hopefully, it will improve again one day, but for now my advice to any new writers is to not waste your time!
That's great insight! 🙏 Although, I'm sorry to hear about your drop in earnings. 🥲 I definitely agree with you, I don't think Medium is a place to earn a full-time living for 99% of writers. It seems as though it's best suited for beginners and those looking to develop their writing skills while earning a side income.
I try not to be too critical because I'm sure there are a lot of moving parts, but I do wish Medium's leadership would just pick a direction and stick to it. There have been far too many changes for my liking in the past few years. 🤷♂️
Great update, Hudson. Needed to see this spelled out. I’ve been posting on Medium since 2016, and ridden all those waves of change. Your assessment resonates 100%. Hoping you’ll be seeing more of me there .. and here on Substack too .. more networking, more options .. all good!
I REALLY LOVE THIS PIECE, and AGREE WITH EVERYTHING SAID!! I HAVE ALSO SEEN SO MANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT MEDIUM, AND I STARTED AS A NEWBIE IN 2021, and THE SCARIEST THING FOR ME TO DO, WAS TO HIT THAT “PUBLISH” BUTTON!! Lol, IT REALLY WAS!! I WAS SCARED TO DEATH, OF GETTING BARRAGED WITH HATERS, CRITISIZING MY WRITING, BUT INSTEAD, WAS MET WITH SUCH SUPPORT AND GREAT ADVICE, AND NOW I AM SO MUCH MORE CONFIDENT IN MY WRITING, BUT ALWAYS LEARNING AND WELCOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!! I DID NOT START WRITING FOR MONEY!! IN FACT, I JUST SET UP MY STRIPE ACCOUNT LAST WEEK!! lol, and, OF COURSE, IT WOULD BE NICE TO GET PAID FOR MY WORK!! But I WANTED TO FEEL LIKE I HAD PUT IN THE TIME AND WORK, TO FEEL WORTHY OF BEING PAID, AND MUCH TO MY LIKING, MY FELLOW WRITERS AND FOLLOWERS, HAVE HELPED ME TO REALIZE THAT I HAVE A TALENT IN MY WRITING, and ACTUALLY MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME PART TIME MONEY, DOING WHAT I LOVE!! YOU CANNOT ASK FOR BETTER THAN THAT!! But agree that, IF YOU ARE DOING THIS FOR STRICTLY THE MONETIZATION OF IT, YOU CAN MOST DEFINITELY, BE PREPARED FOR A LETDOWN!! So, I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS ARTICLE, FOR ITS HONESTY, AND STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS, BECAUSE ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR MEDIUM, NEEDS TO KNOW THE TRUTH, AND NOT TO SEEM RUDE OR ANYTHING, but I TRY MY HARDEST TO BE A POSITIVE PERSON, AND JUST GET REALLY FRUSTRATED SOMETIMES, AT ALL THE “DEBBIE/DONNIE DOWNERS OUT THERE, WHO WANT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MEDIUM ALL THE TIME!! WHEN, IF THEY WOULD TAKE THE SAME EFFORT THEY PUT INTO WRITING NEGATIVE COMMENTS, AND USE IT FOR POSITIVE WRITING, THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY BE SURPRISED, AT THE CASH THEY COULD MAKE ON THE SIDE!! USE THAT INTESTINAL FORTITUDE IN YOUR WRITING, and YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED WHERE IT TAKES YOU!! GREAT READ, GOOD JOB!! HAPPY WRITING!!
That’s great to hear! And, I completely agree with you. It’s easy to focus on money, but the importance of feeling safe while doing something you love can’t be understated! 🙂🙌
This is a very informative and timely article. Medium has recently been under attack by bots randomly posting nonsense comments and low quality article. I decided to create a Substack (Generative AI Publication) newsletter to diversify.
As for the Boost program, you need to manage your expectations. Medium’s curation team has only 20% acceptance rate on average.
Before Medium made huge changes that caused the downfall of earnings, I was happily making around $2,500-$3,500 a month. Today, I'm lucky to even hit $1,000.
The only reason why I stayed on Medium is because of the networking opportunity. I have made partnership with brands and startups to promote their products and tools. This is where I make a bigger chunk of my monthly earnings.
You are right to say that writing on Medium is not a full-time job, it's an investment.
Thanks! And, I completely agree with you on all accounts — particularly regarding Boosting. I no longer focus on it and I haven’t found Boosted articles to substantially boost earnings (pardon the pun).
I think diversifying with Substack is a really smart move. 🙂🙌
This was a really informative and well written piece, I'm glad I found it. I've been writing on Medium now for about 9 months, and Substack for 2, and have been wondering what the full ordeal is with writing online. Some advocate both, some just one over the other. Seeing a proper breakdown from someone who is positive about the platform also makes a lot of difference in encouraging new writers.
I totally agree. I'm also currently looking into more strategies for earning through donations and affiliate links -- for writers who aren't eligible to join the Partner Program. I appreciate you! 🙏
Agree Medium is a place for networking and branching out. If i did not write on medium, i do not think i would have had the confidence to write anywhere else, and of course I would not have met you! You inspire me to push and be better, and your clear analysis of what is happening in the writing world always is refreshing.
Yes! It's such a great point. Gaining confidence as a writer is so important, especially when you're first starting out. And, I feel the same way. I feel like I belong to a nice little community of writers now. 🙂🙏
I agree with this. I started writing on Medium last week and it’s giving me the confidence to post online. I tried on Twitter in the past and I always had so much anxiety around posting.
I’ve heard from successful content creators in the past that the best platform to use is the one that creates the least amount of friction for you to get started and be consistent. For me, that’s Medium.
Yes! I think that’s exactly right. I’m glad Medium is allowing you to take that important first step. 🙂🙌
well said Hudson and well synthesized. I’ve grown weary of the complaining about Medium (or [enter platform here] bashing).
Change is a constant in the universe. As learned by Napster, Blockbuster, and others. We change, platforms change. Adapt. ;)
Thanks! And, I totally agree. Change is one of the only constants of life. 🙂🙌
This is one of the best objective articles I've seen about Medium.
Awesome! 🙂🙏
I agree with this. It’s really helpful to hav an informational opinion on the topic 🙏🏽
Hi! I started writing on Medium around 2019, but dropped it because I was doing my master's degree. After a long time, I am now seeking new directions and I returned to writing there. I have been steadily been gaining followers every day just publishing 1-2 articles per week.
As a professor frustrated with the disinterest of my students, I value that greatly. There are people who actually set time aside to reas my thoughts and even comment on them. I am not too concerned with the earnings, I am using it as a place to expose my ideas and gain a following.
My thought align with the ideas you write here. I am building a different life for myself and writing online, especially on Medium, is an important part of that journey.
I love this. It's exactly what Medium was created for. Wishing you all the best on your journey! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. 🙂🙌
Write for yourself and it will never be a waste of time…
Well said. 😎🙌
Hello! This related to Medium. (Do come see me at https://medium.com/@ma_murphy_58). : )
As someone considering making more of a time investment towards earning a nominal amount of income on the platform, I am frankly concerned about the periodic spate of days in which a group of writers (some of whom I know and respect) all report being abruptly disconnected from the Partnership Program. What concerns me most is the penumbra of mystery around this. It is a bad sign when a writer feels the need to throw out feelers to other site users to try to get an idea of WHY they have been ousted. Technical glitch? Suspicion of AI involvement? Problem with Stripe?
It is bad enough to deal with the epidemic of ghosting in the traditional job market in 2024, ranging from silence after multiple interviews, to finding out that the job posting itself is a ghost and there is no "there there".
Given people are investing at least a small amount of their own money to be on Medium (with "Friend of Medium" status encouraged for yet more out of a limited budget), I think the process of removing someone from access to profit should be transparent and not a shock to the writer.
Ah, that's too bad. 🥲 And, I totally agree. I think transparency is always the way to go. If you haven't already, you could try reaching out to Medium's help desk. In my experience, they always respond and are generally quite helpful.
You can submit a support request, here: https://help.medium.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
I hope that helps! 🙂🙌
Thanks! I am just now signing up for the Partnership Program but will keep the contact info. Appreciate it. : )
Sounds good! It's always helpful to have on hand.
Thanks for the mention Hudson
Of course! I always enjoy watching your Medium update videos. 🙂🙌
Good writing ABOUT WRITING, Hudson. Getting exposure seems to be the best predictable pay Medium offers me. Even if I can't estimate how much cash I'll earn, I know that my "street cred" grows monthly. I won't be "Tom WHO?" forever.
Thanks! And, haha, I totally agree. Money is important but "street cred" is criminally underrated. 😎💪
Nice article.
Sadly Medium is not what it used to be - by a long shot. I was a 10 X top writer on the platform with 7000 followers up until April 2023 when they kicked me out because I complained multiple times that I'd been shadow banned since the new (very rude and aggresssive) CEO took over.
I'm a nutritionist,health coach, wellness and healthy living practioner who's been follwing the ket diet for 10 years. Thus, I write a lot about health, food, fitness, and especially benefits of eating meat opposed to veganism.
King Stubblebine, apparently didn't approve of my content and since December 2023 my earnings started to rapdily tumble from $3500 per month to $500 in April!
I asked why many times as my content was only getting better, but I received the standard customer service reply (nothing).
It soon became apparant that most of my followers were not seeing my new stories as I had slowly been throttled out of the algorythm.
So much for Medium and giving a crap about it's writers. I invested 90% of my time and energy into Medium for 2.5 years to get to where I was, then had the rug pulled from me for no reason.
I'd highly recommend being very, very careful with that platform as long as the current CEO is in control. Hopefully, it will improve again one day, but for now my advice to any new writers is to not waste your time!
Rob
That's great insight! 🙏 Although, I'm sorry to hear about your drop in earnings. 🥲 I definitely agree with you, I don't think Medium is a place to earn a full-time living for 99% of writers. It seems as though it's best suited for beginners and those looking to develop their writing skills while earning a side income.
I try not to be too critical because I'm sure there are a lot of moving parts, but I do wish Medium's leadership would just pick a direction and stick to it. There have been far too many changes for my liking in the past few years. 🤷♂️
oh! This is so scary
Great update, Hudson. Needed to see this spelled out. I’ve been posting on Medium since 2016, and ridden all those waves of change. Your assessment resonates 100%. Hoping you’ll be seeing more of me there .. and here on Substack too .. more networking, more options .. all good!
Thanks! Yes, I've been more active on here lately and I'm really enjoying it. 🙂🙌
A-MEN!!
I REALLY LOVE THIS PIECE, and AGREE WITH EVERYTHING SAID!! I HAVE ALSO SEEN SO MANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT MEDIUM, AND I STARTED AS A NEWBIE IN 2021, and THE SCARIEST THING FOR ME TO DO, WAS TO HIT THAT “PUBLISH” BUTTON!! Lol, IT REALLY WAS!! I WAS SCARED TO DEATH, OF GETTING BARRAGED WITH HATERS, CRITISIZING MY WRITING, BUT INSTEAD, WAS MET WITH SUCH SUPPORT AND GREAT ADVICE, AND NOW I AM SO MUCH MORE CONFIDENT IN MY WRITING, BUT ALWAYS LEARNING AND WELCOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!! I DID NOT START WRITING FOR MONEY!! IN FACT, I JUST SET UP MY STRIPE ACCOUNT LAST WEEK!! lol, and, OF COURSE, IT WOULD BE NICE TO GET PAID FOR MY WORK!! But I WANTED TO FEEL LIKE I HAD PUT IN THE TIME AND WORK, TO FEEL WORTHY OF BEING PAID, AND MUCH TO MY LIKING, MY FELLOW WRITERS AND FOLLOWERS, HAVE HELPED ME TO REALIZE THAT I HAVE A TALENT IN MY WRITING, and ACTUALLY MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME PART TIME MONEY, DOING WHAT I LOVE!! YOU CANNOT ASK FOR BETTER THAN THAT!! But agree that, IF YOU ARE DOING THIS FOR STRICTLY THE MONETIZATION OF IT, YOU CAN MOST DEFINITELY, BE PREPARED FOR A LETDOWN!! So, I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS ARTICLE, FOR ITS HONESTY, AND STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS, BECAUSE ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR MEDIUM, NEEDS TO KNOW THE TRUTH, AND NOT TO SEEM RUDE OR ANYTHING, but I TRY MY HARDEST TO BE A POSITIVE PERSON, AND JUST GET REALLY FRUSTRATED SOMETIMES, AT ALL THE “DEBBIE/DONNIE DOWNERS OUT THERE, WHO WANT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MEDIUM ALL THE TIME!! WHEN, IF THEY WOULD TAKE THE SAME EFFORT THEY PUT INTO WRITING NEGATIVE COMMENTS, AND USE IT FOR POSITIVE WRITING, THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY BE SURPRISED, AT THE CASH THEY COULD MAKE ON THE SIDE!! USE THAT INTESTINAL FORTITUDE IN YOUR WRITING, and YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED WHERE IT TAKES YOU!! GREAT READ, GOOD JOB!! HAPPY WRITING!!
That’s great to hear! And, I completely agree with you. It’s easy to focus on money, but the importance of feeling safe while doing something you love can’t be understated! 🙂🙌
This is a very informative and timely article. Medium has recently been under attack by bots randomly posting nonsense comments and low quality article. I decided to create a Substack (Generative AI Publication) newsletter to diversify.
As for the Boost program, you need to manage your expectations. Medium’s curation team has only 20% acceptance rate on average.
Before Medium made huge changes that caused the downfall of earnings, I was happily making around $2,500-$3,500 a month. Today, I'm lucky to even hit $1,000.
The only reason why I stayed on Medium is because of the networking opportunity. I have made partnership with brands and startups to promote their products and tools. This is where I make a bigger chunk of my monthly earnings.
You are right to say that writing on Medium is not a full-time job, it's an investment.
Thanks! And, I completely agree with you on all accounts — particularly regarding Boosting. I no longer focus on it and I haven’t found Boosted articles to substantially boost earnings (pardon the pun).
I think diversifying with Substack is a really smart move. 🙂🙌
I totally agree with your verdict on this.
😃🙌
This was a really informative and well written piece, I'm glad I found it. I've been writing on Medium now for about 9 months, and Substack for 2, and have been wondering what the full ordeal is with writing online. Some advocate both, some just one over the other. Seeing a proper breakdown from someone who is positive about the platform also makes a lot of difference in encouraging new writers.
Appreciate the insight!
Nice! That's great to hear. 🙂🙌
This is in-depth detail about Medium. Thanks for sharing.
As of now, I will continue writing because I need to practice more in public, get better.
You're welcome! And, I think that's a great way to look at Medium. Even if you're not earning a lot, the experience is extremely valuable. 🙂🙌
I am from India and medium is still not paying writers here.
But it is a great platform to learn.
Thanks hudson for your advices.
Following you on YouTube too.
I totally agree. I'm also currently looking into more strategies for earning through donations and affiliate links -- for writers who aren't eligible to join the Partner Program. I appreciate you! 🙏