100 Stories Published on Medium — Stats, Earnings & Lessons…

It only took me 11 months to figure shit out.

I started with Medium in January 2023 when I went through the Ship 30 for 30 program.

11 months later, I finally feel like I’m figuring this shit out.

I’ve just published my 100th story, and I’d like to show you how many followers I gained, how much money I earned, and some lessons I learned along the way.

Followers (Jan 2023 — Nov 2023)

Here are the followers I’ve gained over the months:

I don’t think your number of followers is the most important metric. In fact, it’s probably the least important.

It’s nice to have people follow you, but what you need are fans who will read what you write.

That’s what makes an impact.

But, seeing the number of followers does give you an indication of whether your content is resonating and whether you’re making good progress.

I feel a bit behind since I’m not even at 1,000 followers almost a year in. But it took me almost that long to figure out the direction I wanted to go in.

If you know your niche and audience right away, you’ll have a much easier time at this.

Tip:

Follow other people, but don’t make it a free-for-all. Follow people that you’ll interact with and whose stories you enjoy reading.

Make sure to give them claps, highlights, and comments as much as possible. This helps them increase their earnings, and it helps you get your name out there.

Story Reads (Jan 2023 — Nov 2023)

In January, I was just getting started, but here’s my glorious chart for that month:

I published 18 stories in January, and I got one view.

One.

To be fair, this was during the Ship 30 for 30 program, and I was just pushing content out to Medium, without really knowing anything about it yet.

I’m pretty sure they aren’t tagged with topics, so they’re probably impossible to find.

Here’s what February looks like:

It’s looking a little better. 35 views is still not great, but it’s better than one!

Now let’s fast-forward to November (the current month at the time of this writing):

Things are starting to ramp up and there are a couple of reasons for this:

I’m publishing almost daily now.
I have a clearer direction.

Let’s talk about this.

1. Publishing (Almost) Daily

I have a lofty goal, which is to make at least $1,000 from the Medium Partner Program per month.

I understand that almost no one does this. That’s why it’s lofty.

At the same time, I don’t think most people even try.

I’m going to try.

Other people do it. Why can’t I?

Worst-case scenario? I’m making more than I’m making now.

It all started with these November Medium goals. My goal is to publish at least 3 short-form articles and at least 3 long-form articles per week.

So far, I’ve hit that goal — and then some.

Because I started getting momentum on followers, reads, and income, it pushed me to write even more.

Not only that, but ideas started pouring out of all my brain crevices! Every time I write an article, I get at least three more ideas. It’s a nice feeling!

It may not last, but I’m enjoying it while it does.

2. I finally figured out what to write about.

It took me from Jan 2023 to now, Nov 2023 to figure out my path.

For 10+ months, I was worried about my niche, what to write about, and who I was writing to. I wanted to quit so many times because I didn’t have any clarity.

One day, my husband said, “You’re not passionate about this. You should get a job instead.” That created so much conflict internally, and I asked God/the universe/my higher self (anyone who would listen!) for help in providing me with some direction.

I’ll save that story for another article. But to sum it up, there were a couple of key things that happened at once that led me to what I was looking for.

Hallelujah.

Earnings (Jan 2023 — Nov 2023)

I’m still far, far off from my goal of at least $1,000 a month on Medium, but I feel like I’m finally making progress.

My highest-earning month before November was in September. I made a whopping $8.50. You can’t even buy a pizza with that!

So this month is looking much, much better.

I had a mini goal in mind of making an extra $50 in a month, and I’m happy I hit that. Most of it came from this one article:

Next month, I’ll make another goal of at least $100 extra. And then I’ll keep going from there until I hit my main goal of $1,000. You’ll have to follow along to see if I accomplish this!

The Lessons I Learned Publishing 100 Stories on Medium

Here are 10 key things I’ve learned by publishing 100 stories:

It’s helpful if you already know the topic/niche/audience you want to focus on before you start writing.
But if you don’t know exactly what you want to write about, that’s fine too. It’s not the end of the world. You’ll figure it out eventually.
Write and write and then write some more. Two reasons: practice & clarity about your topic/niche.
Wondering where ideas for articles come from? Once you have clarity, you’ll get a flood of them! They’ll be oozing out of your brain holes. (How’s that for a description?)
I’m not always a fan of publications, but I do wish I figured them out a little earlier. Getting in publications from the start would have been helpful.
Be patient. It sucks, but patience is a virtue for a reason.
Support other writers. It’s good for them, and it’s good for you.
Avoid reading too many complaining posts. There are a lot of them, especially when it comes to the partner program. It’s fine to read things to see what’s going on but avoid the whiniest ones. They’ll just make you feel like you’re wasting your time.
Avoid the negative comments. Same type of thing. People love to complain and your mind will want to drag you down with them.
Enjoy yourself. Don’t be so serious. We’re just typing some words on a screen.

Related:

I Earned My First Medium Payment! Here are 3 Lessons I Learned

Be proud of your payment, no matter how big or small.

medium.com

Final Thoughts

When I started writing on Medium in January, I had no idea what to expect. Now 100 articles in, I can safely say I am hooked.

But there’s a lot left to learn and plenty of room for improvement. I’m looking forward to getting as good as I can at mastering this craft.

While there may be ups and downs ahead, I’m ready to enjoy the ride! I hope you’ll follow along and see if I can make it to $1000 in a month.

About the Author

Hey! I’m Christina, an introverted book nerd on the outside and a raging metalhead on the inside. 🤘 I’m a married mom to two teenagers (and 3 cats and a dog). I love Vegas 🎰, the band Chevelle 🎸, and murder mysteries 📖.

I also love creating short, daily lists of resources and ideas to help you boost your online income. 👈 Click that astonishingly long link to sign up for free.