Why Medium Pays You Less Than You’re Worth
And what you can do about it
Anyone who’s been paying attention will know that people are complaining about low pay on Medium, arguing that they don’t earn enough money and that Medium doesn’t pay them what they’re worth. This may be true. But Medium isn’t designed to guarantee you a decent income.
It’s not like a magazine, where I approach the editor and offer them a story for a £200 fee before I start writing. It’s just a blog.
Furthermore, it’s not Medium’s directors but the members, the readers, who decide who gets paid and how much because we all earn from members’ reading time. And the number of visitors to the site has fallen dramatically in two years, which is bound to have affected writers’ incomes over this time.
The key is to write compelling stories that members want to read — and to keep it interesting, right to the end.
Of course, the Medium algorithm plays a role in how much your story is shown to readers, and people with a lot of engaged followers will do better than those just getting started, but that’s why Medium is a long game and success comes to those who persevere. Don’t try it for a month and then quit, because it takes time to gain an audience.
It’s not an easy way to make a fast buck
The new CEO, Tony, admits that Medium is not an easy way to make money. If all you want is money, you’d do better to get a job in your local supermarket because at least you’ll be guaranteed the minimum wage.
Why have some writers’ incomes from Medium fallen in recent years? It might be partly because the world isn’t in lockdown anymore, and two-thirds of the traffic that was here at the peak of the pandemic has gone away.
It also has something to do with changes to the algorithm that were designed to level the playing field and make Medium fairer for everyone.
I’ve been told I should be ashamed of myself for having this view…
But I’m not going to apologise. A lot of relatively new writers have done well on Medium in recent months, despite the downturn for some of the more established writers. That’s inspiring. Times are changing and we all need to adapt.
Medium didn’t promise you anything, and ultimately, it’s the readers that pay you, not the Medium board — so engage with the readers, and you’ll have as much opportunity to do well on Medium as anyone else.
And if writing on Medium and receiving low pay is making you unhappy, quit, because no one is forcing you to write. Many of us write because we love it. The money is important, but we’d rather take a low rate from Medium than spend that time working elsewhere.
Kristina God’s story about why Medium Doesn’t pay you what you’re worth summed it up nicely…
If you’re frustrated, go get a job
Yes, Medium doesn’t pay you what you’re worth.
No, Medium does not pay. Their customers do.
The harsh truth: You have an audience to sustain you — or not.
Medium pays more than some other platforms!
Medium enables writers to test their ideas and experiment with a ready audience. You get paid for blogging — and for those of us who wrote on Blogger for free for years, that’s amazing!
Medium offers new writers a great opportunity. It pays a lot better than Vocal Media or Simily for most people! But some people earn more on Newsbreak, so you could try that, if you’re unhappy here.
Tips for success
If you’re keen to persevere on Medium but disappointed by low earnings, follow some of these tips — they might improve your success rate…
- Consider your headlines. If a headline tells the reader nothing about the story, they probably won’t click. If it’s not compelling or intriguing, they may not click.
- Make sure the opening paragraphs are good, so they draw readers into your story, longing to know more.
- Give your readers value by passing on wisdom and knowledge or just by being entertaining.
- Write relatable content because people love the stuff they can relate to.
- Take time to write your stories and make them good as possible.
- Don’t skip proofreading.
- Persevere — because quitters don’t succeed.
- Publish regularly — it doesn’t have to be every day. I know that’s exhausting, but turn up regularly, comment, engage, and post something new at least once or twice a week.
- Don’t ignore people who comment on your stories. They’re your readers. They’re the people who pay you. Reply to them.
- Good luck!
More from me…
