4 Months on Medium: A Review

66 stories, 650 followers, 17 publications and $1133 later, what do I think of the platform?

Yes, I am writing another story about Medium earnings and my thoughts on the platform as a writer.

Despite the sheer abundance of them around, I still think they are essential. Reading them helped me to find my feet here as a writer, and I think they provide important transparency for those thinking about joining the platform. I have spent four solid months on Medium, working on my writing, building my audience and experimenting with topic ideas.

It’s been a bumpy ride full of surprises. Back in August, I would never have predicted that I would be in this position or even still writing on the platform. But what can I say, I took the plunge and never looked back. Here is an overview of my four months on Medium — including my earnings and what I think of the platform as a new writer.

Thing’s I’ve Learnt

Getting into ‘Big’ Publications Doesn’t Equate to More Success

November was an excellent month for me — as I was accepted into two dream publications — The Writing Cooperative, and The Post-Graduate Survival Guide. I had been trying to get into these since I started writing on Medium, and was pretty chuffed with getting into them both.

I expected my views to go up (which they did) and possibly my earnings, but what I gained the most were followers. Surprisingly, my story in The Writing Cooperative (a publication with 222,000 followers) didn’t do amazingly in terms of earnings.

Sure, it’s one of my better stories, but not the best. To date, it has earned me $24 with 1.2K views. Similarly, my story in the PGSG was — you could say — a flop. It was written from the heart, so I was a bit miffed it wasn’t “successful”, but it was a piece I needed to write. The story only has 291 views to date and has made me $3.54.

Of course, getting into these publications was a dream come true in many ways, and I am so grateful that they accepted my work. But I guess I’m writing this to show you that it’s not always about getting into ‘big’ publications.

Instead, the quality of your writing and if you provide a reader with a hook can matter more. My most successful story so far is published in Books Are Our Superpower (a small publication) and has earned me $896 and continues to make money every month.

Sharing Your Articles on Social Media Will Not Earn You More Money

It took me a while to realise that external views count for nothing in terms of earnings. Sure, it’s good to share your writing on social media to spread the word, but the bottom line is if they’re not a paid Medium user than you won’t be making any money. I think sharing your work online is good — as it can even get you noticed by outside opportunities — but don’t expect any immediate gains from it. Sometimes it can be incredibly time-consuming. I started to share my articles on Instagram, which turns out to be challenging to do because you cannot share links in stories unless you have a certain amount of followers, and I generally find the platform a bit chunky to use.

However, you never know who may stumble across your work and reach out to you with other opportunities.

Being Active within the Medium Community is the Main way to Grow Your Audience

Medium writers seem torn between whether writing regularly or being active within the community brings you more followers. I think it is a combination of both — but if you are looking to form an audience here, the best thing you can do is to read, comment and clap for as many stories as you can.

I try to take time out every other day or so to write a meaningful comment on a story I’ve enjoyed or to follow a handful of new people. Chances are, if they like what they see, they’ll follow you back.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not just here to write, I’m here to read. I love reading on Medium, and I love giving back to the writers themselves, so being active within the community never feels like a chore — but it pays off when thinking about your follower count and working towards building an audience.

A Review of The Platform

As a new writer who is still trying to find their voice, there is no other better platform than Medium. With the sheer range of topics and publications to write for — there are no boundaries. Despite what people say, you don’t have to find your niche straight away — in fact, Medium even encourages you to write about a range of topics, and I like that.

I’ve seen a consistent increase in my earnings from Medium, which is, of course, a plus. I am ending November on $600 (£350 once tax and conversion to GBP have been taken into account) which was a surprise, but I did publish 20 stories this month, which is my most to date.

Most of them were a flop — and it was still my stories in Books Are Our Superpower that provided for most of my earnings. However, I’ve been able to get into some dream publications and write on a range of topics.

Writing on Medium has given me the accountability I needed to become a better writer. Every time I write something for Medium, I view it as an opportunity to grow and become a better writer. Because the platform rewards you for your efforts and the audience is generally very receptive — it gives me the incentive to write more, and better.

For writers who are just starting and want to carve their way into the online writing world — Medium is still the platform. With a little time, dedication and creativity — anything is possible here. I believe it’s a great place to start.

November Summary

• Stories written: 21
• Stories chosen for distribution: 12 (57%)
• New publications: In Fitness and in Health, 2 Minute Madness, The Writing Cooperative, The Post-Grad Survival Guide, Thoughts and Ideas
• Total earned $680 (£354, after-tax and conversion from USD)

So, that was my four-month Medium review. I know some people despise these kinds of posts, but I also know people who gain a lot from them and have personally told me they find value in them — so I will keep writing them.

As I approach the 6-month mark — I’m going to try and focus on my quality of writing, finding my voice that bit more and producing content with more honesty and creativity. I feel like I’ve established a good path — but now comes the tricky bit.

Thank you for reading.

Read more about my Medium journey: