4 Things I Didn’t Do To Become a Top Medium Writer

I’ve been writing on Medium for almost half a decade, have failed for the first two years, decided to go all-in on my writing in 2020, and have made over $150,000 through the Partner Program in the last two years.

I’ve spent thousands of hours reading and writing here, have grown a fantastic community of Medium writers, and supported hundreds of aspiring writers to start and scale their online writing business.

Some people get skeptical when I tell them I’m only 24 years old, but the truth is, I’ve not spent as much time on anything else in my life as I did on figuring out how to write online.

I was lucky to find my passion early in life, and I feel even luckier for being able to make an income doing what I love and empowering new writers to turn their words into a paycheck as well.

My journey on Medium has taught me to be disciplined, patient, and resilient, but it also taught me how quickly rumors and lies could spread within a community.

I’ve seen brilliant writers who failed to monetize their work because they couldn’t figure out how the platform actually works.

I’ve seen established writers with large audiences copying their peer’s work word by word.

And I’ve seen writers who’ve grown their audiences by copying scripts of YouTube videos.

Medium is for sure not perfect. It comes with flaws just like any other platform, but I haven’t seen a better opportunity for beginners to grow and monetize their work so easily.

I don’t know if I would be writing online if it wasn’t for Medium.

I’ve grown an audience of 50k followers, generated millions of views, and have built a multiple six-figure business thanks to my writing on Medium.

If you’re new here, you might be drowning in advice on how to succeed. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my journey, it’s that most of that “free advice” won’t help.

Here’s what I didn’t have to do to become one of the most-read writers on the platform:

Stop tracking ridiculous stats

I see them all the time: Conversations about small numbers that lead to false assumptions about what works and what doesn’t.

“My self-published article got 7 more views than my post in a publication — publications don’t work!”

“My curated article has fewer views than one of my non-curated articles — curation doesn’t matter!”

“My posts about writing get more views than any other pieces — the secret to succeeding on Medium must be writing about writing!”

Here’s the truth: Analyzing your stats and the performance of your stories doesn’t make much sense if you don’t have much data to analyze in the first place.

You can’t draw meaningful conclusions if your posts aren’t getting many views yet because the data won’t be accurate and representative.

If I have dozens of stories with a few hundred views and others with 10,000 views, it might make sense to analyze the similarities and differences to determine why certain posts performed better than others.

But there’s no point in comparing a story with 79 views to a story with 103 views because the differences will mostly be based on random factors you can’t control anyway.

The same is true for curation and publications: Just because one non-curated, self-published post got a few more views than one of your curated pieces in a publication doesn’t mean self-publishing is better, and curation doesn’t matter.

After publishing over 550 posts on Medium, I can promise that publications and curation matter — a lot.

Don’t get crazy about data when you’re still at the beginning of your journey.

If you really want to analyze differences, take a look at the work and results of established writers.

Don’t waste time getting crazy about numbers and data you can’t even fully control. Instead, focus on becoming a better writer and serving your audience.

This isn’t how you grow your following

Following random profiles and hoping they’ll follow you back is not a great way to grow your audience.

This might sound obvious, but unfortunately, it isn’t because there are writers with large audiences who encourage beginners to follow this “strategy”.

But here’s the truth: Follow-for-follow is the worst way to grow your audience.

Yes, you need 100 followers to join the Medium Partner Program, but you could theoretically have thousands of followers and not make much money if nobody’s engaging with your content.

As a Medium writer, you’re only getting paid if readers spend time consuming your stories.

Most “fake” followers who only follow you back because you’ve followed them first have zero interest in your stories.

And what’s the point of having thousands of followers who don’t even care about your work?

Instead of wasting your time on such a dumb task, spend a few minutes each day understanding the dynamics of the platform and learning how to craft compelling stories.

Sign up for my free course on how to become a top Medium writer, study the writing tips of pro bloggers like my friend Ayodeji Awosika, or binge-watch fantastic videos on how to become a better writer by Zulie Rane.

There are so many things you can do that will be a better investment in your writing career than following random accounts — just don’t do it.

Stop chasing trends — become irreplaceable instead

I know writing stories about trending topics is tempting and exciting because I did it myself, but hear me out: In most cases, it’s not worth it.

A recent example is Will Smith’s famous slap at the Oscars: Ever since it happened, I’ve seen dozens of posts on my feed arguing why Smith is right, wrong, guilty, or innocent.

Thousands of stories have been written and published — mostly by writers who don’t even care about Smith, the slap, or the Oscars.

The same is true for the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and any other major trend or exciting news people are curious about.

Here’s a harsh truth most people don’t like to accept: You don’t need to have an opinion about everything going on in the world. And what’s more important is that you don’t need to display your opinion publicly.

There’s a false belief among Medium writers that a trending topic could lead to more views — and that’s exactly why it doesn’t work: Most readers aren’t interested in reading stories by writers they don’t trust. This is particularly true when the topic is new and unknown.

To build an audience, you first need to build trust. And guess what? You don’t build trust by chasing trends.

You build trust by staying true to yourself, showing up consistently, and delivering high-quality content on repeat.

I’m not here to blame you for chasing trending topics. I’m here to give you a shortcut: The most effective way to build a loyal audience of readers who truly appreciate your work is by sticking to a few core topics and consistently delivering fresh, valuable insights.

I didn’t expect Medium to work for me

I joined Medium knowing that you could make money by publishing articles — and I was excited to explore the opportunity because it was the first time I had ever tried to make money online.

However, I didn’t expect it to work.

In my first month, I made $17.65.

In the second month, I made $77.70.

Next, I made $47.07.

Two years and 150+ published posts later, I had made less than $1,500 — in total.

I knew other writers were making five figures per month — and, of course, I would’ve loved to make more money myself, but I didn’t expect to. I was patient and determined, and I kept going.

Less than a year after deciding to go all-in on Medium, I’ve made over $10,000 through the Medium Partner Program in a single month.

I’ve built a community of almost 10k online writers thanks to Medium.

I’ve generated over 30k email subscribers through Medium.

I’ve been featured in major publications like Business Insider thanks to Medium.

I’m incredibly grateful for all the doors Medium opened for me, yet I didn’t expect any of that to happen. I didn’t even know all these things were possible. And most importantly, I don’t expect it to last.

If Medium disappeared tomorrow, I wouldn’t regret a second I’ve spent here. I’d just take the lessons I learned and move on.

Like anyone else, I have no idea what the platform’s future will look like. But I also don’t care because I’ve built an email list with tens of thousands of subscribers, which helps me be independent.

The only thing that matters to me is that Medium is here right now.

And as long as it exists, I’ll keep giving my best to serve my readers. As Gary Vee once said:

“We have to start looking at these platforms like shows, not like channels.”

I encourage you to look at Medium as your show.

Make the most out of it without expectations or worries. Focus on the value you can provide and keep showing up without working yourself to death.

Medium doesn’t owe you a penny — no matter how hard you try and how much you write.

Stop looking at Medium as your employer and start using it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Last but not least: Follow your heart

Writing online has led to my greatest opportunities and accomplishments, yet, it also led to challenges I’ve never expected.

The harder I tried to “succeed” with my first few posts, the more I failed.

Yet, a little voice in my head has kept me going and writing.

Medium enabled me to find my purpose, build my dream business, make money doing what I love, and meet wonderful people from all over the globe.

I don’t know if writing on Medium is the right thing to do for you, but if you feel like it could be, I want to encourage you to keep going.

Brand new to Medium and don’t know where to start? Download my free Beginner’s Guide.

Want to learn how to become a better writer and grow your audience? Sign up for my free email course.