What I Learned From Submitting to Publications That Pay $50–$300 Per Article

Is the grass really greener?

3 weeks ago, I took a creator break.

Basically, I took a break from social media to clear my to-do-but-never-done list.

At the top of the list, was to submit to paid publications outside of Medium.

The truth is, I’m happy with my current routine and I don’t love freelancing.

But lately, I’ve been curious as to how much I could make selling my articles on the open market. It’s human nature to peek over the fence to admire others’ greenery — so I thought, ‘Why not give it a shot?’

Here’s what I learned (and earned) from submitting to high-paying publications.

99.76% of writers want to make money writing online

Or at least know they need to.

One of the great challenges of life is balancing passion with paying the bills. So naturally, people who are passionate are writing would love nothing more than to get paid to do it.

Because of this, Medium has become a hotbed for money, writing, and freelancing advice. Namely, how to make money writing freelance.

I don’t love freelancing — but I’m no stranger to it.

I’ve written over 150 articles on Fiverr. And although I gained valuable experience, I don’t wish to return to the platform any time soon.

I love the freedom Medium offers – and the endless earning potential.

But after seeing so many Medium writers talking about making $50, $100, $200+ per article, I became curious.

How much could I earn if I sold my articles for a flat fee?

So, during my creator break, I decided to listen to the gurus and see what the internet had to offer.

I submitted articles to these 5 paying publications

Medium can feel like a crowded marketplace at times.

Pages of writers shouting out for your attention through catchy headlines and images– all offering top-grade advice.

But with only so much mental bandwidth, it’s hard to know who to give your attention to.

After following the advice of a few popular Medium writers (to dead ends), I decided to do my own research.

I found a collection of active websites that pay $50 – $300 (USD) per article.

After reading what felt like millions of submission guidelines, I ultimately decided to submit to these 5 publications:

1. YR Media: pays $100-$150 per post
2. #Fitness Goals: pays $50 per 700–800-word article
3. Inspire The Mind: pays $100 per 1,200-word article
4. Vibrant Life: pays $100–$300 per 600–700-word article
5. The Breakdown UK: pays $85 per 700–800-word article

Since I was embarking on an experiment of sorts, I wanted to keep the variables consistent. So, I pitched the same story draft to all 5 websites.

But more on that later.

The purpose of the experiment was simple

I’ve always been steadfast in my belief that Medium is the best platform for writers to share their work.

But, it’s only human to have doubts.

So, I embraced my curiosity, if for nothing else, to dispel it. I wanted to find the answer to these 2 questions:

1. Are my stories worth more on the public market?
2. Is submitting to paying publications a better use of my time?

I’ve been writing on Medium for 2 years and feel as though only now, am I starting to get the hang of article-writing.

Some of my stories have earned thousands. Others, pennies.

But a few months ago, something happened that changed the way I looked at online writing.

Out of the blue, I was approached by a private English school wanting to license a story of mine —at the time, it had earned a total of $3.

A dud.

After a few emails, I ended up selling non-exclusive rights to use the story for $250.

It made me think — maybe value isn’t universal. And the internet might have more to offer. If I could sell a dud for $250, imagine what my hits would go for.

So, with my newfound sense of confidence, I wrote and submitted what I thought was an equally valuable story to 5 high-paying publications.

Here’s what happened…

1. It was time-consuming

The first few submissions I sent out took forever to write — it felt like I was applying for a full-time job.

Much like Medium publications, each website had specific submission guidelines.

Many of the publications wanted links to my Twitter profile, portfolio, and multiple headline pitches. Some had lengthy Google forms to fill out as well.

2. Some websites only wanted pitches

In doing my research, I noticed that a lot of publications only wanted pitches — not pre-written articles.

Being that I had already written the story, this was easy. But it made me think about my writing process. Aspects of my stories often change as I write — especially headlines.

I could see myself pitching an idea and then feeling trapped, if it got accepted.

3. It took 5-Never days to hear back

In the submissions guidelines, all of the publications stated that writers should hear back within 3–5 business days.

3 weeks later and only 1 out of the 5 publications has responded — with a gentle, “No thank you.”

4. Most notably… no one liked my pitch

I spent 8+ hours researching and submitting my story to the 5 publications — not to mention the time I spent writing it.

Because I didn’t hear back from 80% of the websites, it’s hard to tell exactly what was responsible for the result.

So, to widdle down the possibilities, I decided to publish the article on Medium instead.

Here’s how much I earned from publishing the story myself

After being passed on or ignored by every publication I submitted to, I decided to test the story myself — to see if it was any good.

Here’s how the story is doing after 3 weeks:

Not bad – it was definitely worth the time it took to write it.

But not the time to pitch it.

So, was the grass greener?

It’s human nature to second-guess your path.

Selling a story for 83X its current revenue made me question all the effort I put into writing stories on Medium, only for them to flop.

But, after investing an entire day and coming up short, I realized it’s all relative. For me, the time it takes to submit to publications is better spent doing something I love — writing.

Although I didn’t get concrete answers to my questions, I’m deeming the experiment a success.

It helped me reaffirm that I’m on the right path.

The next time I put my heart and soul into an article only for it to fizzle out, I’ll think back to this experience.

For you, the right path might be freelancing – more importantly, it might be something you enjoy.

My final advice to any writers questioning their path, is to embrace your curiosity.

The grass isn’t always greener — but you won’t know until you take a look.

✍️ Start writing articles of your own.

👉 Here are my 12 favourite stock image websites (aside from Unsplash).