Stop Scratching Your Head! Medium Just Explained The June Bonus
The criteria for qualifying, bonus tiers, and amount of awarded writers
Two times in a row Medium rewarded me with a bonus for my engaging stories. In April I received the $500 and in May $50. And there are other inspiring writers on this wonderful platform such as Tom Handy or Rajesh Vairapandian Kristina Segarra Liv Mello and Joanna Henderson who received $50, $100 — or even got $500 (again).
Top 1,000 Writers in April
Medium explained that the stories of the ‘Top 1,000 writers’ in April made an impact, therefore they were rewarded with a ‘onetime bonus for high member engagement’.
Still, the second wave of bonuses left a lot of writers scratching their heads again.
There are three fundamental questions Medium just gave an answer to:
Question A: ‘What does ‘member engagement’ even mean?’
Answer to question A (from their mailing in May): In their initial mailing Ev Williams and his team explained it means ‘member reads, claps, and follows’.
Top 2,000 Writers in May
In my previous article from today, I wrote: ‘The $500 left many writers scratching their heads and writers had complained that they would have liked the bonus to be split.’
Instead of giving $500 to 1,000 people, they said it would be great if the bonus was split among many instead of just a few, which leads us to…
Question B: Why only 1,000 writers not more?
Answer to question B: Medium has expanded the bonus program. At this very moment, Medium sends me an email explaining their idea behind the second wave of bonuses and the previous one. Surprise: This month, they rewarded the Top 2,000!
More clarity on the criteria and bonus tiers
Question C: What are the criteria for qualifying for a bonus?
Answer to question C: ‘When we awarded bonuses in April, we heard from writers that the criteria for qualifying wasn’t clear. We listened, and for May, we simplified how we picked. Now, bonuses are based solely on the top writers in the Partner Program in a specific month.’
Partner Program Bonus Tiers — May 2021
Therefore, I’m one of the 1,501–2,000 ‘top Partner Program writers’ on this platform. Why me? Let me guess.
2x Top Writer
A few days ago Medium awarded me with a second top writer badge. I became a top writer on the topic ‘Feminism’.
These are the two top stories that made an impact according to Medium:
This story in the pub ‘The Motherload’ by Erin Hendriksen is the perfect blend of human interest, humor, and a slice of life. I think that’s why it belongs to my most successful stories so far with the highest amount of reads. Feel free to check it out!
This story is connected with the first one. It was published in the great pub Modern Parent where I am a Brand Ambassador.
My story is about Jordan Shapiro’s new book ‘Feminist Dad’. The New York Times bestselling author is a writer on Medium too. He saw my tweet and retweeted it. Additionally, he read my story, highlighted it and even clapped for it. Awesome!
There’s an important hint for future bonuses
There’s one more important hint I want to share with you:
‘Medium members are drawn to thought-provoking writing from a diverse array of voices. So remaining a top Partner Program writer, we recommend regularly publishing unique stories for members to explore, read, and love. Keep doing what you’re doing!’
Here’s the email for the skimmers:
