Angry Medium Writers Should Stop Moaning & Adapt
Unloved, underpaid, under-appreciated — oh dear
I recently came across a very angry Medium writer, who seems to think he’s underpaid, under-appreciated and the website owes him a decent wage for writing his angry rants about whatever he’s angry about.
I daren’t say anything, because I suspect he’d be angry at me too.
I’d heard about these people on Medium, but not seen it expressed with quite so much vitriol, until now. This guy cites his qualifications for why Medium should pay him properly for writing whatever the hell he wants.
Excuse me, but if you’re that much in demand, go and write for the New York Times or the Daily Telegraph, who will indeed pay you properly for writing what they want you to write. Not for writing whatever the hell you want. They certainly won’t pay you for writing about being angry about how underpaid you are. But Medium does, so there’s that.
I do understand — but we have to adapt
I may sound unsympathetic, but I do get it. Some people have seen their earnings fall through the floor and that’s not nice.
If writers have been here for years and used to earn a lot more from the platform, I can see how frustrating it must be to see that income slide with no obvious way of recovering it. But I also see people here earning relatively well for their efforts after less than a year in the club. That’s nice to see — and it’s motivating!
It is still possible to do well on Medium, but we have to adapt to the changes, and if you’re a professional writer and the money’s no longer meeting your expectations, maybe it’s time to go back to the traditional press or business clients and find more work there. Because we’ve all had to change and adapt in the last couple of years, through tough economic times.
Blogging vs journalism
I enjoy writing on Medium, and I’m becoming more successful as I persevere. Medium allows me to express opinions that the traditional press has no interest in. I enjoy experimenting with different pieces, and I can write personal anecdotes that no one in the paying media appreciates.
But for those who don’t share my appreciation, remember that writing whatever you want is not the same as freelance journalism.
As a freelance writer/journalist I might spend a week pitching ideas into the void before I get a paid commission. When I do get a commission, it’s often to write about something that’s actually quite hard work, not my favourite subject, and takes a lot of research and door knocking to get it done.
There are invariably obstacles and people I need to speak to, who aren’t always as cooperative or available to chat as I’d like them to be.
Medium is different
On Medium you don’t have the same barriers to entry and you don’t have to spend a week pitching ideas trying to find a buyer for your story. You just write your piece and watch it fly — or dive. That’s what you signed up for.
The thing that’s so great about Medium — the lack of restraint and the fact that you can write about anything — is also its weak point, because pay can be poor when an article performs badly. And that happens to the best of us.
When I see these rants — which seem highbrow and elitist sometimes — I’m left thinking that writers who moan that they want to be paid ‘properly’, should perhaps get a job as a staff writer, or pitch to magazines and newspapers. Or try Upwork!
Edward John wanted to be paid more, so he started writing for Upwork clients. He ended up writing about kitchens for an agreed rate and has since cultured relationships with clients on Upwork for repeat business. There’s inspiration for you. Respect to Edward for doing something about his frustrations when his Medium earnings fell short of his hopes and aspirations.
Moaning about Medium isn’t the solution
Don’t spend all your time on Medium moaning about how mistreated you are by the Medium Gods. One person wrote a series of articles moaning about Medium, each one responding to comments on his last rant, while repeating his grievances over and over again.
His rants got quite a lot of traction and they all showed up on my recommended feed over the course of a few days. None of them had anything of value to say and they all basically repeated the same gripes.
Some people seem to think Medium owes them a living… for moaning.
A blog is a blog, not a newspaper
I used to write on Blogger for free, to promote my books. My blogs helped sell a few copies of my books, but not many. Bloggers didn’t used to be paid for views — they relied on affiliate links, book sales and donations to make a few cents for their work. Medium broke the mould.
The crazy thing is though, these posts moaning about Medium seem to do well. So this chap is getting paid, probably more than me, for moaning about how ill-treated he is by the evil Medium bosses who are not treating us right.
My feeling is that if you don’t like it, change your approach, change your platform, or stop writing. No one is forcing you to do this. Give up. Go and work in the supermarket if you like — at least you’ll get the minimum wage.
Or I guess you could stay on Medium and moan, because with all the responses he’s getting, it seems a lot of people agree with him. They’re all underpaid and unloved. And those stories look like they’re earning a decent amount, so…
Perhaps I should write one too?
Or perhaps I should just be grateful that I wasn’t here enjoying the old days in 2019 before it all went horribly wrong, so I don’t feel bitter about the changes.
When it all went wrong
My impression is that it only went wrong back in 2019 for those people who were earning a small fortune and dominating the platform, to the detriment of newer writers trying to earn a modest crust.
My impression is that making it fairer for everyone, made it harder for some top writers, but it spread the benefits more evenly to everyone. It also made it easier for readers to find other writers they might like. That’s not so bad in my opinion.
Actually, I wish I had been here to share in the early successes of the platform, but I didn’t realise what Medium was until about a year ago. So I was late to the party. Despite that, I’m enjoying it. I spend time here that I used to waste on Twitter, but I’m being paid now. I’m happy with that.
Don’t be angry — revise your strategy
If you’re completely convinced that you’re underpaid that you’re angry about it, why not change your approach? Work for the traditional press and get gigs from Upwork if you like.
Use Medium for pleasure and consider payments a bonus. Write things that are easy to write and save the hard graft for the newspapers. Take your skills to better paying clients, because I understand that we all need to eat.
Figure out something different that works for you. But don’t be angry, because anger isn’t healthy. Saying that, if you want to write rants because they generate an income, well, I can’t entirely blame you. But I’d prefer you made changes to your circumstances so you’re happy and had nothing to rant about.
Here’s me, signing off another opinion that the traditional press wouldn’t give a care in the world about, but for which Medium pays me. Yey!
More from me…
