Summary

The author reflects on the prevalence of articles about earning quick money on Medium, questioning the authenticity and originality of such content.

Abstract

The author, a new writer on Medium, shares their initial experience with the platform, noting the overwhelming number of stories focused on earning significant income quickly through writing on the site. While acknowledging the potential benefits of these articles for full-time writers, the author points out the repetitive nature of the advice given, often by the same authors, and questions the effectiveness of these strategies since the same advice continues to circulate. Despite the temptation to follow suit for financial gain, the author decides to focus on writing about topics they are passionate about, rather than chasing the financial success that seems to dominate the platform.

Opinions

The author is initially surprised by the abundance of income-focused articles on Medium.
They express skepticism about the originality and value of these articles, noting that many are similar and seem to be written with the primary goal of making money rather than providing unique content.
The author recognizes the potential financial benefits of writing such articles but chooses to prioritize personal interest and enjoyment in their writing over the pursuit of quick earnings.
They question why readers continue to engage with these articles when the promised methods do not seem to lead to widespread financial success among followers.
The author acknowledges their privilege in not relying on Medium for income, which allows them the freedom to write on topics of interest without financial pressure.
They invite readers to share their experiences with following money-making tips on Medium and whether those strategies have been successful.

Are We Really Going To Read Another “How I Earned $2000 In A Month” Story?!

The never ending stream of articles instructing users how to quickly earn thousands.

So, I’ve been on Medium for one week. I published one article on my first day here and have started writing more regularly over the past few days.

Initially, I didn’t know anything about the site as a writer. I’ve been a reader here for nearly a year, but hadn’t ventured into writing on the platform.

I didn’t how to use the site effectively, I didn’t realise that it seems to be predominantly US-based readers on the site, I didn’t know what content works and what doesn’t. I just went for it.

After I self-published my first story, I began to explore the site further. I was reading others’ stories constantly, exploring publications, collating ideas for future stories, and getting used to the site.

All makes sense, nothing particularly unusual here, right?

A few days in though, I began to realise there was a constant stream/fountain/tsunami of writers publishing stories about how to earn a significant amount of money quickly on Medium.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this and it’s great people have managed to use this site to provide themselves with an extra income, particularly if writing is their full-time job.

But to me, this just seemed really odd. It began to feel as though Medium writers were all competing to earn the most. That we’d all inadvertently entered into an income-based writing competition.

It wasn’t what I was expecting, I’m not going to lie. I’m also not going to pretend that I haven’t read a lot of them to try and get hints and tips.

At the end of the day, who’s going to make an effort to avoid making further monetary use of a platform they’re already using?

But as I began to come across more and more of these stories, one thing was obvious. They are pretty much all copycats of each other.

Writers were publishing stories on how to make money, in order to make money. “Money-ception” you could say.

It didn’t stop there though. Oh no.

I soon started seeing the same handful of people publishing near-identical stories daily. Identical in a sense that the content of their stories was identical to each other, as well as their own prior content.

I clocked as to what was happening.

Long-form and short-form stories were being published.

I don’t intend for this to come across as bitter, because I’m not. It just surprises me that the rest of the Medium community is still so avidly engaging with these articles. If the methods that are included in the articles really worked, then wouldn’t all the readers be rolling in money by now also?

We wouldn’t need the articles anymore.

But money talks.

This is the key point here, I’m sure. I’ve been mulling over this for the past week now.

I’m a student, living in reduced student accommodation. No children to take care of. No mouths to feed. No car to insure or put fuel in. No taxes to pay. No mortgage to deal with. I don’t have those financial responsibilities.

I have the luxury and privilege of using this platform and my writing as a potential money earner. It isn’t a necessity for me.

So I don’t blame people for following these hints and tips, needs must at the end of the day.

I am simply aware that I was so surprised by the huge success of these stories that seem to constantly be lurking around on the homepage, rather than stories that were popular due to their content or writing technique.

For me though, I’m going to carry on writing about the topics I enjoy and am interested in. If people enjoy them and I begin to earn money from them, then great. And if not, that’s fine as well.

Do you follow the hints and tips on how to earn money on Medium quickly? Is it working for you?

If you have any comments, feedback or would like to get in touch, please feel free to respond here or message me on, twitter.com/SaraAliUK