Do You Have to Pay the Medium Membership to Earn Money?

It depends on your strategy.

When I started on Medium, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of paying the membership. I wasn’t a reader of the platform, and all I wanted was to write and earn money.

I started by writing some articles, and they were… bad.

Okay, maybe I’m too harsh on myself — we all start somewhere. But I had no idea what I was doing. For the first months, I focused on writing. And, to be honest, I earned some decent money.

So the short answer is:

No, you don’t have to pay to earn money.

Technically, you can apply to the Medium Partner Program without being a member. So you can write and earn money like any other big writer on Medium.

I started writing in July 2020 and only bought the membership after January. Here are my earnings during this time:

Although my earnings fluctuate a lot, $700 is nothing to complain about. Most of these earnings were because of one viral article in September.

So yes, you can earn some money without paying the membership. However, there’s a catch.

You have to pay to earn more.

If you want to earn around $700 forever, you don’t have to pay the membership. But Medium can give you more. The top writers make 4 or 5 digits consistently, and that’s my end goal.

The key to any platform is to understand your audience. The same content will perform differently on each platform.

Medium readers have specific preferences for niches and writing styles.

Yes, you can educate your audience and create content as you like without following the platform's rules. But this strategy takes a tremendous amount of effort, time, and patience.

The top-earning writers have learned how to use Medium properly. And guess what? They all pay the membership, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The membership gives you access to a lot of information that will take you to the next level.

Here’s how the membership will increase your earnings:

Study the top writers.

The fastest way to learn what works on Medium is to read the top writers. They became top writers for a reason. So read their best-performing articles, study their writing style and their posting frequency. Take notes and write down why you think that article performed well.

It doesn’t mean you should imitate top writers — on the contrary, the only way to stand out is by creating unique content.

Still, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The top writers have valuable lessons on what performs well on Medium. Luckily for you, they often write about it, so it gets easier to learn from them.

However, if you want to study other writers, you need access to their work. And, to read their work, you have to pay for the membership — the three free articles per month won’t give you enough material to learn.

The power of publications.

Publications are the best way to boost your views — and earnings. When you publish your article in a publication, its followers will see your article even if they don’t follow you.

Here are some benefits of writing for publications:

• Reach a specific audience that’s interested in your niche.
• Work with editors who will help you improve your work.
• Publications are a quality stamp for your article.

However, the best publications have high standards, and beginners may have trouble publishing with them.

If you want to be accepted by large publications, you have to read their articles. When you’re familiar with what editors are looking for, you can write specifically for the publication — and increase your chances of getting published.

When you read articles from a publication, it helps you to get published.

And to read those articles, you have to pay for the membership.

After all, do you have to pay for the membership to earn money on Medium?

It depends on your goals.

Technically, you don’t have to pay to participate in the Medium Partner Program. So you can write and earn like any other writer. For my first months on Medium, I didn’t pay the membership and made an interesting amount of money.

However, if you’re interested in growing in the platform and increasing your earnings through the Medium Partner Program, paying the membership is the only way to achieve that. If you want to grow in any social media, you have to understand its rules — the same applies to Medium. The only to grow an audience is to read and understand what works.

For beginners, I’d recommend not paying the membership for the first few months. Take the time to experiment with the platform, develop the habit of writing, and find your niche. After this time, if you decide Medium is for you, then buy the membership and go all-in.

If you’re new to Medium, this course teaches you the strategy to achieve your first $1000. The course also includes access to a community of writers so we can exchange experiences and grow together.

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