avatarAigner Loren Wilson

Summary

The article provides a comprehensive guide on how to earn over $100 on Medium within the first two months by focusing on content strategy, platform engagement, and sustainable writing habits.

Abstract

The web content outlines a strategic approach for new writers on Medium to earn money and build a following. It emphasizes the importance of preparing a backlog of stories, engaging with the community, and mastering writing and SEO skills before starting to publish. The guide advises writers to select closely related niches, study popular content, and maintain a consistent publishing schedule without the pressure of daily writing. It highlights the significance of evergreen content, interaction with readers, and the utilization of Medium's features to maximize earnings. The article also shares personal anecdotes and weekly breakdowns from the author's own journey to $100 a day, demonstrating that success on Medium can be achieved through a mix of quality content creation, strategic sharing, and active participation in the platform's community.

Opinions

  • The author believes that writing and publishing every day is not sustainable for most writers and can lead to burnout.
  • It is suggested that spending time reading, studying, and interacting on Medium is as crucial as writing for achieving financial success on the platform.
  • The article conveys the opinion that a backlog of content allows for more flexibility and strategic publishing, which is key to long-term success.
  • Quality evergreen content is considered more valuable than daily posting, as it continues to generate engagement and income over time.
  • The author stresses the importance of learning Medium's rules and guidelines to become a trusted and recognized writer within the community.
  • Engaging with other writers and readers by following, interacting, and building a newsletter group is seen as essential for building a loyal audience.
  • The author advocates for experimenting with writing processes and styles to find what works best for the individual, rather than adhering to a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • The guide suggests that taking time off from writing is necessary for both personal well-being and creative productivity.

Earn Money on Medium-How to Make Over $100 Your Second Month

The sustainable guide to earning money and a following on Medium.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

I’ve written pretty extensively about the subject of making money on Medium. So extensively that I’ve decided to collect all of those articles and insights into one easy 5-min package for beginners or newbie writers on Medium.

Before I lay out more detailed articles, I’ll bullet point everything up front.

And nope, nowhere in here does it say you have to write everyday.

To make it easier, I’ve also put things in order of how they should be done.

How to Make Money on Medium Your First Two Months

  • Create a backlog of at least 2 month’s worth of stories BEFORE you start posting
  • Read other writers work BEFORE you start posting
  • DON’T BE A DICK
  • Choose 3 niches to write in that are closely related
  • Use one story idea to create multiple pieces
  • Read within your niches to see which stories are the most popular
  • Create a content calendar and strategy to keep you focused
  • Join Medium social media groups
  • DON’T BE A DICK
  • Learn and master the rules of grammar, syntax, and SEO
  • Read through the Medium Blogging Guide and Medium user guides as though they were textbooks — learn them, embody them, make them become second nature
  • Engage with other people on the platform and in social groups
  • DON’T BE A DICK
  • Become a writer for all of the big publications within your niche
  • Read publications most recent articles to learn voice, format, and what the readers engage with before submitting
  • Write knowledgeable evergreen content well
  • Write content that gives some sort of value to the reader
  • Make sure the title and subtitle of your article are clear and tell the reader what they will learn
  • Publish multiple times with a big publication so that you become a trusted name and brand
  • Aim for commissioned or paid assignment work with one of the Medium owned publications.
  • Have the days when you publish, share, and submit be different than your writing days so that you can put more effort and energy into getting eyes on your work
  • Publish or share at least two articles a day at varying times in varying publications(this doesn’t mean you have to write them every day, just share)
  • Share old stories like new stories to keep them earning money
  • Share your articles widely and at varying times throughout the day
  • Take time off to write
  • Read your readers’ work
  • Follow people who read what you write
  • Interact with the people that you follow and that follow you
  • DON’T BE A DICK
  • Build a newsletter group for your Medium content
  • Change the titles, subtitles, and SEO settings of older stories to get new engagement
  • DON’T BE A DICK
  • Take time off to live
  • Experiment with your process and style

You Don’t Need to Write or Publish Everyday

The reason that I haven’t included writing everyday is because for many writers that isn’t sustainable. Most will burn out within their first week of trying to write everyday.

Instead of writing and publishing on a wheel everyday and never getting anywhere, I advise new writers to spend time writing their articles and studying the platform before they begin actually publishing and writing stories. Having a backlog will allow you to submit to places and schedule self-published pieces while still spending time interacting and reading on Medium.

Personally, I like to write on the weekends early in the morning before my partner gets up. I rise at 4am and spend up to 6 hours writing and editing content. I don’t share anything and I don’t worry about reading or stats. These days, those hours are just for the work and craft of story.

The fun stuff.

Think about it? You won’t be spending your days writing and then editing and then searching for a publication and then waiting and on and on and on. That’s tiring just to think about. And it’s not a successful way to work on Medium. You’ll find yourself becoming frustrated really quickly if you try and write new content every single day.

Alvin Ang a successful writer on Medium makes over $500 a month without publishing or writing everyday. His recent successful month went with only 12 articles published. Though we have differing opinions on the power and impact of consuming story, we agree that it takes time to build something great.

Rushing into the palace of gold will not get you riches but a spear in the gut.

Another strong truth and practice I hold to my heart is relying on a back catalog. It’s what Tim Denning did. It’s what Zulie Rane did. It’s what every top writer did. They worked at being writers and building their content up before working on here.

But honestly, it doesn’t really matter what they did. It matters what you do. How you approach this site is going to be what makes or breaks you. You can choose to be like the exhausted writer. Or you can spend time learning the ropes of Medium and finding a path to success that works for you based off someone who recently made it work.

Below you can find more detailed analysis of what I did each month to earn money through my weekly breakdowns.

My First Two Months on Medium

Week One: Where it all began.

Week Two: Learn how to get curated.

Week Three: How I plan a month.

Week Four: The benefits to reading other writer’s work.

Week Five: How to be successful on Medium.

Week Six: How to earn big quick.

Aigner Loren Wilson is a 3x Top Writer in Fiction, Writing, and Poetry. Her work has appeared in The Start Up, Better Marketing, The Writing Cooperative, and more. She offers a writing craft newsletter to people who want to become better writers and publish quality pieces.

Money
Freelance
Medium Earnings
Writing
Productivity
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