How I Earn $500 per Month on Medium With Less Than 1,000 Followers
3 important pillars to build my financial independence.
Being a non-native writer from Portugal producing content on an international social platform is, for me, like climbing Himalaya mountain with a blindfold. I struggle every single day.
I started writing on Medium in April 2020. Last week I visited the first articles I wrote, and my god, some paragraphs I don’t even know what I was trying to say.
I soon realized that I spend too much time without writing in English, which was why my grammar and structure were utterly unbalanced.
I quickly had to run faster to catch the train. I also realized that 2020 was the year where everybody decides to start a side hustle on writing. 2021 has also been a challenge to understand stats and reading time. I start to think Medium is a living organism that is always evolving.
Let’s jump to what really matters.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
From April to November of last year, I wrote every single day. I also took an online course, and I studied how top writers like Jessica Wildfire and Michael Thompson build their articles from top to bottom. I read more than 10 articles per day and worked my ass to improve my writing.
Alone, I would hardly improve, so I bought an online course from [arlie] PEYTON (Writing Income Accelerator). This course made me deeply understand the infinite potential of content marketing and brand journalism. Although Peyton explained how to succeed on Medium, he also shared straightforward tools to build your online business. I was lucky to make this course at a very early stage.
In December 2020, I made one of the most challenging decisions of my life.
I quit my 9 to 5 job as a real estate agent to pursue a full-time writing journey. I worked in the real estate business for 10 years. And as I was working on my job, I also started to invest in real estate. Fortunately, Portugal began to appear in the international sphere, and millions of foreign investors landed in my country, causing a boom in real estate, which I did not miss the opportunity to profit from.
When I first read about a social platform for writers and navigated through Medium, I immediately felt attracted to it. As I started my first articles, I knew there was unique energy around other writers. The way they comment on my articles, the way writers passionately talked about Medium, conquered me completely.
I still have bills to pay, so it was time to work harder on my new job. Peyton was a good friend because even after we chat several times about my skills in writing, he kept reading my articles and giving me outputs to improve here and there on particular details that still make me struggle.
In January 2021, I invested in my second online course with Sinem Günel (Medium Writing Academy). I felt Sinem had Medium momentum, and with her unique energy, I thought learning with her would get me to another level. She is from Turkey, living in Austrey, Europe. So, as a non-native writer, I thought she would understand my struggles too.
I nailed it again. Sinem is a powerful force of nature. The way she is building her online business is impressive. Every beginner should observe what she’s doing because Sinem understands perfectly well the paths to success.
I recently subscribed to a weekly newsletter called Write Your Future, where four top writers send weekly newsletters and youtube roundtables with precious content about Medium. Those writers are Zulie Rane, Michael Thompson, Amardeep Parmar, and Sinem Günel.
The last investment in my learning process was working with an editor. I knew that if I wanted to take the next step, I would improve my writing. I was already accepted in top publications like The Startup and The Ascent, but for me to regularly submit to these demanding publications, my writing would have to be scrutinized by a professional.
After several weeks of searching for the right editor, I found Bayley Sprowl. I send her an email, and she immediately responded. I shared with her my struggles and my long-term goals, and she immediately started sending me new tools. She also analyzed my portfolio and knew where I should start working on my grammar and structure.
In these last three months, Medium taught me that nobody can succeed in this platform independently. We need support, especially from someone more experienced, someone that has already passed through what we, beginners, are facing every day.
Pick a friend, someone from Medium that can read your draft, invest in an online course, select an editor to help you improve your tone and voice.
Remember, teamwork makes the dream work.
Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity- not a threat.
One of my three pillars on Medium is Innovation and Technology.
I love to write about innovation, blockchain, and macroeconomic trends. This is where I feel more inspired to write about. Why?
First, because I invest in the stock market and in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Etherium. If you want to put your money into something, it’s better to know what you’re doing.
I’m a book addict. I read at least one book a month. And I have this eager to learn about everything I’m passionate about. So, as you can imagine, I read everything about innovation, crypto, and economic trends.
You must know what you’re writing about. This is probably the best advice any writer can give you. Readers are not dumb. Especially on Medium, you have well-educated, knowledgeable readers who want to learn from you, readers who wish to pick your brain and see a different perspective on what you’re writing about.
Yet, you have to do research, deep research, because if you fail, readers will dissect all your arguments, put them on a platter, and eat them for breakfast.
Please, please, don’t fail on your readers!
If writing is easy, you’re doing it wrong.
Another pillar of my writing journey is writing about writing (to mush writing).
The worst thing you can do is try to teach newbies how to write if you’ve one month of experience as a Medium writer. What do you know about writing with one or two months of experience? Probably less than nothing because most of the things you think you know are dead wrong.
So, you write an article supposing you know about what you’re writing about, and on the other side is someone else thinking: Who the hell does this moron think he is. This is all B.S. That’s not how Medium works!
You lose a fan, you lose credibility, you lose your voice (even before you have a voice), and even if you write a masterpiece the next day, you’ll be weakened and with less authority on the platform.
The best thing you can do is share your vulnerabilities, your doubts, your pains. If you are honest with your readers, you’ll see respect, and even some will still help you with sound advice.
When I prepare an article about writing, like this one, I simply share what I know; my experiences, my struggles, my happy moments, and my frustrations.
If this kind of article can help one, two, ten young writers to improve their skills, it’s all good for me. Several months before, other writers did that for me too.
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
The third pillar I write about is personal growth.
Top writers are writing three and more articles per week about personal growth. Sometimes you read in the space of two months one piece with the exact content but written in another way. I get exhausted reading some of these writers because, at some point, it’s all the same thing.
Here’s what I do. I pick some themes from our day-to-day routines and transform them into a personal growth article. What’s the difference between what I do and what other writers do? I always have different challenges on infinite themes to talk about personal growth.
I never get tired of writing on the same topic because although I am writing about personal growth, I avoid listicles and always have an entirely new approach to introducing a human attribute and explaining how we can enhance it.
For example, here a talk about Silence, while I explain some human attributes. Here I use my Childishness to emphasize other human characteristics that I think should be improved.
You should always write about something you love. If you’re just writing for stats or earnings, you’ll never succeed, my friend.
I read about personal growth from an early age. From Napoleon Hill to Jim Rohn. From Brian Tracy to Tony Robbins. So, mixing themes from real life with research is my formula to write about personal growth.
If you try and it fits you, maybe it’s your future formula too.
If you can’t change it, change your attitude.
Recently, Medium had several changes. I’m not going to talk about it because we have dozens of good articles explaining what happened, but by the experience of those more experiment writers, Medium changes frequently.
Yet, this time it seems Medium changed stats, reading time, and earnings drastically. Interestingly, Ev Williams ended a considerable investment with the editors’ team from Medium publications such as Forge, OneZero, and others. As of November last year, the statistics have been falling, without we even realizing why.
I personally continued to see my statistics once a month, and last month have stagnated.
If I’m worried about it? No. I can honestly tell you that I am attentive, but I am not concerned or disappointed because, from the first day I write on this platform, the most experienced writers describe the various changes that Medium has undergone.
Even this week, Ev Williams has announced Mariam Naficy joining Medium’s board of directors. So, yes, Medium is constantly changing, but Ev wants success for this platform, and he knows as an experiment entrepreneur that writers are the core business of this platform.
Indie writers like you and I are the ones that provide all the success of Medium. But Ev and his team also have a crucial influence on Medium’s success. We all are boarding on this boat, and we all want it to be better and reach more and more readers.
It was only from 2017 that the program started to be paid for by content producers. Until then, people wrote for the love of writing.
Then yes, it went on business. But Medium has never failed to make the changes it thinks are best for the company.
I always knew that my journey would be a long-term investment, so I prepared myself to be two years, if necessary, without needing the money from Medium to survive. Of course, the sooner my earnings pay my current expenses, the sooner I start investing heavily in my business. But to give you a perspective, my total earnings since I start writing are around $3,000, but I have already invested $1,750 in courses, programs, and books.
Medium is the best platform to set up your content production business. The amount of free information you get from other writers is staggering. You just have to follow in the footsteps of those writers with whom you most identify.
You also need to have an open mind, courage, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Not everyone does. You may not be cut out for this craft, and that’s ok. We are not all born for the same purpose.
Being a content producer means being a brand with its own signature, several sources of income, fixed costs, marketing, and innovation department, just like a company.
If you want to avenge yourself as a writer in the digital age, you have to think like a businessman; there is no turning back.
Final Thought
Sinem Günel recently said that usually, Medium writers start to see earning increases after the first 150 articles, where the compounding effect takes place.
What she means by that is that the articles you wrote three to six months ago start to get traction, but as you write more and more pieces, those articles start to accumulate with the older ones.
I’m not really distressed about earnings and stats. I’m focused on the quality of my writing. I’m very concentrated on the way I plan, the way I write, and how I edit my work. My goal is to work intensively for four hours a day and then have time to read books, have conversations with people more intelligent than me, and have fun doing the things I love.
Remember, I’m an ultra-trail runner. I have the stamina, the patience, and the courage to run a 50-mile race in high mountains. So, if Medium kicks me down the stairs, I find the strength to climb them even more quickly.
Difficulties exist to test your resilience. If you want to find easy challenges, buy them. Writing is not for everyone, and to be honest, I still don’t know if it is for me. First, I have to pass the longevity test, that is, write for 2, 3, or 5 years, every day, until the recognition is done naturally.
I have been writing hard every single day for four straight months. I’m still a newborn child out of her mother’s womb. But in four months, a non-native writer from a small European country already belongs to the 6% who earn more than $100 a month.
So, in a mixture of pride and humility, I am taking one step at a time and sharing my experiences.
The best advice I can give you is this:
When the little devil in your head starts to think that Medium is not for you, sit down and write. When the little devil whispers that you are not a writer, sit down and write. When the little devil screams in your ear that you are tired of working hard and not rewarded by Medium, sit down and write.
For things to get better, you got to get better.
My earnings started with $0,82 in the first month, with horrible writing. Now I feel that other writers read my content and appreciate it. I know because they share it with me.
Things don’t just happen; things happen just.
Hard work, humility, hard work, patience, hard work, commitment, hard work, passion, hard work, self-awareness, hard work, love- these are some of the human attributes you have to improve.
You already understood why I repeatedly wrote hard work, don’t you?
Here are the total amount of articles I wrote so far this month:
One Simple Thing You Can Do to Regenerate Climate Change
Why Suffering From Anxiety Affects Your Writing Process
An Apparently Stupid Comparison Between a Famous Guy and a Known Platform
The Amazingly Unique Perspective About Bitcoin
I’m Desperately Done With Fake Money: Today, I Sold 90% of My Portfolio.
A Singular Reflection on Malcolm Gladwell’s Most Disruptive Quotes
An Amazing Strategy You Should Use To Talk With Your Future Self
Mrs. 2 Trillion Busting on Apple Car
Medium Is My Home, My Family. A Grateful Perspective I Use To Help and Protect It.
Beauty Is Not Only in the Eyes of the Beholder
How Your Internal Compass Pushes Your Career Towards What You Genuinely Love To Do
The Federal Reserve Buying Bitcoin: An Audacious Tactic To Master Money Disruption
Money Revolution Is Knocking at Your Door: Why You Should Be An Early Adopter
Booksellers Live in a Special Place, a Unique Address, an Exceptional Scene
This month, April 2021, I already have 14 articles that just went into the oven. The cool thing is that any of these articles can go viral, and I have no control over it.
Only in a few months will they be ready to go, well-cooked, crispy on top, and prepared to be devoured by readers. Until then, they need to mature, gain flavor to then delight the most curious mouths.
Until then, other dishes have been served and are being consumed by voracious readers. Each time another batch comes out, more tables are needed to support so many mouths.
The articles compose and accumulate, one on top of the other until an immensity of ideas and imagination become your portfolio, your safe, your precious gold bar.
I hope I have shared good ideas for you to continue your journey as a writer.
The path is made step by step.
The most important thing is not to stop.
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