Summary

The author describes their journey of earning $100 on Medium in three weeks with a relaxed writing schedule, emphasizing the importance of a sustainable writing rhythm, meaningful connections, and writing about diverse topics.

Abstract

The article details the author's recent success on Medium, where they earned $100 in the first three weeks after returning to the platform with a casual approach to publishing. The author shares their initial failure and subsequent hiatus from writing, followed by a successful comeback inspired by other writers' success stories. They highlight the significance of writing consistently without the pressure of daily publishing, the value of genuine connections over follower count, and the flexibility of not adhering to a specific niche. The author also provides insights into their strategy, such as pinning successful stories to leverage reader interest and engaging with publications that align with their content to reach a targeted audience. The article concludes with an invitation for readers to share their own advice and success stories.

Opinions

The author believes in the power of a supportive partner and the inspiration drawn from peers' achievements as catalysts for their writing success.
They advocate for a writing frequency that is sustainable and stress-free, suggesting that the quality of engagement and the joy of writing can lead to better outcomes than strict publishing schedules.
The author emphasizes that a large follower count is not a prerequisite for success on Medium; instead, fostering meaningful connections with readers is more beneficial.
They challenge the notion of needing to find a niche, proposing that a unique voice can be just as effective in attracting an audience.
The author suggests that aligning with specific publications can help writers reach readers who are genuinely interested in their content.
They recommend pinning the most successful stories to capitalize on the novelty bias of new readers, increasing the likelihood of them engaging with more content.
The author stresses the importance of enjoying the writing process, as readers can sense the emotions behind the words, which in turn can attract a dedicated audience.

How I Made 100$ in My First 3 Weeks on Medium with a Relaxed Schedule

An Honest Behind-the-scenes of My Lazy Efforts

I gave up on Medium once. It was 2020 and I thought I was ready. Seven unsuccessful stories later, I met the vulnerability required to publish online with the verve of a small bug facing the windshield of an RS6.

You got it.

For the next four years, I kept hanging around the platform as a reader. Until life circumstances — in the shape of a supportive partner — allowed me a second chance to write.

And while I was evaluating whether trying again was even worth it, the success stories of other beginners made a big difference. Three names come to mind: Bin Jiang, Lea Bardot, and Carl Jeffers.

Yet, I didn’t consider that my own behind-the-scenes could be of inspiration to someone else until I read this uplifting post by Sílvia PM, PhD 🍂. Thank you, Sílvia!

What Triggered My Writing Success?

It is simpler than you think

medium.com

Today I have 14 stories in total, of which 8 new ones and 6 old ones (Wait! Weren’t they 7? Yeeeah, sorry, I unlisted one because it made me cringe too hard).

Considering that I started writing again on the 29th of December, yesterday was a marker for three weeks into my Medium adventure. Summing it up:

3 weeks — 8 stories — 112.01$

Here are my January stats:

You can see some clear spikes around the days I published a story and a certain degree of flatness in the days I didn’t. There is, however, an upward tendency.

As a case study, let’s take a look at my most successful story so far:

On its own, it accounts for almost 20% of the earnings in just about 10 days. Pretty cool.

But what’s more important is that I loved writing it.

If you’d like to do some math on what you can expect based on the engagement and read ratio, here are more details:

I will be publishing a first-month evaluation in a week, so I won’t be going into much depth here. But I’d still like to share a few pointers on what worked for me.

You don’t need to publish every day. Focus on finding a rhythm that is sustainable for you, the numbers will follow.
You don’t need to have many followers: I don’t even have 500 yet. Focus on building meaningful connections instead of a follower count.
You don’t need to niche down. Sure, if you have a passion that consumes you, please do niche down. But if you don’t have one, it’s OK: your specific voice can be your niche. Check out Sílvia’s beautiful article about it!

My Niche is the Complexity that Lives Inside My Brain

What’s a niche, anyway?

medium.com

Look for a tight-fitting publication early on. Heck, look for several! Beginner-friendly, broad-scope publications are awesome! They give you a chance to express yourself without judgment and boost your confidence as a writer. But you need more tightly fitting ones to meet more readers who are really into the topic your story is about.
Pin your most successful stories. Not your favorites, not the ones you want to promote, not the ones you think represent you the best. Take advantage of the readers’ novelty bias (the thing that makes them want to click on the first story from the top when encountering a new profile) by pinning the stories that are most likely to draw them into reading more of your work.
Have fun! Your readers are smart and they will feel the emotions behind your words: so keep loving your craft and you’ll attract people who will love it too.

Would you like to share some advice or your own success stories? Leave me a comment: I’d love to know what you think!