Writing

How I Made a Mistake and Didn’t Get Paid for My Viral Article

Here’s how NOT to do what I did

I had blinders on. I didn’t get the memo.

I’m just going to throw this one out there.

Sometimes you have to learn about the tools you are given the hard way. When Medium says, connect your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., accounts, they’re not kidding.

If you post your article outside of Medium — using the article’s long URL or with a “friend link” you will not get paid — it will be considered an external view.

However, if you are in the article and click on the social media links (and have your accounts linked to your Medium account), in other words, using Medium’s social media tools — those shares count as INTERNAL reads.

I had no idea! Did you? How did I not know this? This makes a huge difference in whether you earn money on your article — the links and how you share matters — A LOT.

I’ve always liked the idea of posting individually on each platform because I felt I had more ability to be creative. Wrong. I was causing myself to lose money. I was creating lots of external reads.

Here’s my dialogue with the Medium Help Desk to clarify what I’m saying further:

First, my note to the Medium Help Desk regarding an article I wrote that continues to get huge amounts of views every day — now over 7K views. That’s a big deal to me, and the first time it’s ever happened:

Here’s the Screenshot I provided, as mentioned as “attachment,” with my stats as of March 21, 2021.

Help’s Response — and an explanation of External versus Internal views:

My response and newfound understanding of using Medium’s sharing tools — but not exactly. My understanding of the friend link was about to be corrected by the accommodating Judith at the Help Desk:

Medium Help’s next response. And note that I totally misunderstood how the friend link works and how Judith corrected me — so everything is clear:

My response:

Medium Help’s final response:

In conclusion

Use the social media tools/buttons you see in your article to share on social media. Spreading the love using the tools Medium provides helps you earn more money!

Even if my experience helps just one other person not make the same mistake I did — I will be elated. Happy writing! ~Jenny

Jennifer Friebely is a New York-based writer, editor, coach, and speaker covering stories from personal development, bully bosses, the Law of Attraction, marketing, and productivity to politics and music to whatever idea strikes. She has a 30+ year background in marketing and advertising and holds a BA in Political Science. Email her at [email protected] or visit www.successpicture.com.