How I Make $1,000 Per Month As A Part-Time Writer on Medium

Learn from my mistakes and lessons learned, to transform yourself into a better writer and make more money on Medium!

One year ago, I shared a story where I explained how I jumped from zero to $500.

This year, I can proudly share with you, dear new writer, how I jumped from $500 to $1,000.

Here’s the proof:

In this post, I’ll show you how do-able this whole online writing thing can be for you when you’re new(ish) to Medium.

You can build something bigger than you ever dreamed possible on the side.

22 months ago, I was where you are now

Your stats might look like this or even better:

This is how I started on a cold winter day in December 2020, in the middle of the pandemic:

• 147 views
• $0.17.

10 months ago, I thought “Holy Sh*t!”

Then, in October 2021, for the very first time, I got around 30,000 views in one month…

… and earned $500.

Holy sh*t!

Yes, this was a bumpy ride with all ups and downs which finally let me to the awesome transformation:

• failed writing challenges
• failed Top Writer badges
• not getting curated
• being rejected by publications

I didn’t feel confident about my writing.

I didn’t know where to start.

I made a lot of mistakes.

My top 3 mistakes were:

• #1 — I spent way too long creating and editing articles before publishing them.

Guess what? Perfect is a lie. Practice makes perfect!

• #2 — I got overwhelmed by pumping out long-form content

Instead, creating a massive amount of short form stories (150 words or less) or midform stories (700 words or less) is a much better option.

#3 — I didn’t have a strategy for promoting my writing

This was the most deadly mistake I made and almost called it quits.

I learned:

Don’t post and ghost. Commenting, clapping, and interacting with others is the most important thing on Medium! It drives your traffic and your earnings.

I’ve been documenting my journey on a weekly basis…

One year ago, I started to consistently share my lessons learned, my failures, mistakes, and obstacles with the community on Medium

By doing so I jumped from about 2K followers to 6K followers. Within 10 months, I tripled my following *organically*.

I didn’t have this ONE hit that got me thousands of followers.

Additionally, only occasionally I published with the Top Publications on Medium such as Start it Up! or Writing Cooperative.

But primarily, I supported small as well as medium publications with a great community such as:

• The Shortform — to pump out my shorties with 150 words or less
• Illumination — where I had several hits!
• New Writers Welcome — Owner Robert Ralph and I mutually supported each other from day one.
• Coffee Times — got banned from the platform but had a great community!
• An Injustice! — Top Writers such as Jessica Wildfire publish with this publication. I love it because it allows me to write about #Feminism, #Body Positivity, and #Society
• The Motherload — as a mom, I love to share my parenting stories. When Modern Parent closed its doors, I started to support them.
• Midform — my student Megan Llorente started this publication where you can submit medium-sized stories with up to 750 words.

My love for short form writing

Although Top Writer Sean Kernan recently left a comment telling me I could make more money if I would write longer pieces, I’m committed to my short form posts.

I’m not a full-time writer as Sean is. I have a job, and a family, and I’m doing this on the side.

Although I appreciated his comment, I have to do what’s working best for me.

My recommendation: Add short form stories to the mix. It’s worthwhile.

I made $100 with a funny idea I shared in a short form post.

Here’s the proof:

Side note: Medium’s new CEO Tony Stubblebine isn’t a fan of short form writing although people (with attention spans of goldfish; 3 seconds or less) love TikTok videos or YouTube shorts these days. This means, maybe I have to stop writing one day but will continue as long as I can. You should too.

F*ck niches. I’m a Writer Chameleon

Do I have a specific niche?

Well, I like to write about Medium and document my journey. I guess this is my niche.

I always try to stay on top of things. Some call me “Medium Goddess”. Others “Shortform Goddess”.

I always have to giggle.

I’m no Goddess. I’m one of you.

I’m just a 35-year-old, sitting at the kitchen table after I put my toddler to bed — with no make-up (hate it!) and in yoga pants or my pajama chomping on some of my boy’s leftover snacks.

Besides, writing about online writing… I embrace being a “writer chameleon” as Taylor Swift would call me.

The colorful lizards are known as one of the few animals that can change skin color.

Their skin can show different colors and color patterns.

And we are so many things all the time. Not one specific color.

I’m multi-faceted and muti-passionate. I love to write about #Parenting, #Feminism, #Body, and #Mental Health.

I’m a marketer but NEVER published a story with Better Marketing

The funny story is:

In real life, I’m a marketer with more than 15 years of experience in the field of media. Guess what?! I’ve NEVER published a story with “Better Marketing” — Medium’s number 1 publication for all things related to marketing.

Others, with no experience in real life, do.

Side note: Tony Stubblebine wants Medium’s writers to pick a specific niche and write about it. If you know what you’re niche is, fine! If you don’t know what your niche is, embrace being a writer chameleon and let no one dictate to you what to write about and what not.

One-hit wonders won’t make you an overnight success

Within the last past 10 months, I had several hits with up to 27K views.

Of course, skyrocket these types of stories my views, and my earnings.

Although there are people on this platform, who made more than $1,000 (and up to $20,000) with one single story, I never made more than $500 with one post.

They helped me temporarily make more than $2,000 per month… but not several months straight.

Additionally, from my 1,000 stories published within 22 months, there are also hundreds that made only a few pennies.

You don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, do you? You want to be successful in the long run.

I couldn’t believe what happened: $1,000 is a LOT of money

Thanks to all of my mistakes, lessons learned and helping hundreds of my students, I now make $1,000 straight which is a success for me!

Although Medium’s new CEO says that you can’t make a full-time income here, I learned from my followers that it depends on the country you’re writing from.

If you’re from India, Iran, Greece, or Africa, with $1,000 per month you can put food on the table, feed your kids and grandparents and help the community.

In Germany, I earn $1,000 before taxes. After taxes, it’s around $600 net.

In Germany, there are people who have a “mini job” (additionally to their day jobs).

They work 30 hours per month and earn $520 net.

So writing here is my “mini job” as well.

I love this platform and I love to see others succeed.

My biggest motivation are messages like this:

So following my advice definitely helps! 😊

Final Takeaways

Earning $1,000 on a monthly basis is wonderful.

I want the same for YOU, dear reader.

I hope by sharing pieces of my rollercoaster ride I can help you succeed here.

Why not try to double what you earn now 12 months from now?

Everything you put out there is a seed. It takes its time to grow and bear fruits.

Keep at it. It’ll pay off if you keep going at it.

In case you have further questions, I’m happy to help you!

Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

🚀PS: Make sure to follow Kristina God to stay up to date in regard to all things related to Medium’s latest news, updates, tips, and tricks!🚀