How to Become a Top Writer on Medium While Having a Full-Time Job

I did it in 3 months, and how you, too, can do it

Are you a newbie to Medium? So am I. Nice to meet you.

In this post, I want to share how I managed to become a Top Writer on Medium in my third month of writing while also having a full-time job.

I am not a Medium expert yet. However, I have managed to figure out how to write posts that get distributed, which publications can help you achieve success, how to make your first $100 from Medium, and how to continuously make money from old blog posts.

Get inspired and start applying my practices on your own.

About Myself

I’ve got MSc in Marketing, and I have around three years of experience working in various fields, such as product management, Google Ads, SEO, etc.

I joined Medium in March 2020 during the quarantine period. Extra time and the willingness to start a writing career made me try Medium.

I’ve realized the imposter syndrome made me feel afraid of showing up my personality and trying new directions for personal development.

I said: “Enough! I can, and I will start coming out of my comfort zone and try something new.” This is how my journey as a writer began on Medium. Surprisingly, it was a successful start.

How to Become a Top Writer on Medium in Three Months

Let me share everything I’ve learned within these three months and what you, as a newbie, can do to succeed on Medium.

Note, that some links in this post are affiliate links. I might be compensated by third parties if you purchase recommended products or services.

1. Be brave and share your thoughts with the world

Let me give you a universal rule that can be applied to anything, start getting out of your comfort zone and build your own life. If you haven’t figured out what makes you happy and how to make money out of it, it is okay.

I am 25 now, and I am open to every opportunity to find what works for me. If you want to become a writer, you have to overcome your fears and finally publish your first piece.

For every article, there is a reader on Medium. Every new and top writer occasionally receives negative comments. This fact should not scare you under any circumstances or make you stop writing halfway to your success.

Be brave to share your thoughts with the world, and you will see how fast your efforts will be rewarded.

2. How to figure out what to write about

First, you should enjoy writing to make it a long-term journey. If something does not make you happy, it will not work in the long term.

Everyone is good at something in this world; only infants are clean as a white paper sheet. Write down ten activities you are good at, what you can write about, and how your knowledge can make someone’s life better.

Maybe you are good at dancing, singing, knitting, or cooking? Perhaps, you are an ambassador of a healthy lifestyle, or you have gone through multiple scholarship competitions and know how to handle the applications.

Medium seems to be already saturated. Many writers have thousands of followers writing every day and sharing how they make a fortune online. It should not discourage you. There is always a place for everyone. Find your niche segment and start publishing content on Medium.

It 100% works. I’ve followed the same rule. I often pop up under such Medium tags as “Marketing,” “Social Media,” “Business,” and “Startup.”

Consistency in writing helped me gain a top writer status in the “Creativity” category, which is just the beginning. You can do it too. You just need to figure out your niche of interest.

3. How to make readers discover your content on Medium

It is tough to get noticed on Medium if you do not have a huge follower base or if you do not submit your works to publications.

Publications share your articles with their followers. If your content resonates with readers, your articles will be read, and you will start growing your follower army and earning money.

Publications expose your content to an already existing Medium audience, and you should definitely take advantage of it. Try to submit every single piece of your work to publications. It will increase your chances of getting broader exposure and distribution.

Content distribution is the third level of content promotion on Medium after publishing on your own and publications.

If your article is distributed, Medium will recommend it across the platform home page, app, topic pages, and emails.

Distribution is vital for all writers! It provides another opportunity to express themselves, gain more followers, and earn even more money. Here is a content distribution guide for those who have not read it yet.

However, for those who followed the guidelines but failed, I have a list of publications that can help you to do it. Aim big to achieve greatness!

• Better Marketing: It is my favorite publication. Why is it that good? 100% of my articles published in Better Marketing get distributed. The Medium audience decides what gets popular and what is not. I aim to analyze their preferences and write corresponding articles.
• Startup it up: The biggest Medium publication based on the number of followers. It accepts a wide variety of topics. The quality differs, though. It is a great publication to gain extra exposure. Articles get distributed within a few hours (in my case).
• Illumination: It is relatively easy to get published here. Illumination shares posts on various topics and lengths. Give it a try and see how it works for you.
• 2 Minute Madness: I love the concept of this publication. They publish two-minute articles that are easy to read. All of my articles published in Two Minute Madness have a 65%+ read ratio, which is quite high. The long reads usually have a 30–56% ratio. The distribution status updates within a few hours after the publication.

Here is a list of Medium Partner Publications you might want to consider to improve your content distribution rates.

I’ also wrote a few articles that got published in BetterMarketing and went viral. Here is what I learned about virality on Medium and how to increase your chances of going viral.

4. The topic determines the article’s success

I wrote 12 articles in June 2020, and seven of them got distributed. It is more than 50%, and I reached it during my third month of writing on Medium. I want you to get even better results. Hence, I am sharing some little secrets with you.

The topics of your articles determine their success. How? Open a random publication and start scrolling down. Some topics resonate with you, and you open the article, but others are average, and you keep scrolling the page.

Your topic should be:

• Creative (Why Are Profile Pictures Round?)
• It should talk about common things differently (10 Essentials No One Teaches at Schools That Determine Your Happiness)
• It should be about modern, popular issues that everyone knows (These 5 Fast-Growing Apps Might End the Era of TikTok)
• Novel, share originality (The 5 Essential Components of Viral Content)
• Helpful, educate your readers (5 Side Gigs You Can Run From Home That Require Little to No Experience)

5. Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

I carefully collect topics, review them several times, and write those that deserve to be written. I know many writers go for quantity and try to publish several articles every day.

If you are a full-time writer, you can publish stories daily. However, if you have a full-time job and Medium is secondary, then every minute dedicated to writing is priceless. Go for quality, not quantity. Impress readers with your writing, make them wait for every next piece of your work, and never let them down by publishing incomplete articles. This will not be you anymore.

It takes time to earn the reader’s respect, so do not lose it once you have it.

Final Thoughts

I’ve made over $100 on my third month on Medium. One article earned 50% of the total sum, and it continues earning money every day.

Medium is an excellent platform to nail your writing skills, make friendships with new writers, grow your community of loyal readers, and make extra income.

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” — Mark Twain

Find your niche, develop creative, novel, and expert topic ideas, focus on quality, not quantity, and find a perfect publication to land your article. This is my short recipe for becoming a top writer on Medium in three months.

Download my free guide with 5 proven ways to make money writing that will let you work for yourself from home even if you have zero former experience.

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Your membership fee will directly support me and other writers on Medium to keep creating helpful content for you. :)