How to Write a $200 Story on Medium That Makes You Money Month After Month
My 4-simple-steps that you can copy to make money as a Medium writer in the Medium Partner Program.
I am no different from you. I am a writer. I am here to share how I finally achieved my first “$200 Medium story.”
And after reading my story, you can tell yourself;
Boy, if that happened to him, sure as hell it can happen to me.
And when you can believe in it, you can follow my 4 simple steps that you can copy to make money on the Medium Partner Program.
How to make money on Medium
A few days ago, Medium made some changes. However, if you are about to start your Medium journey, you are still very much welcome. If you haven’t applied to the Medium Partner Program, you can click this link.
With the enhanced or evolving Medium Partner Program, there are two ways to earn from Medium.
- As a writer — You get paid based on the Medium members’ reading time.
- Referred memberships — (New) You get 50% of the $5 monthly membership, $2.27 after taxes. I already have one referral.
Disclosure: I earn a portion of the Membership fee if you click my link.
Again, to make money on Medium — write and start influencing people to become paying members.
My $200 Medium story
When I first made money on Medium, it was $1.66, but I would have forgotten all about the Medium Partner Program if Medium didn't send me that money. I already signed up in 2017, but with self-doubt, I quit before even trying.
I hope you will not commit the same mistake as I did, but it is never too late. This year is the best time to be a writer and a content creator.
We can get paid doing what we love doing — writing.
Until March 2021, I earned anywhere from $1-$38 monthly for writing almost every day except in February 2021, when Mom died.
It was only in April that when Medium rewarded me with the $500 writing bonus, it felt like it was a tap on the shoulders — for not quitting.
And in the next four months, I received the monthly bonuses, $100 in May, $50 in June, and the last $500 writing bonus in July.
July was a turning point. I let my inner saboteur got in the way. I was thinking of quitting because the money isn't enough.
In the end, July 2021 became my biggest month yet.
I took home $745, and by the time I published this story — Medium has paid me over $1,768 before taxes. Money that I wouldn't have if I didn't write and if I quit.
The story that made me $200 in 30 days.
I still don't know when a story becomes viral or what elements a writer has to put in a story to help it attract readers.
We only get paid if Medium members read our stories.
There wasn't anything special when I wrote the story on — How to Lose 20 Pounds in 30 Days without Exercise like Tim Ferris.
I wrote it and published it on July 12, 2021, and in 30 days, it has already earned me $205.95. Arigato, Money.
It only took me an hour to write the story, as far as I can remember. And to me, it was a story that I only shared because I have been gaining weight, and it was a week after my birthday. So imagine the added weight, and it was showing on my belly.
I heard this from so many writers. One day, they felt they have to write their story, and they finished it in less than an hour. It happened to me. I started the story by being personal, talking about my Mom’s death and being fat.
“Between my grief and moving forward, I have gained weight, my “Kummerspeck.” Most people did, and while it may sound cliché, love yourself, and be kind to ourselves, we still have to work on that belly fat — fast.
I am fat, and I have no excuse.”
While I was sharing parts of my life, my grief and weight, I was also trying to solve a problem. Because even if I love myself at any size, I have to lose weight for health reasons.
I don't have to lose 20 lbs in one month, but I have to start losing the weight. And by sharing my health issues with my readers and try my very best to be a healthier person in the coming weeks, I call it accountability.
The weight-loss story started to gain readers.
It is one of those days when I want to write, edit and publish. But, unfortunately, if I submit the story to a publication, I needed to wait, and there is no guarantee that it will be published.
I decided to self-publish the story.
Besides, it is the first time I wrote about health and fitness. A specific niche that I haven’t found myself particularly interested in, unlike the topics that I write about — love, relationships, politics, and technology.
Tip: Write for your own Medium publication.
I forgot about the story, as I never thought it would get readers when my Medium publication has less than 20 followers.
It was a dark period in my life after my birthday. I wasn't happy and disappointed that 14 months since I started writing regularly on Medium, only once did I earn more than $100.
If not for the writing bonuses, I was thinking of finding a regular job. But, unfortunately, the money isn't enough to cover my expenses, even if I only need very little money.
But I didn't quit. Instead, I fought my inner demons, my critic and saboteur, and went to finish a 10-day writing challenge — to write 100 stories.
Many would say that is insane and even unbelievable, but I did it. And it is what I needed to give me the courage to continue as a writer and become a Medium writer who makes money.
A few days into my writing challenge, I noticed that my weight-loss story is attracting readers.
And the traffic doesn't come from Google because I have stories that got 20,000 readers, but I only received $4.73. So while 20,000 have seen the story, only 319 readers are Medium paying members.
But this time, it was different; 89% of the readers are all Medium paying members, and if you are interested to know how many readers will it take for your story to earn $200?
It only takes 2,900 readers and 56 hours and 28 minutes of reading time.
Each reader took 3 mins. 41 secs. Which is more than the average 1 min. 41 secs. — a reader stays on a Medium webpage, according to SimilarWeb.
Here are my 4 simple steps to help you write a $200 Story on Medium that makes you money month after month.
4 Simple Steps — An Action Plan
1. Tell your story. — Being yourself and opening up to your audience makes for a more relational relationship between you as a writer and your readers.
Your audience could be facing the same problems and issues you have in your life. In my case — weight gain is my problem. The solution is — weight loss.
2. Don’t be afraid to write about any topic. — Health and Fitness are not the topics I usually write about, but all of us go through health issues. And as a writer, we can start an online conversation on issues that are hardly discussed.
Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone. Are there topics you aren’t familiar with? Then, you can start writing about it, and you will be surprised by how “desire” can fuel a great story.
3. Use your photos. — While we have to thank sites like Unsplash, I had a similar experience when I used my photo — It attracted more readers.
Don’t underestimate the power of authenticity. Readers would like to know the person behind the stories they read.
4. Give something back to your reader. — It could be advice, a nugget of knowledge that they can use in their own lives, or make them feel that the time they spent reading your story was all worth it.
The 4 Point-Action Plan I shared on my weight loss story.
Rule #1: Drink more water.
Drink a gallon of water. There was a time, everyone was doing it. While we all heard of the advice, drink 8 glasses a day, it is easy to forget when you are busy. Or when you ate a lot, you feel full — that a glass of water will make you feel sick.
Rule #2: Eat the same meals.
Let us call a spade a spade. Losing weight needs a diet plan. And it has to be a simple eating plan, with simple rules to follow; otherwise, it is easy to fall off the wagon.
For my eating plan, here goes,
Eat when hungry, stop when you are full.
Rule #3: Intermittent fasting.
Many of you may disagree, and I advise you to ask your medical doctor for advice. But, again, I am speaking based on my personal experience.
As a rule,
Eat when you are hungry.
Rule #4: Commit 100%.
Don’t make losing weight a New Year’s resolution, one that you break because you feel there is always the next time, the following year.
But please be kind to yourself, love yourself, and love your body, whatever its size, shape, and form.
Do it for yourself.
The takeaway from my first $200 Medium story.
The truth is, nobody knows when a story will become viral. And while we can make assumptions and believe that we have deciphered the algorithm, it is an utter waste of time, time that we can use to write more stories.
I know that there is more than learning the tricks, if there are any, to ensure that each of our stories becomes a viral hit.
One of the reasons I am sharing this story is if you are only starting as a Medium writer or a writer who feels their Medium journey is going nowhere.
To stay longer, and write more.
When I read that some authors complain that their stats are low and their earnings are not as much as before, I wondered what kind of money they are talking about?
I am sure they get more than what the screenshot shows, but we all have our own money goals. All I want to show is it is possible to make money as a Medium writer.
This is all it takes — this many people to view your story and earn $200 for one story.
However, it also takes time for your story to become popular, and a lot of it happens because your story resonated with your readers.
“You also don't need a lot of followers. ”
When my story about weight loss started to become popular, I have less than 640 followers, which helped me gain more followers.
You don't need to publish it in popular Medium publications. One of the best and the easiest thing you should do as a Medium writer is to start your publication even if all it publishes are your stories.
Final thoughts
It is possible to make money on Medium as a writer and as a referral agent for the company. Ok, if you want to be called an influencer, you can call yourself that.
Quitters never win.
There is no special sauce, and don’t waste your time trying to outsmart Medium, because you can’t.
What we can do as writers is to continue to write. And to keep our sanity, write for the audience and write for ourselves.
Write for your audience because that pays the bills.
Write for yourself because even if all that story gets is an audience of one — (YOU), you will still be happy that you wrote it.
Lastly, Medium is an excellent place for writers. It isn’t perfect.
Like us, only time will tell how great we are as writers, and only time will tell if Medium is the excellent writing platform for you.
But give it time as money may not come easy, but it comes.
