I Got Rejected from the Medium Partner Program

I feel powerless

Reading articles that share their earnings from the Medium Partner Program makes me more excited to be involved in this part.

Who doesn’t want to have an income from doing something they love? Everybody wants to.

But to get there, it’s an absolutely hard and tough journey. And unfortunately, this happens to me.

I hit 100 followers right after I wrote an article about being close to 100 followers last month. But I didn’t apply for the MPP right away because I wanted to make sure that I met all the criteria for the program.

I checked all the criteria and requirements, and for sure, I already meet all of them.

And finally, on Friday, March 10, I briefly applied to join the Medium Partner Program with the hope that soon I could start to earn money from my writing. At 10:46 a.m. (Hong Kong time), I submitted my application.

So anyway. I put in my application and carried on with life fully expecting a “congratulations, you have been accepted” email.

My head just can’t stop thinking. My brain started to buzz and go everywhere. I’m a bit nervous about whether or not my application will be accepted.

It doesn’t take too long to get a response. Today, Saturday, March 11, at 3:42 am, the email landed. I didn’t notice it until I saw the notification on my phone screen at around 11:40 a.m.

Finally, my wait is over, and without thinking a second, I clicked on it! I started reading, and for a second, my mind was just paralyzed. I don’t believe what I read. Period!

I got rejected. Yes, I did not get accepted to the Medium Partner Program.

I can’t think of anything; I’m a bit disappointed. And I ask myself only one question: ‘What did I do wrong?’

To join the program, I had all the criteria. And I thought I already met all the criteria. I’m 38 years old, I have published more than 10 articles, and I live in Hong Kong, which supports Stripe and is eligible for a location as they describe in their Partner Program guide. I also already have 157 followers.

So, if I met all of these criteria, why did I get rejected and receive this email? – I don’t know.

In the email say: “Once you meet the criteria, you’re welcome to re-apply after 30 days”. And what makes me confused is that they don’t give a specific reason for the refusal.

But my question is, in the next month when I reapply again, how do I meet the criteria to be accepted?

So, I am really confused and dying to figure this thing out.

To numb this pain, I text my best friend and tell him this bad news. I didn’t complain, but I guess I only want to get things off my chest. I wanted to cry, but I held back my tears.

I know it sounds funny and silly, but I was thinking like all my expectations, dreams, and plans were shattered by just one mail.

There’s an old saying: do your best but also prepare for the worse. On top of that, let God be God.

I think that’s true! These words stab me so deeply. I feel sad and a bit hopeless. Maybe I shouldn’t let this disappointment stays in my heart, even though it’s real. Maybe I should let go of my expectations to be paid in this – Medium land.

As a big company, it’s not a big deal to reject someone, when they have millions of users but as an individual writer, it matters a lot to me.

How I wish I could earn something from my writing but again, unfortunately, is not this time. I feel powerless though. But it’s OKAY! I had to accept it as a lesson and learn more about writing skills. Rejection is not something I should be afraid of. It’s totally OKAY to be rejected.

Long story short, I reached out to Medium Support to find help. I wrote to them, explaining my case and attaching proof of my residence in Hong Kong. But until now I didn’t get the email yet. I hope that by doing so, Medium will reward my effort by accepting me into their program.

However, I did not expect too much from this. I believe when it’s my time, everything will be beautiful and fall into place. I don’t want to be bitter; I love writing because I think my talent is worth developing and I have something worthwhile to say to the world.

Also, I love writing on Medium a lot more than on my own website. It’s easy and simple to do without worrying about SEO, passive voice, keywords, etc. The people are also real, and I love to engage with other people. So that’s why I choose Medium to do my writing.

To be honest, I felt devastated but despite that rejection, I never stopped believing in myself.

No one likes rejection. It sucks. It hurts. Especially when you’ve been rejected for something you’d like to be involved with.

Should I keep writing? Of course, I will. I don’t want to let the bitterness ruin my career and I’m not going to let this rejection determine my self-worth or that of my writing. That’ll make me crazy. Literally.

My point is: yes, it would be nice if you can get paid for doing what you love but it didn’t happen this time. But that does not mean I’m a bad writer.

To be successful in life, the most important things are passion, hard work, dedication and never giving up, without caring about our feelings and weaknesses.

No one is born perfect. Don’t be afraid. People can accomplish amazing things every day in spite of their weaknesses and failures. So go and do the best you can with the one life you’ve got.

Thanks for reading this article.