I Hit $100 In My Second Month On Medium
There is money to be made after all.
Firstly,
to those who scoff at articles about earnings:
You’re not welcom—
I kid I kid.
This article won’t be your cup of Japanese imported Green tea, but —
Stay if you’d like!
*pleads in writer’s insecurity*
“Writing about money is cheap” “Stop bragging about earnings” “Nobody cares!”
Yes, yes I’ve heard the rhetoric.
But, judgement aside, there is actually tremendous value to be found in sharing one’s monetary experience on Medium.
Newbies get an insight into the financial potentials for them on this platform — and conversations around a typically stigmatized, secretive, and even shamed topic attempt being normalized.
It’s a win, win—
no?!
This article is informational waffle for us newbies. …and maybe a little celebration for myself. *yey*
So.
How did I do it.
My journey likely began much the same as many of you:
Follow4Follow > Partner Program > pitiful pennies.
(Yep, Follow4Follow. Must I defend this too?)
But my giddiness over qualifying for Partner Program was quickly sobered by the bleak realities for a novice blogger.
The readers aren’t there. The pennies hardly grow. And our heart-poured, slaved-away-at writings disappear into Medium’s cyber abyss, never to be clapped at again.
Well…
I noticed my frustration.
And wrote about it.
This article went viral and changed everything.
As it turns out, 3.2K people shared in my frustration. With 241 of them even frustrated enough to leave a comment!
The engagement rocketed.
And high engagement on one article…lead to increased engagement for all articles.
My algorithm was hot.
Thus leading to my first $100 month on Medium.
*celebrates in writer’s relief*
Here’s what I learned.
Don’t keep yourself small.
If something moves you; if you’ve a frustration, a grievance, an affection, an excitement, a fear — write it. Chances are if you’re feeling in some particular way, there will be many others who feel the same also.
Personal validation is found in a collective’s shared experience.
Be the voice to what we are all thinking.
Before this article took off,
my February earnings were racking up to be a whopping $12 and 53¢.
A financial figure which I was told to be fairly respectable for any new writer on the platform —
I scrambled my way on over to my stats, and —
They were right.
I had been averaging a 30–40% read ratio. With my highest even performing at 55%!
The perfectionist in me was of course disappointed by any statistic lesser than 100, but this read ratio is in reality a tremendous achievement for any budding writer.
My articles are being read. What more could I ask for.
Here’s what I learned.
Content & quality are of course indisputably key components when it comes to the readership of any article.
But an element often overlooked is:
streamlining.
You may have noticed my frequent use of titles, italics…white space, shortened structure, bolding.
An aesthetic not to everybody’s taste —
But a nonetheless valuable contributor for acquiring my decent read ratio.
Information is manipulated to be more digestible to the reader, and my personality is highlighted for our rapport to swiftly establish.
Filler is cut, points are made, and your attention is (hopefully) retained.
This style of writing is of course not the appropriate approach for all articles...as I am learning.
But it certainly has its place.
Considering my propensity to dissociate and self-sabotage,
I am sincerely delighted by my progress on this writing journey so far.
I am exploring a new world, one I know to be meant for me. And any small successes along the way are reassurance that I am on the right path.
They are always cause for celebration.
My first $100 month.
*Woo-hoo*
If you enjoy reading articles like this one, and wish to support me as a writer — please consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s $5 a month, and will give you unlimited access to all stories across the platform. If you sign up using my link, I’ll earn a small commission.
