I Made $47.52 During My First Month With the Partner Program, and I Can 2–3x it in March
Steal my strategy
It turns out that making money on Medium wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was going to be.
Last month I joined the Partner Program and decided to put in the effort to try and build an audience on the platform. Having had a different account a couple years ago that came to nothing, I was uncertain how this new venture would play out.
So far, I’m pleased with the results and think I can help you increase your earnings too.
My Earning Progress
I was only hoping to make enough money to pay for my $5 membership last month. I almost earned 10x that.
I’m not going on vacation anytime soon, but I know of other writers who barely made two bucks their first month, so I’m considering this a success.
My goal the moment I passed that $5 milestone was to earn at least $40 in February and $100 in March. The fact that I reached the first goal gives me motivation to strive for the second.
That’s my first tip: find sources of motivation and inspiration.
You won’t go far without motivation.
The Plan to Reach $100 This Month
Even if we apply the right tactics, it’s impossible to predict how much success we’ll have. But if we don’t set goals we can’t measure progress. The trick with setting goals is to make them just out of reach from where you are now, but realistic and attainable with effort. Since I earned more than I thought I would last month, $100 seems reasonable.
You need to set goals for yourself.
After a goal is set, how do you move towards it?
Stay Engaged
No, I don’t mean engaged to be married, although you should probably stay engaged in that way too (unless your fiancé is an irredeemable scumbag who thinks Disney did right by Star Wars).
The type of engaged I’m talking about is engaging with other writers on the platform.
You should be reading and commenting on at least five to ten stories by other writers for every one you write and publish. This worked to take me from $0 to $47 last month, and there’s no reason to think it won’t help me continue to grow this month.
Staying engaged also means responding to the people who leave comments on your stories. Every. Single. One.
They’re giving you their time. Show them appreciation and respect.
Find Out What Works, and Kick the Rest
Give what doesn’t work the boot. Kick it out like your boozer uncle who makes too many inappropriate jokes at the holidays.
I’m been studying my top performing articles from last month so I can double down on what seemed to work.
I also save every story by other writers that offers good tips and tricks that I can incorporate. If you find something to help improve your titles, the flow of your articles, your tone, or anything else, latch onto it and try it out.
The title for this article actually uses a tip: make it specific with numbers. If you’re reading this line, you have proved that it worked.
Pursue Publishing, Not Perfecting
There’s a debate about whether quality or quantity is more important. Let’s just settle this: when it comes to online writing, both are valuable.
If you write amazing content but only publish twice a month, you can’t expect your stats to soar, especially if you’re still building your audience. If publish several articles a day but it’s all self-absorbed drivel, well, you can’t expect to succeed in that case either.
When I decided to make Medium work, I set a goal for writing and publishing 2–3 articles each day (except Sundays) and consistently learn techniques to make my writing better. So far I’ve been able to manage that, and I plan on continuing.
Admittedly, this is partially to prove to myself that I can. But it’s also part of my strategy to keep building traction.
If you want success, you have to work for it. I believe we can succeed if we apply what works and persevere.
Thank You
My success up to this point is owing to readers like you.
Sincerely, thank you.
Please consider giving me a follow for daily tips and insights about Medium, entrepreneurship, mindset, and success.
Until next time,
David.