It’s Time to Finally Admit: We Love Medium BECAUSE the Deck is Stacked

$11.84 for 20+ hours of writing, and I’m still on the train

On first glance, Medium seems like it’s stacked against most writers.

In my first month on Medium, I published 17 articles and earned $11.84

I spent a minimum of one-hour writing, editing, and formatting each article. Usually, at least double that. Sometimes much more.

Even at an average of one hour per article that’s $0.70 per hour.

Not the greatest hourly rate, but I’m super happy with this start. I’m planning to build from it, and continue writing on Medium for a long time to come.

This article explains what makes Medium such an uphill battle when you’re starting out — and the mindset you can adopt so you can see that the deck is stacked in your favor.

First, let’s look at why Medium can seem so unfair.

Here’s How the Deck is Stacked Against New Writers

Medium is unfair. Niklas Göke admitted it in his article “Why You’re Too Late on Medium.” If you’re late to the party, if you only recently arrived here and started writing, you’ve got it tough. Much tougher than the early adopters. To build an audience, you’ve got to really stand out from the crowd, and it’s super crowded. There are so many incredible writers here, it’s overwhelming at times.

What’s more, the early adopters have already built their following, and that gives them a huge headstart.

Put it this way — if Göke and I both shared similar articles that were equally engaging, (I wish I could write that well), his article would have a much greater chance of being successful. His sheer number of followers would give his article a kickstart of views and momentum, and I’d constantly be playing catchup.

The Halo Effect and the Longtail

Moreover, Göke’s 82k+ followers have a “halo effect” on his writing. His high follower count gives his writing additional credibility and oomph, especially compared to writers whose follower counts are in the hundreds or low thousands. That’s the power of social proof.

Finally, Göke’s 600+ articles allow him to take advantage of the long-tail effect. He’s got so much content on the platform that he’s catering to a wide crowd. Even his less popular articles — those in his longtail — mean that he could chill on autopilot for a month or two, and still do far better than us newcomers.

$10k Per Month — the Ultimate Goal?

I’m here to write, to publish, to find readers, to engage with my readers, and to earn from my writing. There’s no shame in wanting to be paid for my creative work.

What’s more, I’d like to earn enough to pay my bills and support my family.

Depending on which stats you read, somewhere between 5% and 8% of active writers on Medium earn at least $100 per month. These are the writers publishing at least one article each month. In other words, only one in 15 writers are earning gas money from the platform.

Is it really fair that so many writers earn such little money?

It Seems Unfair — and Maybe It Is

All this might seem unfair, or overwhelming. Maybe it is unfair. But I’m not so sure about that.

I’m here because I love the game. I’m here to push myself, to grow, embrace rejection. I’m here for the magic, the thrill.

And most of all, I’m here because while it seems like the deck is stacked against new writers, Medium has built a system that favors and encourages writing.

This is what I find so exciting about Medium:

Here’s the Deal — How Medium Stacks the Deck in Favor of Writers

Medium Pays You to Master One of Life’s Most Difficult Skills

If you write content that Medium members read and enjoy, you will gain reads, claps and followers.

That means writing on Medium is a genuine test of your writing skills. Can you write in a way that engages readers? That’s a tricky skill to master, and one that’s worth pursuing. It’s an education to learn it, so in other words, Medium pays you to learn a difficult skill.

Medium Gives You an Immediate Audience Like No Other Writing Platform

With traditional publishing, I’d have to write a full novel or a detailed book proposal. That’s hundreds if not thousands of hours of work, invested upfront. Even then, the likelihood is that my writing would be rejected. With magazines I have to pitch my ideas and get them accepted by editors — I know from experience how tough that is. To create a successful blog, I’d have to learn the basics of WordPress and SEO.

So many routes to becoming a writer have significant barriers to entry before finding readers and getting paid. On Medium, you can write and publish an article, have real people reading it, and see the income you’re earning, all within a matter of hours. There’s no other place I know of that’s like it.

Medium Lets Me Live My Dream Life — from the Comfort of My Living Room

I’ve wanted to write my whole life. It’s been my dream to write, I just never found a place where I was motivated to keep writing and sharing my ideas. That’s exactly what has happened on Medium. It’s a dream come true.

With Medium, I’ve Hacked the Notification Dopamine Rush in My Favor

Social media has hacked our brains. Notifications give us a rush of dopamine, creating an instant but short-lived high. It’s scary how social networks use this brain chemistry to keep us addicted.

That’s why I’ve turned off almost all notifications on my phone, including messages from some family members (shhh… please don’t tell!). Plus I mostly ignore Facebook, other than to check-in with my running group.

But Medium notifications keep me engaged and writing. The more interactions my writing receives, the more I want to write. Medium has let me “hack back” against notifications, to use the rushes of dopamine in my favor.

I’m not sure what the long term effects of this will be, and I’m monitoring the situation carefully. For now it’s working well for me.

Medium Gives the Possibility that I Could Earn Big from a Single Article — and that Keeps Me Coming Back

I’m excited by the possibility of an article going viral. It’s part of what keeps me writing, and keeps me coming back to Medium. Every milestone I hit feels like a new high.

I wouldn’t want a Medium-style platform where you’re paid per word. I like that writers are rewarded for their skill at engaging an audience and their commitment to writing on a regular basis.

A Star Can be Born, and We Long to Be that Star

Medium is a place where stars are born— and you could be the next star.

It’s not just luck, it’s about how well you engage your readers. And… it’s partly about luck too. There’s an aspect to Medium where you’re rolling the dice. It’s part of what makes it so exciting.

I’m here because for years I longed to write, and now I finally have a reason to. A small reason, a few hundred views, and a pocketful of small change. It’s reason enough for me. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a hot chocolate.

Medium stacks the deck in favor of writers in so many ways — that’s what I love about Medium.

I’m here because the deck is stacked — in favor of the best writers — and I want to learn how to be a great writer.

That’s what I love about Medium. It’s engineered to push me as a writer to be my best self. Long may it continue.