I’ve Made Money on Medium — but It’s Not What You Expect

Summary

The author has made a modest amount of money on Medium, emphasizing the importance of setting realistic expectations and the value of writing for enjoyment and engagement rather than solely for income.

Abstract

The author shares their experience of earning $0.03 from an article on Medium, expressing satisfaction with this achievement as a beginning. They caution against the allure of get-rich-quick schemes often promoted on the platform, emphasizing that while writing for clients can be lucrative, earning a full-time income from Medium alone is unlikely. The article suggests that the true value of writing on Medium lies in the enjoyment and engagement it brings, rather than the potential for significant financial gain. The author celebrates the three cents earned as a symbol of readership and validation of their work, highlighting that even a small number of views can result in earnings, which is not always the case when publishing elsewhere. They also offer advice for aspiring writers, directing them to additional resources for getting paid for their writing, while managing expectations about the potential for wealth.

Opinions

Blogging for money should not be driven by the pursuit of large sums, as this can lead to disappointment and a decrease in content quality.
Medium can be a profitable platform for some writers, but it is not a reliable source of full-time income for most, including the author.
The value of Medium lies in its ability to connect writers with readers and provide a platform for sharing and curating content, rather than just as a means to earn money.
Earning even a small amount from writing on Medium is significant and can be a source of motivation and validation for writers.
The author is skeptical of articles claiming huge earnings from Medium, suggesting that some may be misleading or untrue.
Writing for clients is seen as a more stable and potentially more lucrative option for writers looking to make a living from their craft.
The author encourages writers to focus on the joy of writing and the impact of their work, rather than solely on financial returns.

Why you shouldn’t chase the big numbers as a blogger

There are two ways to get paid when blogging:

Writing for clients.

Writing for publications like Medium.

You may not agree with my terminology above; to you, Medium might be something entirely different to a publication. If so — tell me what it is in the comments. Regardless, I firmly believe these are the only two avenues available to you if you’ve decided you want to make money from blogging.

Here’s the truth. Option 1 can be very profitable indeed. It is for me and forms around 40% of my income. Option 2? That will never be a full time job — for me, at least.

Medium is littered with get-rich-quick articles. If you join the site and start following and reading articles about making money from writing, your Daily Digest will contain at least one piece each day titled something like:

How I made $400,000 in my first month of blogging

Some may be true. Others, I suspect, are complete bullshit. They are teeth-grindingly irritating.

You’ll never make that much money blogging, and you certainly won’t on Medium. If you’ve joined Medium to make a shed load of money, you’ll be sorely disappointed and your content will suffer as a result.

This is why you should never chase the big numbers as a blogger. They exist, but they’re incredibly difficult to find, and you’ll only exhaust yourself to the point of giving up entirely.

And that would be a real shame.

Why my $0.03 matters

So far, I’ve earned those 3 cents from this article, and I’m really happy about it.

I’ve earned more on Medium than that in the past; I have another account which racked up $10 in earnings from another Apple-related post. Although, I missed the fact I’d made those earnings entirely until about six months later when the money dropped into my account.

Back to today, and those three tiny cents matter to me, because they’re the first bite of the apple (if you’ll excuse the pun). They make the hard work that goes into writing consistently for a platform like Medium entirely worth it and, more importantly, they demonstrate that my writing is being enjoyed.

It may also surprise you to hear that those earnings came from just three views.

Publish a blog on your own website or on a platform like LinkedIn, and you won’t earn three cents from it. Even if you bundle it full of affiliate links, you probably won’t earn a penny (or cent — sorry, I’m British) for a very long time — if at all.

Getting paid for column-style writing is bloody hard these days. To be able to make a few cents from nothing but your time is, therefore, testament not just to Medium as a platform but to what the internet can be if we all come together and create, share and curate great content.

That $0.03 might grow. It might not. I don’t really care — genuinely. I’m just happy people are reading it. That’s what matters.

I’ve Made Money on Medium — but It’s Not What You Expect

Why you shouldn’t chase the big numbers as a blogger

Why my $0.03 matters

Want to get paid for writing?