Medium Helped Me Make Money, Just Not How I Thought It Was Going To Work

Summary

An English teacher leveraged Medium to gain visibility, leading to paid writing jobs and unexpected income, despite not earning significantly from the platform itself.

Abstract

The author, an English teacher, began sharing their writing on Medium at the onset of the Covid pandemic, having never published before. This activity inadvertently led to paid writing opportunities, including a salaried position managing a company's social media accounts. The role involved learning about social media marketing and audience engagement, which complemented the author's existing writing skills. Although the company eventually shifted to a social media firm, the author continues to work with them on events and writing about off-roading, a personal passion. The exposure on Medium resulted in approximately $17,000 of income last year, not directly from the platform but through opportunities it facilitated. The author also mentions an upcoming project from an individual who had previously fired them from a coaching position, highlighting the unpredictable nature of success. Despite earning a modest amount from Medium publications, the platform has been instrumental in opening doors to other financial opportunities.

Opinions

The author values the impact of Medium on their professional life, recognizing it as a catalyst for unexpected writing jobs.
They acknowledge a gap in their visual social media skills but emphasize the strength of their audience awareness and writing abilities.
The author expresses enjoyment in the writing work they've undertaken, especially when it aligns with personal interests like off-roading.
They are reflective about the journey, noting the irony and interest in writing for someone who had fired them in the past.
The author is open about their current earnings from Medium being minimal, contrasting with the significant opportunities that have arisen because of their presence on the platform.
There is a sense of gratitude for the tangible financial benefits that have come from their writing on Medium, even if the direct earnings from the platform are not substantial.
The author is seeking further insight into maximizing earnings on Medium, inviting advice from those who have succeeded in doing so.

Medium Helped Me Make Money, Just Not How I Thought It Was Going To Work

About two years ago, I took the advice from my sister, Torree McGowan to start publishing some stuff on Medium. I had never heard of it before.

It was the beginning of Covid and I was doing a lot of writing. I have been an English teacher for 23 years and write all the time but I have never tried to publish anything.

Fast forward a couple of years, and now I have my own website and publish fairly consistently on Medium. I also share my Medium writing on social media.

Through this sharing on social media, I have accidentally walked into paid writing jobs from people who read my writing and reached out to me.

I was hired to run a company’s social media accounts. I was put on salary for 10 months while I learned about Instagram and Facebook as ways to make money for a company. I learned about dealing with brand ambassadors and how to grow followers. I learned about how to post, when to post, and how often to post.

I had a lot of fun doing this writing. I was weak visually on social media but strong with audience awareness. Now, I never took a class in college about how to appeal to people on social media — since it didn’t exist — but I did learn how to write for an audience and how to connect through writing. This allowed me to be successful.

That job eventually ran its course because the company wanted to hire a social media firm to run its accounts and get stronger visually as it grew. Even though that job is over, I still work for the company and do some events and traveling around off-roading for them and writing about it, which is where my passion is anyway, so it worked out well.

So all-in-all, I made about $17,000 being a writer last year. It wasn’t from Medium, but the opportunity came because of it. That was pretty cool.

Yesterday, I sat down and had a business meeting with someone who fired me 15 years ago from coaching. He wants to hire me to do some writing for him. He has been following my writing on social media, likes the way I do it, and wants me to help him with a project.

He wants me to write three articles over three months and is going to pay $1000. I said yes, and the fact I was fired by him actually makes the writing and the subject even more interesting to me. Sometimes, things come to us in ways we would never believe.

I have started drafting and discussing these articles with people I trust and the subject is gaining steam. I look forward writing these articles. It is a cool place in life when you feel — as Valerie Stevenson, one of the best teachers I know, said — like you have something to say, rather than having to say something.

Once again, I’m going to make actual, tangible money from writing on Medium — even if it isn’t from Medium.

Now, I do still publish on Medium and make my $3.43 a month. I have not figured out how to play the game effectively and make the money that I see others write about. Maybe I will someday. Maybe I won’t. If anybody has the actual key to this, feel free to message me.

However, the Medium key did unlock some doors for me to make good, second-job type of money. It isn’t enough to live on but it is enough to make a difference.

I write this as much to myself as to any other audience — just because I can’t figure out how to make money on Medium doesn’t mean I’m not making money because of Medium.

Thanks for reading and please check out my personal blog.