Medium Writers are About to Get a Windfall
There’s room for everyone… if you do the work
Most of us flocked to Medium with open eyes. The partner program and the ad-free platform created the perfect storm for readers and writers to collide.
Once we started writing, the packing seemed a little flashy compared to the prize at the bottom.
…but we trudged-on.
While Medium is no place for most writers to earn a full-time income, you can make some extra cash if you’re willing to put in the work.
We get paid for reads.
It’s as close to democratic as we can get. If we write stuff worth reading, we get rewarded — kinda.
But the payment model has gone through many iterations — all of which are a little secretive.
Not all reads are worth the same amount.
If a heavy-user reads your story you might get a penny. If your story was the only story another reader read, her attention might be worth a dollar.
It was hard to get readers to return tomorrow, no matter the seize of your platform. The algorithm was all over the place. Sometimes Medium set it up to favor the large publications, sometimes your interests, sometimes your favorite writers.
…but times they are a changing.
Soon, your readers will have the ability to follow you, as a writer, on both the web and mobile app.
This means she’ll get everything you write, not just a random story at the right time.
The size of your following wasn’t very important before. You could have a massive following and only grab a few reads.
With the new platform changes, making the reader’s experience more a la carte, it looks like we’re about to see a windfall of new reads soon.
If you publish daily (or frequently) your content will be in front of more readers.
If you don’t publish frequently, a reader can still follow you and see your content when you do publish.
The number of followers is about to matter — a lot.
How to get a bigger Medium following
Be active on the platform. The algorithm rewards writers who show-up and punishes those who don’t.
- Follow writers you like
- Follow a few people who comment on those writers you like
- Only follow people with the ring around their photo (these are paid members), as they are the only ones whose reads will earn you money.
- Comment on the high-performing stories of the day
- Follow the top writers in your niche and comment on their stories too
The more you show Medium that you’re active in a regular basis, both prodding and consuming content — the more Medium will reward you with eyeballs.
Yes, you have to write stories worth reading, but that’s the baseline.
If you want to do well in the platform use your stats. Write more of the stories that work and stop pushing the stories that don’t.
The windfall is coming
Just as winter is coming, the writers who publish daily (or frequently) are about to get rewarded a lot more than over the past 6–8 months.
With this new ‘favorites’ model were like to build a more-steady reading income we can rely on.
The partner income wasn’t reliable before because the story discoverability was all over the place.
Soon, as you grow your following and help readers get what they want, they’ll favorite you.
Your regular content will show-up on reader’s laptops and phones.
As long as you continue to serve readers the content they love, they’ll allow you to stay on their dashboard.
No more of the heavily-weighted promotions for the big publications — I hope.
This is straight from the CEO, Ev Williams. Medium wants the reader to tailor her experience more.
…and I believe this change is a huge win for hard-working writers, willing to put in the time to serve their readership.
Time will tell, but I’m excited about this new chance. Grab your mouse and get ready for the windfall.
Nothing happens without readers
If you’re a new writer, it’s time to grow your following. You must put in the time of you want the results.
This is also the time to build your email list.
Although the partner program is a great way to earn extra cash, there’s a lot more to be earned from Medium.
…but you also need and email list of your best readers.
You’ve got to have a way to contact these folks directly, on a list you own and control. Right now, Medium owns your following and you can lose them at any time.
A readers gets his feeling hurt, writes a letter, and boom. You’re de-platformed.
Not so with email. With email you own your traffic. When you own your traffic you own your business.
Medium is a great place for writers and it appears to get better daily. But nothing happens without our readers.
If you want to grow your publishing business and you’d like more control over your income, it’s time to start your email list.
With email, you can create automatic sequences to sell your work while your sleep.
You can schedule broadcast emails to sell for you while you’re writing, or on vacation.
Email is the perfect vehicle for writers. We love writing and our audience loves to read. Not every vocation can say that.
I’ve got something. Just for you…
When you build a tribe around your best work, even if you’re starting-out, you’ve got an instant audience when you’re ready to fly.
I built a free email masterclass for you. I hand-crafted the whole thing. It took me a couple months. I call the masterclass the Tribe 1K.
I’ll show you how to get your first 1,000 (or your next 1,000) readers without spending a hot nickel on ads. Past students include New York Times bestselling authors. Yep, the ones you see in the bookstore.
Your email list will help you build a legacy creative business.
If you want to grow your creative business you need email before you lose that valuable reader. Start your list before you need one. Once you need a list it’s almost too late.
Guarantee your seat before I charge an enrollment fee.
We’re waiting for you.
Enroll in my Free Email Masterclass. Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers
August Birch (AKA the Book Mechanic) is both a fiction and non-fiction author from Michigan, USA. As a self-appointed email marketing expert for writers and creators, August helps indies make more work that sells and sell more work they make. The core of August’s process is your email list. When he’s not writing or thinking about writing, August hangs-out with his beautiful wife and handsome son, carries a pocket knife, and shaves his head with a safety razor.
