Month 4 in Medium Partnership Program

My Progress on Medium So Far

The first thing, as always, is to ask that you please scroll all the way to the bottom of this page in order for it to be counted as a “read” in Medium’s statistics. For more information, please read “Views vs. Reads on Medium.” Thanks!

T his article is meant to show you what is possible if you are trying to make progress on Medium. I do not do as well as some, but better than others; hence, I believe mine is a more realistic view.

Earnings

November — $10.01 December — $28.01 January — $32.16 February —$28.16

I have no explanation for these numbers. I know — helpful, right? I posted almost every day in December and made almost three times as much as in November. Then, I posted fewer times in January but made more money than in December (of course, I had two member referrals partway through January, so that helped). I posted more times in February and had a member referral, but made less money.

You may say that I shouldn’t focus on the numbers, but I am trying to make money while still doing what I love. Is it possible? Yes, I think so. I just haven’t figured it out yet.

If I had more time to devote to this platform, I might be able to do it, but that would mean giving up my regular writing job and I don’t think that is wise. Give up a definite source of income for something that might make me money…? That doesn’t make sense.

You might say,

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

I think you’re wrong and that you must not like cake as much as I do.

Views and Followers

February started out very well. In fact, on February 8th and 10th, there was a tie for the most views I’ve ever had in one day. After that, however, the views dropped off dramatically. It doesn’t make any sense to me because as the month progressed, the quality of my posts got better and I was posting five times per week. I did end up getting more views toward the end of the month and in the past 30 days, I’ve had the most views so far, but not the most reads or fans.

I was earning about two dollars per day more in February than in January until the middle of the month. Then, along with the views, the reads and earnings dropped off. I know many people tend to blame the ever-mysterious Medium “algorithm” for the various unexplained quirks and discrepancies, so that’s what I’ll do too.

The post with the most views by far was “Brandon’s Love and Valentine’s Blues.” I really enjoyed this one, so I’m glad it did well. Of course, it didn’t earn as much as some of the others because 62% of the views were external. Even though Valentine’s is in the title, it is about different types of love in general, so it is not limited to that one Hallmark holiday. If you’d like to take a look at it, please do.

I engaged with a few new writers but not as many as in past months. For this reason, I only gained 105 followers.

Posts

I hit 100 total lifetime published posts in February which, of course, is more than some and not near as many as others. I’m not trying to post every day because I just don’t have time for it while still performing well at my job. Plus, the less time I have to dedicate to each post, the more the quality declines.

I know others are doing very well, gaining, earning, etc. as they post multiple times during the days and weeks but I’m still making progress overall with the way I’m doing things, so I’m okay with my schedule.

The post with the most reads and earned the most money (and second most views) was “Are You Single?” Why did it do so well? I have no idea. I joked with someone that it was because I used a picture of myself. I was being sarcastic, but there is some opinion that using personal photos will help your post do better as opposed to using free images from Pexel or Unsplash.

The post that came in second was “My Own Eulogy.” I’m glad my fictional death garnered so much attention — I guess…?

The post that came in third was “Medium Partner Program, Month 3.” It is no surprise that this was toward the top of the list. Articles about Medium tend to do well, which is one of the reasons I continue to post them. I only do one per month, simply detailing my progress for other writers who are looking for insights.

Coming in at number four is “About Me — Brandon Ellrich.” This continues to garner a decent amount of views, mainly because it’s pinned to the top of my profile, but also because readers want to know about the author of the posts.

When I go to an author’s profile page, I will many times read their “About Me” post (or the equivalent of their introduction) first. I assume other people do the same. If you haven’t written an introduction about yourself, I encourage you to do so.

Rounding out the top five earners is “Brandon’s Love and Valentine’s Blues,” which I already mentioned above. In a way, I kind of regret using “Valentine’s” in the title. This, I believe, limits the number of views.

I’ve read articles suggesting that you should avoid “seasonal” articles and I can see why. When people see the word Valentine’s or Christmas, but it is the middle of summer, they will be less likely to click on the article. It is “out of date,” so to speak.

This article, for instance, is not about Valentine’s Day at all, but about love in general. The songs are about breakups, commitment, trying to save a relationship, or loving yourself.

So, if you’d like to read one of my most popular articles for February, please click on one (or all) of the five above.

Referred Members

If you’re not a paying member of Medium and you are considering becoming one, PLEASE use a referral link — even if it’s not mine. You have no idea how much it helps a person’s earnings to do that.

One of my referrals apparently gave up on trying to make money, so that’s one reason my earnings are a little less this month. I hope to gain more referrals to make up for it.

The referral link costs you nothing extra. It’s just that Medium gives a portion of that fee to the person who referred you. I didn’t use one when I signed up because I wasn’t really aware of the concept and how much it would help someone else. I still feel bad about not doing that.

Some writers are not here to make money but to simply put their thoughts out into the universe. There are some who are here to try to earn a living by doing what they love, so please support your fellow writers by using the link.

On that note, here is my referral link if you choose to sign up.

I would not be successful at all on this platform if it was not for the continued support of readers as well as those who provide great writing prompts and the curators of publications: Lark Morrigan, Normal Earthling, Benighted, Bruce Coulter, Jill Eng, Brett Jenae Tomlin, Robin Wilding 💎, Natalie, Denise Kendig, Randy Pulley, Lu Skerdoo, Kerry Purvis, Keeley Schroder, Jordan Lewis-Iles, J.S. Phillips, AAAMCWB, The Sturg, Jason Provencio, Martin Morrison, augmented man, Louise Peacock, Oscar Soto ⚡, A Shayens Abran.

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