Read Times Are Making a Comeback as a Critical Factor in Earnings
Highlights of the October Partner Program update
I published an article yesterday regarding how comments boost story stats (but not necessarily earnings), bringing in several interesting comments.
A couple of them mentioned Buster Benson’s latest post so I decided to share some of the highlights here for my readers who aren’t aware of what’s happening in Mediumland these days.
1️⃣One sentence that jumped out to me is about read times making a comeback and I quote: “Reading time now contributes more to earnings. Read time numbers will return to the Story Stats charts soon.”
Interesting.
👉I took a look at some of my long forms published this month and they have solid read ratios (upper 60s) — does that mean writers like me will benefit from such a change?
❓I’m curious, do you think read time as a primary monetization metric is a fair metric compared to engagement since many pure readers don’t leave comments?
2️⃣The downside is there are no guarantees even then because Buster’s article mentions that monthly tweaks in the earnings algorithm are going to be the new norm for the near future.
👉Where does engagement factor in, I wonder? It is still considered as a criterion, however, am yet to see an uptick in earnings from that this month.
3️⃣And that comes to point # 3 — that those who were impacted by the dip in earnings should have now rebounded to their usual levels.
👉Say what? Not for me. How about you?
❓What is still not entirely clear is whether the drastic drop in earnings (many experienced a 90% wipeout) is on account of bot attacks or a change in Medium metrics.
4️⃣Here’s another stunner: “We recommend that the Partner Program is considered a supplement, rather than a replacement, to a consistent and predictable full-time income.”
I for one have always known that. Simply because I don’t get taken in by the how-to make money on Medium-style articles. It is mostly a bunch of crock in my opinion.
5️⃣This statement “As a result of this shift, certain types of writing will inevitably see earnings go up, while others will go down” brought a lot of heat in the comments with writers asking for more transparency.
What exactly are they looking for — is it high-quality content?
❓What does that even mean? I see ‘high-quality content’ on the daily in the pubs I am an editor for languishing with very few views and engagement (unless of course, they get a boost).
Could Buster be referring to specific genres perhaps? Like erotica? Any thoughts?
6️⃣ Although the topic of fraudulent activity seems to have been dealt with, what was not addressed was the increasing number of cloned accounts, phishing, and scam comments that seem to be popping up with alarming frequency.
👉To combat that, one commenter suggested that the privilege to comment should be reserved for Medium members only.
Other takeaways:
- 10K new writers were admitted to the MPP — does that mean more money to go around?
- AI-generated posts are seriously frowned upon and I quote: “Although some accounts may appear to be thriving on Medium when evaluated based on publicly observable criteria, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee their actual success.”
- Quality over quantity — I guess many still haven’t gotten the memo — yesterday one writer sent at least 10 submissions in one day to The Shortform🙄
- Pathway to Earnings → Get boosted or Get High Engagement or Get High Read Times.
- If your country is not yet in the MPP then you will have to wait till 2024 to be added.
🎈What are your thoughts about these updates? Do share and feel free to add any points I may have missed in the comments!
I made the move to Substack (Yana’s World) a while back mainly because it doesn’t have an algorithm. I’m delighted to discover numerous fellow Medium writers there. I’ve also had the pleasure of collaborating with Kristina God, a highly accomplished writer on Medium. I eagerly anticipate more opportunities for collaboration and the continued growth of my presence there.
Feel free to drop by and say hello! 😊