Revealing Medium’s Payments Per Read

Summary

The article discusses the variability in earnings for writers on Medium based on the type of read, with standard member reads potentially being more valuable than those from Medium Friends.

Abstract

The author of the article, after pinning an old story to their profile, analyzed the earnings from different types of reads on Medium. It was observed that a standard member's read could be worth 30 times more than that of a Medium Friend, despite the common assumption that Friends, who pay for their membership, might contribute more to a writer's earnings. The article emphasizes the unpredictability of earnings on Medium, which are influenced by various factors such as read time, comments, and the reader's membership status. The author suggests that writers should not focus solely on attracting Friends but rather encourage all types of readers, as the value of reads can vary significantly. The piece concludes by listing numerous elements that can affect a writer's earnings on the platform, including engagement metrics and somewhat intangible factors like luck and randomness.

Opinions

The author challenges the notion that Medium Friends, who pay for their membership, are inherently more valuable to writers than standard members.
There is an observation that standard member reads can be surprisingly more lucrative than those from Friends.
The author points out the complexity of Medium's payment system for writers, noting that it's influenced by a myriad of factors, including the reader's engagement level.
The article suggests that the value of a read is unpredictable, and writers should not make assumptions based on a reader's membership tier.
The author humorously acknowledges the surreal and nonsensical nature of their earnings statistics, implying that Medium's payment algorithm can be opaque and confusing.
There is a recommendation for writers to focus on attracting a wide range of readers rather than targeting a specific membership tier for higher earnings.
The piece reflects on the past payment structure where selective readers engaging with stories resulted in higher earnings for writers, questioning whether this is still the case.
The author concludes with a note of uncertainty, emphasizing that the intricacies of Medium's payment system are not fully understood by writers, and encourages readers to engage with content they enjoy.

Earnings Under the Friend Tier

Screen grab by author

I pinned an old story to my profile recently. It was a piece entitled, One of My Stories Touched a Nerve. It was published a year ago and hadn’t been read in ages.

Previously, Medium Friend 🌬️Mitch had asked me what the earnings were like when he read a story as a ‘Friend’, compared to reads by standard members. I was curious to find the answer, so I had a look at the stats after he commented on that story.

This is how the payments turned out:

7 December — one member read: earnings 1 cent.

8 December — two member reads and one comment from Mitch as a Friend: earnings 4 cents.

9 December — one read and one comment from a standard member: earnings 60 cents.

So there you go! The standard member’s read was worth 30 times the value of the read by the Medium Friend the day before.

There’s a moral there — don’t think people occupying the cheap seats are necessarily worth less on your read time. They might be worth 30 times more than your best ‘Friend’.

Sorry Mitch, that’s not an assertion on your value as a wonderful human being and valued reader… it’s just an observation from my completely surreal and nonsensical stats!

The bottom line is that it’s impossible to figure out what a read is going to be worth, and you cannot guarantee that a Friend of Medium will generate a higher earning than someone who’s on the standard tier.

There are many factors to consider including read ratios, read time, comments, and how much someone reads on the platform — you may earn less from a prolific commenter based on information provided by Medium’s CEO in the past.

There are many different elements making up what writers get paid, and it’s completely unpredictable.

At one time writers were paid more when *selective* readers engaged with our stories. This was because the payments were a split of readers’ individual fees, not just a split of the writers’ total pool. I’m not sure if that’s still the case.

So, the lesson here is that it pays to have everyone read your stories. Don’t worry about attracting ‘Friends’ over standard readers, because sometimes reads from standard members might pay more…

Ultimately, none of us really knows what is going on! Just read what you want and enjoy the experience!

Things that affect earnings

Time spent reading your story

Read ratio

Membership status

Whether the member is a follower

Whether they follow you after reading

Did they clap?

Did they comment?

Did they highlight?

How much they read and engage with other writers on their stories

Medium’s mood on any given day

Good luck

Bad luck

Total randomness

Maybe your mood, who knows!