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Abstract

So it surprised me when my greatest performing post made a whopping 89 cents. Yes, CENTS.How could this be??I checked and checked and re-checked the stats. It had the most views, reads, comments, and claps! What gives?My analytic brain would NOT let this go. No algorithm in the world would account for such puzzlery! (yes, I made that word up but you get it.)Then I found it… I scrolled alllllllllllll the way down to my story’s stats and BINGO:“External vs Internal Referrals”What?!Here is the comparison….<figure id="81e9"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*QbIzHOFeREBQpM3YY0c6bg.jpeg"><figcaption>Top Paid Article — Author’s Photo</figcaption></figure>Above is a screenshot of my highest-paid article to date. (I received 20x the amount!!)Below is the screenshot of

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my lowest-paid article (but highest in every other category)…<figure id="e44a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*0ek-OJHJHBDGoAJgwzNQqA.jpeg"><figcaption>Lowest Paid Article — Author’s Photo</figcaption></figure>Come to find out, the publication in which I published my article has external websites that publish it simultaneously. 🙈Apparently, (and for good reason) Medium does not value this.Lesson Learned.Unfortunately, the only way to know if the article is published externally is through trial & error.Has this happened to anyone else?Would love to know, please comment!<a href="https://medium.com/@merridethhawk/subscribe">Subscribe</a> to my email and be the first to read & comment on my articles!Thank you for reading!</article></body>

Medium Tips

Shocking Fact Why Your Best Article Made the Least Money

It boggled my brain for days. I couldn’t figure out why my highest-performing article (most reads, views, comments, AND highest read ratio) was making the least amount of money of ALL my posts!

And you will be surprised too! …hint, it is not engagement or comments either.

As a “newbie” writer on Medium (start date January 30th, 2024) I was diligent to ensure I was doing everything in my effort to make my time on this platform worthwhile.

So it surprised me when my greatest performing post made a whopping 89 cents. Yes, CENTS.

How could this be??

I checked and checked and re-checked the stats. It had the most views, reads, comments, and claps! What gives?

My analytic brain would NOT let this go. No algorithm in the world would account for such puzzlery! (yes, I made that word up but you get it.)

Then I found it… I scrolled alllllllllllll the way down to my story’s stats and BINGO:

“External vs Internal Referrals”

What?!

Here is the comparison….

Above is a screenshot of my highest-paid article to date. (I received 20x the amount!!)

Below is the screenshot of my lowest-paid article (but highest in every other category)…

Come to find out, the publication in which I published my article has external websites that publish it simultaneously. 🙈

Apparently, (and for good reason) Medium does not value this.

Lesson Learned.

Unfortunately, the only way to know if the article is published externally is through trial & error.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Would love to know, please comment!

Subscribe to my email and be the first to read & comment on my articles!

Thank you for reading!