Summary

The author reflects on their experience with writing on Medium and the desire for passive income from it.

Abstract

The author shares their journey of writing on Medium, starting from making 13 cents in their first month to earning life-changing money. They discuss the three strategies for going viral and making money on Medium: publishing one article every day, publishing often and consistently, and publishing occasionally with the hope of going viral. The author has tried the first two strategies and currently focuses on the second one. Despite the decrease in income after a three-month absence, the author remains grateful for the additional income stream. They express their desire to write full-time and the importance of enjoying the process.

Opinions

The author believes that publishing often and consistently, with an emphasis on quality, is the best strategy for making money on Medium.
The author acknowledges the importance of enjoying the process of writing, even if it doesn't always result in financial success.
The author is grateful for the additional income stream generated by writing on Medium, even if it's not life-changing.
The author expresses their desire to write full-time and the importance of focusing on the process, rather than waiting for a story to go viral.

The Dream of Truly Passive Income on Medium

Making enough money from writing to fund your lifestyle would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash

When I work my 9–5 and plan social media posts for my 2nd job, there are times when I wish my articles would take off.

I reminisce back to the summer when I hit the $500 bonus three months in a row. At the same time, I had one article generate nearly $500 in the background.

Those days felt like a dream.

I couldn’t believe that I was a kid who went from 13 cents in his first month to some life-changing money.

Plenty of time has passed since then, and I’m afraid that hitting my first peak set me up for overextended expectations.

Mass production can make or break you.

So how the hell do we go viral and make a big check from Medium?

There are three routes we can go:

Publish one article every day.
Publish often and consistently.
Publish every once in a while and bet that it goes viral.

At one point, I was the guy who published one article every day. I had a few stories go viral, but I had about three times where I burnt out and needed at least a week off.

Currently, I’m trying to publish often and consistently — without insane production, emphasizing quality.

Once in a blue moon, I’ll have an article go viral and generate a few hundred dollars (3 so far).

You’re still making passive income even though it may be small, and that’s better than most people.

It’s fascinating how spoiled I became with writing ever since I got paid in the thousands. After my three-month absence, my writing generates only about $40 a month.

But hey, that’s $40 that I wouldn’t have had. So although it may not be life-changing, it’s still a paycheck.

My biggest issue is focusing on the process. I’m waiting for a story to blow through the roof and eliminate my financial stressors.

Writing wouldn’t be fun if you were just always killing it.

We have to be grateful for the journey because it’s the small, consistent habits that build the foundation of our entire being.

Pat yourself on the back for generating another income stream — (they say the average millionaire has seven).

Earning enough money to write full-time would be a dream.

Although writing full-time would be awesome — that way, I could focus all my energy on it, I still love the process.

Owning my apartment, having more bills, and responsibilities have opened up my eyes. My current jobs are helping me survive comfortably, but I’m striving for more.

You may be hungry for the dream, but I’m freaking starving.

Best of luck to you all!