The Truth About Medium vs News Break
Which one is really better?
I joined Medium first and made my first dollar on Medium well before I started writing for News Break.
Medium offers an outlet for me to express myself and write about what I want. It’s fun to connect with other creators and writers. The stories are real and it’s a great feeling to discover something new from the stories I’m reading.
News Break is one of the most lucrative writing programs I’ve joined. It challenges me like I’ve never been challenged before and I’ve grown my following lightning fast without any real effort.
If you’re a Medium writer or a News Break writer (or maybe both) and wondering which one is better, keep reading while I break down a huge list of pros and cons for both platforms.
I’ll share my honest opinion at the end on which one is better and which one I personally like best.
Medium vs News Break — An Honest Look
First, there’s Medium.
I found Medium a few years ago. I began writing before any kind of monetization or partner program existed.
My goal in the beginning was to practice becoming a better writer on this platform. And, I wanted a place to syndicate my blog content from Millennial Nextdoor.
I’ve published 166 pieces of content on Medium and I’ve earned almost $2,000 to date.
For a long time I averaged just a few bucks per month until I started treating my writing on Medium more seriously and really gave a good effort. When that happened my income started to rise.
Medium Pros
- A fun place to share your writing
- Write about what you want
- Partner program for income earning
- Grow a social following
- Personal brand exposure to increase your online reach
Medium Cons
- Low income
- Difficulty getting curated
- No real income potential unless you get curated
- Difficulty growing social following
That’s my honest opinion about Medium.
Next, News Break.
I’ve been with News Break for far less of a time than Medium. News Break has been 11 months and Medium has been nearly 2–3 years.
I actually found News Break from a Medium article and I was one of the early joiners to their creator program where I earned a steady base pay for almost a full year.
On News Break I’ve published hundreds of pieces of content. More than Medium.
The creator program (with base pay) is more lucrative than Medium in my opinion but, everyone doesn’t have access to the base pay program as of right now.
My News Break income, while much higher than Medium has fluctuated from month to month as their creator program continued to evolve and undergo changes.
When my base pay disappeared I really thought I’d stop writing on there altogether but, I hunkered down, paid attention to successful top writers on the platform and tried my best to make it work.
That effort paid off and helped me make close to what I was making before losing base pay and this month will be highest earning month ever!
News Break Pros
- Income earning potential
- Grow a social following
News Break Cons
- Limited on kinds of content you can publish
- Wild swings in how the creator program is run — it can change from one month to the next with just a few days notice
Who wins the battle — Medium or News Break?
To be honest, Medium and News Break are both so different from one another, it’s difficult to say which one is best.
Medium I love because I can write about nearly anything I want, with the opportunity to make money from it.
News Break is a much different platform with a focus on news and local stories which is much different from the kind of content I usually publish.
I didn’t mention above but I’ve made FAR MORE on News Break (like 5X+ more) than Medium, even with the changes in their creator program and loss of base pay.
I follow the work of News Break’s top writers and some of them make a lot of money (over $10K/month).
Look at this tweet…
Truly incredible, right?
You can read more about the successes of people on News Break here too.
While I’ve read stories of people making over $10K per month (and more) on Medium, I’ve personally found it easier to make more money on News Break, despite my enjoyment and preference for writing on Medium.
Who’s the best?
You know, money isn’t everything.
I’m going to have to say Medium wins the battle.
It’s funny because I see some writers moving entirely off News Break and focusing more on Medium and writers who have long been on Medium, deciding to spend more of their time writing on News Break.
It’s all a matter of personal preference.
For me, I’ll continue writing on both platforms.
My income is growing on both and I get something a little different from each platform.
Medium lets me express myself and write about topics I love and enjoy. My following is growing super fast. I was at 120 followers a few months ago and now I’m at 1,100.
News Break earns me more money. And in less than a year, I’m at almost 10,000 followers!
Are you on Medium or News Break, or both?
Which platform is your favorite?
I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you’d like to support me as a writer, consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s just $5 a month and you get unlimited access to Medium.