Get Started on Medium: 4 Easy Steps

How to start writing and get paid.

Medium is a fantastic starting point for new online writers. The articles are inspiring and everyone seems to know what they’re doing, and — even better — willing to share their sage advice. Lately, I’ve done little else but study the language of Medium, and I want to share what I’ve learned with you.

Medium does seem to be one of the most egalitarian places to write on the internet, as well as being the most supportive with the lowest barrier to entry. You don’t have to pitch or bargain with anyone to get started. Just sign up, add a picture, pick a name and start writing!

While it’s easy to get started, it does take some work to get noticed. I’ve been writing here since last September, but nowhere near as much as I know I should be. So prepare to write, write, write, and write some more if you want to make this Medium thing work for you. Take it step-by-step, though, and don’t get overwhelmed. I’ve made a helpful list of boxes to tick off on your road to success on Medium. Here are 4 things to do first on Medium.

1. Write.

The most obvious, but one that’s easy to forget sometimes. I know in my case, I spend a lot of time trying to make connections on social media when I should be writing, mostly here and on Twitter. While this is definitely important in the online writing world, you’ve got nothing unless you have writing to show. People need to read your work for the writing thing to work. So make time and space to write.

If you’re having a tough time producing anything coherent, make yourself sit down and tap out 5 ideas- or just fleeting thoughts, they can become ideas, too — and then create a Medium draft for each idea. Leave and come back later. Writing an article will come easier when you’ve already created a space for each idea to grow. The resulting articles do not have to be ground-breaking. Having something out there is better than nothing and seeing your own published articles will inspire you onto the next. Write, and write every single day.

2. Subscribe to Medium

This seems counterproductive, I know. Putting money into something when you’re trying to make money from that thing is off-putting. I didn’t want to do it either. But hear me out. First, if you like Medium, why not subscribe? I started reading on Medium years before I become a Medium writer. The articles that brought me were sincerely great and I love supporting those writers.

Second, being a Medium subscriber makes a few things much easier. Networking on Medium — making friends through comments on other writer’s articles — is an important part of getting noticed as a new writer. If your goal here is to make money directly from Medium, then you have to qualify for the Medium Partnership program. To do that, you have to accumulate 100 followers (and live in the US). If you’re not a Medium subscriber, you can only read a few articles every month. It’s going to take you a long time to network with writers, readers, and audiences if you can’t comment on other articles.

Finally, Medium is making changes to further restrict non-subscribers’ access. The most recent I’m aware of is that non-subscribers will no longer be allowed to create publications. Creating a publication is a nice way to grow on Medium, and you don’t want to hamper yourself.

So, be brave! Go all in and become a full member of the Medium community. You won’t regret it. If you work hard now, in a year Medium will be paying for your membership with your earnings, and then some.

Keep your horizons open and Join Medium with my referral link — M.E. Gattignolo

3. Write a #FollowforFollow or #100Followers Article

I know this seems silly, but this is how I gained 100 followers within a week. Yes, it works. I wrote this article on January 7, 2023 and on January 13th, I was in the Partner Program. I had previously been dabbling on Medium for months and not really going anywhere before I happened upon similar “100 Followers Challenge” articles by other writers and thought to give it a try. Maybe the ethics are in a little bit of a gray area, but if you’re serious about working on Medium, the faster you can gain an audience, the more effective you’ll be in your goals.

4. Submit to a Publication

Yes, as a new writer, you can submit to a publication. You might think you need to be a certain kind of writer to have your writing in a publication, but you don’t. You just need to be your authentic self. Submitting to publications also goes a long way towards being seen and noticed as a writer on Medium. They help naturally boost your views and open you to a wider audience.

Your writing goals are different than mine, but sharing my publication experience may help you. I like writing nonfiction articles, but I also love writing fiction. Looking for fiction writers on Medium, I ran across The Lightning Project. Reading the articles in this flash fiction pub, I became overwhelmed with the desire to submit my own work. I was happy to find an article detailing the submission process and how easy it was. I was included as a writer and now I have several pieces in that publication. It is such a fun pub to be a part of and writing a little piece for them once in a while has become a personal treat to myself.

Every publication is different and are looking for different things. So far — aside from The Lighting Project — I’ve joined Midform, Illumination, Fantastic Fiction, and Black Bear. All fit my interests in areas I want to write about, and they’re all fairly easy to join and submit to. Finding your own pubs to submit to is simply a matter of typing a topic you love into Medium’s search bar and clicking the ‘publication’ tab underneath. You’ll find a great one (though I do highly recommend the ones I’ve found).

I recently created my own publication, Fascinate Me Fiction. If you like writing short stories, feel free to message me in the comment section of this article with your Medium handle or this article. I’ll be happy to add you as a writer and you can become an establishing voice for a new publication.

Another brand new publication I’ve started — if you’re more into nonfiction — is Passages Through Writing. It’s all about the writing, creativity, and productivity process and what that looks like for lowly writers like us. Check out this article to get started as a writer:

Well, I hope my suggestions have your gears turning and you’re brimming with excitement to get started! I know how confusing starting on Medium can be. So many articles full of information: it feels chaotic and overwhelming. I hoped I helped you make a little sense of everything. Now get out there and write your heart out!

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think! To get more from me, grace me with a follow. I also write for The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram as Meggiebeth_Writes.