Why Medium is Still the Best Place to Write

Just keep writing, writing, writing…

With algorithm changes and new writers swarming to Medium every single day, competition for reads is much fiercer now than it was two years ago.

I have personally witnessed the content and quality of content put out on a regular basis transform. And if you can’t beat them, join them. Which is why I shifted my writing perspective to meta content, meaning articles on Medium about Medium.

Sounds pretty blah, right? But somehow, I never run out of things to say.

When I write, it’s important for me to maintain integrity in my work. And honestly, with the current way Medium operates, it gets harder to do that every day.

Ideally, I would love to write about my life experiences, personal development, recipes, and more.

But in time I have learned that my ‘writing’ articles perform the best. After all, I have been here for 2+ years. I have learned a thing or two.

Growing With the Changes

When I started on Medium, I landed the “Top Writer” status in Food, Self, Mental Health, and more. Sometimes maintaining six tags at once. It was effortless. ‘Medium times’ were different.

And over the past 6 months or so, I have watched myself rise within the Top Writer category in “writing.”

I guess it’s more rewarding because it’s harder to crack the code. And maintenance is key.

After the Top 5, I was the 22nd, then 18th, then 10th, and now 8th. It’s all about consistency, discoverability, and credibility.

Why should you care about my evolution on the platform?

Because Medium is still the best place on the Internet to make money writing online.

Where are the Facts?

Medium has a domain authority of 98! This is on par with websites like Amazon, Facebook, and Linkedin. Meaning, it ranks highly (like first page high) on major search engines like Google and more.

Simply put, when people search for anything, it’s likely that a Medium article will come up as one of the results, meaning, more clicks, views, and reads for you.

(I actually ranked first page of Google by accident over the summer when I unknowingly wrote about a current TikTok trend. My article (published in 2020) was there for months! Check out the stats.)

But wait a second…

We know that Medium only pays its writers for internally-read Member read time views. So why would external reads even matter in terms of making money?

Some Reasons:

Free Promotion: Your writing is being promoted for free by Medium. You don’t need to pay for a domain name or hosting site. So you are automatically saving money you would have to pay for a WordPress blog or other that might not even rank (or take years of consistent long-form content posting ((1k+ words)) to do so.)

Passive Income: This is especially vital for folks who do affiliate marketing and earn percentages of sales from clicks. It’s also invaluable to businesses in terms of marketing. If you have a service or product to sell, or even a newsletter to grow, Medium is the place to do it, and get paid for it.

Discoverability: Do you ever take the time to Google yourself in Incognito mode and see what comes up? I do more often than not. As an SEO writer, it helps me learn first-hand what ranks well and what doesn’t. (Another blog on that later.)

And when I google myself, one of the top results is my Medium profile. So I know that when I’m applying to a new gig or job, my background check will be rather palatable and impressive. (Or so I hope).

If you’re posting across high-traffic socials like TikTok, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin, whatever, for one reason or another, you will start to build a ‘fanbase’ or loyal audience that wants to engage with you across platforms.

Why would you leave Medium out of the ring? Especially when you can repurpose content across platforms and earn new followers who see you as reputable, credible, and trustworthy within your niche. (Again, keep an eye out for an upcoming blog on choosing a niche and why you absolutely should.)

What About Other Writing Sites?

It’s easy for newbies on Medium to write about Medium. And, try to understand the benefit of other writing sites. In reality, you need to spend decent time somewhere (like 1+ year, to have a decent understanding.) At least, that’s what I believe.

I haven’t written everywhere you can write. But I have tried a few.

I have tried Vocal Media, and the earnings were crap compared to Medium. Vocal actually upgraded me to Vocal+ for no reason at all, which is a paid membership. They even gave me money for joining Vocal+, which was very odd to me. With a minimum payout balance of $20, I won’t be cashing out anytime soon.

I have tried Simily, and decided to call it quits. Not because I don’t believe you can’t make money there. But because I have too many burning projects currently ongoing, and Simily has to take the back burner for now.

Plus, I want to give Simily some time to blossom. I have already emailed them a handful of times about user errors, and they have failed to correct them. When they get their act together, I’ll migrate back.

I haven't tried Newsbreak, Hubpages, or Quora, but I have read mixed reviews on all three.

For now, I’ll be sticking to Medium, where my monthly payout keeps growing when I’m consistent, patient, and hardworking.

Is Medium your favorite place to write? Let me know. I always love to learn.

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