Wowzers! Did You Know Medium Hands Out $500 Bonuses?

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Abstract

d="28fb">There are a lot of opportunities for writers to earn. As someone who has been at this for a long time, it almost feels like we’ve hit a renaissance of sorts. Publications and platforms seem to need us now more than ever. Maybe they finally figured out that those <a href="https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-live-with-the-bots-controlling-your-writing-career-b3944fa3d381">AI bots</a> might bring them eyeballs, but they can’t string words together in a way that keeps readers coming back.</p><p id="e2d8">Or maybe there are just lots of investors pushing money into independent publishing. We know that’s what happened with News Break. They raised capital and threw some of it at writers. It remains to be seen whether they will continue to value the monetary needs of the writers they attracted with the money.</p><p id="0506">Everywhere I turn, I’m reading about money flowing into the accounts of writers. Did you know Substack is looking for writers who will devote a year to building newsletters focusing on the local news? And that they are paying them while they build?</p><p id="eb31">And how about <a href="https://writingcooperative.com/9-publications-who-need-writers-at-300-to-750-per-story-4a61741fa6e2">this fantastic list</a> by <a href="undefined">Rick Govic</a> featuring publications that pay solid money. There’s even one on the list that pays $1 per word. Man, I thought those days were gone like the pages of long-shuttered print pubs blowing in the wind.</p><p id="a08b">And yet, here we are. Talking about platforms and pubs really paying writers.</p><h1 id="1f8a">How to work toward whatever bonuses Medium wants to hand you</h1><p id="05cc">No matter where else you write, if you write here fo

Options

r money, there are basics you’ve got to keep in mind. Here’s my list.</p><ul><li>You cannot have long-term success here financially without a Medium following. It does not matter what other following you have. Only the reading time of Medium members adds to your pay, plus the deeper your catalog, the more you earn in the long haul.</li><li>You can’t build a Medium following without writing a lot, and no matter what your skill level is when you begin, if you build better writing skills, you’ll build your following faster.</li><li>When the powers that be say they want this platform to be relational, they mean it. Scroll back up and read what my email says. It is all about how readers related to my writing. It did not say, “Hey you wrote good stuff,” or, “You wrote a bazillion words,” or “You published every day.” It says my work received reads, claps, and follows.</li><li>Curation is nice, but connecting with actual people works miracles. I quit worrying about curation ages ago. All I worry about now is how to connect with individuals. That’s my number one goal. I’m not writing for some make-believe reader I know nothing about. I write for the person whose story moved me when I read it here yesterday or the person who asked a question on one of my stories or sometimes even the writer I hope to surprise with something they don’t know.</li></ul><h1 id="627c">Takeaways:</h1><p id="2e80">Write more. Read more. Learn more. Connect more. Earn more.</p><p id="c3ec">And in case you are wondering what readers responded to in April, <a href="https://melindacrow.medium.com/what-i-wrote-in-april-versus-what-was-read-in-april-that-earned-me-a-500-bonus-85c8ba7250b9">here’s the whole shebang</a>.</p></article></body>

I had a nice surprise hit my inbox today

With all the negative stories floating around about Medium lately, I thought it might be nice to have a morale booster. I just got the most amazing email. Medium added a $500 bonus to my April Partner Program earnings. And I’m not the only one. Here’s what the email said:

“Medium members are discerning readers, drawn to great writing — like yours. To recognize the writers who made the most impact on members this past month, we’re rewarding 1,000 writers with a $500 bonus. Congrats, that’s you!

You made it here because the stories you published in April received the most member reads, claps, and follows. So nice work! It’s writers like you that make Medium and the Partner Program a living network of insightful thinking. Keep the good ideas coming.”

It bodes well for the future

I honestly don’t know if this is something that is done every month and I just haven’t made the cut before or if this was a one-time deal. I’d love to hear from other writers who have received bonuses — either this month or in the past. What I get from this, though, is that Medium is making good on its promises to continue to support independent writers.

There are a lot of opportunities for writers to earn. As someone who has been at this for a long time, it almost feels like we’ve hit a renaissance of sorts. Publications and platforms seem to need us now more than ever. Maybe they finally figured out that those AI bots might bring them eyeballs, but they can’t string words together in a way that keeps readers coming back.

Or maybe there are just lots of investors pushing money into independent publishing. We know that’s what happened with News Break. They raised capital and threw some of it at writers. It remains to be seen whether they will continue to value the monetary needs of the writers they attracted with the money.

Everywhere I turn, I’m reading about money flowing into the accounts of writers. Did you know Substack is looking for writers who will devote a year to building newsletters focusing on the local news? And that they are paying them while they build?

And how about this fantastic list by Rick Govic featuring publications that pay solid money. There’s even one on the list that pays $1 per word. Man, I thought those days were gone like the pages of long-shuttered print pubs blowing in the wind.

And yet, here we are. Talking about platforms and pubs really paying writers.

How to work toward whatever bonuses Medium wants to hand you

No matter where else you write, if you write here for money, there are basics you’ve got to keep in mind. Here’s my list.

You cannot have long-term success here financially without a Medium following. It does not matter what other following you have. Only the reading time of Medium members adds to your pay, plus the deeper your catalog, the more you earn in the long haul.

You can’t build a Medium following without writing a lot, and no matter what your skill level is when you begin, if you build better writing skills, you’ll build your following faster.

When the powers that be say they want this platform to be relational, they mean it. Scroll back up and read what my email says. It is all about how readers related to my writing. It did not say, “Hey you wrote good stuff,” or, “You wrote a bazillion words,” or “You published every day.” It says my work received reads, claps, and follows.

Curation is nice, but connecting with actual people works miracles. I quit worrying about curation ages ago. All I worry about now is how to connect with individuals. That’s my number one goal. I’m not writing for some make-believe reader I know nothing about. I write for the person whose story moved me when I read it here yesterday or the person who asked a question on one of my stories or sometimes even the writer I hope to surprise with something they don’t know.