Summary

Success on Medium and NewsBreak requires a significant number of readers, especially paying members on Medium, and high RPMs on NewsBreak for earnings.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of having a substantial readership to earn money on platforms like Medium and NewsBreak. It highlights that while some individuals successfully earn through these platforms, others may not due to the lack of reader engagement or membership. The piece also notes the challenges of the changing payment models on NewsBreak, which now relies on RPM (Revenue Per Thousand Views) to determine earnings, and the fact that not all views are equally monetizable. The author provides examples of varying RPMs and their impact on earnings, suggesting that success in writing for these platforms is not just about the number of views but also about the quality of the audience and the platform's payment algorithms.

Opinions

The author believes that earning money on Medium and NewsBreak is contingent upon having a large audience of readers, similar to how successful book sales depend on readership.
It is observed that on Medium, earnings are tied to the number of reads by members who are part of the partner program, with external views contributing less to revenue.
The article suggests that NewsBreak's payment system, which now uses RPM, is less straightforward than before and can result in variable earnings for similar numbers of views.
The author implies that NewsBreak's focus on local news, with over 80% of readers being local, is a significant factor for writers to consider for success on the platform.
There is a sentiment that while some writers may claim to write for pleasure or therapy, the ultimate goal for most is to earn money from their writing efforts.
The author indicates that accumulating a sufficient following, views, and reads can lead to success, implying that this is a challenging but achievable goal on both Medium and NewsBreak.

You Will Earn No Money Without Readers

On Medium or NewsBreak

One Month Stats on Medium (Image taken by author)

Many reads are necessary for success

Thousands of people are trying hard to earn money on Medium and NewsBreak. Many are writing for both platforms with the hope that they will find success. There are people who are having substantial earnings on both Medium and NewsBreak so it IS possible.

It is always amazing when you hear people say that they are going to write a book. They have a story to tell, and they believe that they can earn a lot of money by having a book published. That can be done easily for some people who are already rich and famous. Books by other people may earn nothing and be a losing proposition because nobody buys and reads them although some writers are fortunate to have successful books.

That is true of Medium and NewsBreak as well. You MUST HAVE readers if you are going to make any money. As in the case of Medium, the readers must also be members of the partner program who are paying to read and write. Other readers may count as views and reads, but no money will be earned. An example is a story which had 24K views with 13.4K reads. It only earned $8.80 because most of the views and reads were external.

NewsBreak Notice (Image taken by author)

The method of payment on NewsBreak, since changes were made, is more difficult than previously. Instead of guaranteed payments or earning a set amount per story published, they now have something called RPM. That is what determines the amount that a story will earn for the reads (they call them views) that it garners. The number of views (reads) times the RPM equals the amount earned.

Here are some examples of earnings on NewsBreak:

27 Views at 2.96 RPM = $.08

157 Views at 2.99 RPM = $.47

551 Views at 10.54 RPM = $5.81

244 Views at 15.88 RPM = $3.70

127 Views at 16.06 RPM = $2.04

110 Views at 21.18 RPM = $2.33

58 Views at 51.38 RPM = $2.98

The RPM, which is calculated and assigned by NewsBreak, can vary greatly. A recent RPM was as high as 51.38. There may be some higher. It seems that the RPM may change as time goes by, and some become worth zero RPMs.

It is much easier to publish on Medium than on NewsBreak. Medium is not as strict about requirements. You generally do not need to worry about being eliminated from Medium as could happen with the NewsBreak strike system.

NewsBreak wants more local news. Reports indicate that over 80% of readers are people who live in close proximity to the origin of the story.

Money is the goal (Image taken by author)

Although there are people who are writing on Medium, NewsBreak, and a myriad of other platforms or outlets who insist that they only do it for the fun, enjoyment, or therapy of writing, most people will admit that they are writing with the hope of earning some good money from their efforts. They are looking for success from writing.

If a person can have enough followers, views, and reads, success may follow.

Not a Medium member? You can join Medium with my referral link. It’s $5 a month for access to all the stories on Medium. https://floydforest.medium.com/membership