What is Medium?

Medium is a publishing platform and social network that allows users to publish and share their articles, stories, and ideas with a wider audience. It was founded in 2012 and has since become a popular platform for writers, journalists, and content creators to share their work and engage with readers.

Medium is known for its focus on high-quality, long-form content and for its clean, simple design that makes it easy for readers to consume and share articles. It also has several features that enable writers to collaborate, receive feedback, and track their audience engagement.

‘There are 1,385,000 new articles posted on Medium.com every month.’ And there are ‘Roughly 175,000 writers on Medium,’ according to this Medium article.

Users can sign up for a free account and publish on Medium immediately. They can also choose to become a member and pay a subscription fee to access exclusive content and features, such as ad-free reading and access to a members-only newsletter.

How can you write for Medium?

To write for Medium, you’ll need to create an account and set up a profile. Here are the steps you can follow:

• Go to the Medium website and click on the “Get started” button in the top right corner.
• Fill out the form to create an account. You’ll need to provide your email address and create a password.
• Once you’ve created your account, you can start writing by clicking on the “New story” button in the top right corner of the homepage.
• A text editor will open where you can write your story. You can use the formatting tools to add headings, lists, quotes, and other elements to your article.
• When you’re finished writing, you can click on the “Publish” button to make your article live on the Medium platform. You can also choose to save your article as a draft if you want to come back to it later.

You can also choose to publish your article in a specific publication, which is a group of writers and editors who curate content on a particular topic. To do this, click on the “Add to publication” button when you’re ready to publish your article.

Once your article is published, it will be available for anyone to read on the Medium platform. You can also share a link to your article on social media or via email to promote it to a wider audience.

Get my FREE blog post template now

Benefits of writing for Medium?

There are several benefits to writing for Medium:

• Reach: Medium has a large and growing audience of readers, which means your articles have the potential to reach a wide audience.
• Engagement: Medium has a number of features that encourage reader engagement, such as the ability to “clap” for an article and leave comments. This can help you build a community of followers and get feedback on your writing.
• Monetisation: If you choose to join the Medium Partner Program, you can earn money from your writing through a combination of member subscriptions and advertising revenue.
• Networking: Writing for Medium can also be a great way to connect with other writers and content creators. You can join writing communities and participate in events and workshops to meet other people in the industry.
• Professional development: Writing for Medium can help you improve your writing skills and build your portfolio, which can be helpful if you’re looking to pursue a career in writing or journalism.
• Simplicity: Medium’s text editor is user-friendly and makes it easy to write and format your articles.
• Collaboration: Medium has a number of features that make it easy to collaborate with other writers, such as the ability to invite others to contribute to your article or leave comments and suggestions.
• Analytics: Medium provides detailed analytics about your articles, including information about how many people have read your articles, how much time they spent reading, and where they came from. This can be helpful in understanding your audience and improving your writing.
• Visibility: Medium has a number of algorithms and curators that help promote high-quality content to a wider audience. If your article performs well, it may be featured on the homepage or in one of the platform’s newsletters, which can help increase the visibility of your work.
• Flexibility: You can write for Medium on your own schedule and at your own pace. You can also choose to write on any topic that interests you, which can be a great way to explore your passions and interests.

How can you increase views on Medium?

The more views you get on Medium, the more earning potential you have. And the more the other benefits increase.

Here are some tips for increasing views on your articles on Medium:

• Write engaging, high-quality content: The most important factor in getting views on Medium is to write articles that people will want to read. This means taking the time to research your topic, crafting a compelling headline, and using good storytelling techniques to keep your readers engaged. If you want to learn how to write insanely good articles, I’ve created an online course that addresses all these building blocks.
• Use tags and add to publications: Tagging your articles with relevant keywords and adding them to relevant publications can help make them more discoverable on the platform. This is especially important if you’re writing on a specific topic or niche.
• Promote your articles: You can promote your articles on social media, email newsletters, and other platforms to drive traffic to your Medium page. Make sure to include a link to your articles in your promotional efforts.
• Engage with your readers: Responding to comments and interacting with your readers can help build a community around your work and encourage them to share your articles with their own followers.
• Write regularly: Consistently publishing new articles can help you build an audience over time. Consider setting a schedule for yourself and sticking to it to help ensure that you’re consistently creating new content. You can see below how many articles will put you in the ballpark of the high earners.

What sort of topics can you write for on Medium?

You can write about any topic that interests you on Medium. Some popular categories include personal development, business and entrepreneurship, technology, health and wellness, and creative writing. It appears as though trending news topics and personal essays do the best.

Because my blogging niche tends to float around SEO, copywriting, book writing and digital marketing, that is all that I stick to when publishing to Medium. But I’m keen to experiment with posting a personal essay one day. Just got to write the thing!

I find that Medium is a good place to chuck all those articles that you write that don’t really have a proper home (as well as strategic content). For example, I had written a bunch of TV reviews and yoga posts that I don’t maintain their original websites anymore. So I might as well have it posted on Medium. That way, they are all in the one place should I ever need to link someone to them.

In addition to the above broad categories, there are also many specific niches within each category that you can write about. For example, within the personal development category, you might write about productivity, mindfulness, or personal finance. Within the business and entrepreneurship category, you might write about marketing, leadership, or start-ups.

Ultimately, the key is to choose a topic that you’re passionate about and that you have expertise in. This will help you write engaging, informative articles that your readers will enjoy. If you’re stuck on what topic to write about, I have an entire module dedicated to this, along with handy exercises and templates, in my online blogging course.

It’s also worth noting that Medium has a strong focus on long-form, high-quality content, so articles that are well-researched and thoughtfully written tend to perform well on the platform.

What do the most successful writers on Medium do differently?

The most successful writers on Medium tend to have a few things in common:

• They write engaging, high-quality content: The most successful writers on Medium are able to craft compelling, well-written articles that capture their readers’ attention and keep them engaged.
• They have a clear voice and style: Successful writers on Medium have a distinctive voice and style that sets them apart from other writers. This can be anything from a unique perspective to a particular tone or writing style.
• They are consistent: Successful writers on Medium tend to be consistent in their publishing schedule and in the quality of their work. This can help them build a loyal following of readers who look forward to their new articles.
• They promote their work: Successful writers on Medium often go the extra mile to promote their work, whether it’s through social media, email newsletters, or other platforms.
• They engage with their readers: Successful writers on Medium often make an effort to engage with their readers by responding to comments and interacting with their followers. This can help build a community around their work and encourage more people to read their articles.

Does writing on Medium help with SEO?

Writing on Medium can potentially help with SEO (search engine optimisation) in a few ways:

Domain authority: Medium is a well-established and respected website with a high domain authority. This can help boost the SEO of your articles on the platform.

• Internal linking: Medium allows you to link to your own articles within your articles. This can help improve the SEO of your articles by creating more internal links, which can help Google understand the structure and content of your website.
• External linking: Linking to external sources within your articles can also help improve your SEO. These links can help demonstrate the credibility of your content and can be seen as a vote of confidence by Google.

It’s worth noting that while writing on Medium can potentially help with your SEO, it’s just one factor among many that can affect your search rankings. To improve your SEO, it’s important to focus on creating high-quality content that is valuable to your readers and relevant to your target audience. But you already know this because I tell you over and over again, right?

Can you publish on Medium and your own website?

Yes, it is possible to publish the same article on both Medium and your own website. There are a few ways you can do this:

• Cross-posting: You can use the “Import” feature on Medium to import articles that you’ve already published on your own website. This will create a new article on Medium that is a copy of your original article with a link back to your website. As far as we know, it doesn’t harm SEO in terms of Google recognising it as duplicate content (in fact, it enhances it by bringing in new readers if you link back to your site).
• Republishing: You can also choose to republish an article that you’ve already published on your own website on Medium. To do this, you’ll need to copy and paste the text of your article into the Medium text editor and then publish it as a new article. It’s important to note that when you republish an article on Medium, you’ll need to ensure that you have the rights to do so and that you’re not violating any copyright laws.
• You can also republish on Medium translated works. So if you speak multiple languages or have a reliable translator, you have the option to reach a broacher audience.

Regardless of which method you choose, it’s important to be mindful of copyright laws and to make sure you have the rights to republish your content on multiple platforms. That means you can’t just post anyone’s work— only your own!

How do you earn money on Medium?

There are a few different ways you can earn money on Medium:

• The Medium Partner Program: If you join the Medium Partner Program, you can earn money from your writing through a combination of member subscriptions and advertising revenue. When someone subscribes to Medium and reads your articles, you’ll earn a share of the subscription fee. You’ll also earn a share of the advertising revenue that is generated from your articles.
• Sponsored content: If you have a large following on Medium, you may be able to earn money by creating sponsored content for brands. This could involve writing an article or creating a video that is sponsored by a particular company.
• Affiliate marketing: If you include links to products or services in your articles on Medium, you may be able to earn a commission if someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase.
• Other opportunities: Depending on your expertise and writing style, you may be able to earn money by writing for other publications or by offering writing or consulting services to businesses or individuals.

It’s worth noting that earning money on Medium can be competitive, and it may take some time and effort to build up a significant income. However, for many writers, the platform can be a valuable source of income and a way to monetise their writing.

How much can you earn on Medium?

The amount of money you can earn on Medium will depend on a number of factors, including the quality of your writing, the size of your audience, and the amount of time and effort you put into promoting your articles. Some writers are able to earn a significant income from writing on the platform, while others may only earn a small amount.

As a member of the Medium Partner Program, you’ll earn money from a combination of member subscriptions and advertising revenue. The exact amount you earn will depend on the number of views and claps (a way for readers to show appreciation for an article) your articles receive and the amount of money that is available in the Partner Program pool for the month.

According to Medium, the average earning per 1,000 views for the Partner Program in 2021 was $3.50. However, it’s important to note that this is just an average, and your earnings may be higher or lower depending on the quality of your writing and the size of your audience.

Now, let me be super transparent here. If you expect to earn a full-time living from Medium, I would advise you to really put in the hard yards and consider a backup source of income.

One of my Medium posts is highly trafficked but essentially, I get sweet F-all in terms of monetary value. I’ve had over 8000 views on my History of copywriting article and earnt less than $20 over the four years it has been live. However, it does bring in a good chunk of website traffic.

There was one writer who earnt USD$19,000 from a single Medium story! Now that is the dream. He has posted 315 stories over two years on a whole range of different topics. So he has definitely put in the work.

Overall, it’s difficult to predict exactly how much you can earn on Medium, as it will depend on a variety of factors. However, with hard work, dedication, and a commitment to producing high-quality content, it’s possible to earn a significant income from writing on the platform.

How can you earn more on Medium?

There are a few ways you can increase your earnings on Medium:

• Write high-quality, engaging content: The most important factor in earning more on Medium is to write articles that people will want to read. This means taking the time to research your topic, crafting a compelling headline, and using good storytelling techniques to keep your readers engaged.
• Publish regularly: Consistently publishing new articles can help you build an audience over time, which can increase your earnings on the platform. Consider setting a publishing schedule for yourself and sticking to it to help ensure that you’re consistently creating new content. Like our high earning friend above, it’s worth aiming for several articles a week to help increase the chances of one going viral.
• Promote your articles: You can promote your articles on social media, email newsletters, and other platforms to drive traffic to your Medium page. This can help increase your views and potentially your earnings.
• Engage with your readers: Responding to comments and interacting with your readers can help build a community around your work and encourage them to share your articles with their own followers. This can help increase your views and potentially your earnings.
• Join the Medium Partner Program: If you’re not already a member of the Medium Partner Program, consider joining to start earning money from your writing on the platform.

Is this the year you become a professional writer? Learn to write professional-level blog posts and articles with my Blank to Brilliant online course.