How Does Payment on Medium Work?

Once you start writing on Medium, there is one more lingering question you will have on your mind.
What is Medium’s payment structure?

Below, we will answer how much Medium pays and how much they cost to use.

Does Medium Cost?

You can write on Medium for free but need an account before publishing content or posting in Medium publications.

Also, writers do not have to pay to be a part of the Medium Partner Program; they can earn from it through various engagement methods.

Does Medium Pay with Their Partner Program?

Medium uses the Partner Program to pay writers a portion based on the engagement of their articles from members. 

Writers must apply to be in the Partner Program, and Medium must accept them before they can start earning.

To be eligible for payment, you must publish their content under the Medium Partner Program and have an active Stripe account linked to your bank account. 

You must also strictly follow Medium’s guidelines by only posting original, high-quality, and relevant content. Pay close attention to your headings, sub-headings and formatting to maximise engagement.

Writers meeting these requirements get a certain amount of pay, depending on their work's engagement. 

Consider promoting your stories on social media to attract more readers and increase how much Medium pays you.

Those who publish their content under the Medium Partner Program can earn money under the platform’s bonus program, which incentivises writers to drive traffic to the site and engage more readers through their content.

Other ways to monetise your Medium stories include to:

• Create a paid subscription system for your Medium publication; they will get updates about your content through newsletters via email.
• Reformat a Medium story into a course or ebook and sell these.

Since its creation, Medium has paid over $30 million (USD) to its writers, with some of the top writers making over $3,000 (USD) per month.

What Are The 4 Pros and Cons of Writing on Medium?

If you’re a writer considering publishing your content on Medium, you may wonder if it is the best option for you instead of writing for a different platform or your own website or blog.

We have two concise lists to summarise Medium’s best assets and shortcomings.

First, here are the pros of writing on Medium:

1. It gets you exposure – essential to make a living from writing. Millions of readers use Medium daily, making it far easier to get exposure than on your blog or website. Remember to stay consistent to get the most exposure on Medium (publish at least one story a week).

2. It allows you to become part of an online content community – enabling you to grow as a writer while you create content. You can learn from other writers, make changes based on reader feedback and find a niche for your content.

3. It improves your credibility as a writer – creating a blog or website doesn’t give you much credibility if it doesn’t have a large audience, making it challenging to apply for writing jobs. Your content on Medium will make you more credible due to their high standards and larger audience.

4. It has a transparent system for payment – it is far easier to make money writing on Medium than on your website or blog. Being a part of the Medium Partner Program means you get guaranteed payment if the engagement levels on your stories are high. Ensure you make relevant content on Medium to get more money writing; their algorithm focuses on this.

Now, here are the cons of writing on Medium:

1. There are a lot of Medium users – although Medium might seem like a fantastic option to get more exposure, 85 million other writers also think this. Therefore, the competition on Medium is massive, meaning there is no guarantee the platform will help you unless your content is consistently excellent.

2. While present, there are limited monetisation options – although the Medium Partner Program can get you paid for high engagement, the need to build said engagement can mean you don’t get much money when you start writing on there. Also, the amount ($25-$30 for every 1000 words) is low compared to most paid writing jobs. You also aren’t allowed to have sponsors for your Medium content.

3. You lack control – this includes limited options for the content you can produce and limited sharing with other platforms you write for (if you write for various platforms, these restrictions may be a problem for you).

4. The audience can be limited – Depending on what you write, this may be a problem for you. For example, if you primarily write journalistic content, Medium has a large audience for it. However, if you are a fiction writer, you may want to look for a different platform.

What is the Impact of Medium on the Content Writing Industry?

The content writing industry is rapidly changing in the modern world. Not only is this an industry that underwent considerable change as the internet grew but it’s also now facing another massive transformation with the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Here are some of the positive impacts of Medium on the content writing industry:

• It is opening up the writing field – Medium gives new writers the tools and systems to quickly grow an audience and create exciting content. Using other writing tools like Grammarly with Medium can help to improve your skills effectively and efficiently.

• It is making paying writers common practice – although the payment systems on Medium require improvements, them being there is helping to make paying writers the correct practice. Many writers create content for free (or for very little money), so this practice is making the industry a better place to work in.

• It is welcoming the use of AI – Although AI is a contested subject at the moment, Medium is accepting the use of it with certain restrictions. Their statement is, “We welcome the responsible use of AI-assistive technology on Medium. To promote transparency and help set readers' expectations, we require that any story created with AI assistance be clearly labelled.”

Here are some of the adverse effects Medium has on the content writing industry:

• It is helping to oversaturate the content writing market – while oversaturating the content writing market gives new writers opportunities, it can also mean that Medium does not value experienced writers’ work as highly as they would before.

• It undervalues the work of writers – although they pay writers for their online content, the rates they pay are much lower than the industry standard ($40 per 1000 words in Australia); this should be an avoidable practice going forward, as it could lead to the overall pay of writers going down in the future.

What are Some Success Stories of Writers Using Medium?

While you can make up your mind about Medium being the right platform for you to publish online content, the easiest way to understand how Medium can be an exciting and profitable site for you to use is to look at some of its most notable success stories.

We chose three people to go into more detail on; these people all make impressive four-figure sums a month by only writing on Medium.

Shannon Ashley

Shannon Ashley quit her current job to explore a new career in writing.

She found that earning a lot from Medium only comes with hard work and consistency. 

She consistently earns four figures, with her highest payments being over $8000.

Tim Denning

Tim Denning is THE success story on Medium. He is an excellent example of a writer on Medium with a massive following and multiple monetisation avenues.

Here are some details about his current performance on Medium:

• He currently has over 300,000 followers on Medium.
• He has over 500 million views on the platform.
• He has over 50,000 Medium readers on his email list.
• He translates his Medium articles into other forms to make more money; these include templates, ebooks, courses and guides.

Zulie Rane

Zulie Rane is an excellent example of someone who achieved massive success with Medium in a shorter time. 

In three years, she went from having no writing business to having a reach spreading to millions of people with her online content. She currently makes over six figures from all her writing ventures.

She lists her three core beliefs in her Medium bio:

“- The world would be a better place if everyone who wanted to write actually wrote.

- Writers should be able to make a living by writing about what they love.

- There is an unlimited audience for your writing, no matter what you write about. You just have to find it.”

 Zulie also uses Medium as an opportunity to promote the other avenues of her online content, including:

• Her mailing list in which she sends writing courses and resources.
• Her Youtube channel.
• Her blog with content on making a living with writing. She also uses it to sell merchandise and offer edits and writing consultations.

Is it Worth Diversifying Your Writing Portfolio Beyond Medium?

As discussed, Medium can be an effective platform for making creative content and making a living from writing.

However, is it good to put all your creative energy into a platform like Medium and get a Medium membership, or should you diversify your portfolio?

In our success stories section, Zulie Rane is an excellent example of someone who created a successful business by expanding their portfolio past Medium. You can use Medium to promote various content and products related to your writing.

Here are some examples of how you can expand your portfolio past Medium:

• Link to a youtube channel with creative videos.

• Link to your website or personal blog; try using a platform like WordPress to create a blog if you don’t already have one.

• Offer services like editing or consultations for writers.

• Offer courses and writing resources on a mailing list (on a subscription basis).

• Link to merchandise you sell.

Remember that a writing platform like Medium is also worth focusing on, especially if you want to focus on a niche with your writing. To establish yourself as someone who specialises in a niche on Medium, you have to:

• Consistently create content.

• Make excellent quality content; try to get it curated by Medium.

• Enter the Partner Program to get paid for your content.

Is Medium an Excellent Platform to Write on in 2024?

It’s rare to find a writer who hasn’t encountered Medium at least once. It’s a great example of a platform where writers can publish their work straightforwardly and conveniently.

It reaches millions of users and hundreds of thousands of readers (via their Medium feed) per month, giving writers access to a massive audience as long as they meet specific guidelines.

Medium members get several noteworthy benefits, but there are downsides you shouldn’t ignore. 

It’s excellent for getting more exposure for your work, joining an online community and improving your credibility as a writer.

However, the payment options on Medium are unfortunately limited (the Partner Program is a good idea but does not pay as much as other platforms), the levels of competition are so high that success can be challenging, and you have a lack of control over what you should write due to the limited audience scope.

However, despite these flaws, it may still be the platform for you. If so, set up an account and begin writing on topics you are passionate about and learning from others in this industry.

If you found reading about Medium fascinating and want to find out what other tools and tips you can use for your writing, check out our helpful tool!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Writing for Medium

Can I Publish Different Types of Content on Medium?

While you can publish any content you want on Medium, you need to base your story choices on what is relevant and popular on the site.

For example, if you like publishing short-form fictional content, you may not succeed on the long-form centric Medium, even if you are a member of the Partner Program.

If I Already Have a Blog or Website, Can I Still Publish Content on Medium?

If you already have a blog, website or Youtube channel and want to start an account on Medium, you do not have to stop posting content via your other channels.

In fact, you can link to your blog, website or Youtube channel on your Medium account page.

What are Medium’s Engagement Features?

• Clapping is similar to “liking” posts on other sites.

• Commenting: Readers can tell you what they thought of a particular part of your latest piece or the whole thing.

• Highlighting: Those who like specific words, sentences or paragraphs of your content can highlight them, which other users can see.