Day 14: Medium Is Not Paying Me, But I Am Still Writing There. Here Are Four Reasons Why.
Follow along my Ship 30 for 30 journey as I learn what it means to be a writer in this digital age.
I have been writing on Medium for over a year now.
And though I don’t get paid through its partner program (because I am based in India), I have had the most successful writing career.
I have 4 viral essays on Medium. Currently, I am a Top Writer in Books. And I am 4 followers away from my 1.2k milestone.
Over the year, I have seen many writers disappear because they weren’t earning any money. But I am sticking to my guns with Medium.
Here are four reasons why.
Readers Galore
A Google search shows that Medium has between 85 to 100 million monthly visitors. That’s quite a number.
Of course, all 100 million wouldn’t read your work simultaneously, but at least some will. And those some can become my followers. Then they can join my email list. Then there’s a possibility they will become my supporters and future customers.
Now that’s a potential worth betting for.
Metrics and Instant Feedback
With the claps and comments, and the access to metrics, you as a writer can quickly figure out what’s working and what’s not.
Distraction and Ad Free
At least, at this moment, Medium is a distraction and ad free.
Its clean and crisp layout doesn’t let readers lose focus on the main content. That’s a blessing all content creators pray for.
Testing Ground For Your Niche
As a new writer, you don’t know what your niche is. Medium is a great testing ground to figure that out.
A year ago, I was writing about
Life Lessons
Writing/Creative Life
Books/Reading
Movies/TV
Short Stories
Within 6 months, I saw that the first three topics gave me more returns than the latter.
So I wrote about the first three for the next six months.
A year later, the metrics tell me I can narrow down further and write about just Writing/Creative Life and Books/Reading.
Writing on Medium slowly and steadily allowed me to find my niche that would best serve me and my audience.
That’s the best result a new writer could hope for.
If you’re new to Medium or are thinking about it, give it a six-month shot.
It may be the best decision you make for your online writing career.