How I Make Money on Medium (It's Not Just About Paywalling Your Articles)
There are 3 other main ways I use it to make money.
“Is anyone actually making money off Medium?” Maybe you’ve asked that question to yourself. I’ve seen it asked in Google.
And the simple answer is yes.
But…
It’s not just about joining the Partner Program and paywalling your stories. (Although, that still works. I’ll show you in a sec…)
There are 3 other ways I use Medium to make money online.
1. The Partner Program
The Partner Program is the most obvious way to make money on Medium. All you need to do is become a Medium member for $5 per month, then join the Partner Program.
This will allow you to earn from the articles you write.
When you write an article, all you need to do is choose the option to paywall your story. (It’s automatically checked.)
Here’s what I’ve earned from the Partner Program since last October:
You can see it started off slow for me. From the time I started in January 2023 until November 2023, I made very little earnings each month.
I couldn’t even buy a pair of socks with that money.
But then I started to figure some things out and began earning a much better income — consistently.
If you want to learn exactly what I did, check out my book, Medium Money: The Simple Guide to Writing Articles That Pay.
I also have plenty of articles that go over what I’ve done to change things around in this list.
2. Promoting products
I just showed you an example of this one. (Sneaky, right?) One of the ways I make money through Medium is by promoting my products.
I have a few ebooks, and every once in a while, I’ll add them to my articles if they’re relevant to the topic.
I highly recommend not promoting products (yours or someone else’s) that aren’t relevant because:
It’s annoying
You won’t make any sales anyway
No one likes having products shoved into their faces for something they don’t want or need! I’m sure you don’t either.
One of my favorite quotes is from Bob Proctor:
“Sales isn’t something you do to someone, it’s something you do for them.”
Your job in sales, marketing, and promotion is matching a product with someone who wants or needs it.
That’s it!
It’s simple!
I added my book promotion above because I know from experience that it can be hard to make money on Medium if you’re not doing things the right way.
Therefore, I’m offering a solution for anyone who wants or needs it.
Here are my Gumroad sales so far:
You can see this strategy works pretty well for me.
If you’re worried that you don’t have a product to sell yet (even though it’s pretty simple to create ebooks and other small digital products, but we’ll come back to that another time), then see #3.
3. Promoting affiliate offers
I love affiliate marketing because I don’t have to do any of the hard stuff like coming up with products and dealing with customer service issues.
All I have to do is pick some products I like and promote them!
The same rules from #2 apply here.
You want to pick relevant products that people are actually looking for.
It’s not a good idea to write about “How I Make Money on Medium”, and then throw in an affiliate offer for your favorite lawn mower.
It doesn’t match up.
So always remember to keep your offers relevant.
If you’re brand-new to affiliate marketing, I have a free ebook available, The 4-Step Affiliate Marketing System. No strings attached. You won’t even be put on my email list!
But grab it while you can because I plan on revamping it, and then selling it.
I learned everything I know about affiliate marketing through this education platform and community. I’ve been a member since 2009!
You can join free (no credit card required) and check it out for yourself if you’d like.
(That’s a relevant affiliate offer. See what I did there?)
I also have a few articles on this topic:
Offering affiliate offers via Medium can be another great way to earn from the platform.
Just remember to not overdo the sales pitches. Offer as much insight as you can on a topic, then include your affiliate offer for people who want more.
4. Sending people to a newsletter
If you really want to learn how to make money online, having an email list is one of the best ways to do it.
People who sign up for your email list want to hear from you. They put their trust in you. The people on your list are like gold. (And they should be treated as such!)
That’s why you’ll see everyone online say:
“You must build an email list!”
And one way to build that list is through writing on Medium and then adding a call-to-action to join your list if they like what you write about.
I’ve built up my email list mostly through Medium. People enjoy the topics I write about, so they sign up to get more.
My Intellectualists newsletter is sent out every weekday and includes a short list of links to articles and resources to help you make more money online.
Here’s a sample of what it looks like:
Running a newsletter doesn’t have to be complicated. No one has time for that!
If you don’t have any idea where to start to create a newsletter, I have a couple of articles for you:
Why Mini Newsletters Are All The Rage (And Why You Should Start One)
How to Start Your Own Mini Newsletter (A Step-by-Step Guide)
Final Thoughts
I love to keep things simple and there’s nothing more simple than making money online with writing. It doesn’t require much. Only a computer, internet access, some creativity, and a platform to share your work.
The platform I prefer is Medium (and I also use Substack, of course!) because you can earn from the Partner Program, and use it as a marketing tool, too.
Gone are the days of complicated WordPress blogs and marketing funnels. Everything you need starts on a simple platform.
This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through my link, I’ll earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Did you know I also share short lists of links to everything I learn about making money online in this mini newsletter? → intellectualists.com
Thanks Christina for the informative article and the great examples included within.
I was just going to ask you and I see you published a book on KDP Amazon in July. Congrats!
Have you thought about selling it as an ebook also?
With your content, you could be selling hundreds of ebooks on Amazon. :-)
And its always great to see another WA member. :-)
Mel
What's your opinion on "Buy me Coffee" or "ko-fi" platforms where also we could have infinite numbervof email lists free forever?Can I consider ko-fi platform for own newsletters instead of convert kit? If not, why?