5 min read

Tips To Succeed on Medium

Advice for people who want to make money with their writing, particularly those who are writing on Medium. I discuss Medium Math, claps, followers, and more
Rusty metal panel with logo EGLI in red, blue, and green triangles
Image by Author

Many people dream of writing, and better yet, getting paid for their writing. A lot of people are trying a lot of things.

One of the more prominent experiments is the site Medium, where budding authors can quickly and easily start writing to an audience of almost 70 million readers.

Everyone starts out knowing nothing about Medium. These articles answer basic questions and provide a roadmap for writers to become professionals.

All About Earning

Medium Writers: Your Passive Income Strategy … Isn’t
Passive implies without effort. Oh really?
What 4,361 Views Are Worth
And What Those Views Cost Me
Writers: Do You Pay Tax on Your Medium Income?
The government wants to know about your side hustle

All About Followers and Fans

Will You Follow a Writer Who Won’t Follow You?
The Followers Dilemma: how important is reciprocity?
Medium Writers: Should You Take an Unsubscribe Personally?
It hurts when a reader unsubscribes
How to Tell Who Your Real Medium Fans Are
The detailed views and some handy shortcuts
Do You Honor Vital Etiquette Rules for Medium Followers?
Congrats, you have a new follower! Now what?

Medium Rules You May Not Know About

The Eight Rules of Medium Math
If you really want to support the writers on Medium, it helps to know what’s truly valuable. Introducing Medium Math
30 Disclaimers We’ll Never See on Medium
Updated Jan. 28, 2023 — Helpful warnings we could really use on Medium
A Clap Is Like a Slap if You Do It Only Once
A vital public service announcement for Medium participants: Clap more than once or don’t clap at all
5 Questions About Clapping With Annoyingly Ambiguous Answers
Some clapping rules are clear, but not all. What’s your take on these questions of Medium etiquette?
Don’t Spam Your Most Loyal Readers
Adding a referral link to your stories saying “Join Medium” is unnecessary

Finding Success As a Writer

Writers: Why “Never Give Up” is Useless Advice
How great advice in the wrong setting becomes terrible advice
Did I Crush My Experiment Crafting a Successful Evergreen Story?
Update Jan. 16, 2023: How I made it to the Top 3 Google Search results on the first try (formerly Top 10)
Will A Headline Analyzer Save Your Story from Obscurity?
I was skeptical until I tried it
What Made You Successful May Not Keep You Successful
How to recognize when your future success as a writer requires you to pivot

How Medium Works

You Think You’re Selling Stories, But Medium is Selling You
Have you noticed the fundamental conflict of interest between Medium and its authors?
Medium Has a Diversity Problem With the MPP
The Medium Partner Program excludes most of the world
Why Does Medium Keep Recommending One-Way Writers?
Seems like there’s a dual-class structure on Medium
Publication Editors: Don’t Miss This Chance To Be Classy
When you accept a story for your publication, give it 50 claps