I Wrote 157+ Articles on Medium

When people talk about making money on Medium, the conversation usually swings between two extremes:

“You can’t earn anything anymore.”

“I made $10,000 from one article.”

Both are misleading.

So instead of theory, let’s look at something more useful: real numbers, real methods, and what actually worked after publishing 157+ articles.

The Reality: It Didn’t Start With Money

I started writing on Medium back in 2018.

At that time:

I had almost no audience

My early articles barely got views

There was no clear monetization strategy

Like most beginners, I was just writing and hoping something would work.

Over time, I reached around 3.7K followers, had a few posts perform well, and even earned “Top Writer” status in some categories.

But here’s the important part:

The real income didn’t come from one source. It came from stacking multiple small streams.

1. Medium Partner Program (Direct Earnings)

Let’s start with the obvious one.

Even after writing consistently, my direct earnings from the Medium Partner Program were modest:

August: $5.57

September: $2.36

October: $7.23

Total: just over $14

That’s it.

This is where most people quit.

But they’re missing something critical:

Medium itself is rarely the main income source—it's the traffic engine.

Also, performance depends heavily on:

Reach (distribution)

Boosts (algorithm visibility)

Consistency

In my case, many high-performing articles were written before I joined the Partner Program. So I didn’t fully capitalize on them.

2. “Buy Me a Coffee” (Audience Support)

This is where things started to feel different.

Instead of relying only on platform payouts, I added a simple support layer:

Readers could send small donations

Optional memberships were available

Digital products could be sold

From this, I earned around $

Not a huge number—but the signal matters.

Someone you don’t know reads your work and chooses to support you financially. That changes how you think about writing.

It proves one thing clearly:

If your content genuinely helps people, monetization becomes easier.

3. Sponsorship (High Impact, Low Frequency)

This was a turning point.

I received one sponsorship deal worth $250.

That single deal earned more than all Partner Program income combined.

How it happened:

A brand discovered my content

They reached out via email

I published a sponsored article

But here’s the reality:

It doesn’t happen often

It depends on niche + visibility

You need content that signals authority

Still, it shows what’s possible once your content reaches the right audience.

4. Affiliate Marketing (Consistent Side Income)

This was the most effective long-term stream.

Total earned: $301

How?

I wrote articles around tools (especially AI tools)

Some of these articles went semi-viral

I included affiliate links naturally within the content

For example:

A post about using an AI tool gained traction

Readers signed up through my link

I earned commissions

Not every article worked—but the few that did made a big difference.

5. Indirect Income (The Hidden Layer)

This is where Medium becomes powerful.

Some readers:

Visited my website

Checked my “Work With Me” page

Contacted me for services

This led to freelance projects, including:

Website development

Client work through referrals

This income isn’t always trackable directly—but it’s often the most valuable.

Total Earnings Breakdown

Let’s simplify everything:

Medium Partner Program → ~$14

Buy Me a Coffee → ~$8

Sponsorship → $250

Affiliate Marketing → $301

Total (tracked): ~$573

Plus additional freelance income from indirect traffic.

What Actually Made the Difference

After 157+ articles, the pattern becomes clear.

1. High-quality content is non-negotiable

Clickbait doesn’t sustain anything. Articles that genuinely help people perform better over time.

2. Distribution matters more than writing alone

Good writing without reach earns nothing.

3. Monetization should be layered

Relying only on Medium payouts is a mistake.

4. Viral articles are unpredictable

You don’t control which article performs. You only control consistency.

5. Medium is a funnel, not a destination

The real opportunity lies outside the platform:

Services

Products

Email lists

External traffic

So, Can You Make Money on Medium?

Yes—but not the way most people expect.

If your goal is:

Quick money → unlikely

Sustainable income → possible

Long-term leverage → very real

The platform rewards:

Consistency

Clarity

Value

Not shortcuts.

Final Thought

If I had to restart today, I wouldn’t focus on earning from Medium directly.

I would focus on:

Writing useful content

Building audience trust

Connecting that audience to something valuable

Because that’s where the real income comes from.