I joined Medium to make money
By: Beth Van Der Pol
Tags: Money, Writing, Articles, Finance, Monetization

Writer’s Blog

I joined Medium to make money

The ‘I made x amount in a month’ made me do it.

Medium was on my radar for a while before I actually started to write on it. A good friend and writing partner suggested that I start putting my articles up here. I had already started a blog and was trying to write articles, so she figured she would tell me about it.

She told me that I could make money writing on here, and having been scorned by the ‘you can make money’ crowd in the past I took what she said with a pinch of salt.

I had glanced at the platform, read a few articles and decided that it wasn’t for me. I didn’t give it a chance. I didn’t believe that it could make me money, at least not enough to make it worth my time.

It wasn’t until I stumbled across an article that told me how much it was possible to make in a month that I began to do more research.

Then something changed.

Seeing just how much money it was possible to make, made Medium’s potential, in my eyes, so much greater. The numbers were ridiculous, and I knew I was unlikely to get there. Even a few extra dollars a month would be great for pocket money though.

Knowing what was possible on Medium made excited to write. Every new clap (back when we were paid by claps) made my heart soar! This was a platform where people came to read and write and learn, and it was perfect for me.

It was because of Medium that I started a 30-day challenge, one where I forced myself to publish every day.

This helped me establish a writing habit that I’m still holding up to this day. Granted it’s changed slightly, I’m better organised, and only posting every weekday instead of every day, but those early days on Medium have taken me from writing every now and then, to incorporating writing into the largest part of my work week.

I’m not against advertising salaries on Medium.

Some people find articles that advertise how much money you are making annoying. I find them inspiring! I feel like I learn something new every time I look at an article like that.

One thing that I’ve noticed is that people who make money from writing never just make their writing money from Medium. The people who are really successful diversify.

Looking at their success can help me decide for myself what I want to pursue financially.

These stories aren’t made for the sake of bragging or celebrating. They are there for teaching. Open and honest transparency about what is working in the writing market and what isn’t is vital in today’s day and age!

Websites are filled with ‘get rich quick’ schemes, and passive income plans, but it’s difficult to sort through what works and what doesn’t. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve fallen for something that has cost me time and energy but never paid up.

A lot of the Medium articles have things in common. So if it works for many it should be worth trying out!

Transparency is a good thing.

Not only can advertising what works help new writers figure out what will work for them, but transparency also inspires new writers, to actually start writing.

When I saw the articles advertising their salaries, I didn’t immediately assume I would be making the same amount in a few short months.

It’s not false advertising.

The people making these articles didn’t hide the fact that they had been working for months or years. I knew that it would take a long period of time before anything would come of my writing.

It’s important that when reading these articles, you don’t skim over all of the hard work that people put into making their writing careers make money for them!

Don’t be disheartened.

Different things work for different people if you’re not making the money you want to make now, figure out what you can do to change your monetary situation. Don’t get down and give up because you’re not making the amount you want to!

Like I said earlier, the articles are supposed to be inspiring.

If you search through enough of them, you’ll get clues about how success works for these people and start implementing those practices for yourself!

Looking at success stories help us understand what works and what doesn’t.

These people shouldn’t be shunned for sharing their monetary success. They should be celebrated for it! I know how much time and energy they’ve saved me on money-making schemes in the long run! So get your notebook ready and go study what works and what doesn’t!

As always, I cannot wait to see you on the bookshelf!