Report on Progress at Medium
@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
March 7, 2019 5:30pm CST
Some of you have asked for the results I've seen since I paid $50 a year to join the Medium Partner Program so my work there could earn money.
Before joining the Partner Program I had about twelve articles at Medium I had moved there after Bubblews closed and after it appeared Persona Paper would also close soon. (It's still there, but one can't earn for work there anymore.) After I joined the partner program in the second week of February, I asked a trusted friend for advice and then removed two of those articles.
I put half of the remaining ten behind the paywall and left five of them free for non subscribers to read. Then I added nine additional articles and put them behind the paywall. That leaves me as of today with twelve articles behind the paywall, and two of them were added after payments had been calculated for March 6 earnings.
Payments are calculated for payment around the 28th of the month and hit my bank account a few days later. So I saw my first payment of $6.87 hit my bank account on March 4. That covered all of February, and for the first couple of weeks in February I had almost nothing behind the paywall. My estimated earnings for the first week of March are $2.76. I have three more weeks to go in March and hope to at least double what I made in February. I've been accepted by four Medium publications so far and being published in a publication usually means more eyeballs will see my articles.
What's even better is that almost every article I have published started out somewhere else. I have revised and edited most of them, changing images and some wording to improve them, but most of the posts are very close to what they were originally. Seven of the articles were originally published on Bubblews, Niume, or Persona Paper ( or more than one of these.) One I wrote just for Medium. One I revised from the defunct Blog Bourne site, one I moved from BlogJob after I deleted my account, and one appeared originally on HubPages.
What's even better is that by reading what others write, I get more ideas. I keep track of all my ideas in a phone app and also in Evernote. I have five drafts for articles to put behind the paywall after I finish them. I also have all my ideas and they multiply every day. When I'm stuck, I just go back to my old Bubblews drafts, check to see I didn't put them anywhere else, revise, and repost the best of them.
Many people on Medium post more than once a day. I don't have the time to even post once every day. But I will be reworking many of my Hubs and even some of my own blog posts and posting them to Medium because I think they will earn more there. I just want to wait and see how these next three months pan out. I expect April to be slow because so many, including me, leave tax prep to the last minute. June should be a good time to access how this is really working out for me.
So far, I'm happy and believe I'll cover my $50 membership by June, if not before. I think my investment will prove to be worth what I paid.
16 people like this
15 responses
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
8 Mar 19
If I had time I would do this, but at the moment I don`t have very much to do anything else. Good luck!
4 people like this
@divalounger (5849)
• United States
22 Apr 19
@bagarad So good to know--about the poetry I mean--that is right up my alley~
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
28 Apr 19
@divalounger There are lots of poets there, but they say it's tough to compete with the prose on the site. What I like is how supportive members are in helping each other. And if you don't seem to fit in any of the publications, you can start your own instead of submitting to someone else's or just publish without submitting to a publication. It's kind of like HubPages in that way.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
8 Mar 19
What you usually write about doesn't seem to have a publication devoted to it yet. People seem to be more interested there in financial stuff, how to earn money writing, health, fitness, technology, social issues, etc. I haven't even found a topic there for gardening or homesteading yet. Doesn't' mean it isn't there. Maybe I just haven't found it yet. I write mostly about my faith, bereavement and family experiences, and an occasional poem. It's a great site for people who like to write poetry.
4 people like this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
21 Mar 19
Thanks for sharing this link on Facebook. I am impressed with your Progress Report. I had listened to a discussion a while back and the owners or administrators at Medium were talking about their plans to help the writers earn revenue for their work. At that time the Medium Partners Program was just a "gleam in someone's eye". I am happy to see that they have brought their plans to fruition. I have not yet signed up for the MPP.
50 bucks is a lot of money for me to come up with. My daughter is graduating this year and some of the money I am earning is being spent on her needs. I just spent close to $100 to buy her graduation pictures. I already spent $50 to buy her cap and gown. She comes first. You only graduate from high school once. She needs her things NOW. After I send her off I'll focus on my work. No doubt I'll be needing more money to help her with her college expenses. The MPP might be a lifesaver!! 
Really glad that it's working out for you though.
P.S. I think your point about your content having started out somewhere else can't be overemphasized. That's the coolest thing about Medium. It gives you confidence. I mean ... if you're like me ... your content was sitting somewhere else on the web not earning you even a penny! You take the same content, put it on Medium and ... KA-CHING!! Lets you know your hard work is worth some money! 
Really glad that it's working out for you though.
P.S. I think your point about your content having started out somewhere else can't be overemphasized. That's the coolest thing about Medium. It gives you confidence. I mean ... if you're like me ... your content was sitting somewhere else on the web not earning you even a penny! You take the same content, put it on Medium and ... KA-CHING!! Lets you know your hard work is worth some money! 3 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
22 Mar 19
@cmoneyspinner I think I used Paypal to pay for the subscription. But they pay you with Stripe. Stripe deposits the money you earn right into your bank account.
1 person likes this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
22 Mar 19
@bagarad - OK. Great info! Thanks!
1 person likes this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
21 Mar 19
@bagarad - In my present situation month by month would at least help me get started. Quick question. How do they take payment? Somebody told me Medium does not use PayPal?
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157562)
• United States
8 Mar 19
You have written an excellent summation of how you are doing there.
3 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
12 Mar 19
Many people have more than doubled in the second month what they made in the first month. I don't expect to, since I won't have the time to write a lot more until May at the earliest. I'll be lucky to add one piece of good content a week. After taxes are done I hope I'll have more time.
2 people like this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82022)
• Rupert, Idaho
8 Mar 19
That's good to hear...I was wondering if this site would be worth it!
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
8 Mar 19
@MommyOfEli2013 What's neat is that I really enjoy reading the other posts. I have learned more in less than a month for my $50 than I learn on TV for more than $50 a month.
2 people like this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82022)
• Rupert, Idaho
8 Mar 19
@bagarad That's great to hear, glad you are enjoying that part as well!
2 people like this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82022)
• Rupert, Idaho
8 Mar 19
@bagarad That sounds like a very nice, and different set up! So much better than those places that have up and down votes/buttons. Thank you for sharing about it!!
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (170057)
• United States
12 Mar 19
Glad you are making progress there!
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (45514)
• India
14 Mar 19
I was also interested in The Medium partner program but that is not so far applicable for India. I have a keen interest in article and story writing. I have published content on Wikinut, Blogjob, Literacybase etc that I can modify and use.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (45514)
• India
19 Mar 19
@bagarad
yes I hope they make the option available to us as well some day.
1 person likes this
@divalounger (5849)
• United States
22 Apr 19
It sounds like you are having a positive experience there --do you interact with others the way we used to on HP and other sites?
1 person likes this
@divalounger (5849)
• United States
29 Apr 19
@bagarad I also write quite a bit of legal articles and mental health articles--do you know how those do on Medium?
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 Apr 19
@divalounger Mental health does quite well, I believe. Keep in mind that most Medium articles do better if you let them show your personal perspective on a subject. Medium readers seem to like personal experience articles better than totally objective articles. That doesn't mean that you can't document factual statements. Editors and curators also like that.If you join, read what others have written on the subject that interest you to get a feel for what is popular. Articles with lots of applause have been popular. When you follow people and publications you will be notified of new posts from them and it's easier to pick what interests you to read. Be yourself, Follow other poets. Are you on Twitter? Links posted on Twitter from Medium will let you past the paywall so you can read a bit before you join. I post a lot of links to articles I've really liked on my Twitter barbsbooks account. If you follow those links you can read them free without joining and see what Medium readers like to read. Or you can pay $5 for the first month and give yourself a chance to help others when you comment or applaud and gain some followers even before you start posting. When you start writing you will want to join the Facebook groups to see what others who are active post. Feel free to message me with specific questions.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
28 Apr 19
I think there is much more interaction. Of course I don't hang around HubPages much anymore. There are at least two Medium Facebook groups I belong to where we help each other out and I also belong to a Facebook group for Koinonia, a Christian publication under the Medium umbrella. I love it. This week I've made 8.77. We get paid at the end of the month. So far this month, with one week left to go, I've earned 16.20. I only have about 22 articles behind the paywall. I have 44 Hubs in my primary account, and it has so far this month earned me 9.89. True, it costs me $50 a year to be able to earn money on Medium, and I've almost covered that in the first three months. Once I earn that the rest is profit. If I had time to write every day as some do, I think that would increase, but I'm lucky to post one or two good articles a week. The editor is simple and you can just write and you need a featured image. No need for quizzes and other frills HubPages likes. I will warn you, though, that poetry probably won't make as much as prose articles will. But personal stories are welcome and the writing can be more casual and less labor-intensive than on HP.
1 person likes this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
22 Apr 19
I'm going to get serious about publishing on this platform. This weekend I published my first piece of original content, put all of my content on the metered paywall, and tweeted all my articles hoping to get some traffic to them. At the end of April, I'll check my dashboard to see if any income was earned.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
14 May 19
@cmoneyspinner Yes. It's good advice. I wish our friends here could get in on this. I'm really wondering what this next payday will bring. I went a whole week without the opportunity to write anything for Medium. I wanted to get my new site up and running and get a post up on my book blog.I finally had a chance to write a lite post today but I don't see it being a popular one. You just never know what will take off. I'm surprised sometimes.
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
1 May 19
@bagarad - Ooops! I forgot about that Facebook group. I'm going over right now to join.
Uumm? Do you write for a publication called "Germinate"?
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
13 May 19
@bagarad - Oh my dearest friend. Thank you so much for persuading me to take this site more seriously. I do believe there are a lot of moneymaking opportunities for writers at Medium. I think the owners are on to something. I hope they will be able to expand and include more countries. My online friends from certain countries say they can not participate in the Partner Program. Medium can't open up the Partner Program to all countries because the payment processing system they use is NOT accepted in all countries; only certain countries. But I think the writers should go ahead and establish their presence on Medium anyway. Medium does accept writers from all countries. When their country becomes eligible for the Partner Program they might already be established on Medium with followers. Don't you think that is wise advice?
1 person likes this
@mynameiskate (2562)
•
22 Mar 19
Your steady work has seemed to pay off. Good work!
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
9 Mar 19
Glad to see you are liking it and that it is working out so well for you. I have never heard of it until just now.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
12 Mar 19
That's probably because it's quite different than other writing writing sites. Most Medium writers are either professional writers or want to be. Some are novelists and poets and some write nonfiction. Others are very successful in other fields such as technology and write about what they know. Most of them seem to have started up on Medium in September of last year. Maybe that's when the average person could join the partner program and start being able to earn money. Most of the content creators don't write on Medium because of the investment. Or they are waiting to see how others do before they jump on board.
1 person likes this
