Medium Writing in 2025: How I Made $25k+ Writing Stories on Medium

I’ve been writing on Medium since March 2020. 

While many writers gave up after struggling with low views, I kept going, publishing article after article. Over the years, I’ve grown my Medium writing following to over 20,000 subscribers.

I’ve published more than 350 stories—most of them barely made me anything. But consistency and persistence paid off. 

By January 2025, I had earned $25,000+ on Medium.

Here is the proof:

Writing on Medium isn’t just about throwing random articles online. It’s a powerful platform that can help you reach millions of readers, make money, and even build your personal brand or online business.

These days, I use Medium to earn through the Partner Program, sell my ebooks, attract SEO and content writing clients, and land sponsored content deals.

In this guide, I’ll take you through my Medium journey—the challenges, the wins, and everything I’ve learned along the way.

I’ll also explain how Medium has evolved and what opportunities exist for new writers who want to make money on the platform.

Spoiler alert: Medium has changed a lot since I published my first story in March 2020. It’s now harder to get noticed and earn good money from writing.

But despite the challenges, Medium is still an incredible opportunity for writers, content creators, and entrepreneurs who want to reach a massive audience (fast!).

Let’s dive in.

Here’s what’s inside: 

• What’s Medium
• My Medium journey
• Ways I monetize my Medium writing
• Medium for beginners
• Medium vs. a blog
• FAQ

P.S. If you’re interested in learning how I grow and monetize this website while making a living writing, join my free newsletter.

What is Medium?

Medium is a U.S.-based platform founded by Evan Williams, the former CEO of Twitter, back in 2012. 

It is an open platform for writers where over 100 million people engage and share their personal stories monthly. Some are professional writers, but most aren’t. They write because they have something to share with the world.

You don’t need to be a pro writer or a marketing expert to get your work noticed on Medium. The platform’s algorithm helps promote Medium stories internally, and search engines can bring in extra readers, too.

How does Medium make money? And how much?

Medium’s revenue comes from memberships:

• Medium Membership: $5/month or $60/year
• Friend of Medium: $15/month or $150/year

With this tiny contribution, the Medium publishing platform pays its writers over $2 million monthly! That’s incredible!

Here is the official statement made by the platform founder, Ev Williams:

“We pay out over two million dollars per month to writers, editors, and publication owners. With several hundred thousand members today, we are confident in the durability and scalability of the model. And, thus, we are continuing to invest in the long-term vision, for which we have much to do.“

From April 2021 to July 2021, Medium rewarded the 1000 most active and successful creators with cash bonuses worth $500 as gratitude for the value writers bring to the platform. 

1,000 writers and $500 for every writer makes a $500,000 bonus paid to writers besides the partner program earnings.

And guess what? 

I was lucky enough to be one of those writers, receiving bonuses in April, May, June, and July 2021. It was an unexpected but super-rewarding surprise!

Back in 2024, Medium was pulling in about 45 million visitors a month, with over 40% coming from the U.S., according to Semrush.

That’s a seriously valuable audience—people who don’t just browse but actually buy (speaking from experience!). So, if you’re a business looking for new ways to reach your target market, especially in the U.S., Medium is definitely worth considering.

Organic traffic dipped a bit around October 2024 due to Google updates that shook up a lot of sites. In response to the rise of AI-generated content, Medium rolled out new publishing rules to cut down on low-quality posts.

I’ve been writing on Medium for five years now, and there’s so much I could share. 

But to keep it simple, I’ve put together some key takeaways from my journey. Hopefully, they’ll give you a clearer picture of what’s possible for new writers who stay consistent on Medium.

My Medium journey to 20k followers 

I published my first story on Medium on March 27, 2020.

By the end of that month, it had earned me $7—the first dollars I’d ever made online!

At the time, I had no idea how Medium worked. I also didn’t realize that this little step would completely shift my mindset and shape my career in the years to come.

That was the day I officially became an online content creator. It set me on a path to solopreneurship, allowing me to become my own boss. 

And it all started because my younger self took a leap of faith and challenged the status quo.

I joined Medium as a complete beginner with zero writing experience. 

My main goal? To learn how to write. 

I figured writing skills would complement my SEO expertise and make me more valuable as an SEO specialist. Plus, Medium seemed like a great way to build a writing portfolio to showcase my skills and stand out from the crowd.

In my first year, I wrote and published 93 stories (a number I haven’t hit again since). I experimented with topics and writing styles, studied successful writers, and tried to figure out what made their work click.

Those 93 stories only made me $1,172.25 in 2020. Not exactly life-changing money, right? Most people would’ve quit at that point.

But for me, it wasn’t just about the money—I saw the bigger picture. Writing on Medium taught me so much:

• How to write stories that connect with readers
• How to create content that sells
• How to grow a personal brand
• How to build an online audience
• How to meet inspiring people through my work
• How to shift my mindset from “employee” to “boss”

Reading stories from other creators and reflecting on my own journey completely changed how I saw my future.

I started asking myself:

• Why work a 9-5?
• Why sell myself cheap?
• Why let someone else decide my lifestyle?
• Why not create a life where I do what I love and earn more than a full-time job could pay me?

This shift in mindset stuck with me and shaped every career decision I’ve made since.

5 years later …

I’ve consistently shared my SEO tips, website growth strategies, and creator journey.

Today, over 20,000 readers follow me on Medium. I’ve learned to write content that truly connects with my audience. That’s why I publish fewer posts now, but they bring in better results.

Medium has become one of my key marketing channels. It helps me monetize my writing, grow my personal brand, and drive traffic to my website and newsletter.

In the next paragraphs, I’ll share exactly how you can make money on Medium, too.

3 ways I monetize my Medium writing

No matter what seasoned writers say, there’s no secret shortcut to becoming a successful Medium writer overnight.

You need to find your unique voice and niche. That’s what sets you apart.

Over time, people will start following you because they see you as someone who can help them. They’ll come to your content looking for answers and solutions.

Building a personal brand on Medium takes time (it took me three years!), but once you do, people will start seeking your advice, and some will be willing to pay for your products or services.

And yes, there are plenty of ways to make money writing on Medium beyond the Partner Program!

1. I get paid via the Medium Partner Program

Here is what I achieved writing on Medium constantly from March 2020 to January 2025:

• Published 354 stories
• Earned $25,446.69 in total 
• Made $3,000 from one article as an affiliate
• My best-performing Medium article made me $1,253.77 (as of January 2025)
• Gained 20,000+ followers 
• Received $2,000 as a bonus from Medium
• My average revenue per story in 2024 was $115.17

I’m not sharing these numbers to show off.

I just want you to see what’s possible, even if you’re just starting out as a content creator.

But keep in mind that Medium’s algorithms change a lot, which means earnings from the Partner Program can go up and down.

These days, I don’t count on the Partner Program for income.

For me, Medium is more about reaching new people and selling my products and services.

2. I sell my ebooks

According to Similarweb, more than half of Medium’s audience is made up of people aged 18–34, with 64.55% of them being men interested in technology. 

I also mentioned before that over 40% of Medium’s users are from the USA.

This audience is perfect for advertising and selling your products and services.

That’s exactly what I’ve been doing on Medium to boost my income.

For instance, I sometimes mention my ebooks in my articles. If readers are interested, I provide a link to my Gumroad store where they can buy them.

On top of my Partner Program earnings, I’ve also made $3,381.45 from my ebooks on Gumroad in the past 2.5 years. It’s totally passive since I’ve never done any promotional activities except for inserting links into my Medium posts. 

In my opinion, conversion rates are quite good on Medium, which means the audience is open to making purchases as long as you gain trust and authority. 

If interested, you can learn more about my experience selling ebooks in my Gumroad review. 

3. I make affiliate commissions

Along with the Medium Partner Program and selling my own products, I’ve also tried affiliate marketing on Medium.

Here’s what the Medium rules say:

“Affiliate links, such as links out to Amazon with an affiliate code, or any other link out where you will receive a commission or other value, are allowed in posts. However, per Federal Trade Commission law, you must disclose the inclusion of these links in your post. This can be a simple sentence in the footer.”

But just because you can include affiliate links doesn’t mean you can flood your posts with AI-generated content and affiliate link, hoping for sales.

That’s not how it works.

Doing so will likely get your account banned.

Instead, focus on creating valuable content for your readers. Talk about products or services you actually use and trust, and add affiliate links to those.

The more views you get, the more chances you have for clicks, and those clicks can lead to sales.

In short, the more people see your content, the more affiliate commissions you could potentially earn on Medium.

My biggest affiliate commission from a single post on Medium was over $3,000, and I shared all the details about it in this post.

Medium for beginners: What you should know & can achieve (my take)

I’ve shared my Medium journey, and now it’s your turn to start!

Medium is a great platform for:

• New content writers who want to learn how to write engaging, money-making stories
• Experienced writers looking to reach more people and earn some extra income
• Businesses wanting to promote their services to the Medium audience
• Content creators aiming to build a personal brand and a following

If you’re ready to consistently create helpful content, Medium offers a ton of opportunities.

So, how do you get started on Medium?

First, sign up for a new account. You can choose to become a paying member for $5 a month right away, but it won’t really affect your performance. The membership gives you unlimited access to other writers’ stories.

Creating a story on Medium is super simple. Their content editor is clean and easy to use, letting you write, format, and edit your article without hassle. You can also submit your stories to Medium publications to reach a larger audience.

Now, let’s talk about something many content creators are excited about—how to make money through the Medium Partner Program.

Here’s what you need to qualify:

• Be a paying Medium member ($5/month)
• Have at least one published story in the past six months
• Be 18 or older
• Reside in the Partner Program-supporting country 

If you meet all these requirements, you can join the Partner Program. 

One more thing I want to cover in this Medium review is how earnings are calculated. Here’s what affects how much you make on Medium:

• Reading time from paying members (people who read your story for 30 seconds or more)
• Listening time (if people prefer to listen to your story)
• Engagement signals like claps, comments, highlights, and new followers
• Boost bonus (if your story gets a boost)

You can learn more about how Medium calculates Partner Program earnings here. 

Medium partners with Stripe to handle payouts. The minimum payout is $10, and payments are made in USD. If your bank account is in a different currency, the payout will automatically be converted.

Lastly, you’ll need to upload some documents to verify your address. Once that’s done, you’re officially part of the Medium Partner Program!

Medium writing vs. a blog

I get a lot of questions from my newsletter and Medium readers about why I keep my Medium blog and my website separate.

Some people think it’s extra work since I’m managing both Medium and WordPress.

If you can do SEO on Medium, why bother with a WordPress blog?

As an SEO specialist, the main difference I see is ownership.

Medium is a third-party platform with its own rules. If they think you’ve broken their guidelines, they can delete your account and everything you’ve posted.

In January 2025, Medium suspended some writer accounts due to issues with spam and abuse.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; it’s actually good for writers on Medium. But, if you’re investing your time and energy into growing your blog there, you definitely don’t want that to happen.

On top of that, Medium’s SEO tools are pretty limited. You only have control over a few things like meta titles, descriptions, URL slugs, alt tags, and canonical links. You don’t know if your content is indexed or how it’s performing because you can’t add your Medium blog to Google Search Console.

So, instead of focusing on SEO for Medium, I chose to start and run my own website. This way, I own all the content and have full control over all the changes.

In 2024 alone, I doubled my website’s organic traffic and made over $8.8k from affiliate sales. If you’re interested, I’ve shared my SEO and content writing process in my SEO ebook.

FAQ about writing on Medium

There are a ton of questions about Medium, and I don’t think I can cover them all in just one post. If you have something specific in mind, drop a comment below, and I’ll be sure to check it out and reply.

I’ve chosen a few questions I think are worth addressing. I hope my answers help you out!

What’s a Medium Boost?

A Medium Boost is a way to promote your stories to a broader audience on Medium. 

When your story is boosted, it is featured on the Medium homepage, in the Medium apps, and in the Daily Digest email, which is sent to millions of Medium members.

Here is what else you get if your story is boosted:

• Increased reach and visibility: Boosted stories are seen by millions of people on Medium.
• More engagement: Boosted stories typically receive more views, claps, and comments than non-boosted stories.
• More money: If you’re a Medium Partner, you can earn more money from boosted stories because they are more likely to be read by Medium members.
• Boosted stories are selected by a team of nominators on Medium: The nominators are looking for stories that are well-written, informative, and engaging. They also consider the story’s popularity, as measured by views, claps, and comments.

According to Tony Stubblebine, a boosted story gets at least 500 additional views within the first two weeks. You can learn more about Medium Boosts here. 

Can Medium remove active writers from the Partner Program?

The short answer is yes!

Here is what Medium writers on their official website:

“If you do not publish within a six (6) month period, we may disable your ability to receive any revenue under the Partner Program. Before disabling your ability to earn under the Partner Program, we will notify you. “

Do you own your content on Medium?

Yes, you fully own your content on Medium.

How much does Medium pay for 1,000 views?

There’s no single answer to this question.

In my experience, a boosted article can make $100+. Here’s one of my latest boosted Medium posts:

On the other hand, non-boosted Medium posts usually make around $10–$30 for every 1,000 views in the best-case scenario.

This is a great example showing the difference between boosted and non-boosted articles on Medium. It really highlights the importance of publishing content that’s actually worth reading.

Can I publish AI-generated content on Medium?

With ChatGPT becoming so popular, a lot of us on Medium, myself included, have been worried about how AI-generated content is affecting the platform and our income.

Let’s be real, AI-generated content is definitely on Medium. No denying that!

A lot of writers think it’s an easy way to make a few extra bucks on the platform.

Because of all the buzz around AI, Medium finally addressed these concerns in its October 2023 Partner Program update.

Here’s an excerpt from it:

“Our system has several strategies for minimizing the distribution of AI-generated content: some based on machine-learning, and others based on human curation, content flagging, and moderation. None of these will catch all AI-generated content, but the overall effect is that content that is discernibly generated by AI is unlikely to be distributed widely on Medium.”

If you have any other questions about writing on Medium, drop them in the comments below. I’ll check them and will reply when I can.