How I Earned Over $100 in My First 3 Days on Medium

While traditional SEO-driven content has been a go-to strategy for years, it’s becoming increasingly competitive. One platform that has emerged as a powerful alternative is Medium—a space where writers and creators can not only share their stories but also monetize them. So, I took the plunge, and share my experiences here.

After diving into Medium for my first week, I quickly realized the potential it holds for content creators. With a clear focus on quality writing and engagement, Medium offers a refreshing break from the constant need for SEO-optimized content.

In my first week, I made $112 from Medium.

I teased my earnings from my first two days on Medium in last week’s post… I got a BUNCH of responses.

But it’s not just about the earnings. Medium provides an opportunity to connect with a highly engaged readership, allowing creators to explore different topics, experiment with content, and build a following without being tied to search engine algorithms.

Here is what I’ve learned about getting your Medium account off to a quick start. 👇 I’ll be sharing a lot more over the coming weeks and months on my newsletter, which you can sign up to receive for free here!

Why Medium is a Big Opportunity

Medium is different from traditional SEO and it doesn’t rely solely on SEO to get your content in front of readers. Instead, it’s built around a community of engaged, thoughtful readers who are actively looking for content that resonates with them. Here’s why that matters:

1. Built-In Audience: On Medium, you’re not fighting for visibility on Google’s search results page. Instead, your content is shared with a built-in audience of readers who are already on the platform looking for stories, insights, and perspectives. This means you can focus more on creating quality content and less on keywords or backlink building.
2. Engagement Over Traffic: What’s exciting about Medium is that it rewards engagement over sheer traffic numbers. If your story resonates, it gets shared, clapped, and commented on, leading to more visibility within the platform. It’s about building relationships with your readers, not just driving them to your site.
3. Monetization Through the Medium Partner Program: If you’re tired of the diminishing returns on ad revenue or affiliate marketing, Medium’s Partner Program offers a different way to monetize your work. You can earn money based on how much time Medium members spend reading your stories. It’s a model that values depth and quality over quantity.

I’m starting by focusing on re-publishing my Weekend Growth emails to Medium. The article of mine that earned all of my money was from an email I sent out last December!

What’s funny is that Google loves Medium right now… so your content can ALSO end up ranking organically.

I will be sharing a lot more about my progress on Medium, and what I learn along the way. Join my newsletter to get all of these updates!

How to Get Started On Medium Right Now

You need to understand how Medium works to make money on the platform. I’ve heard countless stories of people who publish their really good content but never make a dime, and its because they don’t understand the platform.

Now, I’m new to Medium, but I’ve gotten a detailed crash course from my friend Thomas Smith. And he is an expert on Medium.

He took all of his knowledge and put it into a course that I highly recommend. But let me walk you through the key aspects that he helped me understand.

Step 1: Know How Distribution Works

One of the first things you need to understand is how Medium’s distribution system works. Medium has three primary distribution levels:

1. Network Distribution: This is where all stories start. Your followers and publication followers can see your story.
2. General Distribution: When your story gets good engagement (claps, reads, comments), it’s pushed to readers who don’t follow you, based on their interests.
3. Boosted: Top-performing stories get an additional lift via recommendations across Medium’s most visible spots—like email digests and the “For You” page.

The goal is to move your story from Network to General, and if you’re lucky, to get it Boosted. A Boosted story is the main reason I earned over $100 in the first week.

I ​learned a lot from this article​, written by Zulie, Product storyteller at Medium. It’s a long read, which is why I condensed a lot of it for you here in this post.

Your Action Step: Focus on writing stories that spark engagement. Choose topics that resonate with your audience and provide real value—whether it’s insight, entertainment, or a unique perspective.

Step 2: Use the Right Topics

When you publish a story on Medium, you can tag up to five topics. These help the system categorize your story and suggest it to the right readers.

The mistake most writers make? They choose topics that are too broad or too niche. For example, if you write a personal finance story, tagging “money” might seem like a good idea. But since that topic has hundreds of thousands of stories, your piece will get lost. On the other hand, tagging something super specific with no audience won’t get you anywhere either.

The Sweet Spot: Choose topics with a solid following but not overwhelming competition. Check the number of followers and stories published under each tag and aim for the middle ground.

I’m still learning here. My first few articles probably tagged topics that were too broad.

Your Action Step: Visit Medium’s Explore Topics page and find 3-5 solid topic areas that align with your content. Make sure they have a dedicated following but aren’t saturated.

​Follow me on Medium​!

Step 3: Partner with Publications

Publishing your story within a Medium publication can exponentially boost your visibility. Publications often have thousands of followers, which means instant exposure beyond your own network.

But there’s more: Publications can nominate stories for Boost, giving you a much better chance of hitting that 500+ views mark.

More than 50% of the articles I’ve published so far have been published in a Publication!

Your Action Step: Research publications in your niche and pitch your stories. Aim to build relationships with publication editors—they’re a powerful resource for feedback and exposure.

Step 4: Craft a Boost-Worthy Story

One of the most powerful ways to earn quickly on Medium is by getting your story Boosted. ​Thomas Smith’s checklist from his course​ helped me land my first Boost in week one, and here’s a sneak peek at what makes a Boost-worthy story:

1. High Engagement Potential: Your title, intro, and flow should hook the reader. If you don’t engage them in the first 5-10 seconds, they’re gone.
2. Topic Alignment: Focus on topics that resonate with Medium’s audience—think personal development, productivity, or lessons learned.
3. Human Touch: Medium thrives on personal stories and vulnerability. Readers love to connect with the writer. Share your personal experiences or lessons learned.

In essence, I took a newsletter I had written last December, but added a human touch and aligned it with a currently trending topic. This made it boost worthy.

Your Action Step: Implement these elements in your next story. Write with a hook in the opening lines, share a personal insight, and make sure it flows naturally to the conclusion.

Step 5: Maximize Your Earnings

Here’s where it gets exciting: Medium offers multiple ways to monetize your content. Beyond the Partner Program, where you earn based on reading time, here’s what you can tap into:

• Boosted Stories: You get a multiplier on your earnings when a Boosted story is paywalled. The more engagement, the higher your payout.
• Affiliate Links: Medium allows you to embed affiliate links in your stories, which means you can earn commissions on products or services you recommend.
• Audience Growth: Medium is a great platform to grow your newsletter or offer consulting services. Use clear calls-to-action in your stories to convert readers into subscribers or clients.

Your Action Step: Start adding a CTA to the end of every Medium post, inviting readers to subscribe to your newsletter or check out your other services. Over time, this builds a consistent pipeline of potential clients and customers.

Here’s what I’ve been using:

Medium Has Multiple Ways to Earn

I like places where I have multiple opportunities to earn money. That is Medium.

In essence, you can earn money through the Partner Program. Think ads like on YouTube. You can also earn through getting articles Boosted. More on that in a bit.

You can also include affiliate links in your articles and earn money that way.

And then there is the general audience building that you can do. You can grow your newsletter through calls-to-action. You can offer consulting services. Etc.

There are quite a few ways to earn money through your content and related activities.

Biggest Medium Shortcut: Craft a Boost-Worthy Story

The vast majority of my first week earnings came from having a story Boosted. So, if earning quickly from Medium is your priority, then you should focus on crafting a boost-worthy story.

One of the most eye-opening resources Thomas provided was his Boost-Worthy Story Checklist. This checklist was what allowed me to earn money in my first week.

His guidance has been instrumental in my quick start, as I’m sure you can see. If you’re serious about making a mark on Medium, consider his course as your fast track.

Your Next Steps

1. Set Up Your Medium Account: If you haven’t already, now’s the time. Use the tips above to get started.
2. Learn How Medium Works: You can’t make money simply by publishing. You have to work with Publications and get articles boosted.
3. Write and Publish: Don’t overthink it—get that first story out there! Keep publishing and engaging with others on the platform.
4. Consider Thomas’s Course: ​Take a look at what his course offers​ and see if it makes sense for you. If you’re sitting on a lot of content from a website or newsletter, chances are you can have quick success like I did.

I’m genuinely excited about what lies ahead and can’t wait to see what you all create. If you have any questions or need some encouragement, feel free to reply to this post.