The Truth About Writing On Medium: The Surprising Pros And Cons You Can’t Ignore

Should you try writing on Medium?

When it comes to sharing your writing with the world, Medium has emerged as a popular platform. Founded in 2012, it’s been a place for writers of all levels to find an audience, build their voice, and even earn money.

At the suggestion of a writing colleague, I started writing on Medium earlier this year (2024). Like any platform, Medium has its ups and downs. While it can offer a range of benefits to writers, it also presents some challenges.

Here are some of the pros and cons I’ve discovered so far.

The Pros of Writing on Medium

1. You Can Earn Money

This is, by far, the main attraction for most writers on the platform, and certainly is for me: you can earn money through the Medium Partner Program (MPP).

You pay a very reasonable $5/month to be a member, and you can get paid for your articles based on how much engagement they get. Engagement is measured through “reads,” “claps,” and comments from Medium members. The earnings vary depending on how much readers interact with your content.

For some writers, this has turned into a side hustle or even a primary income stream. If you consistently write articles that resonate with readers, you can do well.

The trick is to write “articles that resonate with readers.” There is a lot of competition on Medium. To break through all the noise, your article has to be special in some way. And good writing is just the start.

Still, the possibility of earning money through your writing is a major plus.

2. You Can Gain New Readers

This is another big benefit and the second reason I still write for Medium now and then. Its built-in audience is one of its biggest strengths.

When you publish a story on Medium, it has the potential to be seen by hundreds, if not thousands, of people. (Notice I said “potential”—many stories are practically ignored.) This is especially true if your article gets picked up by Medium’s curation team for a “boost” or featured in one of the platform’s publications.

Most of us want to grow an audience, and on its surface, it appears Medium may give us a way to do that. I haven’t been on it long enough yet, however, to determine how valuable that audience may be.

Will your followers try to find you on other platforms? Mighty they become readers of your books or join your email newsletter? I can’t answer these questions yet. I’ll explain a little about why below.

3. You Can Write What You Want

Another appealing feature of Medium appears to be its openness. But there’s a catch here.

Yes, you can write and publish whatever you want. Choose any topic that interests you—be it technology, personal development, travel, mental health, or anything else.

But if you want to earn money doing it, it’s often more complicated than that. That’s because it’s difficult to stand out among the fierce competition. More about that below.

Still, you can publish raw, personal essays one day and switch to writing how-to guides or opinion pieces the next. You don’t have to worry about handling technical aspects like website management, SEO, or design. You can focus on the writing and leave the rest to the platform.

The Cons of Writing on Medium

As exciting as the platform’s potential might be, it’s also important to understand the downsides.

1. You Don’t Usually Earn Much Without Boosts

While it’s true that you can earn money on Medium, it’s also true that most writers don’t make much unless their articles are “boosted.”

Medium has a curation team that selects articles to promote through their newsletter, homepage, or topic-specific pages. If your article is chosen, it drives more traffic and increases your chances of earning significant money. I’ve found that most boosted articles earn around $100 or more, depending on reader interaction.

Getting your article boosted, however, is unpredictable. The process is subjective, as the articles are chosen by humans. Without the boost, it’s common for articles to earn only a few dollars or even less. This can be discouraging if you’ve put hours into crafting a well-thought-out piece, only to see minimal returns.

I had several articles boosted early on, which encouraged me to keep writing. But I’ve also had many articles I spent hours writing earn no more than 50 cents. Trying to figure out which ones will do well is challenging.

Many writers find that unless they hit a lucky streak or consistently write articles that attract a large audience, they aren’t making much money—often not enough to justify the time investment.

2. Medium Favors Personal Stories, Which Can Get Draining

This is the main reason I’ve slowed down in writing for Medium: readers want personal articles.

That may sound great initially, but mining your life for “boostable” articles is draining after a while.

Medium has a culture that values personal storytelling—stories that rely heavily on personal experience. I had heard this before, and I’ve also noticed it when assessing which of my articles have done well.

Some of the most successful articles on the platform are deeply personal essays, reflecting on individual life experiences or offering unique perspectives on relationships, mental health, and growth. This can be rewarding for some, but it can also become emotionally taxing or limiting over time.

If you’re someone who enjoys writing about a variety of subjects—like factual guides, opinion pieces, health trends, or even short stories and poems—you may find that it’s harder to succeed, particularly over the long term. This is especially true if you’re not comfortable sharing intimate details of your life all the time. The pressure to always tap into personal stories can leave us feeling burned out.

Moreover, this can create a false sense of success; just because an emotional piece does well doesn’t mean it’s sustainable in the long term. Eventually, you might find yourself running out of personal anecdotes to share or feeling reluctant to expose more of your inner world for the sake of claps and reads.

3. The Uncertainty of Success Can Be Frustrating

Another con of Medium is the unpredictability of how well an article will perform. Some articles that you expect to do well might flop, while others that you wrote quickly might skyrocket.

This can be frustrating. There’s no guarantee that the time and effort you pour into an article will pay off in terms of engagement or earnings. I don’t know about you, but I hate wasting time on an article that goes out and gets lost in the internet ether.

The algorithm is influenced by factors outside your control—how many Medium members see your article, how they respond to it, whether or not it gets shared by the curation team—and this can lead to a feeling that you’re rolling the dice with every story you publish.

4. Writing for Publications Helps, but Comes with Restrictions

You can improve the odds that your story will garner more attention by writing for one of Medium’s many publications. The platform hosts a lot of them, and a limited number are run by individuals who have the power to nominate your story for a Medium “boost.”

When I discovered this, I reviewed the list of “boosting” publications and wrote for those covering subjects that interested me. (Find the official list here.)

When you write for a publication, though, it’s much like writing for a magazine or online journal. Each has guidelines you must follow.

First, you have to apply to be included as a writer. Once they bring you on (if they bring you on—some are pickier than others), you have to write an article that follows the guidelines and that the editors will choose to publish. Once your article is published, it may be boosted or it may not.

Usually, writing for a publication gets you more readers than simply writing on your own.

Of course, there are writers on Medium who have tens of thousands of followers who do well without writing for publications. From what I’ve seen, they often write about making money on Medium, making money in general, or another highly sought-after topic that they have unique experience in.

If you don’t have tens of thousands of followers, however, writing for publications is the best way to get noticed, build an audience, and earn money. There is a big drawback, though. Most publications frown on including a “call to action” at the end of your articles.

Adding a Call-To-Action Can Be Difficult

That means you can’t direct your readers back to your website or offer them a freebie as an enticement to sign up for your author newsletter. Yes, readers can subscribe to your Medium account. When they do, they get an email every time you post an article.

But I’ve found that list to be rather useless. I don’t feel it’s ethical to add the email addresses to my regular author newsletter as those individuals haven’t opted-in to that—only to my Medium articles. I suppose I could send them an email inviting them, but again, it seems intrusive. So for now, I haven’t done anything with those email addresses.

I’ve seen writers who—once they have a lot of followers—regularly offer links in their articles that direct back to their sites for paid products, newsletter subscriptions, and other benefits. That seems smart to me, as it’s best to build your own email list. That’s the only one you can control. If you build an email list on Medium and then one day Medium goes away, your email list goes with it.

So the key may be to build up your audience enough that you can begin to get feedback on your own—without writing for publications. Then you can include whatever call to action you want. But while building your audience, it’s best to write for publications—and they often don’t allow or frown on “promotional” links.

Is Writing on Medium Worth It?

Whether or not you choose to write on Medium depends on your goals. If you’re looking for a creative outlet or a bit of side income, Medium can be a good place to start. I think it’s also possible to grow an audience that you may later be able to pull over to the other parts of your platform, but that takes time.

It’s important to temper your expectations. Some writers make a substantial income from Medium, but most don’t. Without consistent traffic or curation boosts, the financial returns can be modest at best.

Additionally, the pressure to constantly churn out personal stories—or the unpredictability of which stories will succeed—can make it difficult to sustain momentum over the long term.

If you can find the type of content that resonates with readers and balance it with the stories that matter most to you, then Medium can be a fulfilling part of your writing journey. Just don’t expect it to be a quick or reliable way to make money. Instead, think of it as a creative playground with the potential for financial reward if you’re willing to experiment and stick with it.

My Experience with Medium So Far

As for me, my writing on Medium has slowed down lately. I have made at least a couple hundred dollars every month since I started—and some months closer to $400-700—but even in the short time I’ve been doing it, I’ve seen it become even more difficult to get “boosted.” Publications regularly bring on new writers, which increases competition, and there are only so many slots open for boosts.

Though I’ve written for many publications, I’ve found only three so far that are a good match between what I like to write and the possibility of my articles getting “boosted.” Medium is always adding new publications so I keep an eye on those. But from my experience, an unboosted article isn’t worth the time to write.

So if I come across an idea that I think has a good chance of being snagged by the Medium curation team, I’ll give it a shot. Otherwise, I continue to focus on this blog and my social media platforms to find new readers.

Have you tried writing on Medium? What did you learn?

_{Featured image by George Milton via Pexels.}