If you’re looking for ways to make some extra money, you’ve probably considered exploring the lucrative world of freelance writing. There are plenty of well-known platforms that will happily pay you to write for them, like Upwork or Fiverr, and if you’re looking for a starting point, you could always go with the trusted ol’ Craigslist. But perhaps the best place to earn some extra cash is through Medium.com.
Most people are familiar with Medium. It’s one of the biggest and most popular blogging platforms out there, boasting over 300 million monthly active users as of early 2018. What many might not know is that the platform actually pays its writers very well. According to the site’s financials, as of March 2018, over $40 million was paid to 125,000 contributors globally, as well as $16.2 million in other transaction income, like adverts and sponsorships. That’s a pretty juicy figure.
If you’re an experienced writer looking for some extra cash, you could certainly earn some serious money through Medium. But how can you make the most of this opportunity? We’ve narrowed down the key steps to follow if you want to become a valued contributor and ultimately make some money off this hugely successful and reputable blogging platform.
The Basics
As with most online journalism and freelance writing platforms, the first step to receiving payments from Medium is to register for an account. This will also enable you to take advantage of the site’s various tipping and donation tools, and gain access to its vast library of content.
When you first log in, you will see a splash screen that explains the basics of Medium’s pay structure. Essentially, you will be able to choose between an average or typical earnings option, which caps your earnings at $600 a month, and a high-end option, which caps your earnings at $1,200 per month. The average and typical options are enough to keep you going, but the high-end option presents the opportunity to make a decent chunk of change and even save money, depending on your relative experience levels and how much you’re willing to write. The important thing to bear in mind is that your decision here will impact how much you ultimately earn from Medium. For more information on the different types of earnings options, check out this blog post by Medium.com themselves.
Once registered, you can start creating content. Remember that while Medium is a serious platform with hundreds of millions of users, it is also a very open platform. This means that anyone can post anything, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be professional. In fact, many people use it to share really honest, personal stories, so when you’re posting, make sure that you’re being authentic and engaging.
When your writing is approved by the community, it will then be available to readers. Depending on how many people click on that post and how engaged they are, you will then start to see your stats increase.
Pricing
Like most other places you might look for freelance work, Medium.com has set certain prices for different types of articles. If you’re looking for a fixed price, check out their standard writing rate, which is $25 per post. But if you’re looking for a flat fee or per-word rate, you could always check out their micro-writing campaign, where you will be asked to write a few lines of content for their next big blog post. For example, if they need an argumentative essay for their sports section, you will be asked to write an article that supports your view on whether or not women should be allowed to play football. This is where most freelancers get stuck. Since the campaign is low-risk, they don’t need to worry about finding a high-quality writer to cover their assignment, so they can just put it out to bid and be done with it. The problem is that this is where the vast majority of freelancers fall off. It’s very easy to simply put out an appeal for bids on small assignments like this, but when you’re looking for steady, long-term work, it’s better to find a good writer independently and commit to a flat fee.
The Best Ways to Make Money Online
If you’re looking for ways to make money online, you might be wondering where you should start. There are so many ways that you could potentially earn money from home, like taking online surveys or doing simple web searches. But if you’re looking for something more hands-on, you could try getting paid to take surveys at home, or selling your photos on stock photography websites.
Medium.com doesn’t just pay its writers, it also has various other revenue streams too. It generates over $30 million a year from advertising, and it earns money through various affiliate programs, including Amazon Affiliate Marketing. If you’re keen to familiarize yourself with these affilate programs, you could potentially make a lot of money online without needing to write a word. All you need to do is find a product you’re passionate about, and then find a way to promote it on your blog or website. For more information on how to make money online, check out these articles from Make Money Websites or the Financial Bloggers Club.
So, to recap, if you’re looking for ways to make extra cash, you might consider looking at the lucrative world of freelance writing. But if you’re looking for a steady, long-term gig, it might be better to consider Medium, where you could potentially make a decent chunk of change.