One Month Writing on Medium
Exploring Growth, Challenges, and Discoveries on Medium
It is not a gold mine from my experience.
Well, I waited patiently for April to give my review.
When I joined Medium, I was looking for an alternative to mindless scrolling. One of my year targets was to read more, but mostly just read instead of watching looped videos on TikTok.
I like TikTok but time can fly so fast while there and I would feel drained and even become more existential as I perhaps used the videos as a distraction from my actual reality. I thoroughly enjoyed that kind of escapism but it made me feel more depressed.
Continuous Writer
I have a ton of notes on my phone because I constantly journal and I just write stuff, it comes quite naturally to me. It is second nature to me. I’m not sure whether it’s a positive or negative trait that I excel in writing more than speaking. Writing provides me with the opportunity to gather my thoughts and present them cohesively
I opened my medium account in March after having read many articles and being hesitant to open an account, I needed to figure out why I needed to open a medium account.
Being on Linkedin
I had been an avid LinkedIner, and it was way more depressing than TikTok and Instagram.
It was white-collar bad news of layoffs and a celebration posts like, ‘Sarah starting her career at Google’. For a full-on professional who had been in between jobs for 2 years, it was becoming depressing. I needed something that felt inspiring and in a way, ‘couldn’t be taken away’.
Writing is a skill that can be honed and monetized — it’s as straightforward as that. Ideally, writing would flow effortlessly, without the need to conform to a company’s values or showcase a flawless GPA and interpersonal skills to fit their culture. While Medium offers potential earnings, my motivation for writing here extends beyond monetary gain.
After a professional coach encouraged me to document my journey of joblessness on LinkedIn, I took the leap and penned my first article. Despite my initial fear, I managed to write over 10 articles on the platform.
The feedback I received was unexpected, and to my surprise, it ended up being published by an organization.
But to be honest, it wasn’t great — I cringe just thinking about it.
The piece was overly long, and since I already knew the story, reading it again left me feeling bored. However, those LinkedIn articles were where I began. I imported them as my beginner stories and did what I love most: finding pictures to complement the text. I thoroughly enjoy it.
It felt like I was 5 years old again, getting the colouring page from my parent’s newspaper. Then all of a sudden, my endless degrees and countless job applications meant nothing to me. It dawned on me that writing was my true passion. I realized that with consistent practice, I could improve my skills.
If I could also earn a dollar from it, why not? I had nothing to lose. Writing became more enjoyable than crafting cover letters and endless job applications.
Medium Journey
I opened a medium account and just read articles from newbies, novices and experts alike. I have to say that my algorithm bombarded my For You page with titles like, How I made $$ on Medium, and I did read all the way clapping once not knowing I could do it 50 times. Very genius of Medium to do that.
I saw all the screenshots of people gaining followers like Jesus. To be honest, it was impressive. One time I opened my profile page, with no story… nothing, just a blank page with 0 followers, everything was nil. I wondered how I could do this. And so I began with a LinkedIn article that was personal to me, and I let it sit there for a week.
You can read it here:
As I continued reading articles on Medium I realized people earning money on Medium had frequent posts of about 3/4mins, some articles claimed that shorter posts had more engagement.
I refused to believe the short attention spans were experienced on medium, I thought that was an Instagram and TikTok thing.
I’m dedicated to investing a solid 5 to 10 minutes in one task, especially if it piques my interest. Whether it’s reading an article or writing, I strive to combat mindlessness by fully immersing myself in the experience. Writing extensively brings me fulfilment, mirroring my enjoyment of documentaries for their informative nature and ability to captivate my attention without the need to constantly switch channels.
As I delved into numerous articles on monetizing Medium, I found myself captivated by the personal narratives of fellow writers and the diverse opportunities within niche publications. Rather than confining myself to a single category, I embraced the notion of versatility, believing it adds depth and intrigue to my writing. From travel and tech to spirituality, philosophy, and AI, the array of available publications fueled my exploration.
Medium Stats
I decided to document my progress by capturing screenshots of my metrics during my first month. To my surprise, I quickly amassed a solid following, despite having only published a few articles.
While the numbers weren’t extraordinary, the feeling of elation from seeing people engage with my writing was undeniable.
I’ve come to understand that success isn’t just about quick gains — it’s about the journey. It’s about genuine engagement with the people you follow, moving beyond superficial comments like ‘great article’ to provide thoughtful and constructive reviews.
One aspect that perplexed me was the earnings per article. Various writers had differing explanations, and I struggled to grasp the distinction between a ‘read’ article and a ‘viewed’ article based on my earnings.
Check out my stats.
Although I struggled to grasp the ratio concept, it didn’t hinder my progress. My primary goal for having a Medium profile is to enhance my writing skills and build a compelling portfolio. Rather than obsessing over stats, I aim to learn and grow organically through consistent practice and dedication to my craft.
As I navigated through statistical challenges, I recognized the importance of writers engaging with publications to reach a wider audience. Consequently, I’ve submitted several drafts to various publications and am eagerly awaiting their responses.
I’ll be providing monthly updates on my progress, aiming to inspire fellow writers facing similar experiences.
How about you? What has your experience been like as a New Writer?
