Medium Writer

Medium Writer

Writing and publishing articles for the Medium Partner Program. Creating monetizable articles.

Revenue Potential

StageEstimated EarningsPartner Program$200 – $2,000/monthAt 10,000 followers$500 – $3,000/monthViral articles$1,000 – $10,000/article

Revenue Model

When the reader is a Member: ├── Compensation based on read time ├── Clap count has minimal impact └── First-time reader bonus available

Eligibility Requirements

Active Medium Membership ($5/month or $50/year) At least 1 article published in the past year Stripe account linked Must comply with Medium's content policies

Hot Topics on Medium (Ranked by Followers)

NoCategoryFollowersStories1Technology14.1M1.7M2Programming10.9M478K3Self Improvement9.96M958K4Data Science8.7M372K5Writing8.3M976K6Business8M854K7Psychology7.8M415K8Mental Health7.2M636K9Relationships7.2M623K10Health7M847K11Artificial Intelligence6.8M509K12Science6.8M234K13Design6.7M411K14Productivity6.6M415K15Life6.6M1.2M16Cryptocurrency4.8M930K17Startups4.5M655K18Books4.3M490K19Humor4.1M269K20Education4M621K21Leadership3.6M308K22Entrepreneurship3.5M517K23Art3.4M304K24Mindfulness3.3M257K25Travel3.3M580K26Deep Learning3M111K27Marketing2.9M545K28Music2.9M373K29Coding2.6M155K30Food2.5M299K31Society2.4M147K32Work2.3M171K33Blockchain2.2M1.3M34Gaming2M206K35Fitness1.7M204K36Life Lessons1M775K

Topic Selection Strategy

High Followers + Low Stories = Low Competition, High Opportunity (e.g., Science, Deep Learning, Coding) High Followers + High Stories = High Competition, High Visibility (e.g., Technology, Programming) Combine 3–5 tags per article to maximize discoverability Cross-niche articles perform best (e.g., "AI + Productivity", "Psychology + Leadership")

Creating an Article

"Create a Medium article Topic: [topic] Target audience: [audience] Length: [5-10 min read] Tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]"

SEO Optimization

"Optimize Medium article for [keyword]" "Generate 5 headline candidates" "Suggest tags for maximum reach"

Publication Submission

"Submit [article] to [Publication name]" "List popular Tech Publications" "Draft a pitch email for [Publication]"

Content Repurposing

"Convert this [blog post / Twitter thread / YouTube script] into a Medium article" "Break this long article into a 3-part series" "Create a listicle version of this tutorial"

Engagement Boosting

"Write a compelling hook for this article" "Add storytelling elements to this technical post" "Create a strong CTA for the conclusion" "Suggest 3 subheadings that improve scannability"

Analytics & Performance

"Analyze why this article underperformed" "Suggest improvements for [article URL] based on engagement data" "What's the ideal posting time for [topic]?"

Ideal Format

• Title (SEO + Curiosity-driven)
• Subtitle (Clear benefit statement)
• Featured Image (custom or high-quality stock)
• ---
• ## Introduction (Hook) — 100-150 words
• Problem statement / Empathy / Personal story
• Value proposition for the reader
• Article overview (what they'll learn)
• ## Main Content Sections — 800-1,500 words
• ### H2 Heading 1
• Paragraph (3-4 sentences)
• Bullet points / Lists
• Code blocks (when applicable)
• Quotes / Statistics / Data visualizations
• ### H2 Heading 2
• Real-world examples
• Screenshots / Diagrams
• Step-by-step instructions
• ### H2 Heading 3
• ...
• ## Conclusion — 100-200 words
• Key points summary (3-5 takeaways)
• Personal reflection or opinion
• CTA (Follow / Clap / Comment request)
• ---
• Related Article Links (2-3 of your own articles)

Optimal Article Length

TypeWordsRead TimeBest ForShort-form500–8002-3 minQuick tips, opinionsStandard1,000–1,5005-7 minTutorials, how-tosLong-form2,000–3,0008-12 minIn-depth guides, analysisDeep dive3,000+12+ minComprehensive research Sweet spot: 1,000–1,800 words (5-7 min read) — best engagement-to-effort ratio.

Number + Benefit

"7 Python Tricks That Will Make You Code 10x Faster" "5 Morning Habits That Changed My Life (Backed by Science)"

How To

"How I Made $10,000 on Medium in 3 Months (Step-by-Step)" "How to Learn Any Programming Language in 30 Days"

List Format

"The Only 3 Books You Need to Read About AI" "10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Developer"

Contrarian / Controversial

"Why I Stopped Using React (And What I Use Instead)" "The Productivity Advice You Should Ignore"

Personal Story

"I Quit My $150K Job to Write on Medium — Here's What Happened" "What 500 Days of Writing Taught Me About Success"

Question Format

"Is Python Really the Best Language for Data Science?" "Why Do So Many Developers Burn Out?"

Popular Publications

PublicationFollowersGenreTowards Data Science700k+Data / AIBetter Programming200k+CodeThe Startup800k+BusinessBetter Marketing100k+MarketingUX Collective400k+Design / UXJavaScript in Plain English200k+JavaScriptLevel Up Coding300k+ProgrammingThe Writing Cooperative150k+Writing

Submission Tips

Read the publication's guidelines thoroughly Analyze the tone and style of existing articles Start with shorter articles for the first submission Build a relationship with editors Follow the publication's formatting requirements Include proper attribution for images and data

Keyword Placement

Title (required — include primary keyword) Subtitle (secondary keyword or benefit) First 100 words (natural keyword inclusion) H2 headings (related keywords) Image alt text (descriptive, keyword-rich) Tags (select 3–5 relevant tags)

Internal & External Links

Link to your own past articles (keeps readers on your profile) Add a "Related Articles" section at the end Connect series articles with navigation links Include 1–2 authoritative external sources for credibility

Medium-Specific SEO

Medium articles rank well on Google — optimize for search intent Use the canonical link feature if cross-posting from your blog Kicker (the small text above your title) improves click-through rate Choose a custom URL slug — keep it short and keyword-focused

Direct Revenue

Partner Program earnings — read-time based income from member reads Referred memberships — earn a portion when readers sign up via your link Boost nominations — boosted articles get significantly more distribution

Indirect Revenue

Build an email list — convert Medium readers to newsletter subscribers Affiliate links — include relevant product/tool recommendations (disclose!) Freelance leads — use articles as a portfolio to attract clients Course / product launches — warm up audience through free content Consulting — establish expertise in a niche and offer consulting services

Early Stage (0–100 followers)

2–3 articles per week Comment genuinely on other articles Share on social media (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Reddit) Submit to Publications Engage with other writers in your niche Use all 5 available tags per article

Mid Stage (100–1,000 followers)

1–2 articles per week (focus on quality over quantity) Build an email list (link in bio + article CTAs) Create series articles (keeps readers coming back) Cross-promote with other writers Experiment with different formats (listicles, tutorials, opinion pieces) Track analytics and double down on what works

Mature Stage (1,000+ followers)

Maintain a consistent publishing schedule Build a community (respond to every comment) Experiment with member-only (paid) articles Expand to external platforms (Substack, personal blog) Create a content calendar Mentor newer writers (builds goodwill and network) Diversify income streams beyond Medium

Writing Habits

Write every day, even if you don't publish Draft in Google Docs or Notion, then import to Medium Use the 30-30-40 rule: 30% research, 30% writing, 40% editing Read top-performing articles in your niche for inspiration

Engagement Hacks

End with a question to encourage comments Use bold text and short paragraphs for scannability Include at least 1 image per 300 words Add pull quotes or callout boxes for key insights Use numbered lists for actionable steps

Timing & Frequency

Best days to publish: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Best times: 8–10 AM EST (when US readers are most active) Consistency > Volume: 1 great article/week beats 5 mediocre ones Republish underperforming articles with new titles and images after 3+ months