Earn More on Medium A New Writers Bootcamp #2
So You Want to Earn Money Writing: Community, Titles, and Tags
Whether you’re a new writer on Medium or you’ve been thinking about joining Medium. It’s important to know how best to engage on the platform. Check out my previous article New Writers Bootcamp #1 for more information about Medium. For those who already saw it, let’s continue learning how to get the most out of Medium as a platform.
Medium is a Community
One of the biggest things I see new writers miss out on is that Medium is a thriving community. We’re all here to share, learn, and grow. That means you need to join the community. How do you do that? Great question; you join the community by interacting with others.
Write thorough responses and comments to let the author know you’ve read their piece. This not only boosts their article by your interactions (comments, claps, and follows). It allows others to read your response, see how you view the world, and pop over to your page and see your articles too.
Go find people to follow who are writing content that brings you value. Follow writers you admire, writers you disagree with, writers who make you think, and writers who inspire you. Follow topics you love and let those articles fill your feed.
Finally, to really dive into the community, highlight sections of articles that speak to you. Let the author know you really resonate with what they’ve written. It makes authors feel great to see people touched by their words.
Takeaways
Comment on others stories
Follow people (sometimes they’ll follow you back)
Highlight parts from other articles
Gather an Audience by Writing Good Titles
If you plan on being on Medium for the long haul, you need to learn to write strong titles. They can’t be clickbait, they need to communicate what your article is about, but also tell us a story before we read the article. Good title creation is an art, you are inviting someone to spend their time reading your thoughts and ideas. Make sure it builds value for your audience. This goes further than just the title too, it applies to subtitles and description.
How Do You Change Your Subtitles and Descriptions?
You can adjust your subtitles and descriptions by clicking the three dots in the top right corner while editing your articles. Then click Change Display Title / Subtitle. This gives you more control over how your article will appear in the feed and SEO.
Tag Your It!
On Medium, just before you publish an article, it prompts you to tag your article with up to 5 tags. You can ignore it and leave it tagless. However, it is strongly suggested that you tag your work with relevant tags. Some examples are:
Article → Earn $20k a Year for Less Than 5 Hours a Week
Tags: side hustle, freelancing, quality assurance, software testing, earn money online
Article → How to Build a Life You Love
Tags: personal development, growth mindset, self improvement, why, new year
Article → Crime and Punishment is The Worst Book Ever
Tags: crime and punishment, dostoevsky, psychology, reading, self reflection
Tags are almost as important as the title you pick.
Many folks on Medium follow tags of the topics they love. So making sure your article has relevant tags is important. If you simply tag something that has more traffic but isn’t relevant, people will ignore you and your work.
How to Make Money on Medium
If you’re reading this, then I would guess you are hoping to make money from writing on Medium. That is awesome! I support you as do all the other writers who are here to do that same. There are some important milestones you need to hit to unlock that capability.
You Need to Gain Access to the Medium Partner’s Program
You need to be a monthly or yearly subscriber to Medium
You must have at least 100 followers
And have published at least one story on Medium — response stories don’t count
These three simple tasks will allow you to enroll in the program and begin your paid writing journey. If you want the full details about the Medium Partner’s Program, check out the official Medium Post on it here.
Payouts for the Medium Partner Program happen at the beginning of the month and take a few days to hit your bank account. It’s that simple.
Writers Bootcamp Takeaways
You made it, you’ve completed the bootcamp. Every writer on Medium has had their own “New Writer’s Bootcamp.” It might be the two articles you just read, or maybe you tend to learn things the hard way like me. Either way, you have begun your flourishing journey of success on Medium. You’ll likely uncover more ways to utilize Medium as you use the platform. Be sure to make note of the basics we discussed in part 1 and part 2:
Learn the platform to get the best results
Pick Topics you know that interest you, and some that are trending
Write consistently to utilize the algorithm in your favor
Self-Publish and publish in Publications
Engage the community
Write good titles to gain a following
And use relevant tags on your stories
Let me know if you have any tips I missed.
If you found this helpful, consider joining Medium. If you use my link I receive a small commission. Check out my other work below, and Thanks for reading!
