Medium is dying and they're sinking their pushing their writers away

I used to write daily on Medium, and I took my Medium Partner Program earnings from $5 a month to $5000 in 2020/2021. I was living in Ghana, West Africa at the time, and this is life-changing money over there.

I rarely post on Medium these days however, I’m about to start rebuilding my niche content pages soon. Although times have changed over on the Medium platform, it’s still possible to utilise Medium as an extra income stream.

If you’re new to Medium, you might not know about the major changes on the platform, and honestly, I’m not impressed with how Medium are treating their writers right now. I understand, they’re trying to protect the creative integrity of the platform however, they’re destroying income streams and frustrating writers as a result.

So, what’s happening on Medium right now?

Medium used to be a safe space for writers, but in my opinion, it’s not anymore. Medium recently announced that all “meta’ stories will lose partner program eligibility. Meaning that any Medium-related stories can no longer earn money.

”Please remove all Medium-focused writing from behind the paywall by April 1st, 2025 We appreciate your assistance and understanding.”

This is a quote from the Medium team to alert all writers that they must remove Medium-related stories from the Paywall by April 1st. Honestly, this is unacceptable to demand this from writers.

Firstly, it’s tedious, and writers have better things to do with their time than to spend hours removing stories from the paywall. Secondly, if Medium want to change the rules, these rules should apply for new stories only.

First, Medium introduced the Medium referral program where writers could earn commission for every new member who signed up for a paid membership through their referral link, then they scrapped this a year later.

By May 2025, all writers who earned monthly from the referral program will no longer receive these earnings.

It’s very sad that Medium seem to have a habit of pulling the rug whenever they feel like it. There’s a real, and serious problem with leadership over there at Medium HQ and it’s having a major impact on writers.

I recently read a few stories by prolific Medium writer Justiss Goode, and she’s not happy about this Medium shift, as Justiss is very well known for producing several Medium-related stories per week.

Here’s an article from Justiss:

I honestly understand the reason behind Medium’s decision, but they shouldn’t punish existing writers. They should just focus on implementing this new rule for new articles only. Therefore, writers will avoid writing Medium-related stories, and focus on so-called “authentic” writing.

The truth is, what is authentic writing anyway? Writing that comes from the soul? Sometimes, writing about the platform you’re posting on is authentic because you’re sharing your thoughts about how the platform works, and teaching others how to use the platform effectively, or optimise the content they already have.

Gone are the days when you got paid for speaking your mind, and blogging was about sharing your thoughts. Now, you really can’t say anything without getting shut down completely by the platform.

Here’s what would suggest if you’re a Medium writer but you still want to write about Medium:

• Start a Substack Newsletter
• Create a YouTube channel
• Write on Vocal
• Create your own newsletter and sales funnel

You can utilize all these platforms to replace your lost Medium earnings. I would also move most of my Medium-related stories to Vocal, and repurpose them as YouTube videos as well. You can also build an entire newsletter that focuses on writing platforms and other content platforms.

There’s so much you can do, never put all your eggs in one basket. This is always a mistake, and I’ve done it before, it didn’t end well. I remember a time when I earned money from one platform only, and when the platform collapsed, I found myself in the trenches with no money, and no income at all.

So, I would highly recommend focusing on your own newsletter and blog, and using these platforms to raise brand awareness, that’s what I would focus on. Never get too comfortable with one platform, you’ll always regret it.

So, where am I posting now?

• I currently post on several blogs
• Vocal
• YouTube –I have a new YouTube channel, and several faceless ones
• I rarely post on Medium but I will start posting more
• Pinterest
• I’m about to go all in on Linked In soon, let’s see how that goes.

As I post this, I’m doing a 100 article challenge on Vocal, it’s a tough one, but I have to complete it for my own sanity!

What do you think of the changes on Medium? Do you still think it’s a viable option for writers, bloggers, digital marketers and contentpreneurs?

Right now, I'm building several income streams using ChatGpt and other platforms, here's how.

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