Before Subscribing to Medium, Make Sure You Read This

It's no secret some of the world's best publications have begun to publish on Medium.

The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Economists are among several major publications who've seen the value in its readership and are now syndicating their content on the platform.

It's great news for writers and bloggers – who now find their work featured in the likes of Google News not to mention among some of the world's best journalists – and even better for readers who can find a one-stop shop for reading premium content, explanatory journalism and niche blogs.

But while the playing field may have become more level, remuneration is not.

Professional journalists, namely those writing for the publications listed above (as well as this author), are paid a salary or on a per-word or per-story basis for their work. Medium writers, on the other hand, are not.

Instead, those who are enrolled in Medium's partner program earn per member’s reading time. Similarly, when the work of professional journalists is syndicated by publishers on Medium, it is usually done so under the publisher’s account which, in turn, claims all associated earnings.

Last month Medium introduced a new method of earning which is a little more generous. The new subscription-based model allows a writer to receive exactly half of your subscription, minus fees.

It works when you, the reader, subscribe directly via their landing page (shown below) or when you subscribe to their newsletter list (see end of story) and follow the prompts to upgrade.

In Medium’s exact words, this is how it’ll work:

“For every reader who a Partner Program writer converts to a paying Medium member, the writer will receive half of that reader’s membership fee, net of standard payment processor fees.”

The new move, introduced on August 11, arrived just months after competitor platform Vocal Media , run by Nasdaq-listed Creatd, announced a similar referral strategy in May.

Medium's method is, however, run a little differently. Unlike the Vocal affiliate program, which pays a writer a once-off payment per each member who joined Vocal+, Medium affiliates continue to earn as long as the member they introduced stays connected.

This is how a landing page looks online:

While Medium is keeping up the old pay-per-view earnings scheme, sadly for writers, it continues to be based on the read time of paying members.

And although some Medium articles are free, those which earn the author money are locked (read: so all the freebies you’ve been reading don’t count). Readers without a membership are given access to just three per month.

You'll know how many free locked articles you have left via a prompt at the top of the screen. If you've run out, you'll hit the pay wall as seen here.

So, if you're one of the thousands of readers who are finding they're spending a little more time than usual on Medium thanks to its addictive TikTok-like algorithm and have considered a subscription, then there's really no better time.

But before you do, go ahead and pick your favourite writer, find their landing page and subscribe there.

The ability to decide where your subscription money goes, or at least part of it, is uncommon among media outlets.

And when you've got the chance to say a little a thank you to the people whose work you enjoy the most, well, that's not only a kind thing to do but will pay dividends for you as they perfect their craft.

Still not convinced? You can get one extra story each month by creating a Medium account. Apple users can also trial Medium free for 30 days via its app. Similarly you can trial Vocal+ for a month free here.