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Medium Helped Me Pay For Date Night — You can start earning extra money from writing too

Where there’s will, there’s a way. Focus and put in the work.

The Medium Partner Program has allowed me to have an extra $100+ this month. Timely enough, Avengers: Endgame just came out and we haven’t gone out for a date night since… well, a long time.

My partner and I have been together for close to 3 years. At the start, we had multiple date nights each week. As time past, and we’ve gotten comfortable, the date nights lessen. Or at least, a date meant us watching Netflix and eating ice cream.

So, I’m super pumped to actually do something out of our routine.

I’m sorry if the title seems misleading. This article is less about dating and more towards how you can start earning a side income.

Be grateful for this opportunity

I’ve started to put in more effort into writing on Medium when I left my job in February. In those 2 months, my Medium earnings have jumped from $10/month to $10/week, and now $100+ in a month.

In SGD, that’s about $170

It’s not much compared to other big writers on Medium but I see myself getting there soon.

Before writing on Medium, I’ve had other blogs where my main monetization channel was through Adsense. Those blogs took a long time to gain traction. And when it did, it earned $1/month.

Medium has a community of its own. You don’t need to worry about SEO ranking, coding your website, and the other complicated parts of running a blog.

With Medium, you simply create your profile and start writing quality stories. You’ll still need time to edit your stories, find the perfect featured image and network with other writers. But it’s so much easier than building your own WordPress blog.

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

“I want to start writing on Medium but have no idea what to write about”

We’ve all been there. When I started writing on Medium, I had no idea which niche I wanted to be in.

There are so many categories on Medium. Some have more readers than others. Don’t worry about that.

Ask yourself, “what do I know that I can write about?”

Simple neutral ideas to start with:

A letter to my 16-year-old self

Why I’m more of a cat person

Why I want to write

Lessons from childhood

I wished XX told me how to XX

Stop telling us to XX

How I’ve made $$ on my first week on Medium

As you can see, the above ideas are all personal topics. If you don’t know what to write about, look within yourself. You can be the subject of articles.

Once you’ve got the groove of how Medium works and you want to venture into other topics, go ahead. You can be a technical writer or a creative writer.

You can write a 10-minute article about how blockchain technology will revolutionise the industry. You can also have a 2-minute poem about your cat.

It’s really up to you. If you’re really stuck, hit me up on Twitter. I’ll give you a writing prompt.

Who you’re talking to when nobody reads your article. Photo by Paula Schmidt from Pexels

“I just started publishing but nobody is reading my articles”

Unless you have a decent number of followers or you’ve gotten curated by Medium, your first few published stories won’t get many reads.

When you just started, it’ll be good to join writing groups on Facebook (Medium Mastery and The Tribe Builder’s Network) where you can ask questions about Medium, and share your stories on their threads.

Be sure to follow the rules of these Facebook groups and not spam the feed with links.

Joining these groups and engaging with other Medium writers have significantly increased my stats and improved my writing skills.

So, once you’ve published your stories, share them on these communities. And interact with other writers’ posts.

Another method of getting more reads is by following random writers in hope that they’ll check out your profile, read your article and follow you. I’ve seen some people recommending new writers to do this but personally, I think it’s a waste of time. It’d be better for you to focus on meaningful connections.

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“How many articles should I publish? I don’t have time to publish every day”

You do you. Find what works for you.

There are people who publish 2–3 times a day. But they can do that because Medium is their full-time job. If you have a full-time job and can only publish 2 times a week, that’s good enough.

Some people only publish 2 times a month but the quality is superb and it gets curated/featured by Medium. Those 2 articles can earn you more than your 30 low-quality posts.

And to some, publishing 30–60 stories a month is how they’re growing their profile. That’s okay too. Some people (like me) have too much to say so we publish more frequently.

You’ve got to find your sweet spot. Don’t push yourself to the point where you end up hating to write.

“How do I submit to publications? Does that help me grow?”

Becoming a writer and submitting to publications is fairly easy. To be a writer, simply reach out to the editor of the publication and pitch your idea to them.

Example from Live Your Life Network

Some publications openly call out for submission. In this case, just read what is required and apply to be a writer.

Once you’ve been as a writer, you can check out this link to know how to add your story to publication. It’s a clear step-by-step guide by Medium.

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“I’ve done everything. How do I double my earnings”

There’s no one road to success. It’s a long journey that requires your constant effort.

My top 3 tips on doubling or tripling your earnings are: