Become a Millionaire on Medium (How I Made $0.04 In One Month!)

Ah, Medium. The land of dreams, where writers come to share their deepest thoughts and worst takes on minimalism. Some are here for community, others for the joy of writing, but most of us came for one thing: cash. Via that glorious Medium Partner Program (MPP) money, which we were told would be flowing our way just for sharing our brilliant ideas. The digital gold rush.

I’m here to tell you how I turned that dream into reality. I’ve done it. I made $0.04 in one month on Medium. You’re probably asking yourself, “How can I achieve this level of success?” Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.

Ignorance Writes Itself

Everyone knows that expertise is overrated. On Medium, it’s all about pretending to know stuff. The key is confidence. The trick is to sprinkle in buzzwords like “mindfulness,” “side hustle,” and “growth mindset.” If you really want to maximize earnings, toss in some crypto talk, even if your only knowledge of cryptocurrency is that it's not a physical coin.

After initially resisting, on the principle that hard work and effort pay off, I switched to this method, convinced that my in-depth “advice” on how to maximize your website development by following my convoluted 15-step process to output your WordPress website as a static site. Spoiler: it didn’t.

Find Your Truly Unique Nobody-Is-Doing-This Niche

I thought I’d stand out by finding the perfect niche. After all, Medium’s full of articles on digital nomads, minimalism and making one digital product and selling 325 variations for $50k a month, so I decided to niche down to something truly unique. I wrote about how to create a good password. A masterpiece. Naturally, I expected the algorithm to throw my post to the top of the platform.

What I discovered is that Medium loves niches... if your niche happens to be crypto, minimalism, or tech startups. A heartfelt in-depth guide on how to make a good password? Not so much.

Neurotic Stat Tracking

This is the real joy of Medium. It’s like checking your social media for likes—on steroids. The moment you hit “publish,” you’ll find yourself obsessively refreshing the stats page. At first, you’ll be optimistic. You’ll picture the hundreds of views piling up, the comments flooding in, the claps accumulating. But instead, you’ll see numbers that look more like the cost of a pack of gum.

After a week of watching my stats like a hawk, my first milestone arrived. A whopping two cents. At that point, I began calculating how long it would take me to buy an actual cup of coffee with my Medium earnings. (It’s a very long time.)

Show Me The Money!

Then it happened. After weeks of pouring my heart and soul into my content, the moment of truth arrived. I checked my stats one last time for the month and saw it: $0.04. I made it. The big leagues.

It was time to celebrate. I poured myself a glass of tap water, sat back, and basked in the glow of my monumental success. Could I afford a yacht? No. Could I afford an iPhone? Nope. But I was officially a paid writer. Technically.

The Lessons Learned

Making money on Medium is, well, possible. Technically. But it’s not about the money (good thing, right?). It’s about the thrill of putting your thoughts into the world and seeing them resonate with, let’s be honest, probably just your mom. That $0.04 is a symbol of potential. The potential to someday—perhaps many, may, may, many years from now—afford a pack of gum.

So, if you're ready to become a Medium millionaire, remember this: it's not about the payout. It’s about the journey of seeing that stat page inch forward. Someday, with enough perseverance, you might just be able to buy that yacht. Or at least a cup of coffee. Full steam ahead!

Photo Used: Unsplash.com