Chapter 1: Earning from Reading Time

You can potentially earn as much as $30 for a mere minute spent reading your articles. This might sound unbelievable, yet it has happened to me and numerous other writers.

This scenario usually unfolds after your article has gained traction. During this period, you can enjoy significant earnings despite having minimal views or reading time.

In my experience, I had only 91 views on that particular day, with a majority (70%) coming from external sources. Unfortunately, external views generally do not contribute to your earnings, as they often come from readers outside of Medium.

Among the 27 internal views, several were repeated, and others were from non-members, meaning I wouldn’t receive any compensation for them. A fair estimate is that around 10 readers contributed to the $27.92 I earned that day.

How can YOU replicate this success?

Most of the readers who generate these substantial amounts likely do not engage with many articles on Medium. If they did, their membership fees would be dispersed among various writers. Earning this much from a single minute suggests that these readers have only interacted with your article and perhaps a few others throughout the month.

If they’ve only read your piece, you might earn approximately $3–$4. The secret lies in targeting these less active readers. This could involve increasing your external views through SEO tactics to attract former Medium readers who are browsing through Google and other search engines.

The algorithm may also favor Medium articles in their feeds based on readers' past interactions.

Promoting your article on platforms like Twitter and Facebook—both closely tied to Medium—can also enhance its visibility.

To appeal to a broader audience while still being engaging, consider writing about general topics that resonate with many, such as finance, politics, and relationships. There is a considerable demographic of older and middle-aged individuals on Medium, making politics and news particularly relevant.

Overall, this phenomenon has been observed multiple times with articles that experienced moderate success. The more views your article receives, the greater your earnings tend to be after it peaks.

If you prefer a straightforward approach without delving into specific strategies, simply focus on writing a substantial number of articles aimed at going viral and gaining views.

How does this work?

The exact mechanics behind these earnings and the specific readers who interacted with my article remain elusive. However, I theorize that the individuals who generated the $30 for me were those who had disengaged from Medium but found my article intriguing enough to click on.

Clearly, the content didn’t captivate them sufficiently to keep them reading for long, as indicated by the brief reading time. However, since they only engaged with MY article during their membership, I receive a significant portion of the $5 they pay.

Approximately $1 goes to Medium, leaving me with around $3–$4 as potential earnings. Based on prior estimates, about 10 paying members might have read my piece. If each contributed $3-$4, I could earn between $30 and $40.

In reality, the actual number of paying members could be slightly lower, or they might have contributed less overall. Various factors can influence how much each reader contributes.

Ultimately, no one can definitively explain Medium's algorithms, so this remains the most plausible explanation based on several assumptions.

Next Steps

Stay positive and continue the practices that have brought you success as a Medium writer. Whether or not you choose to implement the advice in this article, maintaining your resilience will lead you to success, potentially earning $30 for just a minute of reading time.

This serves as a testament that luck can indeed favor you on Medium, showcasing the immense opportunities available for writers to unleash their creativity.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Shu Hasegawa for more insights on entrepreneurship, business building, money-making strategies, and writing. Please help by sharing this story if you found it valuable.

Chapter 2: Discovering New Income Streams

Discover how to earn $150 by reading and how to make money through reading articles.

In this video, explore the possibilities of earning $150 by simply reading content.

Learn what it takes to earn up to $30 per day and $700 a month by chatting online.