Medium and Substack writers

1. 92

   WriterJanisposted 13 months ago

   I was just curious for those of you who write for Medium and/or Substack, how your earnings compare to what you make on Hubpages. Do you think it's worthwhile writing for these sites? I look forward to everyone's insight. Thank you.

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      SerenityHaloposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      The key right now with Medium is to work toward getting posts boosted. Without that, most things only make pennies. I still make more on HubPages, but I think it takes time to start earning here.

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         WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

         Wow. You have a lot of articles here. Thanks for your insight.

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      henrikhagelandposted 12 months agoin reply to this

      I have just started to write here. I write at Medium. I started 3rd of December 2023. My first 26 days I earned 37 $. In January I earned 125$, February 120$. I am really surprised to earn so much as a newbie. Now I don't know how much You earn here at HubPages, so it's difficult to compare.

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         paolaenergyaposted 12 months agoin reply to this

         I think  you've earned more in two months here than me in 10 years, you're doing great! Welcome to Hubpages!

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            henrikhagelandposted 12 months agoin reply to this

            Thank you!

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      2. 92

         WriterJanisposted 12 months agoin reply to this

         This is impressive Henrik. How many articles do you have on Medium?

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            henrikhagelandposted 12 months agoin reply to this

            I have 126...

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               WriterJanisposted 12 months agoin reply to this

               Wow.

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         Brenda Arledgeposted 12 months agoin reply to this

         I just followed uou on medium

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      Brenda Arledgeposted 12 months agoin reply to this

      Your writing isn't dissected into bits.
      Plus....you make money.

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         henrikhagelandposted 12 months agoin reply to this

         Yes - I am earning money, every day. And have fun. I can't say that about here. I will just close the door tomorrow and leave again.... and keep on earning good money on Medium

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      Khanmaria12posted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

      Earning on Medium is too low nowadays. I am not earning on Hubpages though. For me Medium is something better.

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         Brenda Arledgeposted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

         Medium is challenging right now.  I'll try to find you there.

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            Khanmaria12posted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

            What's your ID there? Mine is Marya khan.

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            Khanmaria12posted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

            I found and followed you on Medium with Marya khan

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2. 93

   Glenn Stokposted 13 months ago

   Comparing HubPages to Medium, even though I am making only 1/10th of what I made on HubPages before Maven/TAG took over, I'm still making more money on HubPages than Medium.
   
   That is because I continue to earn from articles I wrote over ten years ago on HubPages. However, articles on Medium only earn revenue in their first few days—or weeks at the most.
   
   Nevertheless, many of my articles on Medium have attracted Google traffic long after I published them, but we don't earn revenue from external traffic there.
   
   So, in that sense, I'm not giving up on HubPages.
   
   What are your thoughts, Janis? How do you see the difference?

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      WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      Glenn,
      I'm only on HubPages but was looking to possibly try another site because as time goes on, I keep making less and less money here even though I continue to publish new articles.
      I didn't know you only initially earned on Medium. This is good to know.

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         henrikhagelandposted 12 months agoin reply to this

         I'll help you start fast on Medium, if you want!

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         1. 93

            Glenn Stokposted 12 months agoin reply to this

            There is no way to start fast on Medium.
            
            Writers need to build a following of loyal readers who pay for membership on Medium and keep coming back for more. That takes a lot of time with consistently writing new content.
            
            Since Medium doesn’t pay for organic traffic, it’s a constant struggle to keep generating income from paid subscribers.
            
            So, since you make as much as you say, the real question is—how many paid member followers do you have?
            
            By the way, the only article you have here on HubPages doesn’t even qualify for a niche site where it would earn revenue. I see problems with it where you did not follow the guidelines.

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               henrikhagelandposted 12 months agoin reply to this

               I really don't know what you mean with paid members? And yes, you can start up faster if you listen to a couple of advise. I surely could give these. I have helped more writers to a good start.
               And your last statement - my article on Cactus has been featured, and sorry - -I don't understand "qualify for a niche site" - please remember, I just started trying to figure out how things work here. So tomorrow I will really rethink, if I am going to stay here in such a hostile enviroment!

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                  Glenn Stokposted 12 months agoin reply to this

                  Sorry if you feel I was being hostile. I was just stating facts about Medium. I’m surprised, now, that you say you don’t know what I mean about paid members, especially since you’ve been earning what you said. Writers only earn from readers who pay for a Medium subscription.
                  
                  As for the niche sites, your cactus article is on HubPages presently. To earn  revenue, you need to get it approved for one of the niche sites. I suggest you study the learning center guidelines. You can find that by clicking “help” at the top-right. There’s a lot of useful information there about HubPages' requirements.

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      PaulGoodman67posted 13 months agoin reply to this

      I agree, Glenn, I get fifty percent of my Medium traffic from outside sources but it doesn't seem to do me a lot of good!

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   3. 81

      Brenda Arledgeposted 12 months agoin reply to this

      That part is true. .the older articles still make money..im not leaving Hubpages, but Ive got to have my work posted where people will read it...
      Without all the ads.

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      1. 93

         Glenn Stokposted 12 months agoin reply to this

         I agree with you about the ads, Brenda. I still remember when the ads were limited to only three on an entire article before Maven/TAG took over. And I was earning ten times what I earn now.
         
         I wish TAG would at least experiment with reducing the ads to see if the views increase again. They could try that on one niche as an experiment. Do you think that might be a good idea? I’d like to know your thoughts.
         
         I’m not leaving HubPages either. My old articles still make some money. I can’t say the same for my old articles on Medium.

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         1. 81

            Brenda Arledgeposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

            I wish they would try something.  I know the ads hurt my readership because several people told me that they just quit reading when ads popped up.
            These are people who do not write here...but read.

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            1. 93

               Glenn Stokposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

               Hi Brenda. I learned the same thing from a friend who tried to read one of my articles.
               
               He was interested in something I wrote about, so I sent him the link. I was surprised when he said it was a very short article, and he felt I didn’t explain anything valuable.
               
               When I questioned him about it, we discovered he thought he reached the end when he saw all the ads. I told him he needed to scroll past the ads to keep reading.
               
               He went back to do that, and then he praised my work.
               
               The problem is we can’t tell our general (organic) audience to do that. So, that explains why our reader retention has diminished since TAG took over.  And that results in reduced revenue.

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                  Brenda Arledgeposted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

                  Thanks, Glenn....
                  At least you got the person to finish reading it.
                  
                  Quite honestly, I don't blame them for not wanting to because I don't like it myself.  It's annoying, but it is out of our control.  It is sad for Writers.

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                     PaulGoodman67posted 4 weeks agoin reply to this

                     Hmm, why do I feel that this convo with Glenn was intended to be in the current thread about adverts, rather than an old thread about writing for Medium and Substack?

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3. 96

   Rupert Taylorposted 13 months ago

   My experience is similar to Glenn's - earnings are even more abysmal than here on HubPages.
   
   For me, there's another issue. There appears to be little or no moderation so some pretty awful stuff appears on the platform. I am disturbed by the company I am forced to keep on Medium, so I have given up writing there.

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   1. 92

      WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your feedback Rupert.

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4. 88

   paolaenergyaposted 13 months ago

   Hi Janis,
   
   I have just checked my stats on Medium (I write there on and off since 2016) and let's say that the earnings so far couldn't even let me buy a single piece of chewing gum!
   
   I have just started writing on Substack and have no paying subscribers yet. According to various tutorials I've watched/read, the ratio is about 2-3% of the total free subscribers may become premium subs, so you need thousands of followers.
   
   Anyway, once I have more data about my experience with Substack I'll write about it here on Hubpages.

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      WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      That would be really interesting to read about your experiences  on Substack. I look forward to it!

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5. 88

   paolaenergyaposted 13 months ago

   I'll do my best to share some tips, too. So far so good, I am enjoying it even if I only have 10 free subscribers

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6. 96

   PaulGoodman67posted 13 months ago

   In terms of earnings, Medium's declined dramatically over the past couple of years, rather like Hubpages.
   
   However, as Glenn says, a Medium article usually won't earn much after the first four or five days, whereas HP articles keep on giving long after publication.
   
   That's the reason I maintain an interest in HP.
   
   I think it will be hard work to earn much at Substack. It means acquiring a large and loyal following, which generally takes time and is far from guaranteed.
   
   Substack is certainly popular nowadays for writers but I am watching how it goes for others.
   
   I think it's a difficult time for writers nowadays with most of the money and interest going to AI.

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7. 96

   eugbugposted 13 months ago

   Medium, peanuts. Hubpages, four figure sums per month in the summer on occasions in the good old days.
   I have a Home & Garden publication on Medium, but I haven't been able to persuade people to read the articles in it.

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   1. 92

      WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      It sounds like previously you've had some good success on HubPages. No wonder you're so frustrated now. I've yet to have that kind of success here, but then I came back when the site was already going downhill financially.

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      Brenda Arledgeposted 12 months agoin reply to this

      I just followed it

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8. 91

   Genna Eastposted 13 months ago

   Interesting information.  Thank you for this thread.  I miss the talented, collaborative and supportive creative writing community on HP that has since dwindled significantly due to HP's changes regarding comments, advertising, etc.

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9. 88

   Jodahposted 13 months ago

   To be successful on Medium you have to write a new article virtually every day and engage with other writers by reading, clapping, and highlighting their articles. If you can't do that you are wasting your time there. Unlike HubPages, external views don't count and you don't make money from advertising, only reads from paying members.
   I write mainly poetry or short fiction so my earnings at HubPages have never been high, but I managed to make over $700 on Medium in August last year, and have consistently made around $400 per month there since (if I don't have an article boosted.)

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      PaulGoodman67posted 13 months agoin reply to this

      Yes, I feel that under Coach Tony, Medium's become more of a blog/social media type of situation. Switching the earnings system back to it being dependent on claps and responses has encouraged this dynamic.
      
      It's a different vision to what Coach Tony's predecessor, Ev Williams was trying (and failed) to achieve.
      
      I'm not sure if the current Medium approach is sustainable, though - I guess we'll find out.
      
      That said, I'm not even sure if any profitable and sustainable publishing platform model is possible anymore. I think the ground may have shifted.

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      WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

      May I ask how many articles you have there?

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         PaulGoodman67posted 13 months agoin reply to this

         You can just go to a Medium writer's page and see what they've published.
         
         However, the number of articles doesn't really matter like with HP. You earn virtually nothing for old material. Only what you've published in the last few days matters and how many claps, highlights, and responses you get.
         
         The problem with their earnings system, I believe, is that most of the money raised is through subscriptions, and most subscribers are other writers. There isn't much outside money coming in. So, it's mainly writers paying money in which is then shared out (unevenly) with other writers.

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            Jodahposted 13 months agoin reply to this

            There are ways of resharing your older articles on Medium so they can be read by new readers and keep earning. Some publications actually support that.

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               PaulGoodman67posted 13 months agoin reply to this

               For sure. What I wrote was an oversimplification but expressed within the context of attempting to explain the general differences between Medium and HP.
               
               I have about 120 articles but earned more when there were only ten, mainly because Medium used to be way more lucrative.

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            WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

            Thanks for the clarification Paul. It seems like you have to spend money there in order to earn it.

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               PaulGoodman67posted 13 months agoin reply to this

               In theory, you don't have to pay but I would advise it. The basic membership is $5/month. I've always earned much more than that so I've had no problem paying.
               
               Recently, they introduced a "Friend of Medium" scheme which is $14/month. I've not joined that so far. It seems to be more money thrown into the pot to share among writers but I'm not sure how much I like that scheme. Even though I've done relatively well at Medium, I'm not sure how I feel about taking from one writer in order to give to another (there are non-writer subscribers but they seem to be a minority).
               
               Jodah's advice for earnings is likely the best approach for Medium as the site is nowadays (it's changed a lot over the months and years), publishing nearly every day and massive social engagement.
               
               I just tend to write two or three articles/month. It used to earn me a few hundred/month without too much effort but nowadays I earn considerably less. A few years back, it wasn't that uncommon to earn hundreds for a single article but I've not seen that happen for some time.
               
               It's more of an "anything goes" approach at Medium. There isn't the same level of editorial control as there is at HP. That makes Medium freer but like Rupert says in his comment, the general quality of the writing is often low and it can also be spammy.

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         Jodahposted 13 months agoin reply to this

         I have 400 articles on Medium, and around 660 on HubPages.

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            WriterJanisposted 13 months agoin reply to this

            Wow. OK. I'm really impressed with the number of articles you have out there.

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               Jodahposted 13 months agoin reply to this

               Thanks.

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10. 81

    Brenda Arledgeposted 12 months ago

    Glenn..
    They definitely need to do something.   
    I think i might start writing longer articles for hubpages...my poetey gets so separated no one wants to read it.

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       Glenn Stokposted 12 months agoin reply to this

       Yeah Brenda, poetry doesn’t work well when it’s broken up by numerous ads. I publish poetry on my own website where I can control where ads appear.
       
       As for longer articles, go for it. I think the extra content will give readers the desire to overlook the ads if they have an interest in the subject.

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          Brenda Arledgeposted 12 months agoin reply to this

          Thanks Glenn...
          Im working on a couple

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11. 74

    Zackary Gonczposted 4 weeks ago

    I've been on Medium for a while, I wasn't aware it was even possible to make money. Substack you can do ok but there's a social media element. You need subscribers and followers. Takes a while to build up. Substack has the highest upside by a long way, but you have to deal with a bunch of social media elements on top of just writing, or else nobody is going to see your writing.

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       PaulGoodman67posted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

       Earning money used to be automatic. Nowadays, you have to jump through  hoops before they let you onto the payment program.
       
       Earnings have been steadily decreasing for the last few years, though.

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          Khanmaria12posted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

          Sir, can we publish same articles on Medium and Hubpages or not?

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             theraggededgeposted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

             As long as the HubPages article is published first.

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                Khanmaria12posted 3 weeks agoin reply to this

                Okay, got it.

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    psycheskinnerposted 3 weeks ago

    I couldn't figure out how to earn a cent on Medium or Substack. My best earning is Facebook Monetization at between 100-700 dollars a month (it's very variable because it is driven by viral posts)

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       Brenda Arledgeposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       That's a thought... Haven't really tried it for money.

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13. 93

    Sandee Osterposted 2 weeks ago

    Hi I just started on HubPages, but I also write on Medium. I came here after the Medium's earnings calculations changed and now most writers make only 1/3 of what they used to. I have written 4 articles for HubPages and two made it into the Owlication, however I have only made a few cents. Is this normal for the first few weeks?
    
    I know Hubpages takes a looooot longer to start seeing some good earnings; I am just wondering if it is worth sticking out or if I should try another platform. I can't do Substack as my country does not have access to Stripe

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    1. 93

       Kenna McHughposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Sandee, HP/TAG is in dire straits, sadly.

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          Sandee Osterposted 13 days agoin reply to this

          Hi Kenna, do you think I should stick it out? Or do you know of another publication that may be better in terms of earnings that does not need Stripe to get paid

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             Kenna McHughposted 13 days agoin reply to this

             Sandee, I don't know of any other publication that is similar. I am sticking it out because I enjoy writing, and I've been here for over 15 years. I keep hoping for the good old days.
             
             To answer your question: Why not stick it out? It looks like you have a topic that Owlacation likes. If you back up your work and HP ends, you have content to build a website or perhaps another publication.

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14. 96

    Rupert Taylorposted 2 weeks ago

    Sandee - Sad to say your experience of low earnings is common among us all. There was a time when some fortunate folk made decent money here, but not anymore.
    
    TAG took over HubPages a few years ago and it's been all downhill since then. My sense is that only a few of us make pay out each month.
    
    I don't think there are any similar platforms left. If you find one, let me know.
    
    Sorry to be such a downer, but on the plus side, here in southern Ontario, the sun is shining brightly on two feet of snow on the ground.

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       Brenda Arledgeposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Hey Rupert.
       I'm glad the sun is at least shining.  It makes that snow seem a little bearable.
       I'm thanking God that we have Sunshine and no snow.  I'm hoping this means a warmup for us.
       
       Take care and stay warm.

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       Sandee Osterposted 13 days agoin reply to this

       Hi Rupert, that is sad. Well, I will continue to publish my stories here. Maybe in a year's time, they will make enough for it to have been worth it.
       
       I would like to say here in South Africa the sun is shining too, but I have large rain clouds overhead, oh well

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