I made more than $699 on Medium, without the Medium Partner Program. Here's how!

As of now, I have over 3.5k followers on Medium, some of my posts went viral, and I have been a top writer on business topics multiple times.

Targeted traffic = Money

Whenever I write, I always try to write about my personal experiences, personal stories, and unfiltered thoughts, but I also try to add value at the same time. I think about SEO first when I write on my blog Inuidea.com, but I don’t force SEO on my writings on Medium. I just write from the bottom of my heart and I think it really works on Medium.

Basically, I got high quality traffic and made some money from Medium, even though the Medium Partner Program isn’t available in India.

Here are the income sources that helped me monetize my Medium account, and I made more than $699 on Medium, without the Medium Partner Program.

Buy Me a Coffee — $148

I love coffee.

Actually, I’m talking about Buy Me a Coffee.

I wrote an article on Medium a year ago when an anonymous person bought me a cup of coffee on Buy Me a Coffee. Since then, I occasionally receive contributions from my supporters.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“Financial support from someone you’ve never met is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. Having people send you money just because they enjoy your writing/work is great.”

You can read the full article here — Buy Me a Coffee — My New Income Stream?

It’s now easier for both my readers and clients to support me through my Buy Me a Coffee page because it’s straightforward, modern, and user-friendly.

As of now, I’ve received a total of $121 from my supporters on Buy Me a Coffee and received $27 as referral commissions.

If you haven’t already created your Buy Me a Coffee page, I recommend you create a Buy Me a Coffee page right now so that your biggest supporters can support you.

My referral link — https://www.buymeacoffee.com/invite/inuetc

Your supporters will definitely contribute, and sometimes even your clients may send you payments or tips through your Buy Me a Coffee page.

You can also start your shop to sell your digital products, as well as offer services and receive one-time or monthly contributions from your supporters.

If you’re not here to create a page, but because you appreciate my work, please consider showing some love on my Buy Me a Coffee page as well.

Sponsorship — $250

On April 24, 2023, I received an email from Vondy, an all-in-one AI platform.

“Hey Inu! Great to meet you.

Would you be interested in doing a collaboration?

A sponsored post would be excellent, showcasing Vondy’s specific tools and anything else that stands out to you on our platform. We would like you to conjure up the article for your audience.”

I regularly get sponsorship opportunities on Inuidea.com. I thought the guy wanted me to write about their product on Inuidea.com, so I sent a detailed email about the guidelines and the charges for publishing a sponsored post on Inuidea.com.

The guy replied saying that he actually wants me to write an article and publish it on my Medium account, not on Inuidea.com.

Here’s the screenshot of the email about the deal confirmation.

Sponsorship deal confirmation email - Inu Etc

Sponsorship deal confirmation email — Screenshot by Inu Etc

I wrote a detailed post about Vondy, sharing some of my favorite features. I published it on my Medium account, then I told them about it, and they replied.

“The article is fantastic! Thank you for the work you’ve done! We will send a payment to your PayPal ASAP. We really do appreciate the work you have done.”

That’s how I received $250 from Vondy for writing and publishing a sponsored post about them on Medium.

Read this post to learn more about sponsorship — Top 5 tips for getting brand deals and sponsorship opportunities

Affiliate marketing — $301

I wrote two controversial articles on Medium about AI, which received lots of hate comments, and my articles went viral.

In the call-to-action (CTA) of these articles, I promoted CopyAI, an AI writing tool. As a result, some of you guys created CopyAI accounts through my referral link, I earned some affiliate commissions.

Here’s the full story — I made $200 using AI, but received hate comments, and then made another $301.

Freelancing — Website design, article writing, AdSense review, etc.

By using my Medium account traffic, I generated income through Buy Me a Coffee, Sponsorship, and Affiliate Marketing.

However, there are more indirect ways to make money from a Medium account or any other place where you have targeted traffic.

Many of my readers visit both my main blog, Inuidea.com, and my ‘Work With Me‘ page after reading my Medium articles.

I regularly get clients who get to know me and my work after reading my blog and hire me for the services I offer.

Because it’s hard to track the source, I’m not sure how much I’ve indirectly earned from Medium. Sometimes, I ask my clients how they discovered me, and some have told me they read my article on Medium; that’s how they got to know me.

I have worked with clients as a web developer, reviewed websites for AdSense approval, and written high-quality SEO articles.

I made more than $699 on Medium, without the Medium Partner Program - Inu Etc

AI-generated image by Inu Etc

What are the ways you can earn money on Medium?

Try to help people genuinely.

It’s important to give generously before making any requests.

Write high-quality content, add value, make proper use of call-to-action links, and keep promoting your services and products.

Try monetizing your account similarly to how I’ve monetized my Medium account. You can replicate the exact methods or explore new ones. If the Medium Partner Program is available in your country, consider applying for it.

You can create your Buy Me a Coffee page, sell digital products such as eBooks and design templates, sell your services, engage in affiliate marketing, and more.

Read this article to learn how you can write high quality articles — How to write a blog post that generates traffic and sales.

Check out these articles for some actionable tips:

Soon, I’ll write an ultimate guide to writing on Medium.

Follow me and stay tuned.

Thanks for reading this article. 💚

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you @InuEtc on Instagram.

Keep hustling!