In 2019, I publicly announced in one of my most popular posts that I was leaving the writing platform Medium to focus on building my own website.

I felt convicted in my decision; at the time, Medium had switched things up so drastically that it was mandatory for all users to be part of the Medium Partner Program before they could get paid.

It was time to cut my losses and work solely on sylviesoul.com, Medium be damned.

Well, I’m here before you, in 2021, on Medium and humbly eating crow.

In December 2020, I quietly resubscribed to the Medium writing platform and have since posted my weekly articles simultaneously there and on my site.

What’s more, I regret not rejoining Medium sooner.

Here are 5 Reasons Why It’s Still Worth It to Write For Medium:

1) You Can Still Make Money Writing for Medium

I was making money from my writing on Medium as early as 2018.

I became disenchanted with Medium as a writing website when they made it mandatory to sign up for the $5 a month Medium Partner Program. Those who refused would not have their content potentially “curated” by Medium’s editorial team.

I was already paying to maintain my website on HostGator, and didn’t see the utility in posting my writing in two places, so at the time, Medium was an easy expense to cut.

But something I learned in my foray into making money with your own website: it’s a LOT of hard work.

First I tried affiliate marketing, using sites like FlexOffers, Clickbank, CJ Affiliate, and Amazon Affiliate.

I failed using all of them; I just wasn’t commanding enough views on my website to convert to clicks.

I’m currently trying my hand at Google Adsense, and while I’m seeing a bit more success with that program, I’m still a long way from hitting Google’s $100 payment threshold.

Compare that to making money on Medium: as long as you earn more than the $5 monthly payment, you’re making a profit. I’m not hitting this every month upon my return, but I like and miss that potential.

2) You Can Still Get Views on Medium

In December 2020 I broke my hiatus with the platform Medium by writing a post about Pixar’s Soul. This post went on to garner over 20,000 views, more than any of my other writing by a longshot.3 Lessons Disney Pixar’s SOUL Teaches About the Meaning of LifeNote: This post contains spoilersmedium.com

Conversely, I also put the post on sylviesoul.com, and while it still gets regular hits, the views aren’t anywhere close to what I’ve gotten on Medium.

What I realized is that Medium has a very strong domain authority; this means content posted on the writing platform has a greater chance of being seen and ranking highly on Google search.

It also means anything I post on Medium will likely do better there than on my own site, provided I’ve taken SEO into consideration.

Initially, I was so concerned with getting views on my own site and nowhere else, I effectively shot myself in the foot from getting views on Medium which I could have converted into emails for my newsletter.

Now, I don’t care where the views are coming from, as long as they mean eyes on my writing.

3) You Can Get Started for Free on Medium

Initially, you HAD to be a member of the Medium Partner Program in order to get paid; that has since changed. You can still be a free member and just select your writing to be “metered” so that it’s eligible to make money.

I’ve opted to join the Medium Partner Program again because I want to be able to read the content on the platform.

I believe things have changed since 2019, when a few lazy writers would craft a 300-word stream of consciousness and expect readers to pay for it. I’m glad Medium wised up to this practice and put a stop to it, as it improved the overall quality of content on the platform.

4) Medium is Constantly Evolving

Love him or hate him, Medium CEO Ev Williams is constantly testing the boundaries of what he can do with the writing platform.

When I initially left the site, Medium was heavily promoting its in-house publications, and my feed was bombarded with well-researched, quality articles that I frankly was NOT interested in reading.

The push for publications was a big reason why I left Medium in 2019. I didn’t want to be beholden to a gatekeeper editor; I wanted the freedom to write what I wanted, as frequently as I wanted.

Fast-forward to 2021, and things have changed. In March, Ev posted an open letter asking the editors from the big Medium publications to step down with pay; a clear sign that the impact of publications is to be diminished in some capacity in the future.

I am all for this change in direction by Medium; with no more emphasis placed on getting writing accepted into a publication, I can continue to write for my site and for Medium without fear of retribution from the algorithm.

Furthermore, with Ev Williams’ implication of a more relational Medium in 2021, it could mean increase in views on my content which have stagnated since my Soul post back in December.

5) Medium Still Beats the Competition

When it comes to places to post one’s content, you can do a lot worse than Medium. I know from experience.

I’ve tried the guest posting route, but the return on investment was poor.

I’ve tried writing for Vocal Media, and while the Writing Challenges are a neat idea, the woefully low views and mandatory payment thresholds make it an unattractive place to house my writing.Is Vocal Media Worth It? Can You Make Money Writing for Vocal Media?Is Vocal.Media a Scam? My Honest Thoughts on the Writing Platform.medium.com

Even my own website, to which I have full autonomy and can customize to my liking, is still a monthly and annual expense, as I have to pay for web hosting and the domain, respectively.

Medium is still a popular choice for writers both inexperienced and seasoned. And while I don’t always agree with some of Medium’s decisions, I have to concede that it’s still worthwhile to produce content for the writing platform.

So, to recap…

1. You Can Still Make Money Writing for Medium
2. You Can Still Get Views on Medium
3. You Can Get Started for Free on Medium
4. Medium is Constantly Evolving
5. Medium Still Beats the Competition

What do you think? Am I a hypocrite for going back to Medium? Do you write for Medium, and if so, are you excited about the changes coming down the pipeline for the writing platform? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!