What if I told you, that to make money on Medium, you don’t need a big audience?
You also don’t need claps, curation, or a top writer badge.
Medium pays me, not through their partner program, but through SEO and affiliate links.
Here’s what I do.
I Write for Google, Not Medium
Medium’s built-in audience is small. Well, compared to Google’s.
If you’re writing to impress other Medium writers, you’re already playing the wrong game.
Instead, I write content that solves problems people are already searching for.
Every post is built around a specific query with clear intent.
Not vague ideas. Not personal essays. Just useful, targeted answers.
I treat Medium like a landing page with blog formatting.
Medium Ranks Incredibly Well in Search – That’s the Leverage
Medium has massive domain authority.
And unlike Substack where you get a sub domain, and you get no link juice from it, on Medium your URL is part of the root domain, so you do.
So when you publish there, you’re skipping the line.
That means your content can show up in search results faster than it would on a a brand new domain.
Instead of waiting months for a site to gain authority, I publish on Medium and let its domain strength do the heavy lifting.
I don’t try to “grow on Medium.”
I use Medium to grow on Google.
Every Post Has a Purpose (and a Link That Pays Me)
I don’t publish fluff.
Each post is written with a single goal: drive search traffic to content that points to something I get paid for.
That “something” is almost always a product, tool, or resource I recommend, with an affiliate link.
- The post provides value.
- The link solves the problem.
- I get paid when someone buys.
That’s it. That’s the system.
Most of My Traffic Comes From Google – Not Medium
The majority of people who read my posts never see Medium’s homepage.
They don’t follow me. They’re not “fans.” They don’t even know what Medium is.
They just Googled something, saw my post, clicked it, found an answer, and took action.
That’s the whole point.
I don’t care about internal distribution.
I care that the right person finds the right content at the right time.
I Format Posts for Skimmability and Conversion
No walls of text. No filler. No rambling.
My structure is clean:
- Clear, keyword-optimized headlines
- Short intros that set expectations
- Scannable sections that answer the query
- Strong call-to-action at the end
If someone lands on my post, they should be able to skim it in 30 seconds and walk away with what they needed, or click the link and solve it fully.
That clarity = trust.
And trust = conversions.
I Focus on One Reader, One Problem, One Solution
I don’t chase virality.
I don’t write broad “thought leadership.”
I pick one problem, one intent, and deliver one useful solution.
That kind of focused content attracts the right reader – someone who’s ready to take action.
And when they do, I get paid.
It’s not about views. It’s about value per visit.
Medium isn’t my platform. It’s my publishing tool.
I don’t care about followers. I care about visibility. And I don’t care about claps. I care about clicks.
And because Medium ranks so well on Google, it gives me an unfair advantage, if I use it right.
No audience. No luck. No internal traffic.
Just good content, built for search, pointing to offers that convert.
That’s how I make money on Medium.
