In this article, let’s discuss whether is Medium worth it or not.
If you are a blogger and didn’t hear about Medium, you are really missing out on great opportunities! Medium is a platform that allows any writer to write and share articles. Whether you are a beginner or intermediate writer, it’s a great place to share your voice.
Even if you are not a writer and you just love to read—Medium is a great platform for you. You can find great articles written by great writers. I developed my writing passion by joining Medium.
It really is the perfect platform to start a blog, at least in my opinion.
However, you need to have a subscription in order to read articles from Medium because as a free user, you only get 3 free articles to read on the website. So, it’s normal for you to question—is Medium worth it?
Medium membership is worth it whether you are a reader or a writer. You know, reading is very essential for a good writer. So, if you are a writer—it can help you improve your crafts. Even if you are not a writer, Medium is great for just reading as well. Because you will get access to unlimited stories for a low fee, it’s really worth the money.
I will share with you my views on the Medium membership subscription. This article will not cover my views on the Medium partner program—that’s for another article. So, let’s get started, shall we?
Does Medium Cost Money?
Well, technically no. There are many writers who are not in the Medium Partner Program. So, they can’t put their writing behind the Medium paywall.
To give you a context, Medium Partner Program allows writers to earn for their writing on Medium and you need to have a Medium subscription to read their stories.
This is why if you are not a Medium member, you can find writers who publish content without the Medium paywall to read unlimited stories on the platform.
However, to read content behind Medium’s paywall you will need to spend your 3 free monthly reads. Medium allows up to 3 free readings of articles for an account in a month.
After this, you have to pay to read more premium content. In this case, yes, Medium does cost money.
Do You Have To Pay for Medium?
No, you don’t have to pay as long as you are happy with the 3 free reads on the paywalled content every month. And as I said, you get to read unlimited stories that are not paywalled. Here’s an article on how to read Medium articles for free.
If you joined Medium for writing, well rest assured you don’t have to pay as well because Medium allows you to write without a subscription. However, you need to apply for the Medium Partner Program to be able to set your stories behind Medium’s paywall and make the stories eligible to earn.
Here’s an article by me on how to join Medium Partner Program. I went through all of the steps needed to join the partner program, be sure to check it out if you are interested in writing on this great blogging platform.
By the way, coming to our topic, if you want to read more than 3 free stories every month then subscribing is a good choice because it gives you full access to every story on the platform.
But technically speaking, if you don’t want to spend money on a subscription—you don’t have to. Medium doesn’t force you to see ads like other platforms or websites do most often.
The thing is Medium earns mostly from the subscription money of all the readers, they don’t show any ads to bother its readers or writers. So, rest assured—Medium won’t force you to pay.
How Much Does Medium Membership Cost?
Medium membership costs $5 per month or if you want to pay annually you can get the membership for only $50. You can get two months for free.
This will allow you to access exclusive content and features on the platform. You get access to unlimited stories. No paywall will stop you from reading, there are no ads to distract you as well.
I think it’s a great deal considering the value you are getting out of it.
Is Medium Worth It?
Well, let’s come to the main question of this article—is Medium worth it? I’ve already given you a short answer. But let’s find out the benefits it gives you. First, let’s find out from a reader’s perspective.
Is Medium Worth It For Readers?
Yes! It absolutely is. A Medium membership gives you the ability to read an unlimited amount of stories every day without any hassle.
You can read stories about anything you want. The topics of the articles are diverse. You won’t run out of stories to read here.
Let’s set our gaze on some of the reasons why Medium is worth it for readers:
● Getting Access to Premium Stories:
With Medium membership, you get access to Medium paywalled stories—which will allow you to read every story on Medium. Sometimes some stories are selected by Medium’s editorial team and are meant to showcase the best writing on the platform.
The selection is updated regularly and includes articles from well-known writers as well as emerging voices.
Medium subscription gives access to an exclusive and diverse set of premium stories and articles that are not available to non-subscribers.
With a low cost of $5 per month, you get to read unlimited awesome well-written stories. So, it’s definitely worth it to get a subscription in my opinion.
● You Get To Learn a Lot
Yes, Medium subscription allows you access to a wide range of articles and stories that cover a variety of topics, and you can learn a lot from them. Medium’s curation team handpicks high-quality content and stories that are not only interesting but also informative.
The articles and stories are written by a diverse group of authors with different perspectives and experiences, which means you can gain insights and learn new things from different viewpoints.
Medium is a dedicated platform for blogging. It offers a wide variety of high-quality content and stories that can be informative and educational. There is no limit of learning right? So, yes from this perspective, a Medium subscription is worth it.
● Lots of Entertainment
A medium subscription can also provide a lot of entertainment for readers. While the platform is known for its in-depth, informative articles and stories, it also features a variety of entertaining content.
You’ll find many writers making hilarious jokes which will surely lighten your heart with laughter. I love to read here. Some of the stories make my day with the entertainment and value they provide.
● You Get To Support Your Favourite Writers
Medium is a platform that allows writers to share their stories and build an audience, and Medium membership is a way for readers to support the writers they enjoy.
Because with Medium Partner Program the writers paywall their stories. If any Medium member spends time reading those stories then they will earn money.
This means the program allows writers to earn money based on the engagement their stories receive from Medium members. So, by subscribing, you are supporting the writers you enjoy and helping them to continue creating great content.
So, a Medium subscription can be worth it for this reason as well.
Is Medium Worth It For Writers?
Medium is definitely worth it for writers. I am lucky that I was able to find this platform sooner. This platform helped me develop a writing passion.
I think if you are a beginner writer Medium can help you learn a lot. If you are an intermediate and experienced writer you can add more side income. Here’s why Medium is worth it for writers:
● You Can Earn a Lot
Medium is a great place for blogging and it has the Partner Program which allows the writers to earn for their writing. It is possible to earn a lot of money as a writer on Medium through the Medium Partner Program.
Medium has monthly visits of 142M worldwide and it has high domain authority which is 95 according to MOZ. So, if you are able to write good enough content it will actually reach a lot of audiences.
Even because Medium has a high domain authority your content will easily rank on Google if you do a little search engine optimization(SEO). Many people are earning a lot on Medium, for example, Zulie Rane, Awodeji Awosika, Tim Denning, and many others.
● You Can Get Inspired
Medium can be a great source of inspiration for writers as it features a wide variety of articles and stories written by a diverse group of authors.
With a $5 membership, you will get access to a lot of great articles and stories from other writers.
Reading other writers’ work can help to get new ideas, provide a fresh perspective, and expose you to different writing styles and techniques. This can help you to get inspired and improve your writing strengths as a writer.
● You Can Scale Up Very Quickly
Medium has a lot of monthly visitors. So if you put out content it gets discovered quickly. Sometimes Medium creators handpick stories that are good and then they promote them on the platform bringing in more audience.
There are Medium publications that have dedicated readers. You can apply for these publications to get more engaged readers.
If you are consistently writing on this platform and engaging with the audience by commenting, responding, and reading other writers’ content, appreciating their content then you will be able to see great results—which will help you to scale up quickly on the platform.
● Great for Sending Traffic to Your Websites
This is also a reason why I love Medium. Medium can be a great way to drive the initial traffic for your own personal blog or website. You know the first few traffic is crucial for a new website.
You can also do affiliate marketing with Medium by driving traffic directly from Medium to a sales page. If you can write helpful content, people will definitely start to trust you more and you will be able to generate a good income with this.
Is Medium still relevant in 2023?
Of course, it is. Medium is still a popular platform for publishing and sharing articles and stories. I think it will remain the same for this year and the years to come. It is a dedicated blogging platform with audiences coming daily to find great stories and writing.
Medium has a large user base, and it is known for its high-quality content and easy-to-use interface. It’s also a platform that is used by many reputable publications and it’s widely considered a reputable source of information.
However, it is worth noting that the popularity of social media and other platforms can change rapidly and it’s difficult to predict the future.
But people will always search for authentic content written by real people so I think Medium will not be dying in the foreseeable future even if AI is making us somewhat concerned about blogging and its future.
Here’s an article about Vocal Media which is a blogging platform similar to Medium!
Final Thoughts
We have come to the conclusion of this article. So, is Medium worth it? I think you will be able to tell it by now.
There are many great opportunities on Medium. Not only from writing and reading but also it has great dedicated readers’ and writers’ community. With a low monthly cost, you get access to many articles which will help you improve your knowledge.
As a writer, I know the importance of reading and how it can improve your writing. So, in my opinion, Medium is worth it, and subscribing for the membership is also worth it.
You can join Medium here for all the benefits I’ve discussed in this article. Thanks for reading!
