I’ve long said that relying too much on any single platform is a bad idea for creators. Doesn’t matter if you’re into video, writing, or anything else.
If you don’t own a platform, you don’t control it.
That’s true with Substack, and it’s true with Medium.
I joined the Medium Partner Program in early 2022 and have been enjoying it immensely. I don’t earn a ton from it every month, but it’s some nice side income.
Every month I’ve had a nice return from my work on Medium.
So you can imagine my surprise when I heard the news that Medium’s Partner Program has suspended applications for new members. Current members aren’t affected, but new writers are shut out.
To my knowledge, Medium has yet to address this publicly. So, I have questions.
And concerns.
Why might Medium do this?
As I wrote over on Substack, we don’t know for sure why Medium is doing this. But a few possible options might be:
- Maybe Medium believes they already have enough writers for the number of readers they expect and feel that adding more (and having to pay them) wouldn’t be wise at the moment.
- Maybe they’re trying to deal with AI-written spam posts and figuring out ways to prevent bots from joining the program. (A stated problem.)
- Or maybe Medium is having financial difficulties and can’t afford to take on more writers right now.
Of course we can’t know for sure which of these, if any of them, is the actual reason.
It could be something as simple as needing to perform maintenance on the back end and adding more paid writers at the moment would cause a strain on the system.
It’s impossible to say for sure. But I do think this calls for some reflection, even for those of us who are already in the Medium Partner Program.
A time to prepare, not panic
Reactions to this news have been varied. Some have been relatively calm and collected. Some, on in particular the comes to mind, have been nothing short of irate… as if joining the Medium Partner Program is some sort of right.
Whatever the cause of the pause in applications for the Medium Partner Program, I think it bears repeating. Depending too much on any given platform is a recipe for disaster. It is.
That’s true even for those who are well established on Medium and earning good money there.
Admittedly, I’ve done a very poor job of building up much of an audience on other platforms. Most of my time writing has been spent on Medium. That’s allowed me to grow a decent audience, and I’m currently having my best month in the Partner Program ever. Currently sitting at just over $1,200 earned for the month.
But I’m working to correct that oversight.
I’m working to build an audience on platforms like Substack and here on this blog as well in preparation for the possible (but hopefully unlikely) future in which Medium is no longer a viable option.
That’s what I advise all content creators and writers to do. Branch out. Build in a variety of places. Don’t silo yourself.
What I think is probably happening
Medium is one of the few champions of truly human writing on the web. They’ve stated repeatedly that AI-written posts are not welcome behind the paywall, a move that I wholeheartedly support.
But even a stated restriction like that is impossible to enforce with 100% effectiveness, and sadly quite a bit of AI slop has made its way in.
I suspect that this pause in applications for the Medium Partner Program is to give Medium time to retool their verification processes and work out ways to weed out AI slop.
So while it’s frustrating for newer writers who would like to join the program (and I feel for them) I think this will actually turn out to be a very good thing in the long run, if indeed Medium can work out a way to finally banish the slop from the system once and for all.
A likely resolution
For my part, I’m optimistic that Medium will soon reopen the Medium Partner Program to new applicants.
I admit that I’m a little concerned by this news and hope that it’s not true that Medium is having financial trouble. But I don’t know and neither does anyone else outside of Medium.
If you run across Reddit or forum posts claiming that Medium is struggling, don’t take it at face value in the absence of an announcement from Medium directly.
Rumors often travel faster than the truth, to paraphrase the saying.
For the meantime, I intend to keep posting on Medium and enjoying the great content I see from other writers.
If you’re not in the Medium Partner Program yet and you want to be, my advice to you is this: Keep building as best you can on other platforms, like Substack and your own blog. Make connections as best you can with other writers, and watch for the Medium Partner Program to open its doors again soon.
I don’t know when that will be, but I suspect it won’t be too long.
Still a good reminder
Even if this pause in applications for the Partner Program doesn’t last long, part of me is glad that it’s happened if for no other reason than to highlight the need to be flexible.
I remember well the days of eHow and similar platforms that transformed nearly overnight from a good opportunity into, essentially, a joke of a platform for writers.
I have no fear whatsoever that that’s likely to happen with Medium. I think Medium has some good leadership behind it and that they’ll get things figured out.
But I’ve seen far too many creative sorts, myself included, go all in on one platform to the neglect of others and get burned by it.
Taking Medium off the table for some people might be exactly what they need in order to start building a more stable foundation elsewhere. And even for those of us who are well established there, it’s a good reminder to not take it for granted.
Long term success is rarely built on just one platform.