Friends of Medium Links Extend Your Reach
I became a Friend of Medium and earned a super-power
Since Medium created a new membership tier, I’ve been wondering whether I should fork over the additional cash and become a Friend of Medium*.
In case you haven’t heard, the Medium Partner Program has changed. There are now two tiers.
There’s the regular $5/month membership, where writers are paid when a member reads (and listens), claps, highlights, comments, and follows a writer.
Now there’s another tier, where $15/month gives you a superpower. It’s called Friends of Medium. Every time you read (or listen, clap for, etc.) someone’s article, they get paid 4 times what they would normally receive.
That could be a game-changer for someone here.
Many writers have joined the program while others are adamant that they’ll never upgrade.
I have a very logical mind so I often make a list of Pros and Cons when I’m trying to make a decision. I find writing things down allows me to see the options more clearly.
So here goes.
Pros
Your reads become more valuable.
You’ll finally be able to support writers whose work you love. (this one’s my favorite)
You might be able to impact shitty writing by ignoring it. (duh, a no-brainer)
If your reads are more valuable than the average member, you’ll be more popular on Medium. People will want you to pay attention to their stories so they get the benefit of your higher-paid reads.
That might attract more subscribers and followers. Thanks to my new Friend on Medium, Mr. Plan B, I can see that my follower numbers might increase. I’m hoping that subscribers will increase as well.
Links to stories you share as a Friend of Medium are pure gold. I’m excited about this benefit. If a non-member reads someone’s story through your Friend of Medium link, their read counts as if they are a paying member!
Cons
It costs more. Three times more. And for someone who has seen their earnings drop off the cliff, it’s difficult to justify.
As my mother always said, “Never throw good money after bad.”
An increase in followers and subscribers isn’t guaranteed. Your earnings might not increase as a result of signing up for the Friends program.
The Money Grab Theory
Some writers are saying the whole thing is a money grab from Medium. Corporate greed is blamed. But that may not be the situation at all.
My friend Linda does the hard math. She comes to the conclusion that writer earnings add up to more than the total Medium memberships. And that’s under the old $5 per month program.
That doesn’t account for wages paid, or investor contributions, which might offset each other. But you get the drift. Medium needs to figure out ways to make a bit more money and this new tier is part of that.
But I don’t think it’s a corporate money grab. It’s a business decision.
Now I can understand a business decision. That makes total sense. They need to earn enough money to pay the writers here. And when the platform opens up to writers in more countries, they’ll need more moola.
The Secret Club Theory
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’ve decided some members want to support great writers even more than they do right now. They’re interested in building community and want to help other writers succeed.
So, for all the great writers out there, here’s what I think.
If we all subscribe to each other’s accounts, we’ll be notified when new articles are posted. That will give each of us a chance to read our friend's writing, and that will help us stay here on Medium.
By ignoring the spammy articles and the general crap that gets published, we prevent those writers from getting paid 4x for bad writing.
Because I do love the community here and want it to work.
You won’t necessarily see an increase in your earnings unless you join the secret ‘Friends of Medium’ club.
Here’s why.
Subscribers become a dedicated audience, forming a more meaningful connection with your writing. Unlike followers who might easily overlook your content in the vast sea of information, subscribers anticipate your posts. That creates a loyal readership that can help you succeed.
And if those loyal readers are members of the Friends of Medium, you’ll get the reciprocal benefit of their new payment tier.
It’s a win-win.
After writing this article, it’s clear to me that I’m going to take the plunge and become a Friend of Medium.
And I’m going to subscribe to as many Friends of Medium as I can.
I’m not saying everyone should do this. I know times are tough for a lot of people. It works for me because I can cover the extra cost, and I’m renewing part-way through the year, so it’s a pro-rated increase.
My main reason is community.
I’ve always appreciated the friends I’ve made here and the community support I receive when I need it. And I’m hoping to pay it forward to new writers by supporting them as well.
Now I’m not saying this is going to work for me. And there’s no guarantee, cause no one knows a) if it will make a difference to my earnings or b) if the powers that be will change things again. But it will be fun to belong to an exclusive club for just a little bit of extra money.
And I’ll make a difference to the writers of every story that I read. Every single one.
A version* of this story was originally published on Medium.
*This is a friend link, so you can read it there, even if you’re not a Member. And the bonus is - your read will count!