How I made my first $10,000 on Medium.com (as a beginner)

👉 Access my FREE 5-Day Medium Course: https://www.bloggersgoto.com/free-med...

This is how I'd start on Medium if I had to start over again. I've been posting there for almost 4 years and I have over 2 million reads. I thought I'd put together this guide to help beginners to overcome my struggles and issues on the platform.

🛠️ My favorite blogging tools:
👉 1. Semrush to find topics (free extended trial): https://www.codingem.com/recommends/s...
👉 2. Grammarly to fix typos (free version): https://www.bloggersgoto.com/recommen...
👉 3. Hemingway App to simplify content: https://hemingwayapp.com/
👉 4. Google Trends to find trendy topics: https://trends.google.com/trends/
👉 5. Canva to create visuals and thumbnails: https://www.codingem.com/recommends/c...

▶️ How I create my thumbnails with AI:    • How to Create YouTube Thumbnails in 2025  

👩‍💻 ABOUT ME 👩‍💻
I'm Artturi Jalli, a full-time blogger from Finland. Over the past 3 years, I've started 5 profitable blogs and learned exactly what works and what doesn't. My mission is to help YOU become a successful blogger!

Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This supports the channel and allows me to continue creating valuable content for you. Thanks!

🎯 VIDEO TIMESTAMPS:
0:00—Intro
I've been writing on Medium for 4 years. I've published over 200 stories and have over 150k monthly reads to my stories. In this video, I will show you how to see similar results and what you should/should not do.

0:39—Getting started
Starting a Medium blog is simple. Just sign up and create a profile. I recommend using your own name and picture. This makes growing on the platform much easier than those generic unnamed brands.

1:16—Writing your first blog post
On Medium, blog posts are called "stories." To write your first story, click on "Write" on the top right and start working. I recommend starting by writing a short introduction about yourself.

2:09—Making money on Medium
To start making money, you have two options: Medium Partner Program and Affiliate Marketing.

2:44—The Medium Partner Program
To earn from Medium, you need to be a member in an eligible country (there were big additions to the list, such as India just days ago.) The affiliate marketing option is free and you don't need to be a paying member. Also, you need to publish a story and be a paying member. This allows you to earn when other members read your stories.

4:56—Monetizing with affiliate marketing
You can also monetize your blog with affiliate marketing. This means you place affiliate links to your stories and write them so that they rank on Google to bring passive income.

6:17—My earnings
My best Medium stories have earned about $1,000 from Medium. But my best affiliate marketing posts on Medium have earned over $10,000.

6:58—Medium audiences
To get reads, you need to understand the Medium audience types. These are your followers, publications, Medium members, and the world. All your stories go to your followers. But if you have none, you can use publications. Also, Medium finds the right audience for your stories even with 0 followers and no promotion. Lastly, your Medium content might rank on Google. This means anyone interested in the topic might find it and read it.

15:38—What to write about on Medium?
Most blog post topic ideas aren't good—no matter how good a writer you are. There needs to be demand. You should save your audience's time and money and entertain them. This means most topics are bad. You should write "on-demand" topics that have some hype or buzz going on. This is what I call the "Virality Blueprint."

21:18—The Affiliate Marketing strategy in a nutshell
Affiliate marketing means you get paid when people click your links and buy. For example, you could write an affiliate post on Medium that reviews the best tennis shoes. If someone uses Google to find your story and they click your links and buy a pair of shoes, you will earn a reward. However, this happens outside of Medium where you need to form affiliate partnerships (by simply filling out some application forms.) Sounds a lot harder than it is. You don't need an audience or skill to start affiliate marketing because you're not selling—you're just sharing honest information.

24:41—How long does it take?
Finding success on Medium requires a lot of hard work. Just like in sports or any other business, you won't get a nice paycheck after a couple of months of working. You need to write hundreds of stories like I've done. My 50th story was the first one that got over 10k reads and made over $500. The biggest mistake is to give up too early. Don't do that!

26:26—Recap
Here's a short recap that puts the whole video together in just a minute or so. Just start writing, join the partner program, and try affiliate marketing. Always add value and write a lot. Don't expect overnight results! All the best!