Medium Writer

Write and publish SEO-optimized monetizable articles for Medium Partner Program, targeting specific audiences and submitting to popular publications.

Austin Kien Hoang@devhoangkien

Install

openclaw skills install @devhoangkien/medium-writer

Medium Writer

Writing and publishing articles for the Medium Partner Program. Creating monetizable articles.

Revenue Potential

Stage	Estimated Earnings
Partner Program	$200 – $2,000/month
At 10,000 followers	$500 – $3,000/month
Viral articles	$1,000 – $10,000/article

Medium Partner Program

Revenue Model

When the reader is a Member:

text

├── Compensation based on read time
├── Clap count has minimal impact
└── First-time reader bonus available

Eligibility Requirements

Active Medium Membership ($5/month or $50/year)
At least 1 article published in the past year
Stripe account linked
Must comply with Medium's content policies

Hot Topics on Medium (Ranked by Followers)

No	Category	Followers	Stories
1	Technology	14.1M	1.7M
2	Programming	10.9M	478K
3	Self Improvement	9.96M	958K
4	Data Science	8.7M	372K
5	Writing	8.3M	976K
6	Business	8M	854K
7	Psychology	7.8M	415K
8	Mental Health	7.2M	636K
9	Relationships	7.2M	623K
10	Health	7M	847K
11	Artificial Intelligence	6.8M	509K
12	Science	6.8M	234K
13	Design	6.7M	411K
14	Productivity	6.6M	415K
15	Life	6.6M	1.2M
16	Cryptocurrency	4.8M	930K
17	Startups	4.5M	655K
18	Books	4.3M	490K
19	Humor	4.1M	269K
20	Education	4M	621K
21	Leadership	3.6M	308K
22	Entrepreneurship	3.5M	517K
23	Art	3.4M	304K
24	Mindfulness	3.3M	257K
25	Travel	3.3M	580K
26	Deep Learning	3M	111K
27	Marketing	2.9M	545K
28	Music	2.9M	373K
29	Coding	2.6M	155K
30	Food	2.5M	299K
31	Society	2.4M	147K
32	Work	2.3M	171K
33	Blockchain	2.2M	1.3M
34	Gaming	2M	206K
35	Fitness	1.7M	204K
36	Life Lessons	1M	775K

Topic Selection Strategy

High Followers + Low Stories = Low Competition, High Opportunity (e.g., Science, Deep Learning, Coding)
High Followers + High Stories = High Competition, High Visibility (e.g., Technology, Programming)
Combine 3–5 tags per article to maximize discoverability
Cross-niche articles perform best (e.g., "AI + Productivity", "Psychology + Leadership")

Usage

Creating an Article

text

"Create a Medium article
Topic: [topic]
Target audience: [audience]
Length: [5-10 min read]
Tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]"

SEO Optimization

text

"Optimize Medium article for [keyword]"
"Generate 5 headline candidates"
"Suggest tags for maximum reach"

Publication Submission

text

"Submit [article] to [Publication name]"
"List popular Tech Publications"
"Draft a pitch email for [Publication]"

Content Repurposing

text

"Convert this [blog post / Twitter thread / YouTube script] into a Medium article"
"Break this long article into a 3-part series"
"Create a listicle version of this tutorial"

Engagement Boosting

text

"Write a compelling hook for this article"
"Add storytelling elements to this technical post"
"Create a strong CTA for the conclusion"
"Suggest 3 subheadings that improve scannability"

Analytics & Performance

text

"Analyze why this article underperformed"
"Suggest improvements for [article URL] based on engagement data"
"What's the ideal posting time for [topic]?"

📐 Article Structure

Ideal Format

text

Title (SEO + Curiosity-driven)

Subtitle (Clear benefit statement)

Featured Image (custom or high-quality stock)

---

## Introduction (Hook) — 100-150 words
- Problem statement / Empathy / Personal story
- Value proposition for the reader
- Article overview (what they'll learn)

## Main Content Sections — 800-1,500 words

### H2 Heading 1
- Paragraph (3-4 sentences)
- Bullet points / Lists
- Code blocks (when applicable)
- Quotes / Statistics / Data visualizations

### H2 Heading 2
- Real-world examples
- Screenshots / Diagrams
- Step-by-step instructions

### H2 Heading 3
...

## Conclusion — 100-200 words
- Key points summary (3-5 takeaways)
- Personal reflection or opinion
- CTA (Follow / Clap / Comment request)

---

Related Article Links (2-3 of your own articles)

Optimal Article Length

Type	Words	Read Time	Best For
Short-form	500–800	2-3 min	Quick tips, opinions
Standard	1,000–1,500	5-7 min	Tutorials, how-tos
Long-form	2,000–3,000	8-12 min	In-depth guides, analysis
Deep dive	3,000+	12+ min	Comprehensive research

Sweet spot: 1,000–1,800 words (5-7 min read) — best engagement-to-effort ratio.

Headline Formulas

Number + Benefit

"7 Python Tricks That Will Make You Code 10x Faster"
"5 Morning Habits That Changed My Life (Backed by Science)"

How To

"How I Made $10,000 on Medium in 3 Months (Step-by-Step)"
"How to Learn Any Programming Language in 30 Days"

List Format

"The Only 3 Books You Need to Read About AI"
"10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Developer"

Contrarian / Controversial

"Why I Stopped Using React (And What I Use Instead)"
"The Productivity Advice You Should Ignore"

Personal Story

"I Quit My $150K Job to Write on Medium — Here's What Happened"
"What 500 Days of Writing Taught Me About Success"

Question Format

"Is Python Really the Best Language for Data Science?"
"Why Do So Many Developers Burn Out?"

Publication Strategy

Popular Publications

Publication	Followers	Genre
Towards Data Science	700k+	Data / AI
Better Programming	200k+	Code
The Startup	800k+	Business
Better Marketing	100k+	Marketing
UX Collective	400k+	Design / UX
JavaScript in Plain English	200k+	JavaScript
Level Up Coding	300k+	Programming
The Writing Cooperative	150k+	Writing

Submission Tips

Read the publication's guidelines thoroughly
Analyze the tone and style of existing articles
Start with shorter articles for the first submission
Build a relationship with editors
Follow the publication's formatting requirements
Include proper attribution for images and data

SEO Optimization

Keyword Placement

Title (required — include primary keyword)
Subtitle (secondary keyword or benefit)
First 100 words (natural keyword inclusion)
H2 headings (related keywords)
Image alt text (descriptive, keyword-rich)
Tags (select 3–5 relevant tags)

Internal & External Links

Link to your own past articles (keeps readers on your profile)
Add a "Related Articles" section at the end
Connect series articles with navigation links
Include 1–2 authoritative external sources for credibility

Medium-Specific SEO

Medium articles rank well on Google — optimize for search intent
Use the canonical link feature if cross-posting from your blog
Kicker (the small text above your title) improves click-through rate
Choose a custom URL slug — keep it short and keyword-focused

Monetization Tactics

Direct Revenue

Partner Program earnings — read-time based income from member reads
Referred memberships — earn a portion when readers sign up via your link
Boost nominations — boosted articles get significantly more distribution

Indirect Revenue

Build an email list — convert Medium readers to newsletter subscribers
Affiliate links — include relevant product/tool recommendations (disclose!)
Freelance leads — use articles as a portfolio to attract clients
Course / product launches — warm up audience through free content
Consulting — establish expertise in a niche and offer consulting services

Growth Strategy

Early Stage (0–100 followers)

2–3 articles per week
Comment genuinely on other articles
Share on social media (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Reddit)
Submit to Publications
Engage with other writers in your niche
Use all 5 available tags per article

Mid Stage (100–1,000 followers)

1–2 articles per week (focus on quality over quantity)
Build an email list (link in bio + article CTAs)
Create series articles (keeps readers coming back)
Cross-promote with other writers
Experiment with different formats (listicles, tutorials, opinion pieces)
Track analytics and double down on what works

Mature Stage (1,000+ followers)

Maintain a consistent publishing schedule
Build a community (respond to every comment)
Experiment with member-only (paid) articles
Expand to external platforms (Substack, personal blog)
Create a content calendar
Mentor newer writers (builds goodwill and network)
Diversify income streams beyond Medium

Advanced Tips

Writing Habits

Write every day, even if you don't publish
Draft in Google Docs or Notion, then import to Medium
Use the 30-30-40 rule: 30% research, 30% writing, 40% editing
Read top-performing articles in your niche for inspiration

Engagement Hacks

End with a question to encourage comments
Use bold text and short paragraphs for scannability
Include at least 1 image per 300 words
Add pull quotes or callout boxes for key insights
Use numbered lists for actionable steps

Timing & Frequency

Best days to publish: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Best times: 8–10 AM EST (when US readers are most active)
Consistency > Volume: 1 great article/week beats 5 mediocre ones
Republish underperforming articles with new titles and images after 3+ months