The Medium Partner Program Bonus: Explained
Everything you need to know about the recent history of the Medium Partner Program Bonus
I originally published this article on Medium. Explore the full article on the story page.
This morning, while checking my stats, I got a pleasant surprise. My October earnings had increased overnight, and the page showed an extra green bar for "October's Partner Program Bonus.”
Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
Medium Bonus, know this, I’ve missed you!
Truth be told, the extra payment for October is more of a “cashback” than an actual “bonus,” but the latter has a nice ring to it and comes sheathed in nostalgia.
Allow me to explain.
During the great confinement of the pandemic crisis, Medium was a haven for those who, like yours truly, were struggling to make ends meet.
I had just started my coaching business and had several workshops and courses planned for 2020/2021 when the novel coronavirus outbreak sent all my dreams down the drain.
Starting in April 2021, those were my Medium golden days. I have to thank Ev Williams for keeping many of us afloat with a series of bonuses.
The 2021 Partner Program Bonus
Since my debut in 2019, up until now, I’ve always been among the small clownfish in the big shark's earnings pool.
Still, at the end of April 2021, it felt like I was finally seeing my work recognized.
That month, I received a $500 Partner Program Bonus for a high engagement rate.
I wrote every day, aiming to join the $100 club. The bonus alone increased my monthly earnings fivefold compared to what I used to make.
This was my eureka moment. It was around this time that I came up with the motto:
Engagement is King!
The bonus served as a wake-up call, prompting us to be more supportive of our fellow writers and foster stronger relationships.
In May, Medium implemented a tiered system in which they calculated rankings based on our monthly Partner Program earnings:
Top 1,000: $500 bonus
1,001–1,500: $100 bonus
1,501–2,000: $50 bonus
As you can see, I missed making it into the top 1,000, but by my estimation, it was by an extremely narrow margin.
I know that for sure because June 2021 was my best month, even in terms of earnings. I got a fair amount on my story earnings and made it into the top 1,000 to earn $500.
I put a lot of hours of work into writing, and I had to show up every day to climb up the ladder, but in the end, all the hard work really paid off.
In July, I kept the pedal to the metal, I was going full throttle on my writing, and yet again, the coveted bonus made it home.
The Creator Fellowship
The Medium Creator Fellowship began as an invitation-only beta program reserved for tech authors and was then extended to other niches.
The official program ran from August 1st to October 31, 2021.
Every writer enrolled in the Partner Program who had opted to receive writing updates and announcements from Medium got an email from Writer Support, mentioning:
You’re invited to apply for a new creator program.
I sent my application, and as a top writer in several relevant topics, namely “music” and “culture,” I was enrolled in the Fellowship.
As a Fellowship member, I secured a minimum $200 monthly flat rate. I only had to publish at least four stories.
I kept following my daily writing routine as usual, but in the end, the Fellowship had a minimal effect on my income because I consistently approached or even exceeded the $200 threshold.
2023 October Partner Bonus
After an uptick in earnings during the month of August 2023, I was among those authors who felt a drop in earnings in September.
The Principal Product Manager at Medium, Buster Benson, reassured us, and as promised, a bonus payment appeared in my MPP earnings on November 2nd.
This bonus payment came from a pool of funds diverted from accounts that were engaging in fraudulent behavior.
Buster explains it better than I can.
Because we suspended a number of accounts in early Oct, and payments were not sent out to them, it’s our responsibility to redistribute those funds to the writers who would’ve otherwise earned that money. — Buster Benson
It was great to see a Medium bonus pop up on my stats page once more. I’m not even talking about the extra money; it wouldn’t even cover the cost of a large pizza, but that’s not the real point here.
What I really want to highlight is Medium’s commitment to returning the diverted funds back to the hardworking authors. It feels like a righteous move, and I have to give the CEO credit for swiftly addressing the problem, taking action, and trying to make amends.
Even if, considering how low earnings got in September and the relatively small “cashback,” I’m wondering if the “heist” wasn’t more widespread and Medium didn’t catch ‘em all.
Is someone currently enjoying the beach on Turks and Caicos while sipping Margheritas paid with my meager earnings?
Well, the answer to that question is above my pay grade.
Maybe someone with a direct line to the upper echelons knows the answer to that enigma.
Care to share?
Have you received a bonus payment from Medium too? I’d love to get feedback from the community on this topic. Join the conversation below.
Thanks for reading this newsletter and supporting our creators’ community here at Substack. Please consider joining my journey across the blogosphere by picking up a thread from my Medium or Vocal portfolio. I highly appreciate your support. Till next time, cheers. - Rui
I look forward to the next big change on Medium.
Thanks for the post. As a writer on Medium Platform, I do apprecaite the update.🥰