I’m just going to say what a lot of people are scared to say out loud: Medium is failing writers right now. And it hurts to admit that, because many of us built dreams, routines, and even parts of our income around that platform. But the way things are going? It’s getting harder and harder to pretend this isn’t a real problem.
Posted By Danny
A few years back, Medium felt like a blessing. You could post something meaningful, something honest, something that came straight from your gut and you’d actually get paid for it. Not millions, sure. But enough to feel like the time, effort, and emotions you poured into your writing meant something. Enough to feel encouraged. Enough to believe you had a shot at building something there.
But now?
Writers are putting in more work than ever and getting almost nothing in return. I’m talking about people who used to make a few hundred dollars a month now making five dollars. People who would write consistently, build an audience, interact with readers and suddenly their income just fell off a cliff. No warning. No explanation.
And you can’t tell me this is because everyone magically got worse at writing overnight. That’s not what happened.
Medium keeps messing with the algorithm.
They keep changing what “counts.”
They keep shifting how stories get boosted.
They keep moving the goalposts and then acting confused when writers can’t keep up.
And the payouts? Don’t even get me started.
Some folks have written 20 articles in one month and made less than the cost of lunch. How is anyone supposed to take that seriously? How is anyone supposed to stay motivated when the platform treats your work like it’s disposable?
Writing takes time.
Writing takes energy.
Writing takes something out of you that not everyone understands.
And seeing your hard work get slapped with a payout that looks like a joke? It hurts. It makes you question yourself. It makes you wonder if your voice even matters anymore. And that’s what breaks my heart the most seeing writers who used to shine now doubting their own talent because the system is broken.
Here’s the thing: writers aren’t asking for the world. We’re asking for fairness. A little bit of honesty. Some consistency. Just something that shows Medium values the people who built their platform in the first place the creators.
Instead, it feels like Medium is prioritizing whatever fits their newest trend. Click-heavy stuff. Fast content. Anything that pumps numbers. And all the real, deep, emotional, thoughtful writing? It gets buried. Ignored. Thrown to the side like it doesn’t belong there anymore. And what’s happening because of that? People are leaving.
Writers who’ve been loyal for YEARS are packing their bags and moving to their own websites, WordPress, Substack, newsletters — anywhere they can actually grow without being punished. And you know what? I don’t blame a single one of them.
Because how long can you stay somewhere that doesn’t respect you? How long can you work for a system that keeps taking from you while giving back less and less?
Medium keeps saying they’re “working on improvements.” Okay… where? How? When? Writers are struggling right now. People depend on that income. People depend on that exposure. You can’t keep giving vague explanations while the foundation is crumbling.
The truth is simple:
Medium used to feel like a community.
Now it feels like a system.
And systems don’t care about people they care about control.
This isn’t just a money problem. It’s a morale problem. It’s a trust problem. Writers feel invisible on a platform they helped build. And if Medium doesn’t fix this soon, they’re going to lose even more voices the good ones, the passionate ones, the ones who made the platform worth visiting in the first place.
Writers deserve better. Period.
