Supporting great writing on Medium

The most frequently asked question I get when I talk to professional writers about contributing to Medium is, “What is Medium?”

Next up: “Do you pay?” and “How much?”

Ev has some great answers to question number one here, here, and here.

Sharp-eyed readers may have already noticed an answer to question number two in a November post from Ev. (A: Sometimes.)

In recent weeks, we’ve started to put this plan into action, so it’s a good time to explain more fully what we’ve been doing and why.

What we’ve been doing is paying some contributors at competitive freelance rates. As for why: Our goal is to make Medium the best platform possible for everyone to share great ideas or stories. This should certainly include those whose profession is doing so.

In other words, we need to build a sustainable business that provides writers a variety of rewards — from intellectual growth to influence to, at times, money. We’re not there yet, but we figure we should start experimenting sooner rather than later. This effort encompasses a tiny percentage of Medium content today, but, depending on what we discover, it may grow or change over time.

Until then, here’s where things stand:

Q: Why is Medium paying writers?

A: One of our long-term goals is to bring in readers to enjoy content of all kinds, whether commissioned or not; great commissioned writing will help attract those readers. One of our other long-term goals is to create sustainable models to support writers. Right now, as we are learning more about what works on Medium and what doesn’t, we are funding some content ourselves.

Q: Who is getting paid?

A: Our editorial team is contracting with a few people to contribute one-off articles and ongoing columns.

Q: How do I get paid?

A: We are accepting pitches from experienced professional magazine writers for reported features and investigative articles. To be considered, email us at pitches@medium.com.

Q: How much are you paying?

A: Competitive, negotiable freelance rates.