Should You Share Your Friend Link on Medium?
It all depends on your goal
Medium.com provides a one-of-a-kind way for authors to earn money and obtain exposure through their Partner Program. One important feature of the program is a friend link — a unique URL that enables non-paying Medium readers to gain access to locked posts for free. As a Medium writer, you have probably wondered if you should share your friend link or stick to your paywalled link? In this post I’ll go over the cons and pros of sharing the Medium friend link and when it may make the most sense.
First of All, What’s the Friend Link?
The friend link is a unique version of your story URL that bypasses Medium’s paywall. Any person who clicks that link — whether they are a member or not — may read the whole piece for free.
Authors in Medium’s Partner Program still make money from member reading time on the friend link; however, views from non-members aren’t monetized.
Pros of Sharing your Friend Link
1. More Accessibility
The friend link opens the door for non-members to interact with your articles. It can be valuable if:
- You’re looking for your ideas to reach more folks without friction.
- You share all of your articles on email newsletters or social media.
- You are striving to grow your readership outside of Medium.
2. Great for Promotion
If you are promoting a service, book, or product in your post, the friend link ensures anybody can view it — boosting your potential conversions and reach.
3. Improved User Experience
People reach paywalls and then bounce. A friend link removes this obstacle, especially for first-time visitors or casual readers.
Cons of Sharing your Friend Link
1. Less Money from Non-Members
If your readers consist mostly of non-paying viewers, you will miss out on making money from their reading time. Medium just pays for time that is spent by members — and not visitors who read through your friend link who are not subscribed.
2. Possible Overuse
If you find yourself always sharing friend links, you might inadvertently train the audience to expect content that is free, decreasing incentive to become a paying member.
3. Limited Tracking and Analytics
The stats on Medium are usually limited; however, with friend links, it might be more difficult to gauge which viewers are members, how many people converted, or where your traffic is coming from — particularly if you distribute through several platforms.
So, Should You Share Your Friend Link or Not?
The answer to this depends solely on your goals.
✅ Share your friend link if:
- Your priority is external engagement, awareness, or influence — not money.
- You are growing an external audience or personal brand.
- You’re looking to maximize visibility and reach.
❌ Stick with your regular link if:
- You’re looking to encourage the audience to support your work through subscriptions.
- Your readers already include many paying members on Medium.
- You rely on income from Medium.
Or You Can Try a Balanced Approach
Some authors try a dual-link strategy: they’ll use their friend link in newsletters or on social platforms and post their regular link on Medium. Other writers provide friend links as a bonus to Patrons or email subscribers.
It’s also possible to rotate: share your friend link early on to build traction, and then switch over to a paywalled link later on.
The friend link feature is a tool that places the choice into your hands. Whether you are optimizing for reader loyalty, revenue, or reach, your decision ought to reflect your broader plan as an author.
