While Medium doesn’t directly compensate writers for external views, there are still ways to benefit from them in 2024.

Every reader counts!

With some strategic thinking, external views can support your growth on Medium and beyond.

Convert views to audience

The most direct way to monetize external views is by converting readers into subscribers.

This means they’re transforming from an unrelated viewer to a potential long-term reader and loyal fan.

The best way to do this is by driving external viewers to your email list. Substack, ConvertKit, Beehiiv. Doesn’t matter. As long as it’s YOUR list.

Many external readers likely find your content through Google or social media instead of directly visiting Medium. These readers aren’t part of your audience yet. A crucial detail.

But you can add a strong call to action within your stories, inviting external readers to sign up for your free newsletter on Substack, ConvertKit, or wherever you fancy.

If you highlight the value of your exclusive newsletter content, you may convince more readers to subscribe. But it doesn’t have to be exclusive, it can be repurposed content as well.

When external readers sign up as subscribers, you’ll grow the most valuable audience: the one you can take with you!

Though they aren’t paying, expanding your reach is valuable. So external views turn into audience growth.

Redirect traffic strategically

Another approach is redirecting external traffic to other platforms, where you earn money from views.

There aren’t many of those out there. And they don’t pay very well. But they do pay more than the big 0 you get from Medium for external traffic.

For example, you could host the same story on Medium and a platform like Vocal Media or NewsBreak.

Then add a canonical link from your Medium story to Vocal so search engines recognize Vocal as the original.

This may shift some external traffic from Medium to Vocal, where views are compensated.

Or you can include brief messages in your Medium stories guiding external readers to visit your story on this other platform for free. Redirecting even a small portion of readers can make a difference.

While indirect, redirecting external traffic to money-earning platforms allows you to capture value from Medium’s reach.

Embrace the audience growth

Finally, it helps to embrace external views as audience growth, even if they don’t directly pay.

Reaching wider audiences beyond Medium exposes you to new readers. That’s what we want. More readers.

If your content ranks highly in Google searches, that’s a major accomplishment that can lead to future opportunities.

Some external readers may discover and follow you on other platforms after finding you on Medium. Or they may purchase products or services you offer down the line.

While monetization matters, growing your readership is also valuable. The immediate payout isn’t everything. External Medium views can support your long-term success.

The bottom line

External views on Medium don’t have to go to waste!

With smart newsletter subscriber acquisition, redirects, and an audience-centric mindset, you can maximize their impact.

Medium’s large readership and search visibility offer exposure that’s hard to achieve elsewhere. Identify creative ways to convert external views into subscribers, traffic, and fans.

What other methods have you found useful for benefiting from external Medium views? There are always new opportunities to explore with a strategic approach.