What Happened to EUPHORIA Losing 79% Views in 2024 and Why I No Longer Care
Insights into thousands of writers coming from 119 countries with great hopes asking my advice. There are no more euphoric moments on Medium, so please set your expectations low realistically.
Dear writers, I spilled the beans today. Wave goodbye to the euphoric highs on EUPHORIA, as Medium’s purportedly strategic overhaul threatens to strip away the magic. Please consider leaving a comment on the Medium version of this story, as the Medium algorithm will censor it for obvious reasons. Here is the friend link for non-members.
Two days ago, I shared a heartfelt story about Medium on Medium, only to find it ironic and disheartening that the same piece on Substack received 100 times more views. I regret promoting Medium on its own platform. My story was penalized and mainly received views from direct links. It was a terrible mistake I won’t repeat. If Medium does not care about itself, why should I?
My wise mentors tell me I’m being too naive and suggest I cancel my four Friends of Medium memberships to support 12 Substack writers with it, delete my publications, leave here, and focus on Substack and Beehiive to build a better and bigger community. While I’m tempted emotionally, I know deep down that I won’t abandon this community. My heartfelt connection to Medium’s vibrant community runs deep.
However, I can no longer ignore the reality. I wrote that story hoping to inspire thousands of writers within my publications.
Zulie @ Medium recently suggested that stories about Medium are network-distributed. This is simply not true based on my five years of experience in this platform as a pub owner and consulting editor of 100+ publications.
Let alone genuine distribution for real topics; there is no network distribution on Medium, only selective curation and human boosting. Writers are left believing in this so-called network distribution, often blaming themselves for poor performance. It is unfair to writers, and Medium should care about their well-being.
Zulie, once an independent writer and now a Medium employee, claims that stories about Medium are only distributed to the writer’s followers or the publication’s followers. But how can she explain a story from a writer with 101K followers, posted in a publication with 109K followers, receiving under 100 views just from direct links? Where’s the logic in that? It is not just stories about Medium, but even stories on critical public health content.
For example, can Zulie please kindly explain to me and the writing community how this public health story written and edited professionally, published in April 2024 after three months, only earned around $3 by a writer with 101K followers who cannot gain any followers as he was put in the distribution jail for unknown reasons? How does distribution really work on Medium if there is such a thing?
I have immense respect for Zulie, but I am deeply disappointed. As an official Medium employee, she has a responsibility to provide accurate information, and this feels like a breach of trust. I don’t enjoy writing critically about Medium, but I owe it to the writers and readers who trust me to speak the truth.
Thanks to Substack, thousands of writers from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkiye, Africa, and South America discovered my inspiring post and reached out through Substack Notes, Illumination Slack, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Quora, Reddit, and my website.
They were thrilled because Medium added 77 countries to its Partner Program. I shared in their joy. However, many asked me to mentor them, knowing I guide around 500 writers annually. At least 10% of my proteges outperform me on Medium with their dedication.
When I asked what they expected from my mentorship, they expressed their desires to grow their audience, write viral stories, create personal and public publications like ILLUMINATION, and earn a six-figure income as promised by some popular Medium writers selling courses.
I was happy to offer guidance but was clear: achieving viral stories, substantial views, or significant income on Medium is no longer feasible. Publications earn no money and require at least six hours of personal time weekly to maintain. Should I Launch a Public Publication on Medium as a Freelance Writer?.
Some of these writers, who are also my dedicated readers, inquired about Euphoria, with its 2,500+ stories. In a Substack group chat, they believed it could make them six-figure earners. I had to break it to them — Euphoria barely earns any income. When asked for a ballpark figure, I honestly stated that it was less than $50 monthly.
They were in disbelief. ‘How is that possible?’ they asked. I explained that if a story earns 1 cent per read, 2,200 reads would earn just $22. ‘But we’re talking about our 2,000+ stories,’ they said. I confirmed, ‘Yes, the entire publication.’ They didn’t believe me until I showed them the screen capture for July 2024 views and reads. Yes, the entire pub only received 2,200 views.”
They asked when this change occurred. I replied, ‘After October 2023.’ They requested proof, so I showed them. Back in October 2023, with under 300 stories and fewer than 30 boosted ones, Euphoria consistently received 23K views and over 11K reads.
EUPHORIA used to thrive, gaining countless views and reads throughout 2021, 2022, and early 2023. However, with Medium’s algorithm change, I lost 90% of those views. It used to get 100K views and close to a million visitors yearly, but I cannot show them anymore because Medium removed those stats for unknown reasons. I assume they ran out of storage space.
EUPHORIA used to host stories like the following in 2022 before the boost program as none of my boosted stories on ILLUMINATION gained so many views.
Here is the most viewed, read, and most earned boosted story on ILLUMINATION in 2023. All other ones are only 10% of this.
Here is a boosted story in Health and Science Pub in 2024
Can you see the trends from 2022 to 2024? Here is how many followers my account gains monthly.
Despite reaching out to Medium multiple times about the decline of my account and publication stats, their support team remained silent. Even after escalating the issue to the head of distribution, nothing changed. While some of my stories were boosted — a gesture I appreciated — that stopped entirely seven weeks ago, with no distribution or explanation since.
I choose to see this setback as an opportunity. After Medium’s actions, I gained 24K subscribers on Substack in a month, Remarkably, just around 20 stories on Substack in July earned five times more than the 2,500 stories I had on Medium.
Writers look up to me, aspiring to achieve what I once had on Medium. I’m honored and willing to support them, but I must show them the harsh reality so they don’t face disappointment. Some naive writers in the past even left their full-time jobs, misled by opportunistic writers who claimed they could achieve wealth on Medium through their training programs.
It’s simply not true. Even top writers like Tim Denning, Ayodeji Awosika, or Sinem Gunel, with large followings, struggle to earn a livable income here. They all invested in other platforms while still enjoying intangible benefits. However, some writers, like Nick Wignall, who had 330K followers, deleted their stories and left the platform earlier this year.
Unfortunately, some writers with smaller followings exploit the community by selling books or training programs for $179. These opportunistic tactics are published in major publications like Startup, where they get thousands of views, making the writers wealthy while leaving their readers poorer.
In short, I told them Medium is not a money-making machine. However, it brings intangible benefits, like my boosted story yielding in $10K or the viral one in 2021 bringing $55K.
Some of my proteges on Substack found my story titled A Story I Invested 3 Hours on a Topic Reflecting My 25 Years of Scientific Research Earned 77 Cents. Of course, Medium did not distribute this story as the network distribution is a myth. However, thousands of writers found it on Substack, and since then, many have started creating their newsletters and building their audience on Substack and Beehiiv.
The Chief Editor of the Health and Science publication on Medium recently shared an eye-opening and concerning bulletin reflecting on his third month of performance, including that of ILLUMINATION-Curated, which is no longer a boost-nominating publication after my resignation from boost nomination and Aiden’s departure from the boost program.
Mike is deeply disappointed, as his special publications have seen a significant drop in views despite onboarding 500 new writers, primarily healthcare professionals and scientists.
Some claim ILLUMINATION isn’t performing well, leading them to submit to smaller publications or create their own, just as I did. However, small and personal publications are struggling to gain any traction, too. At least ILLUMINATION still gets around 2 million views monthly, driving traffic to the platform.
For now, I will maintain ILLUMINATION, but if it loses 70% of its views like smaller publications — ILLUMINATION-Curated, Health and Science, and EUPHORIA — I’ll move it to my website, transforming it into a community service with the support of sponsors to evolve it into a commercial publication.
When asked about Euphoria’s future, I shared that I’m moving a copy to my website and another to Substack. The income will support the ILLUMINATION Library on Substack, helping writers build and own their audience. I’ve already established an organization on Substack with over 100K subscribers, supported by founding members who sponsor marketing professionals to empower writers.
Medium, as it stands, is no longer a sustainable financial solution for writers. Stats show that 90% of Medium writers earn less than $100. Many of my protégés — accomplished professionals like doctors, scientists, and lawyers — earn around $25. The idea that anyone can make a six-figure income on this platform, where network distribution fails, is a myth.
Despite all my setbacks and disappointments, my consistent message is clear. “Let’s Grow This Community and Make it More Vital & Sustainable!” An Authentic Open Letter to Non-Members
Let’s Join the Friends of Medium Subscription
I explained my reasons for being four times Friends of Medium in the attached stories.
Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
How Friends of Medium Can Amplify Important Stories Via Customized Social Media Sites
Celebrating My Reading Anniversary with My Upgraded Subscription to New Medium Friendship
Here is a counterargument to my story by Never Stop Quiting.
Here is how I responded:
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you are a writer on Medium and Substack, we have a new publication called Substack Mastery. You are welcome to join and share your Substack experience with your fellow writers and discerning readers.
Welcome to “Substack Mastery” Publication by the ILLUMINATION Network on Medium
Here is how we bridge Medium and Substack and create more visibility for the work of our writers to delight our readers with more options.
Substack Mastery: Introduction to 10 Leading Substack Newsletters #2
Featuring the Substack sites of writers contributing to the Substack Mastery publication on Medium for collaboration…illuminationcurated.medium.com
Substack Mastery of ILLUMINATION Community | ILLUMINATION Curators | Substack: This newsletter is to empower freelance writers and entrepreneurs of ILLUMINATION community both on Substack and Medium…illuminationcurators.substack.com
I wrote this story as a way to give back to the writing community, as I owe my success to my mentors. Mentorship and collaboration can enhance our knowledge, make awareness and skill-building easy, and make the journey enjoyable on different platforms. I wrote several stories like this for writers and readers and linked them to a list titled Writing, Content Development & Marketing Strategies.
If you are a new reader, you may check out some of my topics, including the brain, mental health, cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, including 100+ Insightful Life Lessons from My Circles for the Last 50+ Years.
I publish my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIA and share distilled versions on SUBSTACK. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 31K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. You can contact me via my website. I also have another profile to write and curate tech stories. Friend Links to My Sample Boosted Stories for Non-Members of Medium. You can read this story on Substack for free.
Get an email whenever Dr Mehmet Yildiz publishes. He is a top writer and editor on Medium. dr-mehmet-yildiz.medium.com
You are welcome to join the ILLUMINATION Community on Medium and Substack. Here is the Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
Join me on Substack, where I offer experience-based content on health, content strategy, and technology topics to inform and inspire my readers.
Health and Wellness by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Thank you for this insightful story Dr Yildiz. The same situation happened to me and my publications on Medium. I lost 90% of views and income in the last 3 months. Something is very wrong. Thank you for inspiring, educating, and empowering us on Substack. I am very grateful for your mentorship. With you support I feel joyful and confident. Leaving the boost program on Medium was a blessing in disguise for me as I tripled my income after that. Medium did a favour to me unintentionally and they lost my service. I birthed 113 boosted stories in such a short time and they still did not show a little gratitude.
I appreciate reading your perspective, as I view you as a credible source. The subject of writing and earnings is a book-length discussion. I have been discouraged that anyone who has published one post can offer themselves as a coach and expert. On the other hand, people who try and publish in the old mainline press face daunting odds and investment of their own time and money. No easy solutions, but a multi-pronged strategy seems sensible.