Medium Just Put 15% Of Payouts On Google: Your 7‑Day SEO-to-Medium Monetization Plan (Nov 2025)

What Changed—and Why It Matters For Your Money

Medium didn’t change membership pricing or your join requirements—but it did change the earning mix. Memberships remain $5/month or $50/year, with the Friend of Medium tier at $15/month or $150/year that pays writers 4x when Friends read them. Minimum payout is $10, typically sent by the 10th each month. ^[5]

“We’re shifting 15% of the Partner Program budget to activity on stories that members discover through search engines like Google.” ^[6]

Creator reaction in the last 24–48 hours? Writers are already pivoting—sharing tactics and screenshots as they optimize older posts and titles for search. ^[7]

Your 7‑Day SEO-to-Medium Monetization Plan

Day 0: Set Up For Payouts (15 Minutes)

• Ensure your Partner Program payout info is complete; you need $10+ to trigger a transfer (payouts usually initiate by the 10th). ^[8]
• Confirm paywalls on stories you want to monetize (non‑member traffic doesn’t pay). ^[9]

Day 1: Pick 3 “Search-First” Topics

• Choose evergreen, problem/solution topics readers actually type into Google (how-tos, frameworks, comparisons).
• Favor specificity: “Notion habit tracker template” beats “Notion tips.”

Day 2: Optimize 5 Existing Posts For Search

• Open Story → More settings → SEO Settings. Craft a concise SEO title and description with your main query; update slugs. ^[10]
• Add (or fix) your canonical URL if cross‑posting from your site. ^[11]
• Refresh intro, subheads, and internal links to related stories.

Day 3: Publish 1 Comparison and 1 “Checklist” Piece

• Comparison (“X vs Y for Freelancers”) and checklists (“Podcast launch checklist”) win long‑tail queries and convert skimmers to members.
• Use descriptive H2/H3s that mirror search intent; avoid click‑vague titles.

Day 4: Add Compliant Revenue Hooks

• Affiliate links are allowed on Medium—just disclose clearly per FTC rules; avoid ad‑like or overly promotional posts. ^[12]
• If you republish AI‑assisted work, comply with Medium’s AI policy (no spammy SEO‑only posts or synthetic deception). ^[13]

Day 5: Earn Beyond Medium—But Stack Smart

Day 6: Refresh Distribution—Without Cannibalizing Search

• Post a teaser thread on social linking to your Medium story (remember: the 5% external‑traffic shift still rewards member activity that originates off‑platform). ^[17]
• Use publications for added distribution; keep headlines keyword‑clean.

Day 7: Measure Search Lift, Then Iterate

• Open your story’s stats to check “Traffic sources” and watch search share rise. ^[18]
• Double down on posts earning search member reads; expand those into clusters.

Numbers That Matter (Right Now)

Illustrative Earning Scenarios (Not Guarantees)

Medium doesn’t pay per “view”; payouts come from member engagement time, now with allocations that favor search‑originating member reads. Writers commonly report ranges rather than fixed RPMs, with self‑reported examples between roughly $10–$25+ per 1,000 member reads depending on topic depth and engagement. Use this only for planning—not as a promise. ^[23]

Scenario	Before (Oct)	After (Nov)	What to Change
3,000 member reads; 10% from search	Base + small 5% external bonus if off‑platform	Base + 15% allocation share for search reads	Improve SEO titles/descriptions; add internal links to keep members reading. [24]
Old evergreen post getting new Google clicks	Earned only from member engagement time	Eligible for search allocation retroactively	Update SEO settings; consider paywalling if it wasn’t. [25]

Compliance & Earn‑More Guardrails

Stacking Medium With Your Product Revenue

Platform	Pricing/Fees	Best Use With Medium
Medium Partner Program	$5/mo or $50/yr members fund payouts; Friends at $15/150 pay 4x to writers they read. $10 payout threshold. [29]	Earn from member reads; now prioritize search‑origin reads to tap the 15% allocation.
Gumroad	10% + $0.50 per sale via your links; 30% via Discover marketplace. [30]	Monetize checklists/templates you reference in Medium posts.
Ko‑fi	0–5% fees; instant payouts; Gold $12/mo for 0% service fees. [31]	Accept tips or run lightweight memberships linked from your bio/footer.
Substack	10% platform fee + processing on paid subs. [32]	Upsell deep‑dive newsletters or paid video series to readers captured via search‑friendly Medium posts.

Practical Examples You Can Ship This Week

Advanced Tweaks Most Writers Skip

• Update older slugs to match your primary query; keep redirects tidy.
• Use tables and bullet lists to capture featured snippets where possible.
• Add “related reading” blocks to improve session depth (more member time = more earnings potential).
• Check story SEO settings after publication; edits can take time to reflect in search. ^[36]

Bottom Line

Actionable Takeaways

• Optimize SEO titles/descriptions on your five best evergreen posts today. ^[38]
• Paywall stories that already get search traffic; confirm payout settings. ^[39]
• Add compliant affiliate links and one clear product CTA per story. ^[40]
• Build a three‑post cluster (comparison + checklist + case study) around one query.
• Watch “Traffic sources” for search growth; iterate weekly. ^[41]