How the Medium Algorithm Measures Engagement and Earnings
Six insights to help you use the platform better.
I began this article as a new writer on Medium. At that time, I could not understand why some of my posts with the highest engagement also had the lowest earnings. So, I set myself the task of understanding how Medium’s algorithm measures engagement and earnings.
My original six insights, based on both my observations and research, have been further tweaked based on my learning over the last 10 months:
1. The algorithm is member-focused. So, it does not matter how many non-members come to your article from LinkedIn, Facebook, or via a general Google search. What matters is the reading time members spend on your work. The high engagement on my early pieces came from non-members.
2. It prioritizes reading time above views when calculating your earnings. So, if readers skim over your post in less than 30 seconds, it impacts how the algorithm views it and your earnings.
3. The number of people who clap matters more than the number of claps. The algorithm does not measure how many times a person clapped, it just takes into account the number of people who clapped.
4. It prioritizes follows over claps and reactions while measuring engagement. This means that a post of yours…