Three years of writing on Medium and Substack — some facts, stats, and takeaways.

My first story on Medium was in October 2021, and I launched my Substack in March 2022. My Substack is focused entirely on running, while on Medium, I cover a wide range of topics: running, lifestyle choices, current affairs, family, immigration, Russia, travel, career and education, and other musings.

Some numbers.

Medium stories published: 905. Followers: 5.5K

Approximate earnings from Medium: $30K. This is a meaningful number, but I want to note that making meaningful money on Medium is no longer possible. Last month, I made a pathetic $74 — lower than in my very first month of writing when I started with no followers. Medium’s algorithm changes over the last couple of years have taken the earnings potential away from writers. I’m not ranting; I’m still here, writing. Just stating the facts.

Substack stories published: 216. Subscribers: 327

My open rate on Substack is about 47%

Earnings from Substack: negligible. I’m sure others monetize Substack better, but I haven’t managed to. I’m not complaining. Running is my passion, and I enjoy sharing my stories with what feels like a tightly-knit community of followers.

What does this all mean?

Well, I’m extremely far from making a living from writing. Would I like to? Sure. I’d like to have 100K+ followers and several thousand dollars in my Stripe…