Writing for Money: Medium vs. Vocal Media vs. Simily

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Note: Originally posted on Medium on August 14, 2022

Medium, Vocal Medium, and Simily are three writing platforms that allow writers to make money by creating written content.

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Medium

Medium has been around the longest of the three platforms, launching in 2012.

In order to make money, writers have to participate in the Medium Partner Program, which is $5 USD a month or $50 USD for the year.

Once a member, writers earn money when other members engage with their content.

Members can also earn money when they refer non-members to sign up for the Medium Partner Program.

One thing to note is that writers who are part of the Medium Partner Program can not earn money right away. Before they can start earning a writer must first gain a minimum of 100 followers.

The writer must then maintain active status on the site, publishing content at least every 6 months.

However, once you're eligible to earn on Medium, it is the easiest writing platform to make money, thanks in part to Medium's high domain authority.

Writers get paid via Stripe, which is available in 47 countries around the world. There is no minimum threshold, so payment arrives at the beginning of the following month.

Vocal Media

Vocal Media launched in 2016.

There are two tiers of members on Vocal Media: free members, and users who pay for Vocal+ membership for $9.99 USD a month ($99.99 USD annually).

Vocal+ members gain access to exclusive features not available to free members. The ability to Quick Edit and to participate in Vocal Media's Writing Challenges are exclusive to Vocal+ members.

Both free and paid members are able to earn money through their writing. However, free members earn $3.80 USD for every 1000 reads, while Vocal+ members earn $6.00 USD for every 1000 reads.

Similar to Medium, writers get paid via Stripe. Unlike Medium, writers must reach a minimum payment threshold before they can redeem their earnings. For free members the minimum is $35 USD, for Vocal+ members the minimum is $20 USD.

However, unless writers promote their own writing, or their writing is promoted as a Top Story on the site, it is difficult to accrue views on Vocal Media. This is because Vocal Media does not share the same high domain authority as Medium.

Simily

Simily is the newest of the three writing platforms, having launched in 2021.

Like the others, Simily also has a free tier and a paid tier for users.

For $6.99 USD a month (or $69 USD for the year), paid members can read an unlimited number of stories on the platform. Free members can only read 5 free stories for the month.

Users on Simily earn $0.02 USD per view; this is the rate for both free and for paid members.

There is also a minimum threshold for Simily users; writers must earn a minimum of $10 USD before they can receive payment.

Unlike with Medium and Vocal Media, Simily uses Paypal to pay its writers.

On the positive side, Paypal is available in more countries worldwide (200+ countries vs. Stripe's 47 countries).

However, some users may not be able to readily transfer their funds into a bank account.

For example, I live in Canada. I was able to redeem my $10 USD, but I could not transfer it to my bank account because the minimum transfer amount is $15 CAD.

Final Takeaway

Medium, Vocal Media, and Simily are all easy ways for writers to make money online. Each writing platform has its pros and cons. You have to decide for yourself which option will allow you to earn passive income.

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Sylvie is a dual American/Canadian citizen living in Toronto, Canada. She has written for numerous sites, including Screen Rant, The Spool and Midnight & Indigo. Sylvie is currently writing her first YA novel; follow her writing journey at https://sylviesoul.com and @sylvsoulwriter on Twitter.