What topics make more money on Medium, and what’s worked for me
Topics Beat Tactics…
Last week, I checked my Medium stats while having breakfast. I nearly choked on my coffee! In just 28 days, my stories earned over $500.
That’s more than I made in the last seven months combined.
The kicker?
Every dollar came from two tightly focused topics readers can’t get enough of.
Let’s discover how the right vision makes you clever in every endeavor.
Most new Medium writers ask the wrong question:
❌ “What should I write about today?”
The right question is:
✅ “What do Medium readers actually want to read (and pay for)?”
There’s a subtle difference…
One makes you feel productive. The other builds traction, followers, and real revenue.
Let me show you the second one, backed by my real stats and actionable prompts.
The answer lies somewhere between:
What you love to write and (what readers care about most + The favourite traffic for Google).
The numbers showed me that picking the right true story for the right reader is key. Google Trends backs this up.
While headline formulas and posting times matter, they can’t replace this focus.
Once I aligned those, the graph moved and blew up.
What worked for me?
I tested 6 categories over the last 8 weeks. Here’s what got readers, claps, and money (Based on My Medium Stats):
- Technology & Tools: Especially “hidden gems” or no-code stacks that save time/money.
- AI & ChatGPT: Readers want real use cases. Not hype. Posts that show “how to apply it to my life/work” win.
- Money-Making Experiments: Practical experiments or product breakdowns (e.g., Gumroad sales, Prompt Marketplaces).
- Productivity (e.g., Writing Systems): People enjoy articles that teach them to write better and faster. This is especially true for platforms like Medium, Substack, and LinkedIn.
- Busiess with AI: Anything that sounds like “X Selling Y Products You can Build with Z”. Or “I tested X with AI and here’s what happened” grabs attention.
Medium Category Proof
Earnings from Tech + AI category alone: $500+ in just 4 weeks
Followers gained: 300+
Blog titles: “12 High‑Selling Digital Products You Can Build with ChatGPT” “This One Prompt Writes Like Me”
Why Tech & AI Hook Medium Readers
- Everyone’s affected. From ChatGPT at work to the latest phone launch, tech bleeds into daily life.
- Readers want clarity. Medium audiences search for plain-English explainers, quick wins, and ethical takes on emerging tools.
- External buzz loops back. When Google buzzes a new AI model, Medium readers rush in for deeper takes, and the algorithm rewards writers who answer first.
Answer more… earn more, but within a story
Action Prompt: Find the Hottest Reader Questions (Save it)
Act as a research scout. Search Medium, Reddit, and Google autosuggest for:
TOP 5 pain points people have about {TECH TOPIC}.
Summarize each pain point in one sentence and return a ranked list of what readers are desperately asking right now.
Swap {TECH TOPIC} With “ChatGPT prompts,” “AI side hustles”, “Sell AI Prompts”, or “Agent Automation,” and you’ll have five ready-made hot ideas angles your audience is hungry for.
Does Google Really Control Medium’s Traffic Game?
You’ve probably noticed how your Medium stats dropped, and it’s not random.
As Bin Jiang explained in “Why Technology-Related Articles Are Making More Money on Medium,” every time Google dropped a Broad Core Update in January or July 2025, our traffic plunged to near-record lows of 5 million monthly visits.
Don’t let that mysterious August crash fool you.
Google’s timeline lines up perfectly with the dip. It’s clear now why Medium quietly brought on senior engineers: they’re racing to outsmart Google’s next move.
I will tell you a surprise… I just lined up with Google changes, and got 2,000+ new followers and 1,000+ Email subscribers last two months
If you want your posts to shine, play nice with Google, focus on Tech and AI topics, nail your SEO, AEO, and GEO basics, and watch those algorithm swings work in your favor.
How To Profit AI
Work Less, Earn More with AI.blog.howtoprofitai.com
And here are the traffic sources for my optimized story
It was amazing to see how fast it took off. In just four weeks, the story was indexed by Google and cited by ChatGPT.
My Three-Step Writing Routine with Prompts (Save it)
STEP 1: Pick one pain, that’s your article seed.
Readers clap and pay when you solve a real problem. Use this prompt to mine Google, Reddit, and Medium for today’s frustrations.
PROMPT 1: Pain-Point Finder {TECH TOPIC}
SYSTEM: Research assistant.
TASK: List the 5 hottest struggles users have with {TECH TOPIC}.
GUIDE:
1. Pull top Google auto-suggest “how to” questions.
2. Summarize 3 upvoted Reddit frustrations in r/technology or r/ChatGPT.
3. Quote 2 recent Medium comments expressing confusion.
4. Merge duplicates → rank by urgency.
5. Draft one clear headline idea for each pain.
6. Explain in one sentence why the pain matters now.
7. Replace jargon with everyday words.
8. Output plain text—no bullets inside bullets.
9. Cap entire response at 180 words.
10. End by asking which pain I’ll tackle.
Swap {TECH TOPIC} e.g. “ChatGPT prompts,” “AI side hustles”, “Sell AI Prompts”, or “Agent Automation,” and you’ll have five ready-made hot ideas angles your audience is hungry for.
STEP 2: Craft a Story & Quick Fix
Hook readers with a 100-word scene, then walk them through a solution they can use tonight.
PROMPT 2: Story-Fix Draft
SYSTEM: Storytelling coach.
GOAL: Build an article framework for [SELECTED PAIN].
STEPS:
1. Write a 4–6-sentence opening scene (sensory detail + internal thought).
2. Title a section “Try It Tonight”.
3. Under it, outline 3–5 steps a beginner can finish in 30 min.
4. Add one common mistake + how to dodge it.
5. Offer one advanced tweak.
6. Keep language friendly; no buzzwords.
7. Each step ≤40 words.
8. Close with a one-line encouragement.
9. No SEO or algorithm talk.
10. Return full draft (~350 words) ready for polishing.
This draft becomes 80 % of your finished article within an hour.
STEP 3: Polish the Voice & Slip in a Soft CTA
A quick edit pass makes the piece sound human and invites readers to your Gumroad without hard selling.
PROMPT 3: Tone & CTA Polisher
SYSTEM: Friendly copy-editor.
TASK: Smooth the draft below and add a one-sentence CTA.
RULES:
1. Swap stiff phrases for casual ones (“therefore” → “so”).
2. Vary sentence length (short, medium).
3. Delete filler like “in conclusion”.
4. Insert one rhetorical question for engagement.
5. Keep tech terms only when essential—else simplify.
6. Add one emoji where surprise fits.
7. CTA style: “If you want my full toolkit, grab it here.”
8. Limit CTA to 20 words, no urgency triggers.
9. Output polished article only—no editor notes.
10. Await my thumbs-up before final save.
Publish, respond to comments, and share the link on one relevant subreddit or LinkedIn thread for extra reach.
Repeat weekly: pain point → story & fix → polish & post.
Consistency plus real solutions is how Tech & AI writing earned me $500, and how you can build loyal followers and gentle sales, too.
Ready to ship your first story?
Tag me when you publish. I’ll clap and steal a tip or two. 🙌
Want My Full Writing Toolkit?
Use my full Multi-Agent Blog Writing System with a 14-page prompt template, SEO optimized, humanized, and personalized for different niches.
❤️ Get some freebies at my Gumroad store.
Learn How To Sell AI Prompts and Generate Passive Income
Turn Your Creativity Into a Profitable Online Businesslearnaitoprofit.com
Medium | Substack | Pro Bazaar
