Reddit, Pinterest, Quora. We've covered three of the four major free text-based traffic sources. Medium is the fourth — and the one most affiliate marketers skip, usually because they tried it once, got minimal reads, and gave up.
The approach that works on Medium is different from the other three. It's slower, requires longer content, and depends more on editorial curation — but when it works, a single curated Medium article can send 5,000–20,000 readers to your blog in a week. That doesn't happen on Reddit.
Why Medium is worth including in your traffic strategy
Medium has approximately 100 million monthly readers. Unlike Reddit (anonymous, anti-promotional) or Quora (Q&A format), Medium is a publishing platform — long-form articles are the native format, and readers expect depth. This means you can write a 1,500-word review-style article, include affiliate links with disclosure, and it fits naturally within the platform's norms.
Medium links are do-follow. Links from your Medium articles to your blog pass SEO value — a Medium article that ranks in Google for your target keyword and links back to your blog improves your blog's authority on that topic. This is the SEO bonus that Reddit and Quora don't offer (both use no-follow links).
The Medium Partner Program means your articles can earn reading time payments from Medium subscribers — income that's separate from your affiliate commissions. It's rarely significant on its own, but it's real money layered on top of your affiliate strategy.
How Medium's distribution algorithm works
Medium has two layers of distribution: algorithmic and editorial.
Algorithmic distribution happens automatically. Medium shows your article to your followers and to readers who follow the tags you use. More followers = more initial reads = higher probability of being surfaced further. In the beginning, you'll have few followers and reads will be low. This is normal.
Editorial curation is where the real reach happens. Medium's curation team reviews new articles and selects some for distribution in topic feeds (Technology, Finance, Entrepreneurship, etc.) and the Medium Daily Digest email. A curated article can reach tens of thousands of readers who don't follow you at all.
The curation criteria isn't public, but based on consistent patterns: articles get curated when they have a clear personal voice, original perspective, specific actionable advice, and professional presentation (no typos, logical structure, appropriate length — 1,500–3,000 words performs best). Generic listicles and clearly AI-ghostwritten articles without personal narrative are not curated.
The affiliate strategy that works on Medium
Medium allows affiliate links with disclosure. The disclosure must be clear and near the top of the article — or at minimum prominently placed. "This article contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through them." That's all you need.
The structure that converts on Medium:
Personal experience hook. "I spent 30 days testing every free AI writing tool I could find. Here's what actually worked and what was a waste of time." The personal framing is what Medium readers respond to. It's what makes an article worth curating. An article that reads like a product page doesn't get curated and doesn't convert.
Genuine product insight. 2–3 tools, reviewed with specific details that show you actually used them. What you liked. What annoyed you. A specific result ("I went from 2 hours per article to 35 minutes"). Medium readers are sophisticated and can detect generic copy-paste reviews instantly.
One primary affiliate link per tool, clearly labelled.> "You can try ElevenLabs free here [affiliate link]." Not three links to the same tool. Not a wall of affiliate banners. One clear, honest recommendation per tool.
CTA back to your blog. "I've written a more detailed breakdown of the full free AI toolkit at [blog URL] if you want the complete setup guide." Medium readers who trust your article will click through to your blog — and those visitors are warm, pre-qualified leads.
Getting your first article curated
The fastest path to curation is writing in an underserved sub-topic of a popular Medium category. "Technology" is broad — but "AI tools for solo content creators in 2026" is specific. Medium's curators are looking for depth within a topic, not breadth across topics.
Follow the top writers in your niche on Medium. Study what gets 1,000+ claps. The patterns are: long first paragraph that draws you in, numbered or subheaded sections, personal anecdotes with specific numbers, a conclusion that brings the lesson home.
Submit to publications. Medium publications are curated collections with their own followers. "The Startup," "Better Marketing," and "Towards Data Science" have hundreds of thousands of followers. Getting accepted to one of these publications puts your article in front of their full audience. Submissions are usually via a form linked in the publication's About page.
Canonical crossposting: Medium + your blog without duplicate penalty
The smartest workflow: publish on your blog first. Wait 2–4 weeks. Then use Medium's "Import Story" tool (medium.com/p/import) which automatically adds a canonical link back to your original blog URL. Google sees your blog as the source; Medium traffic is additive.
This means you write the article once, publish it on your blog for Google SEO, then crosspost to Medium for Medium's audience — two traffic streams from one piece of content, no duplicate content penalty.
My Medium routine — 2 articles per week
Article type 1: Personal experience review. Take your latest affiliate product review from your blog. Rewrite the opening with a first-person hook ("Here's what happened when I used X for 14 days"). Add one personal anecdote not in the original. Submit to a relevant publication.
Article type 2: Contrarian take or original data point. "The AI tool everyone recommends isn't actually the best one for beginners — here's what I'd start with instead." These get curated most often because they have a clear angle. Include affiliate links to the tools you recommend.
2 articles per week, 8 per month. After 60 days you'll have 16 articles indexed, some in publications, some with curation pending. After 6 months, you'll have a Medium presence that generates consistent backlinks, warm blog traffic, and occasional high-traffic spikes when an article gets curated.
Get the complete free traffic trifecta guide
Reddit + Pinterest + Quora + Medium — all four strategies in one step-by-step starter kit, including the exact article templates we use on Medium and the publication submission list for the make-money-online niche.
Get free access now →FAQ: Medium affiliate marketing in 2026
Does Medium allow affiliate links?
Yes, with disclosure. Include a clear disclosure at the top or bottom: "This article contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through them." Undisclosed affiliate links risk removal from the Partner Program and reduced distribution.
How does the Medium Partner Program work?
You earn based on reading time from Medium subscribers (paying members). Earnings vary from cents to hundreds of dollars per article. Partner Program income is separate from and additive to affiliate commissions — you can earn both from the same article.
What types of articles get curated on Medium?
Personal experience narratives with specific details, contrarian takes with evidence, original data or research, and practical how-to guides with clear actionable steps. Generic listicles and AI-ghostwritten content without personal voice are rarely curated.
Can I repurpose my blog content on Medium?
Yes. Use Medium's Import Story tool (medium.com/p/import) — it adds a canonical link back to your blog automatically. Publish on your blog first, wait 2–4 weeks, then crosspost. Google sees your blog as the source; Medium traffic is additive with no duplicate content penalty.
