On August 6, 2024, Medium significantly broadened its reach by expanding its Partner Program eligibility to include writers from over 77 new countries, with a special focus on several African nations. This expansion aims to empower a diverse set of voices and enable content creators from these regions to monetize their work.
New African Countries Included
The newly included African countries are:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
Monetization Features
With the new expansion, writers in these countries can now earn revenue through Medium’s Partner Program. This includes earnings from:
- In-Stream Ads on Facebook: Ads displayed before, during, or after video content.
- Facebook Ads on Reels: Ads appearing within short-form video content.
The earnings are based on the engagement from Medium members, such as reading time, claps, highlights, replies, and new follows. Writers can choose to place their stories behind a paywall, making them accessible only to paying Medium members. Payments are processed through Stripe.
READ ALSO: Meta Introduces Monetization Features for Kenyan Content Creators
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Medium Partner Program, writers must:
- Be Medium members.
- Have published a story in the last six months.
- Have a bank account in an eligible country.
- Be at least 18 years old.
Earnings are calculated based on the time Medium members spend engaging with the content. Additionally, Boost nominators from these African countries can now participate and receive a flat fee for each story selected for extra visibility.
CEO’s Vision
Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium, emphasized the platform’s commitment to diverse storytelling:
“At Medium, we believe there are great stories everywhere. We are trying to build a better Internet because we want to be a home for perspectives from as diverse a set of countries, demographics, cultures, and lived experiences as we can. In expanding our Partner Program, we hope these new voices will help deepen our collective understanding of the world through their writing.”
How to Get Started
For writers looking to join the Partner Program:
- Sign Up: Become a Medium member.
- Eligibility Check: Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria.
- Onboarding: Complete the onboarding process by connecting to a Stripe account and providing taxpayer information to Tipalti.
- Monetization: Decide whether to enable monetization for each story.
The integration of Stripe ensures that all the newly included countries can receive cross-border payouts, making it easier for writers to monetize their work.
Opportunities for African Content Creators
This move by Medium follows similar initiatives by other global platforms like Meta, which updated its policy in June 2024 to enable content creators in Nigeria and Ghana to earn ad revenue on Instagram and Facebook. As of August 6, 2024, these monetization tools have also been rolled out to content creators in Kenya.
These developments reflect a growing recognition of the rich talent pool in Africa and the demand for diverse voices in the digital space, opening new opportunities for African creators to monetize their content and reach a global audience.
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