Medium is one of the easiest platforms to start blogging without paying for hosting or domain. With millions of monthly readers and a clean writing interface, it has become a powerful place for affiliate marketers to publish content and earn commissions.
If you’re looking to start affiliate marketing on Medium for free, this guide walks you through everything step-by-step — what works, what doesn’t, and how to get your first affiliate commissions.
TL;DR
- Medium is free and beginner-friendly for affiliate blogging
- You can use affiliate links, but must disclose them
- Publishing under a Medium publication boosts traffic
- The goal is to create high-quality, search-friendly content
- Start with 3–5 affiliate programs + product guides
Why Medium Is Perfect for Affiliate Marketing
Medium gives beginners major advantages:
- No hosting or domain costs
- Built‑in traffic (100M+ readers/month)
- Articles can rank quickly on Google
- Easy to write, format, and publish
- No website technical skills needed
Unlike personal websites, Medium lets you focus only on writing, not managing tools.
Step 1: Create Your Free Medium Account
Go to: medium.com
Sign up using:
- Twitter (X)
Then complete your profile:
- Add a bio (include your niche)
- Add a profile picture (optional)
- Add relevant interests
This helps Medium recommend your posts better.
Step 2: Pick a Niche That Performs Well on Medium
Medium readers love:
- Tech
- Productivity
- Personal finance
- AI tools
- Business & startups
- Side hustles
- Digital marketing
- Software tools
- Health & self‑improvement
These niches are also excellent for affiliate marketing.
Best combo = high search demand + affiliate-friendly products.
Step 3: Join the Right Affiliate Programs
The top affiliate programs for Medium bloggers:
1. Amazon Associates
Great for:
- Book reviews
- Gadgets
- Office equipment
2. SaaS Affiliate Programs (Best Payout)
- Jasper AI
- Notion
- SEMrush
- Grammarly
- Webflow
- Canva
These pay recurring commissions.
3. Digital Product Affiliate Networks
- Gumroad
- Lemon Squeezy
- Creative Market
4. Online Course Platforms
- Coursera
- Udemy
- Skillshare
5. Niche-Specific Programs
Examples:
- Fitness apps
- Finance tools
- AI tools
- Productivity apps
Choose 3–5 programs to begin.
Step 4: Understand Medium’s Affiliate Link Rules (Important!)
Medium allows affiliate links, but requires:
You MUST disclose affiliate links.
Use a simple line like:
“This article contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you purchase through them.”
Avoid writing spammy sales content.
Medium prefers:
- Tutorials
- Reviews
- Personal experience
- Case studies
- Product comparisons
Write to help readers, not only to sell.
Step 5: Write High‑Converting Affiliate Articles
These types of articles work extremely well on Medium:
1. Product Reviews
“Grammarly Review 2026: Is It Worth It?”
2. Comparison Articles
“Notion vs Obsidian: Which Productivity App Wins?”
3. List Posts
“10 Best AI Tools for Freelancers in 2026”
4. Tutorials Using the Product
“How I Automated My Workflow Using Zapier (Beginner Guide)”
5. Case Studies
“How I Saved 10 Hours/Week Using Notion Templates”
These naturally include affiliate links without being pushy.
Step 6: Publish Under Large Medium Publications
This is the key to getting free traffic.
Submit your articles to large publications like:
- Better Marketing
- The Startup
- Mind Cafe
- Illumination
- Personal Growth Lab
- Better Humans
Benefits:
- Higher visibility
- Built-in audience
- Faster SEO traction
Publishing under strong publications = more affiliate clicks.
Step 7: Optimize Every Blog for SEO
Medium articles rank fast on Google.
Optimize:
- Title → include keywords
- Subheadings → include search terms
- Use clean, structured paragraphs
- Add FAQs at the end
- Use tags (up to 5)
Example SEO title:
“How to Start Affiliate Marketing on Medium (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)”
Step 8: Add Your Affiliate Links the Right Way
Best practices:
- Add 1 link in the introduction
- Add 2–3 links inside the body
- Add 1 final link in the conclusion
- Use text-based links (not ugly URLs)
Example:
Try Notion (affiliate link)
Avoid:
- Adding too many links
- Using link shorteners (Medium flags them)
Step 9: Promote Your Medium Articles (Optional but Helpful)
You can boost traffic by sharing:
- On X (Twitter)
- In Facebook groups
- On LinkedIn
- In Subreddits
- In your WhatsApp groups
- Through your email list
Even without promotion, Medium can give organic traction.
Step 10: Scale to 50+ Articles
Affiliate marketing grows with volume.
Aim to publish:
- 10 articles in month 1
- 30 articles in 3 months
- 50+ articles in 6 months
More articles = more traffic = more commissions.
Best Affiliate Niches on Medium (2026)
- Artificial Intelligence tools
- Productivity apps
- Finance tools
- Digital marketing tools
- Learning & courses
- Startup software
- Creator economy tools
These convert extremely well.
Final Thoughts
Medium is still one of the best free blogging platforms for affiliate marketers.
With the right niche, quality writing, SEO strategy, and thoughtful affiliate placement, you can earn consistent commissions without ever buying hosting or building a website.
Start simple.
Write useful content.
Recommend products you genuinely trust.
Your first affiliate sale is sooner than you think.
