There's another factor that affects profitability.The number of reads that writer X receives doesn't translate directly into profitability. Medium pays out more for a single read if the reader in question isn't a voracious reader. The actual numbers in the explanation below don't reflect Medium's payout algorithm, but to simplify, let's assume that I have 1,000 faithful readers / subscribers. Each time one of my "fans" reads something I 've published, that individual's "contribution" to my profit is determined by how many articles that fan has read for the month. This is a fairly logical payout method. Medium can't afford to make "large" payouts to writer X if X's readers are reading a gazillion articles. On the other hand, if writer X gets one read from a reader who has read few articles that month,then writer X will make a larger net profit from that reader than from the voracious readers.

So if your goal is to maximize your profits from a given article over the long haul, your best strategy is to attract NEW readers. Now this result isn't easy to figure out, but in general, the more that a particular article will seem "fresh" (i.e. appealing) over time, the more NEW readers it will attract.

"Freshness over time" is more likely proportional to the reader's perception of quality than to any other factor.

In sum, over a long period of time (say 5-10 years), an article that has solid appeal should bring in more profit than a flash-in-the-pan / click-baity article that capitalizes on the moment but sinks out of view shortly thereafter.

Quality is not necessarily directly proportional to profit, but there is a link.