I've made a point to never paywall poetry or flash fiction (under 1K words). Stories over 1K and nonfiction, with a few exceptions, I generally paywall. I think it helps a little; those stories don't get a ton of views because they're not Medium-optimized content, but the engagement they get is genuine. I'd rather have someone enjoy my poem than make $0.03 off them. I make anywhere from $50-$200/month with this strategy.