Publishing on Medium: A step-by-step guide for budding writers

Recently, I’ve noticed an uptick in the number of people asking me how to get started publishing on Medium. So, I thought I’d share my process here (and hopefully that will save you guys some time). This guide assumes that you already know how to write well and that your goal is to publish well-written pieces on Medium for a larger audience.

1. Choose a topic

The first step is to choose a topic that you’re interested in and that you’re knowledgeable about. If you’re not sure what to write about, spend some time browsing the Medium Publication Topics page, which is a great resource for finding interesting stories to read and ideas to write about. Medium users are generally willing to pay for good writing. If you’re an expert, Medium is a great platform for syndicating your knowledge and sharing it with the world.

2. Write a compelling headline

Your headline should be short and memorable, but also convey what the piece is about. Many publications have guidelines that spell out what kinds of headlines get the best engagement. You can also see how other pieces on Medium are doing by using Can I Rank?, a useful resource for getting an idea of what kinds of headlines tend to do well.

3. Write a lead paragraph that sucks your reader in

The goal here is to convey, in just a few words, why your topic is interesting. It’s also a good idea to include some of the ideas you plan on covering, regardless of how tangential they might be to your overall topic.

4. Write it!

I don’t have any special advice here, except that writing on Medium is very different from writing for yourself or for an audience of friends and family. When you’re writing for Medium, it’s important to think about how to structure your piece, how to make your argument, and how to hook your readers.

5. Find a good image

Adding an eye-catching image to your post is a great way to help engage readers. You can either find a free image to use, or pay for one from a stock photo site.

6. Share your piece with others

Once you’ve finished writing your piece, it’s important to share it with others. Share it on social media, email it to your friends and family, and post it on relevant forums and websites. The more people who read your piece, the better.

7. Tag your piece appropriately for maximum engagement

Many writers don’t think of tagging as being an integral part of writing on Medium, but it is one of the most useful tools available to you. Tagging allows other users who are interested in your content to find it more easily. You can also use tags to help readers find related stories. You can also create custom tags, which allow you to make it easier for other users to find your content in the future.

8. Schedule your posts for maximum reach

Scheduling your posts for maximum reach is a smart practice whether you’re publishing on Medium or anywhere else. This allows you to bring traffic to your site later, when people are more likely to be interested in what you have to say.

9. Embed your piece to gain more traffic

Embedding is another great way to get more traffic for your piece. Many people don’t realize that you can embed almost anything, including maps, videos, and charts, but also other pieces on Medium. This is a great way to help get your content in front of more people.

10. Monitor your stats and learn from them

It’s important to keep track of how your pieces are doing so that you can learn what works and what doesn’t. Medium provides some great tools for monitoring your stats, including read time, social shares, and audience engagement. Use these stats to help you improve your writing and to find the topics that people are most interested in.

11. Publish regularly

Use a tool like Writemo to create writing goals and help keep track of your progress towards them. The most important part of writing is consistency, and Writemo or a similar tool can help keep you on track and accountable.

Some bonus tips for getting the most out of your Medium posts:

1. Make your posts as long as they need to be

Medium posts are typically longer, but not always. It’s a good idea to make your posts as long as they need to be for you to say what you want to say fully and completely.

2. Don’t just re-write your normal content

Writing on Medium is a great way to expand your audience, but it’s also important to make sure that you’re adding value. Be sure to convey new insights and information in your posts instead of simply re-writing what you’ve already written on your own blog.

3. Keep an eye on how people are engaging with your writing

One of the best ways to find topics and write more about them is by paying attention to how people are engaging with your writing. Look at comments, re-tweets, and Likes to get a feel for what content resonates with your audience.

FAQs:

What is Medium?

Medium is an online publishing platform that aims to better connect content creators with their intended audience. The website allows users to write on pretty much any topic they want, making it ideal for people of all interests.

Where can I publish my own writing?

You can create your own profile and write directly on the site, or you can post articles on your own blog and then link to them from Medium.

What if I want to repost something on my own blog?

You’re welcome to do that, but make sure that you add value to the content by adding new insights or information. Also, be sure to give credit to the original author.

Conclusion

These steps are the best ways to get started on Medium. Putting your content in front of more people is half the battle, but it’s still important to make sure that you’re adding value to every post. Following these steps will allow you to do just that.