Publishing on Medium has been an enlightening journey, filled with plenty of lessons learned along the way. Looking back, there are five key things I wish I had known before embarking on this adventure.
Firstly, understanding your audience is essential. Medium’s readership is diverse and global, but it leans towards a more professional and educated demographic. Knowing who you’re writing for can help guide your tone, style, and content choices. It’s not about changing your unique voice to fit in; rather it’s about knowing how to effectively communicate with your specific audience.
Secondly, quality trumps quantity every time. Initially, I thought that publishing frequently would increase my visibility and following. However, I quickly realized that Medium’s algorithm favors well-written articles over hastily written ones published daily or weekly. The platform encourages thoughtful storytelling and insightful analysis over quick hits or clickbait titles.
The third thing I wish I knew was the importance of networking within the platform itself. Engaging with other writers by reading their work, leaving meaningful comments and responses can significantly boost your profile visibility as well as enrich your own learning experience. This community engagement also increases the chances of having others recommend or share your work.
Fourthly, mastering Medium’s curation guidelines is crucial for success on the platform because curated articles gain more exposure compared to non-curated ones. Curation involves a team at Medium handpicking high-quality stories to be distributed across various topics on the site; hence being aware of what they look for in a story can greatly improve one’s chances of getting curated.
Lastly but certainly not least important: patience is paramount when publishing on Medium. Success doesn’t come overnight – it takes time to build up a following and establish yourself as a writer worth reading regularly on this platform (or any other). Understanding that growth here is often slow yet steady helps keep expectations realistic while still pushing towards improvement with each piece published.
In conclusion, the journey of publishing on Medium has been one of discovery and growth. I have learned about the importance of understanding my audience, prioritizing quality over quantity, networking within the platform, mastering curation guidelines and above all else – practicing patience. Each lesson has been invaluable in shaping my writing career on this platform. So to those embarking on their own Medium journey: take these lessons to heart and happy writing!