Medium Publications That Will Immediately Curate Your Story
A detailed list of submission tips and tricks
Updated: May 1st, 2022
Medium has recently launched multiple changes that, I guess, you all have already noticed.
Curation did not disappear, but it became less noticeable and understandable for writers. You are no longer able to see curation topics in the article’s “details.” Instead, here is what you might see if your article is curated— “Chosen for distribution.” What if not?
Since curation updates are not always displayed right away, you might struggle to understand if your post is curated. Unfortunately, there is no interim status, “We are processing your story,” any longer.
A shift towards fresh content recommendation makes writers stay active on the platform since old content is rarely recommended these days.
The new design layout makes it easier for writers to check the publication follower’s stats. It is displayed in the main page's top-left corner (valid for a new layout only). This is a great improvement, which helps you to estimate the potential of a publication easily.
Luckily, Medium Partner publications did not disappear! The number of pubs that partner with Medium and curate accepted stories is constantly growing.
List of Medium Partner Publications
I discovered these publications on my own, after publishing tons of pieces on Medium. Besides, I documented the experiences of other writers to create this list. Be informed, that these publications have a 70% rejection rate. You need to create excellent content to get accepted. Once you are there, your efforts will be rewarded!
BetterMarketing, 114k+ followers
I published my first post in BetterMarketing back in April 2020. Since then, I’ve been regularly contributing to BetterMarketing, and my posts are always curated.
Brittany Jezouit and Niklas Goke were both editors of BetterMarketing in the past years. To my knowledge, BetterMarketins does not have a dedicated editor now. The pub owner, Coach Tony, checks and accepts submissions these days.
It usually takes 2–3 days for my submissions to be checked and published. New writers have to wait around 3 days, according to the submission details.
This is my most successful post with over 4k views, which earned $100+ in BetterMarketing.
The publication gives you great exposure to more than 100k followers. Without any hesitation, give it a try!
Better Humans, 385k+ followers
Better Humans is a collection of trustworthy writing on human potential and self-improvement by coaches, academics, and self-experimenters.
BetterHumans used to pay $500 for a single article. However, it seems they have changed their requirements.
As of now, writers can only be paid through the Medium Partner Program and the sponsorship is no longer offered. It’s definitely a con that you won’t be paid extra money for your article. On the other hand, the pub seems to reduce its strict submission requirements.
Better Humans accepts short articles for 3+ minutes on various topics. You can learn more about their requirements by following the link below.
The publication usually responds within 7 days in case your article is accepted/rejected.
Better Programming, 204k+ followers
It is one of the publications run by Coach Tony on Medium. The publication is perfect for programmers who want to build authority and share tips with like-minded readers.
Submissions from existing writers are checked within a day, while new writers have to wait for 3 days to be accepted.
The publication welcomes case studies, tutorials, success stories for and from programmers.
UX Collective, 438k+ followers
The biggest pubs for UX, web, graphic designers, and researchers on Medium. If you are a designer willing to build a personal brand, you have to share your expert tips, former works, and case studies with the world. Medium pubs are great for building awareness.
UX Collective is quite responsive. Editors tend to respond within 1–2 days after the submission if your article is accepted/rejected.
Have something inspirational to share about product design? Without any hesitation, reach out to UX Collective.
The Writing Cooperative, 237k followers
The biggest Medium Partner publication that helps people write better. The publication accepts unique, high-quality articles that focus on creativity, writing, editing, publishing, everything that helps writers get better in writing.
If you struggle to get accepted with your pieces, conduct an interview with a professional writer (Medium is a great place to find one), transform an interview into a valuable read and submit it to the Writing Cooperative. The chances are high that it will be accepted.
Should you read a book by a famous writer — summarise the lessons learned and findings. Valuable tips and a unique point of view are 2 key components editors are looking for.
Entrepreneur’s Handbook, 215k followers
The biggest Medium publication about entrepreneurship, business, creativity, and startups, written for business people, enthusiasts, designers, and everyone interested in entrepreneurship.
The platform publishes around 20 high-quality pieces a week. These days, newbies have to wait 5–7 days to get accepted/rejected.
Amardep Parmar is the publication editor who will be checking your submissions. You might get some edit requests from him before the article is accepted for publication. Do not worry; it is usually a good sign.
It took me more than 7 days and a few editing rounds to publish this piece in the publication.
Read more about the submission requirements here:
The list will continue growing once new partner publications are discovered.
Publications Owned by Medium
Here is a list of Medium-owned publications that you might want to pitch with your ideas. It can take up to 2 weeks to receive an update since Medium is overloaded with submissions.
Here is Medium’s official page on how to submit stories to Medium’s Editorial Group:
Forge
It is a Medium-owned publication with more than 90k followers with a focus on personal development.
Here is what Forge shares about the submission:
We love stories about productivity, self-improvement, optimization, personal progress, mindfulness, and creativity. We also love stories that comment on the world of personal development in a thought-provoking way. Our stories are backed by journalistic rigor and offer a toolbox of research- and expert-backed strategies to work, live, and be more productive, inspired, and whole.
If you have pieces that are already live on Medium, email — [email protected].
Here is a detailed guideline from Forge in case you are interested:
Gen
A publication about politics, power, and culture.
Here is a summary of what Gen accepts for publication. However, if you decide to write for Gen, I strongly recommend checking their guidelines and example articles.
Narrative journalism that reflects the world we live in today: Where you just have to be there to tell the story. Take us inside a place we’ve never been before, tell us how the sausage is made.
Culture features: We’re not looking for straightforward book reviews or tv reviews, but broader essays that really make an argument about why we love to watch what we watch (or love to hate-watch). Have a theory about a celebrity or a cultural moment? Someone you have to profile because you know them like no one else? We want to hear it!
Profiles of surprising/fascinating people in the news: Maybe they aren’t always the face of a situation, maybe they’re a little behind the scenes. Maybe this is a person who made something you love or destroyed something you love.
Stories about money, work, and class. This can include on the ground reporting about a job or work experience, a personal essay about the experience of class, or a cultural essay about our changing understanding of class, inheritance, poverty, the middle class, etc.
Stories that get at climate change in new and interesting ways. How does climate change affect real estate, food, education, sports, television, houseplants, home renovation, reality TV, etc.
Stories about internet culture, youth culture, subcultures, and stories that are FUN with a purpose. If you want to visit with an interesting group of people or a strange place, you should have a good reason why!
Stories about marketing, advertising, consumerism. Surprising stories about things we encounter every day.
You can email them at [email protected].
OneZero
It is a Medium-owned publication with 218k followers about tech and science.
For pitching, email [email protected]
OneZero is a place for timely analysis and commentary from a stable of the sharpest thinkers and writers out there, as well as rich, colorful deep dives into the most unexpected corners of our digital universe.
Here is OneZero Pitch Guide:
Elemental
A Medium publication about health and wellness with 178k followers.
The publication accepts scientifically rigorous reporting in health and wellness that is useful, expert-informed, encouraging, and nuanced.
For pitching, email [email protected]
Here is Elemental Guide:
Marker
Marker is about business and how business impacts our world. The publication hit 93k followers these days.
They do not accept blandly written commodity news, clickbait, and listicle headlines, etc. The publication welcomes expert submissions about IPO, turning your balance sheet black, or contemplating becoming a B Corp, the world of startups, struggles, and failures of companies, leaders, legends, etc.
Scrutinize published stories and explore the style guidelines before you submit your pitch to the Marker.
For pitching, email [email protected]
Here is Marker Guide:
Human Parts
It is Medium’s home for personal stories, humanity, and perspectives. The publication has 298k followers as of now.
Unfortunately, the submission is closed these days due to the high volume of pitches from writers. Here is what Human Parts suggests to do:
Due to an overwhelming number of submissions, we’re currently pausing on accepting new pitches. While we catch up on reviewing our submissions archive, we’ll continue to scour Medium for great self-published stories and reach out to writers whose work fits the description below.
The best way to contribute, then? Self-publish your story on Medium, and if it’s a fit for us, trust that we’ll find it.
Index
It is a relatively new Medium-owned publication about work and career growth with just 4.2k followers.
Index accepts short stories with 3+ minutes. However, they are looking for unique perspectives and personal opinions.
If you believe your story could be a good fit for Index, you have to self-publish it with the tag “Work.” Index editors constantly review published blog posts on Medium. If your piece fits their requirements, they’ll leave you a note on the post, offering you to get it published in the Index.
This way, I published the following articles in the Index:
Index is a great publication to get additional eyeballs to your content, especially if you are a new writer. Give it a try!
Final Thoughts
Thousands of articles are published daily on Medium. Readers cannot consume that much information. Most probably, they do not even need to.
Medium employs experienced editors and writers to check each published piece and decide if it is worth being recommended to readers.
Medium has clear guidelines writers have to follow to be eligible for content distribution. However, even if you meet the editorial standards, there is no guarantee your article will be distributed.
It heavily depends on who checks the post if similar posts are recently curated, whether your article offers a unique perspective and if it has valuable lessons for readers.
Grab my 50-page guide to learn how I create blog posts that hit Google front page. You can easily replicate my 3-step process even if you are just starting.
You can get full access to every story on Medium for just $5/month by signing up through this link.
Your membership fee will directly support me and other writers on Medium to keep creating helpful content for you. :)