50+ Articles in Medium: What I Learned as a Writer

12 Writing tips that can help new writers

I dropped my first article in Medium back in 2015.

Then I went back to writing in my blog. I became busier and writing became less frequent.

Over this last year, I decided to write more frequently in Medium. I came back to see that the lonely article had gained thousands of views! That was a boost to start with.

But I had much to learn it seemed. The platform has changed a lot in the last few years. So, I started reading articles and exploring the platform.

Here’s what I learnt:

Learning 01: Write frequently, even if it is a small piece

Firstly, you will become a better writer if you keep on writing. Try to write at least one article per day. I have a very busy schedule due to work and family responsibilities. Yet, I write at least one article during weekdays.

How do I do it? I wake up early in the morning to start reading, researching, and then writing. During that morning I go through my Medium profile, check existing drafts, explore Medium even more and start on my first draft.

Writing frequently also will make you a more fluent writer. It is like exercising, your writing muscles get stronger after a while. You will then find writing much easier than before.

Learning 02: Don’t publish what you have just written

Just because you have written it, does not mean it is ready for the world. Leave the freshly-cooked article in the draft section and let it age.

What does it mean? 
You need to have a second look with fresh sets of eyes. Come back the next day to polish that article and then prepare for publishing.

Learning 03: Should I self-publish or not?

There is nothing wrong with self-publishing. My most viewed articles were also self-published. But if you go with a publication, you will likely get those extra views and engagement. Try to find publications in your niche which are accepting new writers and apply to be a writer. This is a good list, to begin with: A directory of 15 publications for new writers by Parag Mathur.

As a new writer, I found these 3 publications helped me grow.

Regarding publications, carefully read what they publish. If your articles are in similar themes then apply as a writer. It is likely the publication has attracted readers who are used to follow a certain theme of articles.

Learning 04: Use Medium tools to format your article

1. Start with a title
2. Followed by a subtitle.

How do you put in Subtitles? 
Select the text after the title and click on the small T.

3. After that, add an image to the article. If you are using Unsplash like many of us, don’t choose an image from the first page.

4. Use subheadings. A lot of readers will skim through your article. Subheadings will bring them back to the article.

Learning 05: Beginning and closing of the article

If you want to increase your view to read ratio, your opening has to be a strong magnet. If you want to get more engagement, your closing will have to tie everything together. Put extra thought when you are writing these two sections.

To learn more about this, I suggest you should choose writers you look up to. You can learn from their writing styles.

Learning 06: Use Grammarly to check the document

This is self-explanatory. Try to avoid any errors in the document by checking through Grammarly. It’s a web browser extension that detects errors in writing. If you have a premium version, you will get suggestions on sentence structures as well. I recommend starting with the free version.

There are also 4 other tools that can help you with your writing. Have a look below —

Learning 07: Publish at least one article every day

It is also important to identify when you want to publish. Try to publish when more readers are likely to be on the platform. For example, you can target PST 1–3 PM.

As per Casey Botticello, top writers like Tim Denning, umair haque publish more than once per day. There are also writers like Luay Rahil who publish 15 per month and earn thousands. So the choice is yours. Pick a pace you are comfortable with. The key idea is to be consistent.

Learning 08: Use the right tags

Add 5 tags to your article and use the correct tags. These tags can help your article rank higher. They will also make it easier for readers to find your article

I did a little research. I found that the following tags still have empty slots for top writers and they are relatively less competitive. . If they belong to your niche, you should use them.

1. Diversity
2. Racism
3. Reading
4. Ideas
5. Government
6. Venture
7. CapitalAdvice
8. LGBTQ
9. Feminism
10. BlackLivesMatter
11. Sustainability
12. Women in Tech
13. Investing
14. Economics

Once again, the key idea is to be consistent. You shouldn’t pick 30 different tags and spray them in different articles. Go for a handful and keep on using them.

Learning 09: Share on relevant social media

This part is tricky. If you are writing about sports, you can share in groups which discuss sports. Try to share as per the audiences’ taste.

I collated some Social Media that you can use if you want to share your articles there.

Learning 10: Read articles and Engage with others

Engagement is key. Read others’ articles, learn from them, leave a respectful and well-thought-out comment, and leave some claps. You will often see that your comments get claps from users. It’s possible they will visit your profile after being intrigued by the comment you left.

But please don’t spam. Everyone is writing so that we would read. Medium is not about writing but also reading & learning. It is important to remember that.

Learning 11: Do not check your stats too much

You can make a routine to check them from time to time. Stats can motivate you and give you guidance on what to do next. But if you look at them too often and see they are not improving fast enough, you might get demotivated.

There are a couple of extra tools that can enhance your stats.

Learning 12: Do not miss out on other aspects of life

Yes, you are starting something new. This will likely take a lot of time. But do not deprive your family or any other aspect of your life. Balance is key. As life tends to balance itself, you will be forced to change your approach if you don’t introduce balance by yourself.

Bonus Learning: Become a Medium Paid Member

You’d need to spend a lot of time on Medium. That becomes impossible if you are not a paid member. If you are interested, you can click on the image below to become a member. The image contains an affiliate link.

These 12 findings came from reading series of articles, writing, and checking the performance of my writings. Share your view on these and feel free to add anything new to it.

Another useful resource: