3 Mistakes to Avoid to Get Published in the Big Medium Publications

How to stop being overlooked, ignored, or rejected by these publications

Nearly all of my highest-paid stories on Medium have one thing in common: they were published by one of the big publications.

Why would you want to be published in the big Medium publications? These publications are referred to as Medium’s editorial group. They stand apart from other publications on Medium because they have a budget to pay you, the author. They will work with you to edit your story. They guarantee curation. And they have a huge following.

Basically, if you get your story into one of their publications, it’s going to do well.

I’ve been published in Human Parts, OneZero, Tenderly, and Forge. I’ve pitched them dozens of times. And I have kept the receipts of everything I did wrong so you can avoid these mistakes.

1. Do Your Research on What They’ve Already Published

This one is such a rookie mistake it’s actually embarrassing to show you, but I want to demonstrate that ticking basic boxes will go a long way to helping you be accepted by the big publications.

The first thing you should do when you have an idea you think would be a great fit is to check if it’s so great a fit that they’ve already published it.

This was one of the first times I ever pitched Forge and got rejected, so not a great way to make a first impression. And it’s such an easy thing to check that there’s no excuse for not doing it.

Many times, we’ll avoid this step for the same reason we might avoid checking our bank account or going to the doctor: we don’t want bad news. But just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. You owe it to yourself to check and give yourself the best odds possible.

2. Always Remember to Follow Up

“Oh, I don’t want to bother them! They’re so busy! Two emails are way too many!”

That’s me, about a year ago. I was terrified to follow up after pitching because I didn’t want to be that annoying writer, always in their inbox.

What I didn’t realize was that it’s not annoying — editors are busy, and a little nudge can be helpful for them, too.

Here are the screenshots to prove it. I pitched Forge this story on September 12, 2019.

No word. I was afraid to ask again because I didn’t want to be annoying. But I decided the story was good enough that it was worth just a quick followup:

And literally within half an hour, Forge got back to me:

The result was this story. So far it’s earned me over $200. Not bad for a two-email follow-up.

You have to believe in your stories if you want them to be published by the big publications on Medium. Believe in them enough to write them and believe in them enough that they’re worth a follow-up email.

3. Never Give Up Hope

I had never pitched Tenderly because I didn’t think my writing was the best fit for their topics. This is despite me writing about my cats (a lot). Nevertheless, I didn’t even reach out. Frankly, I was afraid of rejection.

A few months ago, Jack Shepard from Tenderly actually reached out to me on a story I published a year ago.

Not only has that actually given it a huge boost (it’s now one of my top ten stories) but I’ve since been brave enough to submit and be published with Tenderly a couple of times.

The lesson you should take away is that if you’ve never been published in the big Medium pubs, it doesn’t mean it will never happen. It also means you shouldn’t shy away from submitting. Even if you think you’re not a great fit, you might be wrong.

Pitching and being published by the big Medium publications is one of the proudest milestones of my journey on Medium. My stories in those pubs have earned me over $1,500 alone, and they’ve been some of my most popular stories.

Lots of writers on Medium are afraid to even pitch, but you shouldn’t be. It can be the boost you need to start making it big on this platform, and it’s good practice no matter what. The worst that can happen is that you’re rejected. But the best that can happen is you get a ton of visibility on a story you care about.

If you’re going to give your story the chance it deserves, just make sure to do these three things: Do your research on what’s been published recently, always follow up within a week, and even if it’s silence on the other end of your pitch, never give up hope.