3 Secrets Medium Writers Learn Too Late
Your Medium article not getting reads? Newsflash— it’s because you’re boring your readers to tears (probably).
Don’t worry though, I got you covered.
Here are 3 secret rules to get more clicks and reads.
RULE #1 — Talk To Me Chief
Over the weekend I was listening to an episode of Tim Ferris’ podcast titled “The 4-Hour Workweek Revisited.”
If you don’t know, the 4-Hour Workweek is a massively successful book published in 2007.
It spent around 7 years on the NYT Best Seller List and has sold more than 2 million copies in 40 different languages.
Even today, it holds it’s place among the most highlighted books on Amazon, next to the Holy Bible.
So what was his secret?
After scrapping multiple first drafts, Ferris realized that he was trying too hard to write for a broad audience.
And the result was, well —
Bad writing.
So he opened up his email, and wrote to two of his best friends.
This literally became the draft to his best-selling book.
You might ask —
Isn’t that too niche?
Well, if the book did more than 2 million, probably not.
Why?
Psychographics.
Although Tim Ferris wrote the book to a very niche audience (29 year old men in his shoes), it instantly resonated with the masses.
By being PERSONAL, he was able to tap in to the values, goals, and attitudes of his readers.
Your audience is not limited to demographic factors such as age, race, gender, and location.
So how do you get personal?
Imagine that you are having a conversation with a close friend or your past self.
Then write.
RULE #2 — Voice Yourself
If you’re writing on Medium, your audience will be readers AND writers.
Once you know your audience and niche, you will automatically find your tone.
Remember —
You’re NOT publishing a scientific journal.
People don’t want to read dull paragraphs on Medium.
Here’s an example:
“We said that habits allow humans to achieve a desire, but habits can also be used to find comfort. If you feel stagnated in life, there is a good chance that you are spending too much time in comfort. It doesn’t have to be this way. You have the power to change your life, by changing just one habit. It’s your phone habit. Our modern world is full of comforts, and your phone habit is the one committing the wildest display of time theft. Instead of retreating to your phone in moments of boredom or discomfort, choose to embrace the tangible world.”
Did you read that?
You scrolled right?
If your audience wanted to read a novel, they would go do that.
Medium is about personality and stories.
TLDR:
- Keep a casual tone of voice
- Make it easy to read (3–4 sentences max)
- Spark emotion
RULE #3 — Extras Please
If you’re into self-improvement like me, you might have added “How to Win Friends & Influence People” to your collection.
With 30 million copies sold, it’s one of THE most famous books of all time.
You know what I found interesting?
The entire book could be summarized into a page, maybe 2 pages max.
It’s 250 pages.
Why?
Dale Carnegie doesn’t just tell the reader what to do.
That wouldn’t be convincing at all.
Instead he gives dozens of real-world examples to allow the reader to “see” his principles in action.
Think of it this way —
If I told you that I have 3 ways to improve your writing, and then just listed them as bullet points —
Would you care?
No.
You don’t want a pizza with no toppings right?
Come with the extras please.
BONUS SECRETS:
If your work is undeniably great but you’re not getting clicks, try these —
- Use inspiration from titles you’ve clicked on before
A fellow writer friend told me to always keep a running list of titles that I’ve clicked on before.
Now I have a catalogue of highly clickable titles at my disposal.
- Create an interesting hook
You can use the same method as title creation. Starting a hook with “imagine” or a rhetorical question are also easy ways to get the ideas flowing.
- Use a captivating thumbnail
Go to the Medium search bar and type in the title to your article.
What type of thumbnails are you seeing?
That’s your inspiration right there.
