5 Things Top Writers Don’t Do

A guide for choosing content that attracts readers.

In my constant quest to find material to lure in new readers, I went to the source. Six of Medium’s top writers. Sure, I could have made a list of topics that get the most claps, but that’s not what caught my eye. I noticed a trend that could be more helpful than picking the hot issue of the day.

I discovered that what these writers chose NOT to write about was more intriguing to me than what they actually published. I wondered if that was one of the keys to their success. None of my selected authors chose to write about topics I often find in my daily feed. What is the difference? They get far more claps, and that makes them, well, more successful. I’m thinking there’s a lesson here. Some research seems to back up their methods.

Here are the writers I chose to examine (I’m sure you know the names):

Zat Rana: 100k followers

Meghan Daum: 9k followers

Timothy Kreider: 3.5 k followers

Darius Foroux: 145k followers

Felicia C. Sullivan: 18.4k followers

Kris Gage: 75k followers

I didn’t pick these writers because I think they write better than anyone else or endorse their points of view necessarily, but because they consistently produce articles that draw 1k claps, and often clap numbers above 5k, 10k, and 15k. When it comes to success on Medium, these folk are on to something. Yes, they have a voice that resonates, and that’s not easy to reprlicate. But so do many writers who fail to achieve their success.

We can see other things they do well; good craft, timely topics, marketing skills. But let’s also take a look at what they don’t do. Are these factors in their success? I’ll let you decide.

1. They don’t talk about how much money they make on Medium.

When writers’ claps veer into stratospheric numbers every month, it’s safe to assume they’re also making bank. Yet, extrapolating earnings from claps is a fool’s errand because we don’t know all the factors in the algorithm. Are all their fans Medium members? These top writers aren’t talking.

Is staying mum about money a strategic decision because blogging about bucks doesn’t draw readers like their favorite topics? Or do they avoid discussing financials because they don’t have the chops or the interest?

I can’t say for sure.I just know you rarely find a copy of an earnings report or a “how to do Medium” article from any of my chosen six.

2. They don’t talk about sex.

Some Medium gripers complain that you can’t succeed on the platform without revealing every detail of your sex life. However, this successful six stays mum on what happens between their sheets. But if you’re unhappy with your earnings and think it’s because your articles about travel or crypto or productivity aren’t getting the exposure you desire, you can’t blame it on the masters of the tell-all sexual reveal.

Take a look at this article by another Medium rock star, Shannon Ashley. Some people know her as a writer of explicit sex. But if you think she’s a one trick pony, you’d be very wrong. Yes, she does tell all on occasion. But here’s what she has to say about making money by writing about sex.

Shannon does her own thing and no one can copy an original. But none of the other really, really REALLY successful writers I’ve looked at kiss and tell, at least here on Medium. So if you think you have to take it all off to make it big, there’s that.

3. They don’t spread toxic negativity.

I don’t assume that these writers are ready for sainthood. I’m sure they have traumas, grudges, and find other humans as irritating as the rest of us at times. But they don’t air any dirty laundry, at least of a personal nature, on Medium.

Yes, they may call out bad practices or habits that get in our way. Some can level an F-bomb with the best of them. But don’t confuse frustration with the human condition that they use as a teaching moment with gaslighting, with undermining someone else’s success, with envy, or tearing down a house someone else built instead of focusing on their own foundation.

I’m sure you’ve come across writers who zero in on complaints about other writers. They may not cross a line and take care not to name names in violation of Medium’s TOS. Yet they can make it clear they have grudges about someone else’s chosen niche or means of success. Or, they come close to copying an article or steal an idea without giving credit to the original poster. But you won’t find that behavior from the folks who’ve risen to the top of the food chain.

They dig deep into their own research and write about their own experience doing life on their terms. They lead by example and let the rest of us do us. They don’t spread negativity that can undermine a fledgling writer’s confidence in either their own worth or their potential on Medium or Medium itself. Maybe they have discovered the pieces that show it doesn’t pay.

In writing clean, that is telling it like it is without spinning a narrative that turns a story unnecessarily dark and damaging, they do the work of real teachers. Showing all sides of life, letting us make up our minds, or shining a light on experiences and insights that guide the way for the rest of us.

They don’t deliberately lead us into darkness because that’s all they can see. They’ve done and continue to do the hard work of separating the wheat from the chaff on the hard issues in life. While we may not always agree with them, we know we can trust their intentions.

In other words, they have integrity.

4. They don’t trash Medium.

Newsflash: Medium isn’t perfect. Really? Is that a headline? What is perfect in this world comprised of humans? But some writers like to make a name for themselves as a diagnostician of error, outlining all of Medium’s ills and mismanagement. But not the successful writers I read.

They may have a bone to pick with the way Medium does business, or doesn’t as the case may be. Sure, they get thousands of claps and jillions of followers. But with millions of readers available to us all, maybe they want to know why they don’t have more views, or their claps aren’t worth more at the end of the month. These are my speculations because the big dogs aren’t talking.

They spend their Medium real estate focused on their expertise, writing about the topics that deliver the goods. . .the claps that keep them at the top of the Top Writer mountain. Are these superstars telling us that trashing Medium doesn’t help anyone? And is that a life lesson and not just a Medium lesson?

5. They don’t wander all over the map when they pick their topics.

Winners stay in their lane. The top writers have picked a niche where they have expertise and followers, and they stick with their genre. While Medium allows you to cast a wide net, this is not the strategy they choose. They do deep dives on love and relationships, productivity, personal development, philosophy, or some other area of interest.

It goes without saying that each of these topics has wide margins and, like a diamond, offer many facets. Each of these writers explore all sides of a topic.

They don’t seem to get bored with their subject matter. They use their imagination the way a Ph.D. candidate does, to go wide and to go deep, to go wherever it takes them.

So much for my handful of winners. As many have opined on this platform, there are many ways to do Medium. You can write about sex and money and make big money. If you’re a polymath, have at here and write about everything under the sun.

I’m saying those topics won’t give you a let up on the platform. In listing the five clues I’ve discovered, I’m not giving you a prescription for success on Medium. There doesn’t seem to be one. But if you want to rise to the top, you’ll never go wrong by looking at what the leaders do.

In that spirit, I offer you my observations of 5 pitfalls these six writers avoid. They may all make a liar out of me next week by writing intimate details of their sex lives and how much money each of their articles earns. But if they do, guess what, I’ll have something new to write about. And you’ll have a ball throwing shoes at me.

More of articles to help you achieve success on Medium.