7 Unspoken Ways to Succeed on Medium

Observations about writing on Medium that no one is talking about

What are the secrets to Medium that no one is talking about?

As I’ve been spending an unhealthy amount of time on this platform, I’ve noticed the ins and outs of Medium over these past 6 months. As I’ve written a little over 100 articles, I’ve been able to see what has worked for me and what hasn’t.

I’ve also read hundreds of articles based on the comments I’ve left on other people’s articles so I’ve also been able to reflect on what I’m reading in the world of Medium. I’ve noticed my stats, my earnings, and the claps that I and others have been receiving on their articles.

Here are my observations on what’s working on Medium. I have to say that this is what I’m noticing from my experience and my observation from writing on Medium. These tips and suggestions may work for you, they may not. Take them if they resonate, toss them if they don’t.

Also, I’m not going to humblebrag here and tell you how much I’ve earned and how amazing my progress has been over the past few months but you’re welcome to read about that here.

Here are 7 strategies that are working on Medium that not many people are talking about. Let me know if these points resonate with you in the comments. Let’s help each other succeed on this platform.

1. Writing truthfully.

There are lots of people who write on Medium and elsewhere on the internet. They want you to believe that they have found the secret to success or have figured out how to do something well. They figured out the formula for love, for making money online, for finding a job, etc. What they do is write about how well they’re doing and how they’ve conquered whatever it is you’re struggling with.

The only problem is that people are writing overly positive articles that sweep all the pain and struggle under the carpet. It looks like readers are tired of all the feel-good crap and just want to be told how it is. The people who can give it to you straight in their posts seem to be writing posts that do well. One of my favorite writers who holds nothing back is Gurpreet Dhariwal who speaks with much authenticity and truth. As an example, get ready to be blown away by this post, Fifty Shades of Gurpreet Dhariwal. It will leave you speechless.

2. Writing with a tribe.

There are so many benefits of writing as part of a tribe or a group of people. You will have people who will read your work, comment on your work and share your work. You won’t hear crickets as much and will feel motivated to keep on writing.

You may not know who your tribe is and how to find out? Basically, look for people who are writing on topics that you care about and of interest to you. Start engaging with their work and leave them comments. The people who reply to you and start engaging with you are your tribe. How do you build a strong tribe? Check out this post by Agnes Louis on how to build a strong tribe. Not only does she do this well with her own readers but has also created a newsletter to share the work of other writers. She’s building her tribe while promoting the people in her tribe. Win win!

3. Writing on one topic.

You don’t have to niche but if you did, you would have a dedicated group of people reading you. If you had a strong interest in a particular subject, then go all-in on that subject. Start a publication on that topic. People who love that topic will keep showing up for it.

This is exactly what Kimberly Fosu has done with Mystic Minds where she explores all things spirituality. It’s also what Fatim Hemraj regularly does on a much more gruesome topic — true crimes. If you think life is good and you won’t be killed by a stranger, check out her publication called My Crime Fetish. She knows that if you have a crime fetish, you will find your way over to her publication. Also, Sergey Faldin writes about creating content for content creators. He is single-minded on this topic here at the Honest Creative.

4. Writing about your specific experiences.

I notice that there are writers who seamlessly weave in their personal life experiences into their stories and I enjoy reading all of their personal stories. Their stories don’t just make a point but they use their own life as an example to make the point. The stories are touching, emotional and engaging.

Instead of writing about random happenings in the world or things that generally happen, try your hand out at weaving your personal life experiences into your posts. Writers like Tracy Luk in this piece, Cocoa Griot in this piece, Sarah Paris in this piece, Elan Cassandra in this piece, Tracy Stengel in this piece, Adriana Sim in this piece and s.n.y in this piece are able to seamlessly weave in personal stories about their life experiences to make their points. They seem to stay away from generalities and use their lives to source wisdom.

5. Writing with humor.

I had no idea that humor works on Medium but it does. I also had no idea that I could write humor but my top writer status seems to indicate I can. You can tell people something simply and concisely. You can share something that might put them to sleep or you can share the same information in an entertaining way that makes them laugh out loud like Roz Warren regularly inspires us to.

I was experimenting last month with humor because I was putting myself to sleep as I was writing my own posts. At some point, I stopped caring what others thought and simply decided to exaggerate my points to the ninth degree. I threw in exaggeration, white lies, sarcasm, and absurdity. I just pretended like I was the current occupant in the White House.

It’s so much easier to read things when you’re being entertained. You’re more likely to absorb the information too. These funny pieces I wrote about Medium’s internal changes and about 12 writers who will make you quit reading Medium have been my best read and highest-earning posts.

6. Writing about Medium

I know this isn’t much of a secret but I am going to say it anyway. It’s not just posts about how much you can earn on Medium that do well. All of us know this. If you want a viral article that earns you $10 in a quick minute, steal this title, How Much I Made on Medium Last Month, and write about how much you earned on Medium last month. It will be your top earning article every time you write one of these posts.

Here is the part that isn’t mentioned as much which is articles on how to succeed on Medium. I know that articles about Medium don’t get curated but they sure do get read a whole lot. I wrote about how to put people to sleep on Medium here and how to succeed on Medium without taking a course here and they’ve both done extremely well. Writing about how to write better, market your writing better and Medium better can help you find success on Medium.

7. Writing regularly

You know all the advice out there about writing consistently to become a better writer and to become better at Medium? All true. Yet, there’s one unspoken benefit of Medium by writing regularly. As I’ve been watching my stats, I’ve noticed that there is an upside and tangible benefit of writing regularly. When I’m writing every day or every other day, my reads are nearly double of when I publish irregularly.

There’s something to be said about publishing regularly which makes the Medium algorithm work on your behalf. The more frequent you publish, the more active the Medium algorithm works for you. The less you publish, the less Medium works for you.

Not only is more regular publishing helpful for improving your writing but in the Medium universe, more frequent publishing means your writing is shown to more people.

These 7 tips are some of the things that I’v been noticing on Medium for the past six months as I’ve been spending more time on the platform. Some basic Medium strategies go a long ways to helping you be more successful on Medium.

Having one topic, having a supporting tribe, using humor, and regular publishing are just some of the tips you can implement today to get more out of your Medium writing experience.

What have you found that has worked for you? Please share your thoughts below and help others out who are new to the world of Medium writing.