WRITING | WRITING ON MEDIUM
Don’t Engage On Medium. Do This Instead
Reframe your mindset, approach Medium differently
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Did you recently join Medium? Do you consider yourself a writer? Are you reading and following a variety of authors? Are you on a quest to crack the secret formula to success?
I know what everyone told you: be consistent.
No, wait, that’s not the one. It’s one of the main things, but that’s not it.
Engage!
Ding ding dong! We got a winner this time!..
Every new author here on Medium will be advised to engage. And then be consistent. You know what’s even better?
Be consistently engaged!
This is great advice. BUT IT’S WRONG!
Not the advice itself. It’s wrong how we take it. Our approach is twisted.
People frame engagement in the wrong way. It’s not just some robotic read-clap-comment nonsense. Change your attitude, because if you’re in just for the sake of that, it’s not going to work.
Intention is key
Medium is a community platform. Many new writers already noticed that:
- some stories have the same view and read ratio
- but the financial result may be different
Why?
Engagement. The article with more comments will earn you more brownies.
What does that mean?
Whatever we do on Medium, it has to be a conversation. Even an article — sure, it’s a post. Maybe no one will read it. But if it’s targeting a pain point, offering a solution and bringing value, probably they will.
If they like what they read — they will thank for it.
If it gives them a different perspective, they will clap at your genius — and will voice it out.
And you know what? If you hit a nerve, they will pick a bone with you.
Either way, it’s a discourse. Medium sees value in it and your story will be shown to a broader audience.
What are your goals here on Medium?
When we start, it can be difficult to define our niche. Writing sporadically, tapping into different audiences, areas and pubs. It’s fine. But where does it stand in the bigger picture?
Ask yourself:
- Do you know what kind of writer you want to be?
- Do you have a successful writer in mind? A role-model?
- What type of writing do you want to be known for?
- What are your audiences?
- What are your topics?
- What is the quality/standard you’re looking to achieve?
It’s fine if you don’t know (yet). But start thinking about it. And with that in mind…
Engage with intent
We need to be intentional with what we read — then it will come naturally. If you have an idea about the writer you want to be, it means you have a list of topics, pubs, authors and tags you follow. A wild guess, but wouldn’t you agree: these are the topics you want to write about?
That means we have several types of reading:
- Mandatory — maybe it’s our niche or profession…we want to be up to date. Some might be related to people we consider our peers/tribe — we want to know what they publish and how they’re doing.
- Interests/Niche — we need to read what’s interesting, motivating, and what resonates and inspires us.
The result?
We read ➡️ we learn
If we enjoy it ➡️ it brings creativity
When we agree or disagree ➡️ it brings out ideas
Mix, match and combine all of the above 🟰we express ourselves in the comments
This is proper engagement AND community creation.
It’s not robotic anymore. We do it because it’s interesting and enjoyable. Who knew creating a community of writer friends and dedicated readers could be this simple?..
Doesn’t sound that much of a faff anymore, does it?
Kudos to Brandon Springer who made me post this!
My scribbles dive into a variety of topics. Yet whether I scribble fantasy or horror, highly opinionated or research-driven pieces, I hope it leaves you with something to ponder: makes you feel better (or worse?..), strikes an inner monologue (hopefully, voiced out in the comments!) or simply gives you something to chew on, inspiring to keep the creative ball rolling.
Thank you for reading!