How to get ignored as a writer on Medium

Summary

To gain visibility as a writer on Medium, it's crucial to actively participate in the community, primarily through a paid subscription, which signals support for fellow writers and increases the likelihood of one's own work being noticed and engaged with.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of community engagement on Medium for writers seeking recognition. It highlights that writers who contribute through reads, claps, and comments, and especially those who hold a paid subscription, are more likely to receive attention for their work. The platform's interactivity and the nature of the community mean that writers who are not paid subscribers may be overlooked, as their lack of financial support suggests a lower level of commitment to the platform. The article suggests that spending time reading and reacting to others' content can lead to increased visibility and goodwill towards one's own writing. The author also notes the value of the subscription, which costs $5 per month, in fostering a supportive environment that benefits all contributors.

Opinions

The author believes that having a paid Medium subscription is almost a prerequisite for being recognized as a writer on the platform.
It is the author's view that non-paying members are considered second-tier contributors and are less likely to have their work sought out and read.
The article suggests that not subscribing sends a message that one's own work is deserving of payment, but others' is not, which may disincentivize support from the community.
The author values the interaction within the Medium community and sees the subscription as a way to contribute to and support other writers.
The author practices what they preach by spending significant time engaging with other writers' content, which they believe draws attention to their own work.
The author considers the $5 monthly subscription fee a worthwhile investment, given the perceived priceless return in goodwill and community engagement.
A call to action is made, encouraging readers to clap for the post if they find it useful, thereby increasing its visibility to others.
The author promotes their YouTube channel as a resource for those interested in further insights into writing for Medium.

How to get ignored as a writer on Medium

There are sure ways to get noticed as a writer on Medium, but do this and you’re almost guaranteed to be ignored.

Medium is interactive, and it’s a community. You interact with other writers via reads, claps and comments.

The amount you contribute to the community in various ways will help determine how much success you have on the platform.

Here’s a hard fact though: if you don’t have a paid subscription to Medium, you’ll almost certainly be ignored as a writer.

Second-tier contributors

Writers get paid based on reads and interactions with their stories from paid members.

Check your notifications, and it’s easy to tell who has a subscription and who doesn’t. The active subscribers are the one with yellow stars beside them.

If you’re not a paying member, you will be seen as a second-tier contributor to the community, and people won’t go out of their way to find and read your stuff.

That may not seem fair, but the fact of the matter is that if you’re not supporting other writers, they’ll have little incentive to support you.

That’s because the signal you’re effectively sending is that your work is worthy of payment, and everyone else’s is not.

You’re certainly not required to get a subscription if you’re happy with the three free articles you get per month, but again, interacting with the community plays a big part in generating interest in your own work.

Over at my main account, I spend at least 30–40 minutes per day reading and reacting to other people’s work, and that draws attention to my own.

The subscription only costs $5 per month, but trust me, the return in goodwill is priceless.

Thank you so much for reading this post! If you enjoyed it or found it useful, please give it a clap or two so others can find it!

If you’re interested in videos on the topic of writing for Medium, check out my channel here.