How to Set Up Your Medium Profile for Success
Plus valuable tips from a seasoned Medium writer
Hi new writer! Welcome to Medium. I know there are tons of Medium-related articles flooding this place about the dos and don’ts that you should be aware of. It can be overwhelming, and a lot of the norms you should know won’t necessarily be second nature.
If I may advise you, please don’t get caught up with all the writers who talk about making $100+ per month in their first month or brag about how they effortlessly collect 100+ new followers per day by posting once per week, and so on.
If they do, they are hustling their ass off and have been graced by the Medium gods. This is not the norm and you’re not doing Medium wrong if you aren’t seeing these figures.
Everyone comes to Medium for a different reason — which may even change as time goes on.
- When I found Medium, an old friend mentioned it in passing over dinner as a fun way to make passive income. And two years later, I am a full-time writer. This is because of Medium!
- Some people come here to promote their business and get more traction on their blog.
- Others write under an alias to “hide” from people they know in real life. They come here to express themselves without fear of judgment. They have the freedom to write on whatever lights them up, even if they are on taboo topics.
- I have “met” many retired folks who are looking to explore a new hobby and/or make extra money to supplement their retirement.
It’s important to know that folks from around the world and all walks of life come to Medium for different reasons. You can be successful here — anyone can, truly.
With patience, careful studying of top writers, consistency, and lots of proofreading, you can get into the $100 a month club, and even surpass that.
Did you know that roughly only 10% of Medium writers earn at least $100 per month? Don’t let that discourage you. Once you get the momentum, run with it! That’s the mistake I made around a year in. My earnings skyrocketed and I got too comfortable. I thought I was set. Then I had to start from scratch again.
Customizing your profile to stand out amongst the huge sea of writers is the first thing you should be doing. That is, if you want to make decent money on the platform.
Set up Your Medium Profile for Success
- Sign in with Twitter, Facebook, Google, or your email address. If you are reading this, it’s more than likely that you have already done that.
- Add your name, bio, and photo. From any page on Medium, click on the top right circle and look for settings.
- Each section has an edit button to the right of it. Click on that and adjust as necessary.
- Adjust your name to something easy to spell, easy to find, and easy to search. I see a lot of people using odd name combinations that are difficult for me to spell. This makes it harder and frustrating to add them as a writer to my publication.
If you choose to write with an alias or pen name, that’s not a problem. Just don’t make it too long or difficult to remember.
Things to Make You Stand Out
- Work on your bio. It should reflect your personality, the types of things you intend to write about, and something special about you. If you have a business, you can promote it here. Keep it relevant — you only have a limited amount of characters.
- WOW readers in your about section. I dive deep on how to perfect it here.
- Add an eye-catching photo. I always recommend using a picture of yourself, if you so choose to write under your own name. It makes you more relatable and trustworthy to readers. Simply put, it helps people to know you’re not just another bot roaming around.
Your profile image should be at least 1000 X 1000 px in JPG or PNG.
Background and Profile Colors
From settings, scroll down until you see ‘Design.’ Click on the button that says ‘Design your profile.’
Click the dropdown symbol in Colors by clicking the down arrow. You can customize your accent colors and background colors.
A word of advice: avoid bright colors for your background color, and instead opt for a neutral, easy-to-read color. I have seen too many new writers make the mistake of choosing a bright red, vibrant blue, black, or something neon-y for their background.
It doesn’t matter how good your writing is. If people have to read it against a harsh background, they won’t stay for long.
We all already get enough screen time a day as it is, so it’s important to make your reader’s experience as pleasant as possible.
Choose the Right Font
Adjust your titles, details, and body text font. There aren’t many options. Just choose what you like the best. I personally keep the fonts consistent throughout, with my personal favorite being Sans-Serif 1.
Adjust Your Header
Play around with your placement and size. For my header, I added a logo from my publication The Orange Journal. I think it makes me stand out — which is the point.
If you would also like to opt for a picture or logo in the header, scroll down to ‘Name.’ You will have the option for text or logo. Choose logo and upload a picture. You can adjust the size to S (small), M (medium), or L (large.) I chose small after lots of trial and error because I liked how it lined up proportionally with my header image.
If you would also like to add an image to your header (which I highly recommend), look for ‘Image’ under color. Then, select your image display. For me, auto worked perfectly.
If you choose to add an image, you can add something called ‘alt text,’ short for alternative text. Alt-text is a way for Google to figure out what your image is. Add a brief description of what the picture is and it will help you rank higher on Google search results.
Learn more about the benefit of alt text in TOJ’s formatting guidelines.
Your Medium Bio
As mentioned before, your bio is super-duper important. It is your first impression with readers and other writers alike. You can choose to have your bio in the sidebar or on your header. This is completely up to you.
I choose to display my bio on the sidebar because the image I uploaded for my header has text on it and it would clash with the bio.
Play around and see what works for you. You can always change it later as your taste and preferences evolve.
Why You Should Show Your Blogroll
What is a Blogroll?
A blogroll is a list of people you follow on Medium that will be underneath your profile picture and bio. The order is based on the recency of publishing.
Showing your blogroll is a very simple way to support other writers. If someone comes to your page and sees someone on your blogroll, they may feel inclined to visit this person’s profile for one reason or another.
While Medium may feel competitive at times, it’s really important to remember that everyone has a different voice, writing style, technique, and personality.
All of our writing is different from one another, and supporting other writers does not mean you will succeed less.
Would you like to learn more about the artform and importance of images in your blogs? Resources below⬇️
Make Money Now
Medium is a wonderful community where you can embrace your creativity and make money doing it. 💰
As a new writer, there is a lot to learn, and the faster you do, the more successful you will be. Take the time to learn how the platform operates, how to create content that gains traction, and the best practices every writer should know about.
More Resources for the New Writer:
🍊How to Grow a Loyal Network of Followers on Medium in 3 Steps
🍊3 Worst Mistakes New Writers Make
🍊Formatting Guidelines All Medium Writers Should Know
🍊Beginner Tips for SEO Title and SEO Description
🍊Make Money on Medium
🍊Increase Reader Engagement for Free With 3 Clicks
🍊If You Are Going To Clap Once, Then Don’t Clap At All
🍊How to Submit Your Unpublished Draft to A Publication
🍊How to Add a Kicker to Your Article
🍊Use Lists to Organize Your Stories
🍊Self Publish Vs. Publication
🍊Organize Your Writing Away From Medium
🍊The Truth About Follow for Follow
🍊No No's On SpammingBest,
🆂🆄🆉🍊
Are you a member yet? Consider signing up for just 5 bucks a month to get access to millions of fantastic stories. Get yourself a DIY-degree in just about anything by reading from talented writers on Medium. Please use my link at no additional cost to you. I will earn a small commission. Thank you!
Tap into positivity at Live Life Now, my new blog✨Have questions? Sign up for a tier to get 1on1 access with me.
