How Writers Win the Medium Game

The common factors among the success stories

I’ve been working seriously on my Medium game for a little over a month now (has it been that long?) and I’ve noticed some patterns. Previously, I had grown discouraged with the platform and my success, or lack thereof. I was putting quite a bit of time into my writing and editing, but I was getting low views, lower reads, and even lower pay.

Something clicked in December and I decided to take it up again. And boy am I glad I did. I’ve found a ton of supportive people on here, read a bunch of quality posts from all of you, and had a chance to see my reach grow firsthand.

Medium Success?

I keep coming back to this question, though — what does it mean to be successful on Medium? I know that there are metrics that help track progress such as our stats, our engagement, and our payout. But that’s only one piece of the puzzle.

I also realize that it’s about writing and having a voice. But let’s be honest, we hope that people read what we write and that we’re not just writing into the ether.

I think if I had to define Medium success, it generally has to do with having your voice heard and being acknowledged (compensated) for your labor. That seems to be the common goal of most everyone I see who is part of the Partner Program.

It’s Up to You

The reality is, though, that success on Medium is relative. For some of us, it’s about earning enough to change our lifestyles. For others of us, it’s simply an outlet to meet people and write a little, and as long as there’s a tiny bit of engagement and a little bit of pay, we’re good.

Success Stories

There are some people who I’ve seen achieve their goals in real time. Carl Jeffers comes to mind. He found success in relentless consistency, great writing, and community building. In January he made over $2000 which puts him that much closer to his goal of financial freedom.

I’ve seen writers like Bin Jiang take the platform by storm, changing people’s perspectives and causing people to think differently.

Everyone seems to do things a little different, but there seems to be some common threads.

How Writers Win — The Common Threads

1. They write and they write a lot. Most of the people who have grown exponentially write and post multiple times per day. AT LEAST once. It sounds a little crazy, but it’s possible. What I see is that they mix up the lengths and topics. So sometimes they write a longer post and other times something short form.
2. They use (and/or launch) publications. None of us are as popular as all of us. Good luck trying to make it alone — Medium is a community that rewards community building. Most of the top writers not only publish multiple times a day but they publish in publications.
3. They engage with others. They give before they get. A lot of the top writers in the space, with thousands of followers, have engaged with my stuff. Some of them read, commented, and clapped when I only had a couple hundred followers and a few dozen articles. They were willing to give me time. And that kind of character attracts fans, trust me.

There’s no secret to how to win at Medium. Stick around for a little while and you’ll see why the cream rises to the top.

The good news? You already have what it takes.

As long as you have an account, a voice, and stories to tell, this community will support you. Type till your fingers look like a guitar player’s, jump into publications that excite you, and get to reading and clapping. You can win, too.