Summary

Deleting and republishing a story on Medium is permissible, but should be done judiciously to avoid negative impacts on the writer's profile and readership.

Abstract

The article discusses the implications of deleting and republishing a story on Medium, emphasizing that only one version of the story should be present on the platform at any given time to comply with Medium's guidelines. While it's acceptable to make significant changes to a story and republish it, frequent republishing can lead to a loss of followers, reduced distribution, and a negative impact on the writer's success. Medium's curation team may stop reviewing stories that are repeatedly republished, which can affect the story's visibility. The article suggests that minor tweaks do not necessitate deletion and republishing, and that writers should aim to publish their stories when they are confident in the content. Additionally, the article points out that revisiting and improving an old piece can be beneficial, as a writer's skills and perspectives evolve over time.

Opinions

It is acceptable to delete and republish a story on Medium, provided there is only one version live on the platform.
Repeatedly deleting and republishing the same story can have detrimental long-term effects, including loss of followers and diminished distribution.
Medium's curation team will review a republished story, but authors who frequently resubmit the same content may no longer receive curation reviews.
Writers are encouraged to add value when rewriting and republishing content, rather than using the process as a tactic for short-term gains.
Minor edits can be made to a story without the need to delete and republish it.
Revamping an old piece can be advantageous as it allows a writer to tell a story in a new or improved way, reflecting their growth and development.

Writing | Medium

Know What Happens if You Delete and Republish Your Story

Like you, I was also curious, and asked Medium’s support.

Right after you published your new piece you feel… Damn, that’s not the right format to tell the story.

I’ve been there and wanted to delete my piece. I know I still want to tell the story, but in a different way in the future.

That made me wonder.

Is it okay to delete a story, tweak it more than just a bit, and republish it?

Does it comply with Medium’s guidelines? Does it hurt you or your profile in any way?

The other day I bumped into a comment from someone wondering the exact same thing. I figured that if we (the person commenting and I) wonder about how this works, maybe you’re wondering about this, too!

Medium’s guidelines on deleting and editing stories didn’t have the full answer I was looking for, so I asked Medium directly. This was their answer:

You can delete and republish a story. We just ask that there is only a single version of the story on Medium at one time. This includes unlisted versions of the story.

If your story has been curated for additional distribution and [you] choose to delete your story and republish it, it may be reviewed again, but authors who submit the same story multiple times will stop receiving curation reviews.

One thing to note is that repeated republishing can potentially impact your success in a variety of ways — you risk losing followers, and the topics or publications into which you are distributed could also see a loss of audience. So while the short-term gains might seem beneficial, the long-term effects are detrimental to not only all Medium readers but you as a writer.

We have our publicly available Curation Guidelines, by which all posts are measured. So always make sure you are writing with those in mind.

The third paragraph is especially important

You can delete and republish, as long as only one version of your story is on Medium.

Though, in the long run, it may harm your profile as a writer, according to Medium’s support. The publication you published your work in might dislike it because they gave you the stage to publish. They sometimes have guidelines on how to go about it (often, you can ask them, and possibly they don’t mind).

In any case, if you rewrite and republish, try to give value to your readers by doing so.

Of course, doing it a couple of times doesn’t hurt.

Just try to only publish when you’re happy and sure enough to publish your story. (Daring to press the publish button is something I’m learning myself, haha).

Tweaks after publishing are always possible — no need to delete and republish your story for that!

One final (important) note

I’ve seen posts here and there of writers sharing their techniques to revamp an old piece, instead of creating complete new articles. The idea I get generally is that it’s actually very beneficial to them!

Oftentimes, a writer grows over time and can tell the story in a different or better way :)

Hopefully, this is of help.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy writing!

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