avatarCasey Botticello

Summary

The provided content discusses Medium's curation jail, explaining what it is, how to determine if you're in it, and strategies for escaping it to have your articles curated again.

Abstract

Medium curation jail refers to a situation where a writer's new articles are no longer considered for distribution by Medium curators. Writers can check their curation status by examining the stats page for their stories. There are different messages indicating whether a story is processing, curated, not curated but not in jail, or not curated and in jail. Escaping curation jail involves consistently publishing quality content that adheres to Medium's curation guidelines, a process that can take at least a month. The article emphasizes that curation is subjective and not the sole path to success on Medium, suggesting that even without curation, writers can achieve long-term growth.

Opinions

  • The author, Casey Botticello, believes it is possible to escape curation jail, though it requires patience and adherence to Medium's guidelines.
  • Botticello suggests that new users should focus on producing high-quality content from the start to avoid being flagged.
  • He opines that even regular publishing may not be enough to quickly escape curation jail, as it can take over a month for an account to be reconsidered for curation.
  • The author notes that writing about Medium itself may affect curation eligibility, implying that such content might be less favored by curators.
  • Botticello advises against creating a new account to bypass curation jail, unless the writer is new and has a clear understanding of the rules.
  • He emphasizes that curation is just one aspect of success on Medium and that writers should not be discouraged if their articles are not curated.
  • The article implies that understanding and following Medium's curation guidelines is crucial for writers aiming to have their content distributed by curators.
  • Botticello encourages writers to focus on creating useful, SEO-optimized content and to consider creating their own Medium publication as alternative strategies for success.

Medium Curation Jail

What is Medium curation jail and how do you escape?

Source: Casey Botticello of Blogging Guide

Medium curation jail is a term used by Medium writers to describe their account being flagged, whether by a curator or through the Medium algorithm, which results in their new articles no longer being considered for curation.

How to Tell if You Are in Medium Curation Jail

Step 1.

Click on your profile avatar in the upper right hand corner of your Medium profile.

Step 2.

Click on the stats button from the drop down menu.

Step 3.

Find your latest story, and click the details button.

Step 4.

Move your mouse over the question mark bubble and you will different messages.

Curation Status

You will now see the stats page for this individual story. Based on what is contained on this page you can determine the curation status of your Medium story.

Scenario 1 — Processing

If you recently published a story, and Medium curators have yet to determine whether your article should be curated, you will see the following message:

We are processing this story. Hang Tight!

Screenshot of Actual Message

If your story is still processing, you cannot determine if you are in curation jail.

Scenario 2 — Your Article was Curated

If your article was curated, you will see a message indicating that your story was distributed by curators to various topics.

For example, my article How to Form a Super PAC was curated and distributed to readers following the politics tag.

If your story was distributed by the curators, you are not in curation jail.

Scenario 3 — Your Article was NOT Curated (But You Are NOT in Curation Jail)

If you see the following message, your article was not selected for curation, but you are not in curation jail:

Curators did not select this story for distribution, but it will be shared with followers. Read our Curation Guidelines to see what curators look for.

Scenario 4— Your Article was NOT Curated (And You Are in Curation Jail)

If you see the following message, your article was not selected for curation, and you are in curation jail:

Our curators were not able to review this story for distribution in topics due to high volume. This story will still be shared with followers.

How to Escape Curation Jail

First of all it is possible to escape curation jail. But it is neither quick nor easy.

I should also note that Medium’s algorithm and flagging mechanism is proprietary so there may be other ways to make your account eligible for curation again. Also, it is not known whether it takes an individual curator marking your account ineligible for curation or the process is simply automatic. My guess is that it is a mixture of both.

The secret to escaping curation jail is consistently publishing Medium articles that do not contain any curation guideline violations.

Based on other writers’ accounts, it would appear that even if you post regularly (many times per week), it takes at least a month for your account to become eligible for review.

However this time-frame likely varies depending upon why you were flagged in the first place.

In many cases, writers who post regularly about Medium (guilty!) are ineligible for curation. So in some cases, simply stopping writing about Medium may be enough to get back into the good graces of the Medium curators.

However, this (likely) only applies to a small subset of writers.

Many writers were likely disqualified for curation for one or more of the following reasons:

  • They are a new user and failed to write “curator quality content” in their first 4–5 articles. Medium seems to have placed more scrutiny on new writers, so getting curated early as a new writer can be pivotal.
  • Their images did not contain proper captions containing citations that clearly indicated they were royalty free.
  • They included an overt Call-To-Action (CTA). While not an automatic disqualifier, the more obtrusive and lengthy of a call to action, the less likely an article will be curated.
  • Their article is overly self promotional and includes too many external links to content obviously benefiting you.
  • They incorporated affiliate links into their articles (even if they included disclosures, this could be the subjective metric that a curator could flag a writer’s account for.

These are just a few of the rules I see commonly broken, which may render one’s account ineligible for curation. But there are more, and if you want to get out of curation jail, it is best that you do not violate any of these.

Remember, even if you follow all these rules (and even if you create a brand new account) curation is not a guaranteed outcome. It is subjective.

Does this mean you should give up writing on Medium if you are not curated?

Absolutely not!

Curation is just one path to success on Medium.

Some writers have suggested creating a new account but I would generally advise against this, unless you are a brand new writer who didn’t understand the curation rules and published several stories which were subsequently not curated, but you now know exactly what you need to improve this time around.

Even then, in my experience, creating a steady flow of content, which is useful to readers, is SEO optimized, and creating your own Medium publication are far better uses of your time.

— Casey Botticello

Thanks for reading this article! Leave a comment below if you have any questions. Be sure to sign up for the Blogging Guide newsletter, to get the latest tips, tricks, and news about writing on Medium and to join our Facebook group, Medium Writing, to share your latest Medium posts and connect with other writers.

If you liked this article, here are some other articles you may enjoy:

Casey Botticello is a partner at Black Edge Consulting. Black Edge Consulting is a strategic communications firm, specializing in online reputation management, digital marketing, and crisis management. Prior to founding Black Edge Consulting, he worked for BGR Group, a bipartisan lobbying and strategic communications firm.

Casey is the founder of the Cryptocurrency Alliance, a Super PAC dedicated to cryptocurrency and blockchain advocacy. He is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, where he received his B.A. in Urban Studies.

You can connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or by visiting his website, Blogging Guide.

Medium
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