Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

in turn somewhat confusing, as to how many subscribers an author has. The available menu in the “Followers” section only lists those that have agreed to share their emails. So, it might say something like “10 of your subscribers have opted in.” This implies that the “opted-in” subscribers are only part of the total number of subscribers.</li><li>Based on my own experience so far though, I believe that every follower that subscribes to your profile automatically “opts in” to share an email address. In other words, subscribing to a profile → email can be exported. But I am not 100 percent certain.</li><li>UPDATE (02/01/2021): I have found that there is an option in the settings page that allows one to “Receive emails from writers you’ve subscribed to when they publish stories.” This appears to be the “opt-in” function for sharing your email to an export list. If so, this would suggest a subscriber indeed cannot receive story links by email without opting in to share it to an export list. I will try to clarify if this indeed is the case.</li><li>Given that our followers don’t always see our new stories to begin with, it is not clear as to how we are supposed to inform them that we want them to subscribe and whether or not are we allowed to do that. Would it, for instance, be against regulations to create posts that openly call for followers to subscribe to us so they don’t miss our MEDIUM stories?</li><li>In my opinion, just as our profiles display the number of followers we have, they should display the number of subscribers we have. (There doesn’t necessarily need to be a link to a page that identifies the subscribers.) This would make things much clearer for both the author and anyone visiting his/her profile. At the very least, it would help inform visitors and followers alike that the subscription option exists.</li></ul><figure id="00bc"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*fi3k3Yk59WMpclNhFfTVHQ.png"><figcaption>Screencap: from my own settings page — at the moment, I have only one subscriber that I know of.</figcaption></figure>Email-Sharing Older Stories with SubscribersAs I mentioned earlier, the option of sending an email link to subscribers only applies to new stories published to your profile.On January 20th, however, I received a MEDIUM “Top Edit” newsletter email— see image at the top — that refers to the introduction of a feature that allows for previously published posts to also be submitted to subscribers via email. Ostensibly, there should be a new “email share” button somewhere with your stories.I was confused by this news, as I hadn’t seen any other announcements about the email share

Options

button and I couldn’t find it anywhere in the story options, settings, etc. When I asked MEDIUM Support on Twitter about this “email share” button and where it was, I received a surprising response.<figure id="477d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*y_KsCCLPePm_6no1P2eeTw.png"><figcaption>Screencap: from my Twitter conversation with Medium Support.</figcaption></figure>Honestly, I am not sure what to make of this.Will the “email share” button be made available at a later date? Did the newsletter announce this prematurely? Is the option already available for some users but not for others? Or am I missing something? Such an option certainly seems logical and if it is already available, I want to know how to use it. If it is not, then MEDIUM should implement it as soon as possible.If I had to guess, I’d say the platform is incorporating these new email features in response to numerous MEDIUM writers creating newsletters to maintain stronger and more direct connections with their audiences. By incorporating newsletter-esque email links into the publishing of stories, MEDIUM is further bridging the gaps between a publication and an author’s profile page.I personally like that email newsletters are becoming a common feature. I just hope that the platform clarifies how we as authors can actually use these new features to our advantage.UPDATE (02/01/2021): It has been brought to my attention that the “email share” button appears to be available only for those using the MEDIUM app on mobile devices. As I do not yet use MEDIUM on my phone, I cannot say much more on the subject at this time. Please see this <a href="https://readmedium.com/this-was-in-the-january-20th-2021-top-edit-newsletter-to-creators-which-a-creator-or-writer-b5d6fd6b0cf9">response</a> by Celine Lai for more detail. I have also corrected a minor gaffe — an earlier version of this article referred to the email as having been from the Digest, rather than the “Top Edit” newsletter.<ul><li>Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in seeing how Email Subscriptions work, then you can sign up <a href="https://mikhail-skoptsov.medium.com/subscribe">here</a> to get my future Medium posts in your inbox. Note that my writing primarily consists of quality film and TV criticism.</li><li>If by any chance you’re planning to sign up for a paying Medium membership, which will give you access to every paywalled story on the site (including my own), then please use my <a href="https://mikhail-skoptsov.medium.com/membership">referral link</a>. Half of your membership fee will then directly compensate me as a writer.</li></ul></article></body>

MEDIUM has a new Email Subscription Option

How it works, its limitations, and the questions it raises.

Screencap: The message from my Medium Digest.

Dear fellow MEDIUM writers,

did you know that since December 8, 2020, the platform has had a new newsletter-like feature that lets followers subscribe to receive links to your stories via email?

In case you missed the announcement, I’ve summarized a few points of interest in regard to how the email subscription option works and what its limitations are. I also consider some issues and questions that the announcement doesn’t really address.

The Feature and its Limitations

You can activate the feature — it is not on by default — by going into your profile, checking the “Followers” section and selecting the option to display a promotional subscription message on your profile and story pages. From this point forward, any story that you publish (or have published) to your profile will carry the subscription message.
You’ll have the option of sending an email link to your subscribers only when you publish a new story to your profile.
The subscription option is displayed for the followers only. Readers without a MEDIUM account cannot follow and therefore cannot see or utilize the subscription feature.
Followers do not automatically become subscribers. One must first follow and only then, having followed, can one subscribe.
As of this moment of writing, there is no option to follow and subscribe at the same time.
Stories that appear in a publication won’t display the “subscribe to author” promotion.
There is no option yet to import existing newsletter subscribers to MEDIUM.
There is an option to export a subscriber email list from your “Followers” setting. Purportedly, you can only export emails of those subscribers that have opted in to share their emails.

Screencap: an example of how a new story submission page looks like when you have subscribers.

Observations and Questions

It is not clear from the announcement, as to whether or not there is a difference between someone that subscribes and someone that allows their email to be exported.
Because of this, it is in turn somewhat confusing, as to how many subscribers an author has. The available menu in the “Followers” section only lists those that have agreed to share their emails. So, it might say something like “10 of your subscribers have opted in.” This implies that the “opted-in” subscribers are only part of the total number of subscribers.
Based on my own experience so far though, I believe that every follower that subscribes to your profile automatically “opts in” to share an email address. In other words, subscribing to a profile → email can be exported. But I am not 100 percent certain.
UPDATE (02/01/2021): I have found that there is an option in the settings page that allows one to “Receive emails from writers you’ve subscribed to when they publish stories.” This appears to be the “opt-in” function for sharing your email to an export list. If so, this would suggest a subscriber indeed cannot receive story links by email without opting in to share it to an export list. I will try to clarify if this indeed is the case.
Given that our followers don’t always see our new stories to begin with, it is not clear as to how we are supposed to inform them that we want them to subscribe and whether or not are we allowed to do that. Would it, for instance, be against regulations to create posts that openly call for followers to subscribe to us so they don’t miss our MEDIUM stories?
In my opinion, just as our profiles display the number of followers we have, they should display the number of subscribers we have. (There doesn’t necessarily need to be a link to a page that identifies the subscribers.) This would make things much clearer for both the author and anyone visiting his/her profile. At the very least, it would help inform visitors and followers alike that the subscription option exists.

Screencap: from my own settings page — at the moment, I have only one subscriber that I know of.

Email-Sharing Older Stories with Subscribers

As I mentioned earlier, the option of sending an email link to subscribers only applies to new stories published to your profile.

On January 20th, however, I received a MEDIUM “Top Edit” newsletter email— see image at the top — that refers to the introduction of a feature that allows for previously published posts to also be submitted to subscribers via email. Ostensibly, there should be a new “email share” button somewhere with your stories.

I was confused by this news, as I hadn’t seen any other announcements about the email share button and I couldn’t find it anywhere in the story options, settings, etc. When I asked MEDIUM Support on Twitter about this “email share” button and where it was, I received a surprising response.

Screencap: from my Twitter conversation with Medium Support.

Honestly, I am not sure what to make of this.

Will the “email share” button be made available at a later date? Did the newsletter announce this prematurely? Is the option already available for some users but not for others? Or am I missing something? Such an option certainly seems logical and if it is already available, I want to know how to use it. If it is not, then MEDIUM should implement it as soon as possible.

If I had to guess, I’d say the platform is incorporating these new email features in response to numerous MEDIUM writers creating newsletters to maintain stronger and more direct connections with their audiences. By incorporating newsletter-esque email links into the publishing of stories, MEDIUM is further bridging the gaps between a publication and an author’s profile page.

I personally like that email newsletters are becoming a common feature. I just hope that the platform clarifies how we as authors can actually use these new features to our advantage.

UPDATE (02/01/2021): It has been brought to my attention that the “email share” button appears to be available only for those using the MEDIUM app on mobile devices. As I do not yet use MEDIUM on my phone, I cannot say much more on the subject at this time. Please see this response by Celine Lai for more detail. I have also corrected a minor gaffe — an earlier version of this article referred to the email as having been from the Digest, rather than the “Top Edit” newsletter.

Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in seeing how Email Subscriptions work, then you can sign up here to get my future Medium posts in your inbox. Note that my writing primarily consists of quality film and TV criticism.
If by any chance you’re planning to sign up for a paying Medium membership, which will give you access to every paywalled story on the site (including my own), then please use my referral link. Half of your membership fee will then directly compensate me as a writer.