My Favorite Medium Writing Tips I’ve Learned Over The Years

After honing my craft on Medium for years, I’m sharing the top writing strategies that have helped me consistently create high-performing content

As an avid Medium writer for the past few years, I’ve picked up quite a few tips and tricks for crafting great content on the platform.

Writing on Medium comes with its own unique set of best practices compared to other blogging sites.

The key is understanding Medium’s format and optimizing your content accordingly.

Here, I’ll share my favorite Medium writing tips I’ve learned that have helped me improve my writing and grow my readership over time. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your Medium content to the next level, these tips will help you create more engaging, optimized articles.

Craft Compelling Headlines

Your headline is the first thing readers will see, so it needs to capture attention. The best Medium headlines are:

• Specific — Tell readers the exact topic you’ll cover. Vague headlines won’t cut it.
• Unique — Give readers a reason to choose your article over others. Witty, shocking, or emotional headlines work well.
• Scannable — Use 6–9 words max. Long headlines won’t display fully.

Spend time crafting your headline. I often write 5–10 options before settling on the perfect one. A great headline leads to more clicks and readers.

Structure Content with Subheadings

On Medium, you want to break up large blocks of text with subheadings. This makes your content more scannable and engaging.

Use 2–3 word subheadings to introduce each new topic or section. Format them using the Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles. This improves on-page SEO and readability.

Spacing out your thoughts also gives your article a logical flow. Readers can breeze through and find the sections most relevant to them.

Optimize with Keywords

Keyword optimization is crucial for Medium discovery. You want your article to rank for relevant searches.

Start by doing keyword research to identify high-traffic terms related to your topic. Then work these keywords naturally into your text.

Aim for a 2–4% keyword density. Bold your focus keyphrase the first time you use it. Also include keywords in headers, captions, etc. This signals to search engines what your content is about.

Embed Inbound Links

One of the top reasons to publish on Medium is inbound links. Every hyperlink you embed builds domain authority and improves SEO.

Link out to high-quality sources that support your ideas. Look for recognized brands and experts in your space. Use a mix of external links and internal links to your other posts.

Every new quality link expands your reach and positions you as an industry thought leader.

Engage Readers with Images

Articles with relevant images get 94% more views than text-only posts. So make sure to break up your text with visuals.

For each key section or idea, include an accompanying photo or graphic. Ensure you have image alt text and captions with keywords for SEO.

Photos should enhance the content, not just take up space. Make sure they are high-resolution, eye-catching, and add value for readers.

Check Your Formatting

With Medium’s minimalist format, formatting is crucial for readability. Follow these tips:

• Break content into short paragraphs of 3–5 sentences. Massive blocks of text are hard to digest.
• Use bullet points and numbered lists when possible. They simplify complex ideas.
• Bold and italicize key terms and phrases to make them pop. But don’t overdo it.
• Hyperlink text instead of pasting long URLs. It keeps things clean.

Proper formatting improves the reading experience and information retention.

Conclude with a Call to Action

Wrap up each article with a concluding paragraph that recaps your main ideas and includes a call to action. Some CTA examples include:

• Subscribe to receive future posts
• Check out a related article
• Share your thoughts in the responses
• Give the post some claps if you found it helpful!

An effective CTA gives readers direction on what you want them to do next. This leads to more engagement and conversions.

Final Checks Before Publishing

Before hitting publish, I always run through this checklist:

• Proofread thoroughly for spelling/grammar errors. They undermine your credibility.
• Check word count. Short posts get buried. Aim for 800+ words.
• Review headline and subheadings. Make sure they are compelling.
• Confirm formatting is consistent and readable.
• Include keyword variations throughout the natural text.
• Insert quality inbound links to trusted sources.

Following this process results in well-structured articles optimized for the Medium platform.

Hopefully, these tips help you create more discoverable and engaging content. Let me know which strategies you find most helpful for your Medium writing!