My Medium Stories Aren’t Being Read

Summary

The author is grappling with low engagement on their Medium stories, considering the impact of publication choice, frequency, and length of posts, and is contemplating a shift towards shorter, more frequent posts on Medium while reserving longer, more researched content for Substack.

Abstract

The author expresses concern over the lack of readership and visibility of their recent Medium stories. Despite the possibility of subpar writing, the author notes that the stories have received minimal views, which could be due to being part of their own publication, "Matrices," or their newcomer status with under 50 followers. Observing the success of shorter content on Medium, the author plans to experiment with more frequent, concise posts. They also acknowledge the value of learning to write on Medium but prefer to focus on skill development rather than mastering Medium-specific strategies. The author aspires to write more in-depth articles for Substack, where longer content seems to be more common and appreciated.

Opinions

The author believes that their Medium stories may not be read because they are not seen, possibly due to being in their own publication or having few followers.
They are considering the strategy of making more frequent, shorter posts to adapt to the vast number of writers and articles on Medium.
The author values the idea of engaging with other authors and the Medium community but prioritizes the development of their writing skills over learning platform-specific strategies.
There is a preference for crafting more intensive, longer articles, which the author associates with Substack's content norms and where such content is perceived to be more successful.
The author acknowledges the potential benefits of using Medium as a social platform for quick thoughts and observations, while reserving Substack for more substantial pieces.

But they aren’t being seen either

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None of the last several of my stories on Medium have been read at all. My initial thought is that they must be no good, I’m just a lousy writer. And that may be the case. However, they have had almost no views either. So maybe they are no good, maybe nobody has seen them, or maybe both. I’m not that concerned as my main purpose is gaining experience and organizing my thoughts. But as long as I’m here, I should make proper utilization of the platform.

The last 3 stories have been in my publication Matrices. I can’t imagine that being in my publication, as opposed to just straight self-published, would squelch exposure. Maybe it doesn’t, I don’t know. I have under 50 followers at this time as I just started writing last month. But I know I see stories from people I don’t follow, stories that Medium assumes match my interests (and some do!).

I’ve concluded, with the vast number of writers and their stories on Medium, it may be more useful to make more frequent, shorter posts. A huge quantity of articles stipulates less time per article. I know there are publications dedicated to shorter content that seem to do very well, such as The Short Form. So I intend to go short and frequent and see what happens.

I know there are some publications on how to be successful on Medium. But I feel my time is better spent on developing writing skills rather than learning strategies to become a Medium master. I need the practice.

I would like to eventually write longer content: more researched, thought out, crafted, thorough. I’ve been a reader on Substack for some time, and less frequent, longer articles seem to be more the norm there. Most of the content I read on Substack has obviously had a great deal of effort applied by the authors. That deeper level of content creation doesn’t promote daily submissions.

So I think I will use Medium as more of a social platform, with short, frequent posts. Interesting thoughts or observations (at least to me). And try to engage more with other authors. And start to craft more intensive articles to publish on Substack.

Hmmm. This article is too long.