WRITING | TIPS

More Quick and Easy Tips from an Editor on Medium

Things I’ve Learned Along the Way

When I first became a writer for Medium, there was a lot of information to process. I hit the ground running and picked up a few tips along the way. When I became an editor, I found there were questions that many writers asked, so I wrote an article with some Quick and Easy Tips for writers.

Since then, I’ve discovered a few more tips and decided to pass them on to you.

Use a Headline Analyzer.

I tend to create titles that imply without giving the reader much information about the article. Before I started using a headline analyzer my titles were too short and too…. cute.

A helpful editor suggested I try a headline analyzer and I was reluctant at first. I told him I didn’t want my titles to be too ‘clickbaity’. He laughed and suggested I could think about it this way. I should write titles that were ‘click-worthy’ instead.

There are several great sites but this is the one I use a lot:

The headline analyzer always leads to this question.

How Do I Change My Title Once I’ve Published?

When you want to change the title of your article, you do that by clicking on the three dots at the top right and choosing Edit Story. When you save the changes, you might notice that the display title hasn’t changed. You have to click on the article to see the new title.

There is a way to edit the display title. Go back into Edit Story and then choose the three dots at the top right. Select: Change Display Title/ Subtitle. You can see that your old title is still there. Make the changes and Save.

I published and forgot to submit my article to a publication. How do I fix that?

Edit your Story. Choose the three dots at the top right and select: Add to Publication. Then save and your article will be submitted to the editors for their approval.

What is “More Settings”?

When you’re editing your story, there is a More Settings option. I use this to check my SEO title and description. SEO is Search Engine Optimization.

Usually, I don’t make any changes to my SEO title, but the description often needs a bit of work.

The SEO Description is used in place of your Subtitle on search engine results pages. Good SEO descriptions utilize keywords, summarize the story, and are between 140–156 characters long.

Click ‘Save’ and ‘Back to Editor’.

How Do I fix the Problem with My Images Not Displaying Properly?

My Images aren’t displaying properly on social media. They’re cut off at the top.

When you’re editing your story, place your cursor over the area you want to be the center of your image. Then click ALT and click. A message will display. “The new focus has been set and will be taken into account when the image is cropped in story listings.”

I hope this short list of tips was helpful. Comment on this article if you have any other questions.

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