Tactic Highlighting on Medium

Medium has some special features. One of them is unique and can boost your exposure and the relationship with the other members: highlighting.

Well, despite the “tactic” term in the title, I’m not delving into hacks here. We’re all here for the long-term game, and we’re not interested in the “Top Spammer” award in our profile.

Tactic or not, I love highlighting on Medium.

But let’s see how highlighting can help (or hinder) your social journey to the stars.

Notifications

Obviously, highlighting gives you exposure to the next readers of the story, but it also gives you visibility by notifications.

Not only are authors notified by some of the highlights on their stories, but also other readers can see who else highlighted the same text they highlighted themselves.

Actually, you can switch “social notifications” off. Still, it’s on by default, and I doubt that many change that, especially since most of us like social notifications more than billing notifications.

I didn’t figure out the frequency of those notifications. It does not seem that all of your highlightings are notified, but certainly part of them is.

That said, please don’t start highlighting all around like crazy.

Wait the end of this article. While highlighting it, of course.

You and the author

When highlighting part of the text, you’re telling the author that those words resonate with you. You’re specific in telling the author what you appreciate.

You have the comment section for further interaction, of course, but you can share love along the story too. And that’s not common at all, on the Web.

But random highlighting won’t build connections, nor shows authentic appreciation. There’s plenty to read around. Just highlight what rings a bell with you.

If you want love, you must share love first, and with no expectations.

You and the other readers

Opposites attract, but similar ones also do.

Other readers may notice that you appreciate similarly. It happens that you follow the same authors or topics and that you repeatedly see each other highlights. That adds to see each other’s in comments, and maybe in stories too.

Not only highlighting is exposure in the eyes of other readers, but it helps to favor connections with them.

But pay attention that, in this case, it’s not about sharing love. It’s about showing your identity.

What you highlight will tell something about you. Your interests, your opinions, your possible incoherencies, and so on. They won’t just see the single highlight, and it’s also unlikely that someone may want to know more about you from a single highlight. It’s about the trail of stories, highlights, claps, and comments that you leave behind, that matters. Highlighting is part of the definition of your identity.

Again, since there are so many different readers around, there’s no need to fake an identity, unless you have reasons for a pen name. Your authentic identity will be fine. Coherent and credible.

Spamming

Humans don’t like spammers. Spammers like themselves, but humans only want to get rid of spammers.

Spamming shows, especially on Medium. And there’s no reason to spam when you have plenty of ways to get noticed without spamming.

So, please avoid:

• Highlighting around randomly. Who are you? A Bot?
• Highlighting letters and punctuation. Please.
• Highlighting starting or ending mid-words. Are you in a rush? We know that mobile can be problematic, still you give the impression of a hasty reader.
• Highlighting everything. Anything is nothing.

Highlighting your own stories

The author I follow most on Medium is me.

I re-read my stories and I agree with most of what’s written in them. I’d like to comment on them. Especially when nobody else does. Like “Me too! It happened to me too! I relate so much.”

But I keep it for myself.

Like a comedian, your duty is to make others laugh, not to laugh yourself.

Same for highlighting.

Highlighting yourself, whatever the purpose is, is a poor way of bragging. Don’t.

TL;DR;

It stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.” But this was short, so you can go back and read all of it. Highlighting, of course.

Anyway, here’s the recap.

Be yourself but show yourself by highlighting. You can do it without spamming. There’s so much around.

Highlighting is one of the precious gifts of Medium. Don’t waste it.