Summary

The article discusses common mistakes made by writers on Medium, emphasizing the importance of having a niche, a content plan, consistent posting, market research, and boundaries in writing.

Abstract

The author reflects on their personal journey of over a year and a half writing on Medium, identifying five critical errors that hindered their growth. These include writing without a specific niche, lacking a strategic content plan, posting inconsistently, not conducting market research, and failing to set boundaries in personal writing. The piece underscores the significance of focusing on a targeted topic to attract a dedicated audience, planning content to ensure coherence and sustainability, maintaining a regular posting schedule to optimize algorithmic distribution, researching competition and audience needs, and respecting privacy while maintaining reader engagement. The author provides examples of improved performance metrics post-implementation of these strategies and invites readers to consider their own writing practices in relation to these "sins."

Opinions

The author believes that having a niche is crucial for growth on Medium, as it promises value to readers and helps in building a dedicated audience.
They advocate for a strategic approach to content creation, suggesting that a content plan is essential for a writer's success.
Inconsistent posting is seen as a detriment to both audience engagement and the effectiveness of Medium's content distribution algorithm.
The article emphasizes the importance of researching competitors and understanding audience needs to create impactful content.
The author stresses the need for boundaries in writing, balancing vulnerability with respect for personal privacy and the privacy of others.
They suggest that overcoming these common mistakes can lead to significant improvements in a writer's reach and success, as evidenced by their own experience.
The author encourages self-reflection among readers, prompting them to identify which of the outlined mistakes they might be committing and to consider enrolling in a provided email course for further growth.

I’m guilty of them, too!

Are You Unknowingly Committing the 5 Deadly Sins of Medium?

You could be preventing your own growth.

I have been writing on Medium for about a year and a half. I’ve learned a lot in this year and a half, mostly because I made a ton of mistakes.

I created this second account to break the fourth wall and share everything I’ve learned about Medium so far.

While planning this account, here are the five biggest mistakes I vowed to never repeat.

1. Writing Without a Niche

It took me six months to hit my first 100 followers.

The reason why is stupidly obvious.

I didn’t have a niche.

I posted whatever was interesting to me. I even typed up old diary entries and posted them for the world to see.

No one was following me because I wasn’t promising them any value.

It wasn’t enough that I found my interests interesting. Who else out there would have my exact set of interests? Well, no one. So, I grew like a snail during my first six months on Medium.

Authors like Zulie Rane get to self-niche because they have put years of work into building their brands. For an absolute nobody on Medium, self-niching is out of the question.

Once I started focusing solely on tarot, I started getting stats like this:

That’s a 70% overall read ratio — pretty damn good!

2. Writing Without a Plan

Just as I had no central topic unifying all my work, I also had no strategy whatsoever. During my first six months on Medium, I posted literally whatever I could.

I write a lot. Even before Medium, I wrote a lot. I easily go through a notebook a week.

Before I committed to a niche, I posted whatever I felt was already fully written. It didn’t matter to me if it made sense in the context of my other work.

To be honest, it took me a long time to grow out of this habit. Now, all of my content is planned (more or less).

**My content plan for my current series on my first account. Sure, it’s messy, but at least it exists.** Feat. a bilingual note from the Brazilian girl I nanny for.

3. Posting Inconsistently

In May 2023, I posted 15 stories and got 4.5k views. In June, I posted 5 and got 1.6k views. In July, I posted 14 and got 4k.

Oftentimes, I’d post every day for a week, get burnt out, and disappear for the following week. Then, the cycle would repeat. This pattern was ineffective. Not only did it spam my followers all at once, but it also severely stunted the way Medium’s algorithm distributed my work.

Had I scheduled the articles to post every other day, I could’ve made a week of work into two weeks of content. This is why I ended up with stat graphs like this:

4. Refusing to Research

Even after I found a niche that worked for me, I still went into it blind.

I didn’t research my competition, I didn’t analyze my stats on a routine basis, and I didn’t even define a target audience. I saw what was working, and I wrote anything I felt might have to do with that topic.

Spoiler alert: not everyone is going to have the same questions you do about your niche.

After I started doing research, I started writing stories that went viral both on Medium and off Medium.

Here’s the stats of a story that was born after a few hours of keyword research:

I’ve asked around and no one knows what “Andriod device” means with 100% certainty. Guess it’s forever a mystery.

5. Not Having Boundaries With My Writing

As I’ve said earlier, I posted whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

Unfortunately, that meant posting some pieces I later regretted posting.

Yes, to be a writer online, you must be vulnerable. However, you have to know where the limit is. You are allowed to write about anything that happens to you in your daily life, but you must also consider the privacy needs of those around you, too.

I learned the hard way — your friends and family do not want you discussing them on Medium.

Don’t be so willing to be vulnerable that you rob yourself of all your privacy.

You must learn where the line is for you. Vulnerability helps you build a connection with your readers, but if you share too much, your lack of boundaries can become… offputting.

If you do share private information about your life, make sure you share it with a purpose.

My Question For You:

Which of these sins are you most guilty of? Did any of these surprise you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to maximize your growth as efficiently as possible, sign up for my free 5-day email course here. I’d love to help you become the best writer you can be.