The Best Days to Have Published a Story on Medium in April 2020 — An Analysis
I analyzed all 510 of the stories featured by Medium in April 2020. This report includes formatting and engagement data.
I enjoy working with data. As a software engineer, I’ve learned how to obtain the data I need through efficient means. With the why and the know how, I decided I’d sift through all of the stories featured by Medium during April 2020, and parse the data for information that can be useful to the writing community here on the platform.
I will do my best to summarize my findings in a series of articles. This is the third of many to come, so follow me and the Writers Guild publication to stay alert.
In this article, we will explore the best days to have published a story on Medium during April, 2020. I hope that the information shared here helps you optimize the choices you make in your writing journey. Enjoy!
#1. Saturday
There were 14 stories published on Saturday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 2.75% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Saturday were curated across twenty-one topics, including Coronavirus, Health, and Race. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in seven stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Saturday to feature on their homepage was 4,090. The minimum number of words was 461. The average number of words was 1,771.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 7 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 16 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 2 minutes
Reader engagement
There was a total of 114,435 claps received on stories published on Saturday. The applause came from 28,048 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 8,174
- Maximum number of claps: 67,141
- Minimum number of claps: 146
There was a total of 811 responses received on stories published on Saturday.
- Average number of responses: 58
- Maximum number of responses: 323
- Minimum number of responses: 1
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Saturday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Saturday was the best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
#2. Wednesday
There were 98 stories published on Wednesday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 19.22% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Wednesday were curated across sixty-three topics, including Creativity, Psychology, and Education. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in thirty-six stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Wednesday to feature on their homepage was 5,238. The minimum number of words was 221. The average number of words was 1,393.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 21 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 1 minutes
Reader engagement
There was a total of 274,256 claps received on stories published on Wednesday. The applause came from 44,960 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 2,799
- Maximum number of claps: 44,040
- Minimum number of claps: 113
There was a total of 2,350 responses received on stories published on Wednesday.
- Average number of responses: 24
- Maximum number of responses: 296
- Minimum number of responses: 0
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Wednesday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Wednesday was the 2nd best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
#3. Sunday
There were 14 stories published on Sunday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 2.75% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Sunday were curated across twenty topics, including Media, Business, and Technology. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in eight stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Sunday to feature on their homepage was 6,992. The minimum number of words was 693. The average number of words was 1,990.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 8 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 28 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 3 minutes
Reader engagement
There was a total of 26,099 claps received on stories published on Sunday. The applause came from 5,155 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 1,864
- Maximum number of claps: 8,205
- Minimum number of claps: 461
There was a total of 243 responses received on stories published on Sunday.
- Average number of responses: 17
- Maximum number of responses: 74
- Minimum number of responses: 1
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Sunday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Sunday was the 3rd best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
#4. Friday
There were 87 stories published on Friday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 17.06% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Friday were curated across fifty-two topics, including Digital Life, Social Media, and Equality. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in thirty-four stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Friday to feature on their homepage was 6,340. The minimum number of words was 556. The average number of words was 1,406.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 24 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 2 minutes
Reader engagement
There was a total of 187,016 claps received on stories published on Friday. The applause came from 31,191 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 2,150
- Maximum number of claps: 23,422
- Minimum number of claps: 23
There was a total of 1855 responses received on stories published on Friday.
- Average number of responses: 21
- Maximum number of responses: 199
- Minimum number of responses: 1
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Friday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Friday was the 4th best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
#5. Thursday
There were 122 stories published on Thursday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 23.92% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Thursday were curated across sixty-four topics, including Health, Family, and Politics. The most frequent topic was Health, which appeared in forty-two stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Thursday to feature on their homepage was 4,070. The minimum number of words was 59. The average number of words was 1,372.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 17 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 0 minutes. This must have been the story with 59 words. Interesting. More on this later, maybe?
Reader engagement
There was a total of 261,148 claps received on stories published on Thursday. The applause came from 41,327 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 2,141
- Maximum number of claps: 17,868
- Minimum number of claps: 95
There was a total of 2185 responses received on stories published on Thursday.
- Average number of responses: 18
- Maximum number of responses: 158
- Minimum number of responses: 0
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Thursday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Thursday was the 5th best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
#6. Monday
There were 87 stories published on Monday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 17.06% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Monday were curated across fifty-nine topics, including Mental Health, Food, and Psychology. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in thirty-six stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Monday to feature on their homepage was 4,533. The minimum number of words was 548. The average number of words was 1,399.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 18 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 2 minutes
Reader engagement
There was a total of 175,237 claps received on stories published on Monday. The applause came from 28,315 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 2,014
- Maximum number of claps: 19,003
- Minimum number of claps: 100
There was a total of 1595 responses received on stories published on Monday.
- Average number of responses: 18
- Maximum number of responses: 176
- Minimum number of responses: 1
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Monday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Monday was the 6th best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
#7. Tuesday
There were 88 stories published on Tuesday featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 17.25% of all stories featured during April. The stories from Tuesday were curated across fifty-eight topics, including Culture, Coronavirus, and Machine Learning. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in thirty-eight stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Tuesday to feature on their homepage was 9,565. The minimum number of words was 416. The average number of words was 1,531.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes.
- Maximum reading time: 39 minutes
- Minimum reading time: 2 minutes
Reader engagement
There was a total of 125,143 claps received on stories published on Tuesday. The applause came from 17,021 clappers.
- Average number of claps: 1,422
- Maximum number of claps: 9,703
- Minimum number of claps: 24
There was a total of 1485 responses received on stories published on Tuesday.
- Average number of responses: 17
- Maximum number of responses: 239
- Minimum number of responses: 0
Ranking based on engagement
Based on the averages of this engagement data from stories published on Tuesday that were featured on Medium’s homepage, Tuesday was the 7th best day to publish a story on Medium in April, 2020.
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