The Obsession With Medium
A response to the hate and hype
Ok, “hate” might be a strong word. That was really just for alliteration; I like to play with words. Perhaps it should be “disillusioned and dedicated?” 🤔
I was going about my business, gaining new follows to add to my Follower To Follower series, and I stumbled across this amazing little gem called “Why Do We Become Obsessed With Medium?”
Oh, I just couldn’t resist.
::Click::
As I started writing my response, I realized there’s a lot here to respond to. And, in fact, it’s information others would probably like to know as well.
So, thank you Christiana Metrakos. You have fed the dopamine of my Medium obsession to the point of excess. Now that it overflows, I can add to the stories in my drafts to make that daily publishing a little easier.
Now, let’s get on with the reply, shall we?
Our Obsessions
The premise behind the article (and I do suggest you read it and come back here if you’re not Christiana herself), is that writers on Medium get really into the writing game here. That Medium itself creates almost an addiction for its users, especially in the beginning.
And she’s absolutely right.
Medium actually prides itself on being a “social publishing platform.” It believes itself (and I think rightly so) to be the first of its kind.
(In case you’re interested, here’s an article outlining Medium’s history so far by Medium Formatting. It’s a doozie.)
Social media is, by nature, addictive. They use algorithms to create virtual echo chambers of content tailored to each individual’s interests. The success of any individual creator hinges on gaining attention to be added to feeds.
That attention is gained by, on some level, feeding the dopamine of other users to click on their stuff. Pretty colors, flowery words, or simply catering to emotions and opinions. Everyone has a different tactic, but it’s pretty much the same goal: grab the audience, and keep their attention so they come back.
And Medium absolutely does this, too.
Of course, they also count as a publisher because their content is the written word. Just as YouTube is a video publisher, Medium is a sort of internet journal for people to publish as they see fit.
In that way, it’s much more than a simple blog. Especially if you’re published under a publication.
That opens up a wormhole of opportunities and techniques I won’t get into here. Just know that there’s 100% the same addictive qualities from social media at work on Medium.
Counterpoints?
Beginners do seem to get wrapped up in this addiction—and how could they not? The numbers get staggering! Where else can you expect to get 50 claps from one person? Or likes, or whatever.
So much dopamine!
And then, adding money to the fire? You better believe it gets people’s attention!
The unfortunate thing is, people get excited before they get educated. And they end up trying really hard in the wrong ways, burn out, and then leave the platform dissatisfied and disgruntled.
Pressure to write every day is part of the secret, but it’s less about consistent habits and more about working with yourself.
Be A Publisher
I see a lot of people publish multiple times a day for a month or two, and then fizzle out. Hell, I’ve got at least one account that I did that on, too. It’s pretty common. And not very smart.
Medium gives us the option to schedule posts for a reason. Plus, there’s no limit on how long a draft can sit there waiting. Why hit publish twice in one day? I think for people that have kept up the habit for months or years, that’s fine, but if you’ve just started, it’s shooting yourself in the foot.
On Medium, we get to be both the writer and our own self-publisher.
Think about your page like it’s a magazine. Each date is its own page snapshot in time, and your name or brand becomes the name of it (this is repeated in publications, too). Wouldn’t it look better if each article got its own page?
When you look back at the weeks and months behind you, those stories will still be there. Waiting. Possibly gaining views, hooking people from Google (Medium stories rank super high there). Each day creates a new equation.
And over time, each publish adds to your position in the almighty algorithm.
In publications, it might make sense to publish more than once a day (as there are often multiple writers feeding into it), but individuals are best left to the singular to maximize that new obsession energy for the long haul.
The Almighty Algorithm
What is it? Why does it exist? And how does it do what it do?
We writer/reader/publishers aren’t privy to the specifics, but there’s plenty we do know that can be used in our favor.
THIS is the stuff those writers use that makes it look easy.
Oh, they’ll tell you it’s writing like this or that, or it’s publishing this much at this time in this publication… but in reality, those things are just what worked when they started paying attention to the algorithm.
What works for you may look a bit different, with some overlap.
Now, this part I’m still a newbie on, but after several new accounts I’ve learned there are similarities across all genres, styles, and paths to Medium writing success that all deal with the algorithm. I’ve started really using those things in this account, and so far it’s been incredibly helpful.
The algorithm is a hidden equation Medium’s app-server uses to determine what stories are put where on feeds.
If that sounds complicated, then you’re paying attention. It is, and anyone that says otherwise is either lying or has been working at it so long they forgot what it was like before.
The reason it exists is for user experience. Plain and simple, people like platforms that bring them the things they want before they know they want them; the beauty of social media in a nutshell.
We have to learn to work with the algorithm, and not against or in spite of it, to thrive. And that’s going to be true anywhere on the internet, not just on Medium.
Working With The Algorithm
There are a lot of things that factor into the algorithm.
Curation is part of it; that’s like a dev cheat code to get a higher ranking, which is why a lot of people play up the idea of getting chosen by Medium proper for “further distribution.” They add those stories to the emails sent out, and it beefs up the numbers in the algorithm accordingly.
People that don’t understand how to work with the ebb and flow of the algorithm flock to the concept of curation.
Nothing wrong with that, but if you want more control over your success, it helps to learn a bit about the system promoting you from within (and kind of promoting you on Google, too).
- Read Time
You get paid per read time, so that’s obviously the highest metric to watch for. That’s a measure of how much your audience likes your content—so watch the stories that make you the most money and make more like it. Refine what works, while also expanding to try new things to grow your Medium “channel.”
- Reads/Views
These are people that clicked to read, whether they stayed a minute or an hour. Sometimes, you’ll have high views and low read times—that’s an indication you’ve done really well with the title and picture to grab their attention, but when they got there, it wasn’t enough to hold them. Use this figure in tandem with read times to weave the articles that work best for you overall.
- Responses
People that comment on your article are precious. This is perhaps the true highest metric, and I’m pretty sure it’s what the algorithm cares about most. Engagement is everything. Get people talking, and when they do, try to keep it going. Don’t be creepy about it (unless that’s your shtick), but keep in mind the more people engage, the higher that story will rank.
(And the more articles you have with high engagement, the higher all your stories will rank overall. I think.)
Side note: the highlighting feature really adds depth to this metric. It’s unclear whether highlighting has an effect on the algorithm, but the ability to have a dynamic conversation about individual passages affects commenting in a meaningful way.
- Claps
These are important, but less so than all the rest. Why? Because people are inconsistent. Plenty of people don’t even know you can clap up to 50 times, so they leave one when they feel as strongly as someone that left 35. It’s a good source of dopamine, though, as the numbers on a good article get really high sometimes.
- Fans
This, however, is important. How many times they clap may vary, but the fact that they DID, in fact, clap means that they liked it at all. At the bottom of the algorithm’s priorities, it takes into consideration how many people clapped in relation to views. I could be wrong about this one, too, but it is the only explanation I have for why some people show up on my feed with next to no metrics in any other area.
- Followers
The base of the equation. This metric also includes publications, and it makes up the pool from which the algorithm pulls. The more people you follow, the more people have a chance to end up on your feed.
That’s not to say they’re the only people that end up on your feed, but they will make up the bulk.
Those that aren’t in your followers—either as individuals or publications—are leveraging the other aspects of the algorithm along with tags to widen their audience reach beyond direct followers.
…I think there’s an element of “followers of followers” in there, but that gets hard to track in the hundreds or thousands.
Are You In Or Out?
The algorithm is complicated, demanding a lot of attention for the gains it can provide. They’re hefty gains—when you figure out something that works. But until then, it can be one hell of a grind.
Lots of people confront the algorithm hustle and cringe. “Yuck, not doing that,” they proclaim, continuing to do as they please without regard for reads or claps or follows.
Nothing wrong with that. As long as your expectations are low, and you just want to blog a little for fun in your spare time.
Those that came here to write professionally, to etch out a career in the writing genre, will inevitably fade away with that attitude. The motivation just can’t last when the drive is fueled by success.
Success on Medium depends on the algorithm. Just as any social media.
Internet success has complex metrics to track, measure, tweak and test. That’s the way of it here in “virtual land.” If you want to get success without doing those things, there are other options…
- Hire someone else to do it
- Work for a company that does it
- Pray your side hustle gets lucky af
But, really, it’s not as bad as it seems at first.
Obsess Without Obsessing
For the first few months, I focused on one metric: followers. I got real good at getting that number up. So much so that I felt confident doing it on other accounts and writing how-to’s for others to reap the rewards of my experience. Watch me climb, I’m good at that part.
I haven’t even begun to obsess over some of the other ones.
I think success on here can happen quickly if you’ve got a flexible attention span to soak up all the info. But I’m too neurodivergent and probably a bit too aged to hit the ground running like that.
Maybe you youngin’s have the energy, but I’ve got the patience to go at a more leisurely pace.
My suggestion is to find a pace that works for you, and work on accepting the timeframe things will happen in. If you have to work a day job, it will take longer. But that’s ok; scrambling to “make it happen” with desperation is NOT a better alternative.
So if you can continue to have a genuine interest, a steadfast drive forward to weather the lulls and learn how to work the algorithm your way, you’ll be fine.
If not… well, I’m here to talk.
If you’re meant to write, you’ll be back at it somewhere—Medium is a great place to start (or even continue).
Until next time, follow each other, follow the dopamine, and follow yourself, always!
Hey, look: a newsletter.
Support writers, read without limits, and be part of the community — all for $5.
