The Top 10 Writers Most Featured by 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.

As a software engineer, I work with data everyday. I’ve learned how to obtain the data I need by 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 first one of many to come, so follow the Writers Guild publication to stay alert.

In this article, we will explore the top 10 of the 338 writers from whom Medium featured stories during April, 2020. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of thousands of writers on Medium, so these are only the few Medium’s curators and editorial team have chosen to prioritize on the featured section of their homepage. I hope that the information shared here helps you in your writing journey. Enjoy!

#1. Robert Roy Britt

There were thirteen stories written by Robert Roy Britt featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 2.55% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Robert Roy Britt were curated across nine topics, including Coronavirus, Science, and Health. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in eleven stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Robert Roy Britt to feature on their homepage was 3,876. The minimum number of words was 687. The average number of words was 1,515.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 18 minutes, and the minimum was 3 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 46,927 claps across all the featured stories from Robert Roy Britt during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 14,122, the minimum was 497, and the average was 3,610. The applause came from 9,598 readers.

The stories featured from Robert Roy Britt received an average of 34 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 158, and the minimum was two.

#2. Jud Brewer MD PhD

There were eleven stories written by Jud Brewer MD PhD featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 2.16% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Jud Brewer MD PhD were curated across eleven topics, including Lifestyle, Mental Health, and Psychology. The most frequent topic was Health, which appeared in eleven stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Jud Brewer MD PhD to feature on their homepage was 1,528. The minimum number of words was 1,007. The average number of words was 1,242.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 5 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 6 minutes, and the minimum was 4 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 16,085 claps across all the featured stories from Jud Brewer MD PhD during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 7,662, the minimum was 234, and the average was 1,462. The applause came from 2,800 readers.

The stories featured from Jud Brewer MD PhD received an average of 10 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 34, and the minimum was two.

#3. Andy Slavitt

There were ten stories written by Andy Slavitt featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.96% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Andy Slavitt were curated across five topics, including Coronavirus, Politics, and Food. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in ten stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Andy Slavitt to feature on their homepage was 1,294. The minimum number of words was 533. The average number of words was 980.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 4 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 5 minutes, and the minimum was 3 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 19,730 claps across all the featured stories from Andy Slavitt during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 5,716, the minimum was 146, and the average was 1,973. The applause came from 3,684 readers.

The stories featured from Andy Slavitt received an average of 22 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 51, and the minimum was two.

#4. Emily Mullin

There were nine stories written by Emily Mullin featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.76% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Emily Mullin were curated across nine topics, including Coronavirus, Health, and Biotech. 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 Emily Mullin to feature on their homepage was 2,629. The minimum number of words was 416. The average number of words was 1,120.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 4 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 10 minutes, and the minimum was 2 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 7,598 claps across all the featured stories from Emily Mullin during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 1,759, the minimum was 342, and the average was 844. The applause came from 977 readers.

The stories featured from Emily Mullin received an average of 11 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 34, and the minimum was four.

#5. Katie Couric

There were nine stories written by Katie Couric featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.76% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Katie Couric were curated across three topics, including Culture, Coronavirus, and Education. The most frequent topic was Culture, which appeared in seven stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Katie Couric to feature on their homepage was 1,431. The minimum number of words was 548. The average number of words was 892.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 4 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 6 minutes, and the minimum was 2 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 55,259 claps across all the featured stories from Katie Couric during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 44,013, the minimum was 135, and the average was 6,140. The applause came from 8,854 readers.

The stories featured from Katie Couric received an average of 46 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 295, and the minimum was two.

#6. Drew Costley

There were seven stories written by Drew Costley featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.37% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Drew Costley were curated across eleven topics, including Coronavirus, Society, and World. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in five stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Drew Costley to feature on their homepage was 1,345. The minimum number of words was 736. The average number of words was 1,049.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 4 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 5 minutes, and the minimum was 3 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 5,554 claps across all the featured stories from Drew Costley during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 1,647, the minimum was 217, and the average was 793. The applause came from 584 readers.

The stories featured from Drew Costley received an average of 9 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 20, and the minimum was two.

#7. Dana G Smith

There were seven stories written by Dana G Smith featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.37% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Dana G Smith were curated across nine topics, including Lifestyle, Food, and Science. The most frequent topic was Health, which appeared in seven stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Dana G Smith to feature on their homepage was 1,671. The minimum number of words was 1,007. The average number of words was 1,347.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 5 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 7 minutes, and the minimum was 4 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 16,511 claps across all the featured stories from Dana G Smith during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 5,592, the minimum was 446, and the average was 2,359. The applause came from 3,239 readers.

The stories featured from Dana G Smith received an average of 21 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 45, and the minimum was five.

#8. Andrea González-Ramírez

There were seven stories written by Andrea González-Ramírez featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.37% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Andrea González-Ramírez were curated across eleven topics, including Culture, Politics, and Coronavirus. The most frequent topic was Politics, which appeared in five stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Andrea González-Ramírez to feature on their homepage was 1,386. The minimum number of words was 824. The average number of words was 1,124.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 4 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 5 minutes, and the minimum was 3 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 12,308 claps across all the featured stories from Andrea González-Ramírez during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 8,475, the minimum was 115, and the average was 1,758. The applause came from 2,118 readers.

The stories featured from Andrea González-Ramírez received an average of 32 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 179, and the minimum was zero.

#9. Markham Heid

There were six stories written by Markham Heid featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.18% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Markham Heid were curated across eleven topics, including Mental Health, Science, and Health. The most frequent topic was Health, which appeared in six stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Markham Heid to feature on their homepage was 3,830. The minimum number of words was 1,023. The average number of words was 1,591.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 15 minutes, and the minimum was 4 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 14,824 claps across all the featured stories from Markham Heid during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 4,470, the minimum was 347, and the average was 2,471. The applause came from 2,791 readers.

The stories featured from Markham Heid received an average of 19 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 29, and the minimum was two.

#10. Dave Gershgorn

There were six stories written by Dave Gershgorn featured by Medium in April, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.18% of all stories featured during April. The stories by Dave Gershgorn were curated across fourteen topics, including Artificial Intelligence, Business, and Privacy. The most frequent topic was Technology, which appeared in six stories.

Formatting

The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Dave Gershgorn to feature on their homepage was 3,158. The minimum number of words was 357. The average number of words was 1,182.

Those words summed up to an average reading time of 5 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 14 minutes, and the minimum was 2 minutes.

Reader engagement

There was a total of 12,069 claps across all the featured stories from Dave Gershgorn during April, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 5,488, the minimum was 300, and the average was 2,012. The applause came from 2,047 readers.

The stories featured from Dave Gershgorn received an average of 21 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 78, and the minimum was four.

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