The Top 10 Writers Most Featured on Medium in May 2020 — An Analysis
Of all 560 of the stories featured by Medium in May 2020, these were the writers they were most sourced from.
In this report, we will take a look at the top 10 writers that had their stories featured on Medium’s homepage the most in May, 2020. We will examine the formatting — word count, story length, and topics — used by the writers as well as engagement metrics, such as claps and responses.
Who am I?
I’m a software engineer who knows how to obtain, process, and report data efficiently. As a writer, I’ve set my eyes on Medium’s featured stories to help myself and other writers understand what Medium’s editorial team prioritizes. I will do my best to summarize my findings in a series of articles. You can follow me and the Writers Guild publication to stay alert.
#1. Andy Slavitt
There were nine stories written by Andy Slavitt featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.61% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Andy Slavitt were curated across four topics, including Coronavirus, Politics, and World. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in nine stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Andy Slavitt to feature on their homepage was 2,329. The minimum number of words was 685. The average number of words was 1,039.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 4 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 9 minutes, and the minimum was 3 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 33,087 claps across all the featured stories from Andy Slavitt during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 10,448, the minimum was 345, and the average was 3,676. The applause came from 5,544 readers.
The stories featured from Andy Slavitt received an average of 37 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 113, and the minimum was three.
#2. Emily Mullin
There were nine stories written by Emily Mullin featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.61% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Emily Mullin were curated across eight topics, including Coronavirus, Science, and Health. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in six stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Emily Mullin to feature on their homepage was 2,122. The minimum number of words was 468. The average number of words was 1,155.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 5 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 8 minutes, and the minimum was 2 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 5,558 claps across all the featured stories from Emily Mullin during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 1,661, the minimum was 154, and the average was 618. The applause came from 682 readers.
The stories featured from Emily Mullin received an average of 6 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 11, and the minimum was two.
#3. Will Oremus
There were eight stories written by Will Oremus featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.43% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Will Oremus were curated across sixteen topics, including Politics, Business, and Social Media. The most frequent topic was Technology, which appeared in seven stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Will Oremus to feature on their homepage was 2,180. The minimum number of words was 1,156. The average number of words was 1,601.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 8 minutes, and the minimum was 5 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 9,102 claps across all the featured stories from Will Oremus during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 3,966, the minimum was 291, and the average was 1,138. The applause came from 1,109 readers.
The stories featured from Will Oremus received an average of 13 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 52, and the minimum was one.
#4. Drew Costley
There were eight stories written by Drew Costley featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.43% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Drew Costley were curated across fifteen topics, including Society, Business, and Race. The most frequent topic was Environment, which appeared in seven stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Drew Costley to feature on their homepage was 1,253. The minimum number of words was 895. The average number of words was 1,093.
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 4 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 3,507 claps across all the featured stories from Drew Costley during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 693, the minimum was 149, and the average was 438. The applause came from 462 readers.
The stories featured from Drew Costley received an average of 6 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 13, and the minimum was one.
#5. Alexandra Sifferlin
There were seven stories written by Alexandra Sifferlin featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.25% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Alexandra Sifferlin were curated across three topics, including Coronavirus, Health, and Travel. 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 Alexandra Sifferlin to feature on their homepage was 890. The minimum number of words was 209. The average number of words was 478.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 2 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 4 minutes, and the minimum was 1 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 4,246 claps across all the featured stories from Alexandra Sifferlin during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 1,692, the minimum was 122, and the average was 607. The applause came from 621 readers.
The stories featured from Alexandra Sifferlin received an average of 6 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 15, and the minimum was one.
#6. Markham Heid
There were seven stories written by Markham Heid featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.25% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Markham Heid were curated across twelve topics, including Mental Health, Psychology, 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 Markham Heid to feature on their homepage was 2,568. The minimum number of words was 1,031. The average number of words was 1,618.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 10 minutes, and the minimum was 4 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 18,286 claps across all the featured stories from Markham Heid during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 6,805, the minimum was 307, and the average was 2,612. The applause came from 2,879 readers.
The stories featured from Markham Heid received an average of 26 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 56, and the minimum was five.
#7. Yasmin Tayag
There were seven stories written by Yasmin Tayag featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.25% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Yasmin Tayag were curated across one topics, including Coronavirus. 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 Yasmin Tayag to feature on their homepage was 1,097. The minimum number of words was 264. The average number of words was 662.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 3 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 4 minutes, and the minimum was 1 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 6,128 claps across all the featured stories from Yasmin Tayag during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 2,091, the minimum was 68, and the average was 875. The applause came from 798 readers.
The stories featured from Yasmin Tayag received an average of 11 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 29, and the minimum was one.
#8. Dana G Smith
There were six stories written by Dana G Smith featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.07% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Dana G Smith were curated across five topics, including Coronavirus, Science, and Health. 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 Dana G Smith to feature on their homepage was 2,109. The minimum number of words was 494. The average number of words was 1,427.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 8 minutes, and the minimum was 2 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 36,791 claps across all the featured stories from Dana G Smith during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 30,121, the minimum was 418, and the average was 6,132. The applause came from 7,576 readers.
The stories featured from Dana G Smith received an average of 42 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 171, and the minimum was two.
#9. Robert Roy Britt
There were six stories written by Robert Roy Britt featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.07% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Robert Roy Britt were curated across eight topics, including Coronavirus, Science, and Health. The most frequent topic was Coronavirus, which appeared in six stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Robert Roy Britt to feature on their homepage was 2,113. The minimum number of words was 227. The average number of words was 1,475.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 9 minutes, and the minimum was 2 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 12,871 claps across all the featured stories from Robert Roy Britt during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 4,539, the minimum was 496, and the average was 2,145. The applause came from 2,382 readers.
The stories featured from Robert Roy Britt received an average of 20 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 42, and the minimum was eight.
#10. Angela Lashbrook
There were six stories written by Angela Lashbrook featured by Medium in May, 2020. These stories accounted for 1.07% of all stories featured during May. The stories by Angela Lashbrook were curated across eighteen topics, including Digital Life, Remote Work, and Beauty. The most frequent topic was Technology, which appeared in four stories.
Formatting
The greatest number of words in a single story that Medium selected from Angela Lashbrook to feature on their homepage was 2,285. The minimum number of words was 1,419. The average number of words was 1,643.
Those words summed up to an average reading time of 6 minutes. The maximum suggested reading time across these stories was 9 minutes, and the minimum was 6 minutes.
Reader engagement
There was a total of 5,110 claps across all the featured stories from Angela Lashbrook during May, 2020. The greatest number of claps for a single story was 1,729, the minimum was 265, and the average was 852. The applause came from 656 readers.
The stories featured from Angela Lashbrook received an average of 7 responses. The maximum number of responses on a featured story was 12, and the minimum was one.
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