The Top Five Pubs That Helped Me Gain Traction on Medium

3 reasons why I love publishing with small pubs

When I joined Medium 2 years ago, it was the time of the big pubs and everyone was under the impression that publishing with them was the way to go.

An important thing I’ve realized from consistent writing is that I’m primarily a blogger and my style of writing is not a good fit for the big pubs except perhaps for Tom Kueglar’s The Post Graduate Survival Guide (great pub and excellent editor btw).

Perhaps it was out of FOMO but I eventually did get to publish with Better Humans and The Start-Up👇

The surprising thing is despite my post for Better Humans being recommended on Medium’s homepage and one on mental health pinned to the top of The Start-Up’s page, I get similar if not better results (with way less time investment ) when I go with the smaller pubs.

Not a surprise, considering I started my writing journey with small pubs and built my base here. They have not only taught me a lot about writing articles but also connected me with some exceptional editors & other wonderful writers.

3 reasons why I love publishing with small pubs

Amazing community: Writing is my hobby and passion and Medium is a social publishing platform. I think it is a wonderful place for writers to interact, exchange ideas and co-elevate one another.

Having a support system of writer friends who show up and cheer for each other has not only been a big confidence booster but also a big motivator to write more and better.

I recall an interesting excerpt from romance writer, Jami Albright’s article that sums it up rather beautifully — “ I made friends with other authors. This can’t be overstated. It’s vitally important to find your people and form relationships with them, whether virtually or in person. I also reached out to other authors who were doing better than me. Sometimes it worked out, and a few times it didn’t, but nobody died in the process. I’ve tried to be the best community member that I can be. I cheer people on, I support them, I share their stuff, and I offer help when I can.”

Visibility: I am not a hardcore marketer. Neither do I mindlessly churn out content. But I know for a fact that hard work and learning (from Google and networking) go a long way toward being somewhat successful.

The credit for the fact that I have been able to gain visibility by being a life writer may be in part due to talent or some intuitive feel for what my readers like to read, however, a good part of it has to do with self-promotion — something I learned from the small pub circuit.

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When new writers lament that nobody is reading them, the all-important question they fail to ask themselves is what are you doing on your part to gain visibility?

Turnaround time: Small pubs usually have great publishing turnaround time which is important for a blogger like me who doesn’t like having multiple articles out on the same day. I feel it is offputting to my readers and also it doesn’t give me enough time to give them the proper TLC with regard to promotion.

Having said that, I usually go with a balanced mix of long-form and short-form content that revolves around life, love, and writing to give my readers a variety to choose from.

5 pubs which have helped me gain traction on Medium:

Know Thyself Heal Thyself: Hands down the pub that has had the most influence on my growth on this platform. It is here that I came into my writing style and audience on topics such as being an empath, broken relationships, and healing — thanks to editor, Diana C.

The Daily Cuppa: Katie Michaelson is a wonderful, supportive editor who taught me how to write crisp short forms. I am fortunate to be part of her team at the cuppa.

The Shortform: I finally realized my dream of becoming an editor for The Short form this year. This pub has been an integral part of my growth thanks to an intro by my Medium friend, Kristina God.

Age of Empathy: Yes, I may be a little biased since I am an editor there as well but I love this pub because it motivates me to bring some of my best writing to the table. If you are interested in pubs that specialize in high-quality essays, then I highly recommend checking out Age of Empathy.

Synergy: Personally, I love the turnaround time and the fact that I usually get the results I desire when I publish my articles about writing there — like this one about the value of using this powerful but oftentimes overlooked writing technique👇

Because of this, I have a submission ready at least once a week for either them or Illumination. What’s more, I have friends who are editors there including Dr. Preeti Singh, and have high respect for Dr Mehmet Yildiz.

So here they are, the 5 pubs that have played an important role in my writing journey. I hope you check them out and see if they are a good fit for your articles too!