What Medium Algorithms May Want From You

Have more fun and the algorithm may respond

A little while ago, someone asked a question on Quora that tickled me.

Do you think that Medium is more of a blogger site or social media app?

My initial reaction was that it is a blogging site. But first answers can be deceiving.

With more thought, I changed my answer.

Hopefully, my new conclusion will help direct other Medium writers toward understanding one of the biggest questions in the Medium blogosphere. How does the Medium algorithm work?

Medium is first and foremost a blogger site, and then a social media/entertainment site. Do not overlook the last part.

Here is how Medium describes itself on Googles search engine:

”A platform where experts and unheard voices can share their writing on any topic”

Keyword, SHARE. That means Medium is a social platform. Meaning the algorithm most likely heavily relies on engagement. Back and forth relationships between readers and writers are important.

In other words, comments mean a lot.

I think this is where a lot of people get twisted. People come to sites like Medium and expect it to produce wealth as if it’s the next Gold Rush. But it is not too far from other sites like YouTube. For instance, if you move past the entertainment side of a platform like YouTube you’ll see that a large part of its algorithm is socializing.

Channels on sites like Youtube are created or destroyed by how many comments their content generates.

Generating comments and interaction is important because it creates value to the creator’s space and the entire platform with the more time spent on a site.

Medium writer, Jamie Logie reflects on a viral article they wrote about health saying:

“engagement is what matters. Only half the people that viewed the article read it, but it’s the fans, claps, and engagement that seem to determine a story’s success.”

The sociability of your content page depends on whether or not people can connect with you. Whether or not people connect with you depends on how long they’re able to keep viewing your content. And whether or not they view/read/interact with your content has to do with what you’re putting out. The quality and interest of your content should lead to a strong click-through rate.

Why is the click-through rate important?

Clickthrough rate is part of an essential algorithm for most social apps because viewers click through a long string of related content and stay on a site longer. More time=More money. Since Medium is also a social site, I’m going to surmise click-through-rates count toward Medium’s algorithm as well.

For example, one of the most popular YouTubers Mr. Beast explained in an interview how he intentionally created dynamic content the moment he understood click-through algorithms:

“The ones (videos) with the higher click-through rate and average view duration combined got the most views…and then it’s just assessing how to get the numbers up”

I don’t believe Medium is recreating the wheel when it comes to their algorithms. Perhaps it’s a little different, but most likely not entirely. Because Medium is using similar algorithms to other sites, it makes it easier for writers on the platform.

Writers on Medium just need to understand how to apply similar social platform algorithms to writing. I say similar because I don’t believe that most of the writers here are going to create Mr. Beast content like this:

Or this:

Although the purely spectacular and fantasy aspect of Mr. Beast’s entertainment module is fun, I don’t expect people to invest a million dollars into each article the way Mr. Beast does with his videos.

But I do think his clickbait titles that turn out to not be clickbait would do well even on a platform like Medium, Quora, Reddit, Snapchat, or Twitter simply because they would play with algorithm favorites: churning out amazing view times, loads of comments, shares, and hopefully click through.

Understanding the algorithm of any platform is key to mastering said platform. But honestly, I think that most algorithms, including Medium, are working with nearly the same formulas. That is because Medium is also a social app. It’s a place to interact with others and also entertain and share knowledge.

Kelly Stamps, who lays claim to a rapidly growing Youtube channel, explains her understanding of capitalizing on algorithms to rapidly expand her creator space:

“If the algorithm likes you, you will make money, so get on her good side”

Kelly Stamps

Thinking of Medium as an a social driven site is a different perspective of how to please the algorithm Lords. But there are plenty of other ways to do so. Hopefully this perspective helps even a fraction of a bit on your journey.