Summary

Beginners on Medium should write about what they love and are knowledgeable about, and conduct research on Medium's topics to increase their chances of success.

Abstract

For new writers on Medium, the key to success lies in writing about topics they are passionate about and have expertise in, whether through personal experience or formal research. The platform's recommendation algorithm is driven by user-selected topics, making it crucial for writers to align their content with these topics to gain visibility. Writers should explore Medium's curated topics to understand what content is being distributed and how they can tailor their stories to fit within these categories. By doing so, they can maximize their chances of being curated and reaching a wider audience from the outset.

Opinions

Success on Medium cannot be hacked; it requires hard work and authenticity.
Readers on Medium are interested in the 'why' and 'how' behind a writer's expertise and passion.
Both knowledge and experience are valid forms of authority when choosing a writing topic.
Passion in writing is contagious and can engage readers regardless of the subject matter.
Medium's curation process is important for new writers as it can lead to early exposure.
Writers should aim to have their stories curated into relevant topics to reach the intended audience.
Researching existing curated content within topics can guide writers on style, format, and content gaps.

What Should Beginners Write About on Medium?

Short answer: Write about what you love, and do your research

For almost every beginner coming to Medium, the most important question is this: What should I write about? What can I write about that will guarantee I’m successful? What kinds of posts are popular on Medium? Can I write about sports/politics/feminism on Medium?

Before you go too far into this story, I want to warn you: there is no “right” answer. You can’t hack your way into being successful on Medium, which, to me, is one of the best things about it. There’s no one topic that guarantees viral success, money, all your dreams coming true. If you want to be successful in writing on Medium, you have a lot of hard work coming your way.

Now let’s get into it: what should beginners on Medium write about? And how can you maximize your chances of being successful right off the bat?

If you prefer video format, I created a video version of this article here:

What Should Beginners on Medium Write About?

The answer is not what’s viral, what’s popular, what’s trending, or what someone tells you to write about.

The answer is simpler. Write about what you love. Why? On Medium, readers care about two things: the why and the how. Writing about what you love lets you answer those parts.

Let’s break each of those parts down. Why should a reader listen to you about this topic? How do you know anything about it?

To answer those questions and get them to read your story, you have to demonstrate that you’re passionate (the why) and that you either have knowledge or experience (the how).

When you demonstrate that you deeply care about something, that passion is contagious. It comes through in your voice, whether you’re writing or speaking. No matter if it’s about cats, soccer, beanie babies, or anything else — if you’re passionate, you tell readers why they should listen to you.

If you’ve got them that far, great. Next is telling them how you came to tell this story. It can be through knowledge, such as formal education, reading, study, or any other kind of research. But it can also come through experience, such as something that happened to you, a conversation you had, a pattern you’ve noticed in your everyday life.

Let me put it this way: I’m not knowledgable about relationships, because I’m not a psychologist. I am experienced in them, though, because I’ve been in a relationship for six years. Both would give me authority when writing about relationships.

To recap: Beginners on Medium should write about what they care about and what they know about, whether through research or experience. You should demonstrate your passion and your expertise as soon as you can in the story.

That’s all that matters when it comes to choosing a starting topic.

How Can You Write Something That Will Be Successful as a Beginner on Medium?

Now you’re wondering: great, I can write about what I love. How do I make sure people read it? Can I really write about ______ on Medium?

Let’s dive into this second part. While you can write about anything you want on Medium, you should know that here there’s this concept of topics.

Topics are what drive Medium’s story recommendation algorithm. When people sign up to Medium, they pick 5–10 topics they like. Medium uses that info to recommend stories for them to read.

Screenshot of Medium’s topics and publications

Every time someone publishes on Medium, a team of curators looks at the story and decides whether it’s worthy of being curated into one or more of those topics for others to see and read. Curation on Medium matters — it can mean eyes on your work at a very early stage in your writing career.

How do you aim for those coveted topics? By looking at them! They’re all listed at Medium.com/topics. Drill down and see more about each individual topic.

Here you can see every story that Medium curators have picked to be distributed in those topics. You can research each topic and understand whether your story idea fits into one of those curated topics or whether you should aim for a different one.

By closely examining the topics available for curation on Medium, you know what you should aim for, how you should tag your story, and what other curated stories look and sound like. This will help you write a story that gets curated (and gets eyeballs) from the very first go.

To Recap: Write About What You Love, and Do Your Research

Here’s a step-by-step of what you should do to know what you should write about as a beginner on Medium.

First, decide what you’re passionate about. Something you know a lot about, either through study or experience.

Then, go to the Topics page. Determine a group of 3–5 topics that you think your story fits into.

Research each one of those topics. What is being written about? What’s the style like? How are they formatted? What’s NOT being written about?

This process gives you all the information you need. You know if you can write about your favorite subject on Medium. You know how other people are doing it. And you can now sit down and start firing your fingers away writing a story that will be successful.