What You Need to Know About “Chosen for Further Distribution” in 3 Minutes
Did it boost my most-read article of the year?
My most-read article of the year was published in ILLUMINATION, soon after Medium changed its path to being more relational. If a more relational Medium paved the way for my story to find readers, that may or may not be the case.
This article, “Chosen for Further Distribution and I Know Where to Find It,” has so far earned me $50, and I will breakdown how many readers do you need to achieve that, and you will be surprised it doesn’t take that many readers, paying Medium readers.
The article was never chosen for further distribution, as any mention of Medium in your story will be a Shakesperean task for it to be curated.
3 things you need to know about Medium curation
- It doesn’t translate to virality.
I have a few articles chosen for further distribution, and the number of reads feels it was hardly distributed elsewhere. Part of it I know is my own doing. I would not go the extra mile of sharing my work on social media.
Facebook remains the biggest social media platform where stories are shared, and the virality of a story will depend if it resonates with your target audience.
2. Your article doesn’t need to be published in a popular publication.
I did an experiment and published a story in my own publication with two followers, and much to my surprise, it still got Medium curated.
3. It doesn’t bring in the money.
Again, my most read article wasn’t curated, but it ranks high on Google, and it has poked the curiosity of Medium writers.
The lessons I learned from being a Medium curated writer.
What it can help you with is the more you are curated, the more chances of being chosen as a top writer in the topic you got curated.
It has become challenging to find which topics your stories are curated. From my article, I discovered you need to do some sleuthing under Medium topics.
But, thanks to Celine Lai, here is an easier way to find out which topics you are curated.
I still aim to be curated each time I hit publish. It keeps me continually develop my writing style, writer’s tone, and voice.
As Medium changes, we as writers have to change if our goal is to earn money from our writing.
We have to stay relevant with the changing times, as there are many readers online, there are as many writers. Those who succeed have more than their words. They have something the readers want.
While we can butt heads in trying to break the Medium algorithm and find out how to be curated, we should focus on good storytelling, as a good story will always capture readers’ imagination.
As to my first $50 article, I wish I know exactly how to replicate my modest success as a Medium writer. Since I started writing on Medium, my most-read article has given me the power to silence my inner critic and continue writing.
Trying to decode the Medium algorithm is another waste of time. As writers, we must focus on good writing, the one that can blow someone’s mind or imagination. If money is your goal, start writing for your audience.
All I can say is that is let’s not take out the fun from writing, but learn to take the steps necessary to reach your goals.
Hi, I’m Xin Xin, the creator of this content.
