Why Stick To Only Medium Success On Medium?

Accentuate your growth by effective usage of the profile, publisher, and promotion tools on the platform

It is my third article on a writing topic in a month’s time. This is how it began…

I started writing in September last year. But to tell you the truth, I did not know what I was up to. I just enjoyed writing. Initially, it was like the first day at the gym. So, taking a lead from the usual topics that I have had experience with, I wrote around 15 stories on food, travel, finance, and so on.

Then, I needed a French language certification. The proficiency exam was critical, so I took a 2-month break from writing. During this time, I missed writing stories on Medium terribly. So, I resumed work a week before my exam as I could not bear it any longer. This proved to be the best thing I could ever do because I returned to Medium and started writing with more passion and compassion.

I started writing what I had missed the most during the time I was off. Fortunately, it turned into some kind of writing tips and advisory posts. Now, going on my third article already. But I don’t know if there is going to be a fourth or an eight in continuation? let’s see how it goes…

Now, let’s talk about the core of this article i.e. how to master the basics to make it big or at least noticeable on this platform.

So, if you are not skimming through this article and actually reading these lines, you will probably pause for a while to check my stats. How many followers do I have, stories I have written, and so on? Of course!!! it is not very impressive, not yet. Maybe because things do not jump start from the very first day. For a few, possibly yes, but for most, it takes time. Yet, it is important to make sure that you are going in the right direction and your roadmap to success is spot on.

In order to do that, we are going to talk about the three essential areas to master on the Medium platform, i.e. Profile, Publisher, and Promotion.

Let’s hit it without further ado.

1. Create a powerful “Profile”

Just as you read the caption, one thing must have struck you hard.

No more, please!!!

Because you must be sick and tired of hearing the same old bookish information from every other person you meet.

But the fact of the matter is that despite reading dozens of articles and watching tonnes of videos on similar topics, aspiring writers keep on making the same mistakes repeatedly. They tend to straight away jump into writing stories without making the proper groundwork.

Getting into any profession requires a concrete plan. In writing, it is equally significant because most of the people on board are starting fresh and have no prior professional training or experience in this literary field.

Address at least the following points:

• What is your writing goal? (money, hobby, recognition)
• What timeline are you looking at? (short, medium, long, no timeline)
• What is your writing niche? (travel, food, business, health… undecided)

2. Choose the right “Pub(lisher)”

Let me walk you through the publication options available on Medium. In fact, it is nothing new to the writers. But it all depends on how you get to know about it. The simple way or the hard way??

But first thing first!! You should decide on the number of stories you will publish each month.

Most writers publish 6–8 stories in a month. Others write twice as much and a few even follow the Nanowrimo concept of one story a day or even more.

Identify the number of stories you are willing and able to publish each month. Decide what works best for you.

You don’t have to be rigid with the exact count. But comply with the minimum threshold set by yourself.

The following are the publication options to opt from.

Established publications houses

There are four types of publications in Medium. The elite, high-end, well-established, low-end, and/or relatively new.

This is what you must do:

• Find out a few in each category.
• Then aim for the ones that are in line with your niche, capabilities, timelines, and vision.
• In order to achieve this, do thorough research on the pubs you are targeting before you actually submit your stories.
• Never take a word-of-mouth suggestion from anyone and simply go for it.
• Make an in-depth analysis of featured writers/stories, submission guidelines, content quality, and related topics.
• Weigh the above factors, take your pick, and release the arrow.

Despite all the green ticks, prepare yourself for long-duration review cycles and ultimate rejections. But you can never say when lady luck will be on your side. So, keep trying.

Create your own publication

This is another door opener in Medium.

It entitles all members of the platform to have multiple publications. You can choose this option and start your journey if this is something that excites you.

Prepare a plan and ideally involve one person or more if you want to make it big. Together as a team, you will be responsible to manage writing, editing, marketing, and other administrative tasks.

If all seems good, then go for it.

Self-publication

Last but not least, this is the easiest option available.

Once your story is ready, you can publish it yourself. The date of publication remains the same. But you can still give it to other publications. Either way, it is a win-win situation for you, especially if the story hits the mark in terms of viewership, fan following… etc.

3. “Promote” the winning strategy

Curation may be the talk of the town and can certainly do wonders for you. It can take you from being zero to becoming a hero overnight. But whether your stories get curated, spending time and effort to promote your work via social media and/or other ways is just as important as writing itself.

Imagine if ad campaigns were not important, then why companies spend trillions of dollars on them? The same principle applies here.

Promote your work both on and off Medium and build your brand. Let people know you exist. Lead them on a path that they read your stories, follow you as a writer, share your work, and so on.

There are a million and one reasons you should promote your work. Because not everything goes as per plan. Something may go wrong and believe me it will. It could be the title, the tags, the algorithms, the publisher, and whatnot. So, having a good promotion strategy will help you fill the gaps, release the brakes, and keep you going faster than before.

So, here are the questions you need to ask and take actions:

• Which social media platforms do you wish to target?
• How actively you will engage?
• Do you want to have your own website?
• What about having a YouTube channel?

Address the above and ask more questions until you have a convincing marketing/promotion strategy that will boost your work and take it to the next level.

Concluding thoughts

Make your homework solid. Get to know all the essentials on Medium so that you don’t miss out on anything basic on the platform. Once you master them, you can start experimenting a little. You never know what strategy may work for you. Don’t forget to give your stories a bit of cherry and spice to make them more flavorful and fun to read.

I wish you all the very best in your writing journey.

Here are a few more relevant stories that I have written.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Will appreciate your remarks to make my stories more worthy in the future. See you soon!