Why Your Read Ratio is Terrible!

Summary

The article discusses the reasons behind low read ratios on Medium, suggesting improvements to the platform's policy and headline visibility on mobile devices.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses concern over the high rate of readers clicking away from stories on Medium after a short time, despite the quality of the content. Various reader suggestions attribute this to short attention spans, AI summaries, and the need for more engaging images. A key insight comes from a reader who points out that mobile users often cannot see the entire headline before clicking, leading to unintentional clicks on content they may not be interested in. The author proposes that Medium should either remove the penalty for readers quickly clicking away or improve the mobile app to display full headlines, which could reduce the number of misleading clicks and improve the overall reading experience. Additionally, the author advises writers to craft compelling beginnings to their headlines to capture readers' attention.

Opinions

Readers may have short attention spans, contributing to the high click-away rate.
Some users might be using AI to summarize articles, leading to quick exits from the content.
Engaging images, such as those featuring a "busty blonde," could potentially increase reader retention.
The inability to see full headlines on mobile devices is a significant factor in the low read rates.
Medium's policy of penalizing writers for quick click-aways is seen as unfair, especially for those who do not use clickbait tactics.
Writers are encouraged to make the first part of their headlines impactful to retain reader interest.

And what Medium should do about it

I wrote an article asking why so many people were clicking away from stories after 30 seconds. These stories were definitely not clickbait. Some were excellent stories that really deliver on the headlines.

I didn’t understand why people would click on a story in the first place if they had no interest in the content.

Readers of my article made various suggestions:

People have short attention spans

Some people use software that creates AI summaries

Maybe I need a busty blonde in the image to hold people’s attention!

But it still didn’t make sense.

Then one of the responses blew me away. It was enlightening for someone like myself who doesn’t own a smartphone.

“I read a lot on my phone and you just can’t see the whole headline until you click on it, so I am sure that’s some of it. I have the same issue with my posts. I use straightforward titles and some read rates are very low.

“I suspect a lot of others read on their phone. You can’t see the whole title unless you click on it. I hope they change that part of the policy. You really get dinged for it.

“They can keep the 30 seconds for payout but get rid of the penalty for an immediate click out. If it’s click bait they won’t get paid if someone leaves right away anyway. They don’t need the second part which only punishes the rest of us.”

So how about it Tony Stubblebine? How about removing the downgrading of payments when people click away?

Or failing that, perhaps you could make the whole headline visible on the mobile app? It might reduce the number of people clicking on stories that they don’t want to read.

The other lesson from this is for writers to make the first part of their headlines really count!

Why Your Read Ratio is Terrible!

And what Medium should do about it

Medium’s Read Rate at 30 Seconds — Why Are So Many Clicking Away?

How it affects earnings