How to succeed on Medium

My best work happens when I write for a single person instead of a mass of people. Like any writer, I want to be popular. I want to be read by as many people as possible. But the only way to do that is to connect with one person. Before I write anything — whether it’s a social media post for a brand or a first-person essay or a movie review — I ask myself, “Who am I writing for?”

- John DeVore

Once you’ve found your audience, you want to keep serving that same audience. If you jump from one audience to another, you’re not likely to build a large readership.

That means you have to enjoy what you write about. Otherwise, you’ll be one of those people who spends a year on Medium and gives up because readers can’t relate to your content.

It can be tempting to write for superficial ends, like views or money. But if you spend all your energy writing for those reasons, you’ll eventually burn out. And who wants that? — Darius Foroux

I say devote 15–30 minutes, a minimum of 3 times a week to read your comments, respond and then read a piece from a commenter — they’ve already shown an interest in your work. — Teressa P. of WEOC Editors

Every time I publish a story, I add it to a list. I write many different types of articles on Medium — fiction, nonfiction, poetry — and having a way to collect similar stories together is a great way to organize my page. — Casey Lawrence

Your article is only two-thirds of the final product. The other third is arguably more important — it’s the attention grabber. Alongside your title, it’s the best weapon you have to stop a reader scrolling right past your work. What I’m referring to is, of course, the feature image.

Many writers are guilty of getting sloppy at this stage in the excitement of getting their work published. Don’t get complacent and throw in the first stock image you find under a vague term like ‘writing’ or ‘work.’ If it’s in the first few results, you can bet your life it has been used to death. - Stephen Moore

Writing alt-text allows me to see what I pay attention to first. It gives me time and space, in a relatively low-pressure environment, to notice these things. And I can put that knowledge to use in my life outside of alt-text later.

I’m just now beginning to understand how paying closer attention to accessibility benefits everything around me. But I don’t think I expected that being more aware of it would also help to benefit who I am as a writer. — Yi Shun Lai

Do not chase algorithms. Do not read articles on how to “make it” on Medium. Do not create headlines that scare the living daylights out of people so they click on them, searching for some elusive answer to life’s unanswerable questions.

Instead, write a story in a huff while you’re crying. Crawl back under the sheets and workshop the story with your dog. Chase the flow-feeling. Be naive. — Adeline Dimond.

I think the most important value we offer as a publication is our extensive and thorough editing process. Our editors are very hands-on and we work closely with writers to further developer their skills. I want to underscore the point that this isn’t just about ensuring we publish great work on SUPERJUMP itself; it’s also about leaving writers with something of lasting value well beyond their time with us. — James Burns, EIC of SUPERJUMP