Medium is a popular blogging and publishing platform created by Evan Williams, one of the founders of Twitter. Although it doesn’t have nearly the number of users as the industry-leading site WordPress, Medium offers several features that make it an enticing option for new bloggers.
One of the most well-known benefits of Medium is its “Partner Program.” This program allows bloggers to earn money through Medium’s site-wide membership fees. Instead of relying on ad-revenue, writers can make money by putting their posts behind Medium’s paywall.
Another feature that draws writers to Medium is the amount of connectivity built into the site. Unlike WordPress, in which each blog typically stands on its own as a unique website, on Medium, similar blogs are automatically recommended to readers.
These features make Medium a great option for new bloggers looking to grow their readership. Despite this, many new writers struggle to build an audience on the site. Fortunately, Medium provides several solutions to this problem. Below are three free ways that bloggers can reach readers on Medium.
Publications
Medium’s “publications” mirror traditional print magazines. A Medium publication is a collection of posts on a similar theme or topic. Although Medium’s corporate office runs a handful of publications, most of them are made by the users themselves.
Any user can create their own publications or submit their work to other users’ publications. New writers on the website will see the most benefit from submitting their work to established publications with a large audience.
When a writer creates a new post on Medium, typically only their “followers” will see it. However, when a new post appears in a publication, all the publication’s “followers” have the chance to see it as well. In this way, writers can get their posts in front of brand-new readers.
Curation
Another way to grow on Medium is through “curation.” Medium employees read through many new posts each day, looking for ones that stand out as high-quality. When they identify such a post, they can mark it for curation.
Having a post “curated” means that it will be included on various topic pages throughout the site. From there, people who have chosen to follow those topics will have the chance to view the post.
Some curated posts receive even more distribution throughout the site. This can include being placed on the front page and even getting emailed directly to readers.
Although curation is typically a more powerful way to reach readers than using publications, it’s less reliable. Ultimately, curation is entirely up to the editors on Medium who read your post. However, the best way to improve your chances of curation is to follow Medium’s rules and focus on writing high-quality content.
Subscriptions
One of Medium’s newest features is subscriptions. Subscriptions allow readers to sign up for email notifications from the writers they love. Since this feature was only introduced in 2021, many writers aren’t yet taking advantage of it.
Subscriptions can be enabled through the settings page on Medium. Once enabled, anyone who reads one of a writer’s posts can sign up to be notified about future posts. Each time that a writer publishes a new post, they are presented with an option of whether to send an email to their subscribers.
These subscriptions offer an opportunity to turn one-off visitors into repeat readers. It has the potential to be a powerful tool, and Medium has suggested that they might continue to improve it based on user feedback.
Conclusion
There are very few overnight successes on Medium, but the site provides all the tools needed to steadily grow a blog’s readership. By utilizing publications, aiming for curation, and enabling subscriptions, writers can maximize their growth. Thanks to these tools, even a new writer can build a sizable following.
