Medium is a free, full-service blogging platform. The site provides hosting, a browser-based text editor, and several ways to reach new readers, all at no cost to the user. Many writers use Medium to build their blog from the ground up, but it can also serve as a useful tool for established bloggers. Using Medium’s import features and built-in marketing opportunities, seasoned writers can reach a brand-new audience.
Importing Blog Posts
Medium allows writers to post previously published articles on the site, as long as they own the rights to the work. In fact, the platform even encourages these posts by providing free importation tools.
Medium offers writers two different ways to import previously published posts onto the site. The first is the automatic “import a story” feature. Writers can find a link to this feature on the “stories” page, accessed through the menu under their profile picture.
This automatic importation tool simply needs the post’s original URL. Writers will have a chance to preview and edit their article before it goes live on Medium. The tool also automatically sets the canonical link to the post’s original location. This will keep search engine traffic targeted towards the writer’s personal blog, instead of their Medium account.
Writers can also import posts manually by copying and pasting them into Medium’s story editor. The downside of this method is that writers will also have to manually update the post’s canonical link through the story settings.
Medium used to have a third method of importation which allowed writers to sync their Medium account with their WordPress blog. Unfortunately, this tool was discontinued in 2019.
How Medium Can Grow a Blog’s Audience
Why should bloggers go to all the trouble of copying their content from their blog to Medium? Because Medium provides the opportunity to connect with an entirely new audience.
Unlike WordPress, in which every blog is typically hosted on its own server and website, Medium blogs are all hosted together and accessible through the Medium homepage. Medium’s “relational model” helps readers and writers connect.
Medium’s editors regularly read through new posts to seek out high-quality content to be featured across the site. If a post is chosen by the editors for “curation,” it can reach hundreds or thousands of readers. Medium will push these posts to reader’s front pages, and occasionally even email them in a “daily digest.”
Medium also has a tool called “publications” which allows users to form digital magazines collecting posts. Submitting a post to these publications provides yet another way for bloggers to find a new audience.
Finally, Medium has several audience building features intended to retain readers. The most used is the “follow” button, which will alert readers when a writer posts a new story to Medium. In 2021, Medium also added a “subscribe” button, which lets readers sign up for email notifications every time a writer creates a new post.
Thanks to the canonical links to the original post, none of this additional promotion has any negative effect on the writer’s personal blog. For most writers, duplicating content onto Medium is a no-lose situation.
Conclusion
Medium is a great blogging solution for new and established bloggers alike. For writers who already have a personal blog, Medium provides easy importation tools to duplicate the content without hurting the blog’s search engine rankings. Thanks to Medium’s built-in audience and marketing tools, bloggers can use the site to reach a brand-new set of readers. The entire service is free, any writer can benefit from giving it a try.
