Medium is an excellent platform for blogging about anything you want and earning some additional income. Freelance writing is one of the top freelance skills in 2021, and it requires certain amount of hard work to earn big. You need your written content to reach to maximum audience. However, in order to increase the number of eyeballs on your work, you must build your following. Here, we will demonstrate how to do exactly that.
1. Aim To Get Your Write-up Distributed
Medium has a team of humans (or perhaps computers) that examine the articles submitted by authors and determine if they should be moderated. When an item is curated, it implies that it is prioritized in the Medium algorithm for certain categories. If you write on self-help, for instance, your article may be selected under Self, Relationships, or Health.
Curation on Medium was once a far bigger deal than it is today. Since late 2020, when Medium changed its rules, curation has been renamed to distribution, and it seems to be more automated and less discriminating.
While curating writing is no longer as effective as it once was, we still encourage it. This means following Medium’s preferred formatting guide, avoiding swear words, and writing with good sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.
2. Write For Publications
The most effective method to get your Medium articles recognized is to get them published in publications with a large following. The larger the publication’s following, the more exposure your piece will get.
The most effective method to get your Medium articles recognized is to get them published in publications with a large following. The larger the publication’s following, the more exposure your piece will get. Before submitting to publications, we recommend refining your formatting abilities and being familiar with how Medium operates. Most Medium publications have a preferred formatting style.
If you submit an article without properly attributing your featured picture and formatting it properly, a respectable publisher will reject it immediately.
The following magazines have a sizable readership and welcome new writers:
- The Entrepreneur’s Handbook: Business, Marketing, and Writing
- The Ascent: Self-improvement that makes you feel wonderful
- P.S. I Love You: Everything you need to know about relationships with others and with yourself (it accepts poetry)
- Improved Marketing: Marketing, writing, and content creation for work-related purposes
- Towards Data Science: Topics in software, code, and technology
- Better Humans: Personal anecdotes with guidance and research-based statistics
To submit to a Medium publication, search for it on Medium by entering its name into the search box in the upper-right corner and reading the publication’s submission rules to determine what the magazine is looking for.
After that, you may begin writing an article that meets the criteria. Numerous publications will request that you complete an internet form with your email address and a link to your Medium profile.
Getting your work published in reputable Medium sites is one of the most effective methods to increase the number of people who see your articles and to build a following of individuals who love reading your material.
3. Niche Down
This is a personal preference. While focusing on a single specialty and sticking to it tends to attract a loyal following, it is not necessary for expanding your following.
For instance, if you write only about software development, you are unlikely to acquire a following among readers interested in social problems or relationships. However, other individuals like reading about particular subjects—and just those things.
In my situation, I love writing about a variety of subjects, and therefore have not, and probably will not, have a niche. Nonetheless, I maintain a sizable following on the site as a result of my activity.
4. Engaging with Other Readers & Writers
This leads us to the second method for growing your Medium audience: engaging with your readers and other authors.
a. Clapping
You can show appreciation for an article by “clapping” for it at any point during your reading session. You can clap up to 50 times by tapping or holding the Clap button down.
The author of the article will receive a notification and will see that you clapped for their piece. This could gain you a follower as well as a new friend!
Bear in mind that the frequency with which you clap is critical. People tend to be sensitive to this type of thing, as many of the people on Medium are professional writers who have been doing this for a long time.
If you clap, go for the full 50 claps. Some people get offended if you only clap once for an article, they spent a lot of time on.
b. Responses
The term “Responses” refers to the comments section at the bottom of all Medium articles. We recommend that you use these areas to express praise or ask questions regarding the article, rather than to quarrel or “troll.” While Medium may seem to be a large platform, many of the authors are connected via social media, and news spreads quickly if you abuse your fellow writers.
To comment to a Medium article:
- To begin, click the thought-bubble symbol.
- Kindly enter your remark.
- Enter.
Consider your remarks carefully. Bear in mind that these pieces may take days to complete, and writing is an art form. Therefore, be considerate while making comments on other people’s work.
Additionally, use caution while responding to criticisms on your own work. The way you interact with your audience has the potential to make or destroy you.
If you get a bad remark, responding may not be worthwhile. If you want to respond, you may simply write: “I appreciate your comments and the time you took to read my post.” This is an effective method to express your appreciation for their remark without engaging in discussion with the individual who made it.
5. Reading Articles Across Medium
Reading another writer’s work complements engaging with them through the methods listed above. When you read the articles of other Medium authors and then applaud and highlight their work, you are certain to spark the attention of other writers who will come your profile to read yours. If they like what they see, they may become new followers.
When reading articles on Medium by a reputable writer, take notice of how they structure their articles, the media in which they publish them, and how they engage with their readers. This is the most effective method of becoming acquainted with the platform.
Conclusion
Some newcomers to Medium may experiment with a method dubbed “follow-for-follow,” which is recklessly following individuals in the hope that they would follow you back. This is not how Medium works, since users usually only follow you if they like your work.
Additionally, if you follow a large number of random authors, you risk having irrelevant material appear on your homepage. By engaging in meaningful conversations with your peers, you’re certain to meet like-minded individuals and build a genuine following of people who really appreciate your work.