how to write a medium article

How to Use Medium: A Beginner's Guide to Writing, Publishing & Promoting on the Platform

Published: October 19, 2023

Medium is a platform for writers. If you're not a writer, that sounds pretty straightforward. But if you write, you understand just how huge that statement is.

Is it a blogging platform? Social media or an SEO resource? An online community or a way to earn money writing? Yes. All of the above.

You could be a poet publishing on The Coil, a new UX designer learning your craft, or a business owner sharing stories about early challenges and triumphs. No matter who you are and what you want to write about, there's a place for you on this platform.

I've been writing about marketing since 2017, I've used many different platforms for publishing and promoting content. Now, I'm going to tell you how I use Medium, and how you can too.

What is Medium?

Medium is a social publishing platform that is open to all and home to a diverse array of stories, ideas, and perspectives. Anyone can write for the platform, so it's great for beginners.

Popular topics on Medium range from mental health to social media, from world affairs and trending news to productivity hacks. This makes it a solid choice for anyone who wants to start blogging.

As Medium founder (and Blogger creator/Twitter co-founder) Ev Williams wrote when he launched the platform in 2012:

"Medium is not about who you are or whom you know, but about what you have to say."

How does Medium work?

The first thing you'll notice on the Medium website is its site design. As former HubSpot Senior Content Strategist Erik Devaney says, "It's minimalistic, featuring lots of white space and limited formatting options. Want to change the header typeface to Comic Sans? You can't. Medium won't allow for such atrocities of design."

This decision makes great writing the focus. But that's just one of many nuances of Medium.

Medium is for two types of people: writers and readers, through online content publishing. When I started my career in content writing and strategy, I wasn't sure what that meant. I discovered Medium because I was trying to figure out where to build my writing portfolio . I'd heard Medium was a good choice, but the first time I signed up I wasn't sure how to use it.

If you're just getting started on the platform, there's a fair amount to learn before you hit publish. Let's get into it.

Quality leads to discovery.

Many writers go for years without sharing their writing. But once you decide to become a writer, whether you're finishing a first novel or writing content for brands, you need to find a way to share your skills.

Medium is great for writers who invest time and energy in their work. It rewards in-depth, well-researched, and useful articles, not just popularity or brand awareness.

Platform-enabled reader engagement.

Comments and likes are popular in online media. But when you're new to writing, it's helpful to know exactly what people are responding to and why. To meet this need, Medium gives readers a chance to highlight and comment directly within the text of each article. This process is like the way professional editors engage with writers.

Curation and publications.

Medium has curators who review articles for quality. If a curator chooses your article for wider distribution, it gives you a chance to introduce your content to more readers. This might include highlighting your article on the platform, showing your post to readers they think will want to read it, or adding it to subscriber emails.

Most curators are publication editors. Some of the most popular publications on Medium in 2023 include:

• The Startup
• Towards Data Science
• Personal Growth
• UX Collective
• The Writing Cooperative

Medium’s curation and publication models aren’t just great for writers. They also give avid readers and fans a chance to support their favorite writers.

Paid opportunities.

Medium also gives writers the chance to earn money with their stories. As a member of the Partner Program, you can put stories behind a paywall to earn income.

In this program, you can increase earnings with repeat readers, engagement signals, and more.

Writing for Medium

Anyone who has a Medium account can write for Medium — there's no other vetting process involved.

To get started, simply sign up for a free Medium account (or upgrade to a $5/month membership for unlimited access), and you're ready to start writing from there.

But articles must adhere to Medium's content guidelines and rules. For instance, as a writer I can't promote controversial or extreme content on my Medium account. I can't do third-party advertising. And there's a separate set of policies if I want to write about cryptocurrencies .

Affiliate marketing links are allowed, but writers must tell their audience that they're including these links. For the full list of rules for content, take a look at this post on Medium Rules .

As a marketer, Medium presents an opportunity for you to reach a new audience with your content. The platform is open, so some topics lean toward sharing longer-form, more well-thought-out content while others are short and topic-focused.

In this way, Medium is like marketing on many other channels, because success in writing for Medium isn't just about great writing. It takes some research into audiences and publications in a specific area of interest. So, what makes Medium a great channel for writers?

In the next section, I’m going to get into the topic above, and talk about how I chose between Medium and WordPress.

Medium vs. WordPress

This post offers an exceptional breakdown of WordPress vs. Medium for pricing, blogging, and SEO from a business perspective. So, I want to use this space to share my personal experience with the two platforms.

How I've Used WordPress as a Content Writer

I worked with a designer to build my personal website on WordPress and built a separate side project on my own with Elementor . I've also used WordPress professionally as a content manager and freelance writer. Altogether I've been using the platform for 6+ years to create and promote content.

WordPress is an excellent platform for sharing content online inexpensively. It also makes it easy to add plugins, features, and tools to connect my sites to other relevant channels, like social media feeds or payment gateways.

I like WordPress as a content writer because it lets me run independent sites online that I can use to test ideas before widely broadcasting them.

That said, it took years of learning about search engine optimization ( SEO ) to begin generating traffic on my personal sites. With the rapid recent changes in SEO, I've been investing more time in researching social channels for marketing and promotion.

How I've Used Medium as a Content Writer

As you can see above, I chose to go with WordPress for my portfolio. But I started using Medium when I was managing content for a small ecommerce startup.

I was looking for effective ways to promote content for our blog. I wanted a channel that could help expand the influence of the excellent writers on my team. So, we started with Medium.

I asked writers on my three-person team to write an original piece for Medium once a month in addition to their scheduled blog assignments.

While some posts sat on our brand's Medium page without much traction, a few grabbed valuable attention. Specifically, we had the most success with posts that we submitted to popular publications on the site.

For example, I submitted this post about Ecommerce Easter Eggs to the Marketing and Entrepreneurship publication curated by Larry Kim, and Bryce Patterson submitted this piece on the content writing process to the publication " The Writing Cooperative ."

These publications have dedicated audiences, which helped us show our writing to more people and build followers for our branded Medium account.

WordPress vs. Medium — which is right for you?

While these are both excellent platforms to showcase writing, they’re quite different. I use both platforms, but I spend more time on WordPress because of my goals as a creator. But many writers will find that Medium is the best platform for them because of its focus on writer discovery, monetization, and community-building.

At this point, you may be ready to try using Medium. Let’s take the first step.

How to Use Medium

• Create an account.
• Follow people, publications, and topics.
• Recommend, share, and bookmark content.
• Highlight specific words.
• Write responses.
• Format text in your posts.
• Add images and media.
• Share drafts and publish posts.
• Measure your results.

Getting Started With Medium

1. create an account..

Anyone can view free Medium content. But to publish and interact with folks on the platform, you need to have an account and log in.

So, the first step is creating an account. Signing up was super easy for me. I headed to Medium.com and clicked the "Get started" button at the top of the page. From there I had three different sign-up options to choose from: Google, Facebook, or email.

I used my Gmail account to create an account first, which was super fast and simple. They even made adding my name to my profile easy, because it auto-filled based on my email.

I also set up a separate account, this time signing up with email. All I needed to do was click a link in my email to complete setup, and the process was otherwise the same.

During signup, it helped to remember that Medium is part social media. It's not just a platform to write blogs, it's a space to share, comment, and curate content within a community.

So, I felt like some parts of the signup, like choosing topics, felt more like signing up for Twitter (X) or Pinterest than creating an account on a blogging platform.

I like keeping my blogging and social media accounts separate, but Erik Devaney recommends signing up for Medium using Facebook. He says, "That way all of your existing connections from Facebook who are on Medium will automatically be following your account once it's created. This saves you the trouble of having to build up a new audience entirely from scratch."

Regardless of what you go with to start, you can always link your Twitter (X), Mastodon, or Facebook to your Medium account later in the "Security and apps" tab in the Settings menu.

The Settings menu is also where you can update your username, profile page URL, profile design, and more. You can also control what email notifications you receive from Medium in this menu.

To complete my profile, I added a photo and wrote up a short (160-character max) bio for my Medium profile page. I use the same bio across my social media accounts, so I just copied and pasted this from my Instagram account, emojis and all.

2. Follow people, publications, & topics.

In a Medium feed, the content that's surfaced comes not only from the accounts of the people and organizations you follow, but also from publications and tags. What's more, when searching for content on Medium, people, publications, and topics all show up in the results.

First, figure out who you want to follow. Whose writing do you want to read? Who’s making content you can learn from as you begin your new writing adventure?

There's a wide variety of writers on the platform, and I'm interested in a little bit of everything, so this step was quick to complete. Whether you're interested in politics or people-watching , computer science or world travel , you're likely to find some writers you want to follow too.

Publications

Medium publications are collections of stories based around a common theme. Anyone can create them — yourself included — and the way they work is fairly straightforward.

As the creator of a publication, you're an editor by default. This means you have the ability to:

• Add writers to your publication
• Edit and publish the stories submitted by your writers
• Review the metrics for all the stories that are part of your publication

As the publication's creator, you'll also have the ability to appoint new editors (so they can do all that stuff I just mentioned).

Creating a publication is easy to do. First, I needed to submit payment to become a Medium member. Then, I clicked on my profile image in the top right, and scrolled down to "Manage publications." A pop-up appeared, and I clicked "Create a new publication."

This led to a new page where I needed to enter information on the name, description, social accounts, and topic for my publication. I also needed images ready to add an avatar and logo.

The avatar image appears on featured pages around Medium, while the logo image appears on the homepage of the publication. You can learn about image sizes for these requirements and more in this Medium post .

Once I finished entering this information, I had a chance to create a custom design for the home page of my new publication.

This publication will give me a chance to not only share my own writing, but also connect with other writers on the topics I care about.

Once called "Tags," Topics are the hashtags of the Medium ecosystem. When you publish a story on Medium, you get the option to add up to five topics, which appear at the bottom of your story.

So, when I click a topic it brings me to a page where I can see more stories with the same topic. It also gives me suggestions for other topics I might be interested in.

Instead of surfacing content based solely on the social graph (for example, the people/publications you follow), Medium uses topics to surface content that's based on specific interests.

For example, this article from Beth Dunn , a recent Marketing Fellow at HubSpot, includes five topics:

• User Experience
• Inclusive Design
• Content Strategy

Following topics like these can help personalize my Medium experience and make it easier for my readers to find more of my content.

Now that I've set up an account, started following some accounts, built a publication, and followed some topics, let's start engaging with content.

How to Interact With Medium Content

3. recommend, share, and bookmark content..

Clapping hands are the "Like" of the Medium world. It's a way to show that you support and appreciate the content that someone has shared.

When reading a story on Medium, you can support it at both the top and the bottom of the actual story, where you see the clapping hand symbol.

In either case, I just click on the clapping hand icon to support a story. Once clicked, the hands will change from an outline to solid black. The first time I supported a story, I accidentally clicked the number beside the clapping hands icon. This was a happy accident because it let me see the full list of people who recommended that story.

Note : You can clap up to 50 times per post, and you can clap for as many posts as you want.

When you recommend a story, the writer, by default, will receive an email notification. (But that's something you can control in Settings). The more support a story receives, the more likely it is to be shared around the Medium network. Stories that receive the most likes within a given time period get featured on Medium's home page.

In the same two locations where you can recommend a story, you can also save, listen to, or share that story. To save a story I wanted to spend more time reading, I clicked the bookmark icon and it saved the story to my reading list. I can also create specific reading lists in this part of the platform.

To listen, I just clicked the play icon, but if you want to use this feature, it's good to know that it's for members only. Finally, I shared the story by copying the link or sharing it on LinkedIn, Twitter (X), or Facebook.

When you bookmark a story, it will appear on your reading list, which you can access from your Medium profile page or from the Medium homepage at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar.

4. Highlight specific words.

Now that I know how to support, share, and bookmark Medium stories, it's time to unlock a second level of interaction. I do this by selecting sections of text with my cursor.

Once I highlight some text, a pop-up menu will appear that gives me four options:

Clicking the highlighter icon (highlighter symbol) puts a green highlight around the text I selected. This is visible to my Medium followers. By default, a story's writer will get a notification when anyone highlights a section of their stories.

Clicking the speech bubble icon lets me write a response to the story I'm reading. The section of text I've highlighted appears at the top of my response. (More on responses in a second.)

Clicking the Twitter icon generates a " Text Shot ," which is a tweet that automatically pulls in the text I highlighted as a screenshot.

Private Note

Some stories will also show a lock icon in a speech bubble. Clicking this icon lets me send the writer a private note. If you don't see this icon, it's because the author has turned off private notes.

You can choose this on or off in your settings, but I chose to leave it on because I read that editors sometimes use private notes to offer feedback to writers before publishing.

5. Write responses.

Unlike traditional blog comments, Medium responses are treated as individual stories . Besides appearing at the bottom of the stories I respond to, I can also publish my responses to my profile page.

This is helpful for me because it lets me engage with people on the platform without having to commit to writing a full-blown story. It also helps me come up with ideas for stories.

Medium's approach to responses gives comments the potential to take off and get circulated just like traditional stories.

A quick note: Responses are engagement signals on the Medium platform. And, responding is a tip that shows up in many articles about how to promote your writing on Medium.

For me, this makes it important to respond genuinely. While responses are a way to increase my visibility on the platform, I work to be thoughtful in the ways I support and engage with the writers I respond to.

How to Write and Publish on Medium

6. format text in your posts..

Ready to start writing my first Medium post, I click "Write" at the top right-hand corner of the Medium home page. I can also get there by clicking on my profile icon at the top-right of the Medium page, and then scrolling to "Stories." I can create a new story by clicking the green "Write a story" button. That action pulls up a screen that's ready for my content that looks like this:

As Erik Devaney says, "Writing in Medium's editor is highly intuitive and — from a stylistic perspective — nearly impossible to screw up."

As usual, it’s the writing that’s tough, but a tool can help with the details. When I write, I often use a template, like one of these free blog templates .

Then, I copy and paste my writing into my chosen publishing platform. Medium makes this step easy. It retains links and other formatting from pasted text.

If I want to make a change to the text, All I have to do is highlight a section to reveal several basic format choices such as bold, italics, or hyperlinking. It also lets me designate text as an H1 or as an H2 using the big T or little t:

And I can choose between two different styles of block quotes —

Or Option B:

If I really want to get fancy, I use Medium's drop caps function.

Know those enlarged, stylized letters you sometimes see at the beginning of sentences? Those are drop caps. According to the Medium team , they're useful for "pacing, starting a new chapter, or just a little typographical delight."

Another option for creating some separation between different sections of a story in Medium is to use a separator. To insert one, I click the little plus icon that appears on an empty line of a story:

Clicking that plus icon will open up a menu with six options. The one on the far right — the icon with the two little lines — is the separator.

Here's what it looks like on the page:

Check out this story for more formatting how-tos, such as adding inline code, mentions, or emojis.

7. Add images and media.

Adding images, videos, and embeds to a Medium story can be as simple as copying and pasting URLs into Medium's editor. The editor, in most cases, can automatically recognize the media's format and render it accordingly.

For example, I want to add a couple videos to my in-progress post. For the first video, I just copied and pasted the YouTube URL, and then clicked "Enter." Then I added a TikTok video by clicking the video icon that shows up after clicking the plus icon. The final result was the same no matter which steps I followed.

You can add a range of media to your Medium story including:

• Uploading an image from your computer
• Adding stock photos with Unsplash
• Inserting a video with a URL
• Inserting an embed code for approved media

There are also different size and orientation options for displaying media.

For example, the options below appeared in a pop-up menu after I inserted my YouTube video. There are three choices for sizing a YouTube video on Medium:

8. Share drafts and publish posts.

When I finished my story and was happy with how everything looked, I headed up to the top navigation to choose between two options: "Publish" and an icon with three dots. The three dots highlight a range of choices for writers. These include sending a draft link, checking the appearance of the post, unlisted publishing, and more.

For example, "Share draft link" generates a link to the draft of my story, which I can share with anyone — even if they don't have a Medium account. And the people I share the draft with can also leave me notes.

Clicking the "Publish" button, meanwhile, opens a menu where I can choose up to five topics for my story. It's a sort of pre-publishing dashboard, with reminders to add a featured image and a link to learn more about what happens after publishing. I like that it also offers a chance to schedule my post if I want to share it later.

It's also where I hit the "Publish" button to share my story with the world. 

How to Get Paid on Medium

Now that I've gone through how to use Medium, I'm thinking about how to make the most of it. I’ve done some research and found a few ways writers monetize with this platform.

First off, there's the Partner Program. If you want to earn money with your stories, this is an exciting way to get paid on Medium.

The Medium Partner Program pays writers directly each month. To get paid on Medium I first need to become a paid Medium member. Then, it’s time to apply for the Partner Program. The requirements for this are simple. I need to:

• Have published at least one Medium story
• Be 18 years or older
• Live in an eligible country

This process also includes signing up for Stripe, to collect payments, and Tipalti, for tax purposes. Once I'm part of the Partner Program, I can put new and already-published stories behind a paywall for premium members. When someone reads my story, I'll earn a percentage of their membership fee.

This is the lowest lift choice, because it's monetizing something I'm already doing — writing stories for the platform. It also uses engagement metrics to decide how much I get paid for each story, connecting what readers love to what I make from the platform as a writer.

While I'll be trying the Partner Program to earn on Medium, I'm also curious about other options. For example, I set up tipping by going to "Settings," then "Publishing" and updating the settings under "Manage tipping on your stories." I can add a payment link and I'll be able to receive tips from readers. There are options to use Patreon, PayPal, and other popular platforms.

Another way to monetize is using my stories on Medium to promote a business or brand. The new audiences I introduce to my stories on the platform can drive new interest to my business. This approach is like what I mentioned above when I talked about my past experience using Medium.

9. Measure your results.

I published my first Medium story and I’m set to earn money on the platform, but the impact I can make with Medium will depend on how my stories perform. To see metrics for my Medium content, I clicked my profile icon in the top right-hand corner of the Medium homepage and scrolled down to "Stats."

When I arrived on the "Stats" page I didn't see much (yet). But soon, I'll see the aggregate number of views and claps my stories and responses have received over the past 30 days.

There's also a graph that provides day-by-day granularity, with details on follower counts and highlights.

Image Source

As I scrolled down the page, I has the option to click on specific stories to view individual stats. The Medium team is also making changes to the Stats pages . It looks like most of these changes are for tracking payment metrics or helping writers tie payment to performance.

Here's a quick rundown on what metrics Medium currently tracks:

• Claps : The number of claps a story receives.
• Responses : The number of responses a story receives.
• Lifetime earnings : The total amount a story has earned.
• Views : The number of people who visited a story's page.
• Reads : Tracks when someone views a story for 30 seconds or more. Scrolling to the bottom of the story used to be required, but isn't anymore. Views and reads for individual stories live on story detail pages.
• Member read ratio : This stat tracks member reads divided by member views.

Quick note : Member-only and non-member activity is tracked separately in Stats.

The Medium App

I travel frequently, so consuming and interacting with content on the go is best for me. For this, I'm using the Medium app. The app includes the same stories and content I can find on my laptop, with the added bonus of a mobile-first interface.

On the app, I can surface content related to my interests. These curated lists depend on the tags, publications, or authors I follow. I also use the app's Explore feature to find new, interesting content and to engage with fellow readers, joining conversations as they're happening. I was hoping I could start drafts in the app, but no. That said, I can check story stats wherever I am, which is helpful.

Use Medium for Writing and Sharing Your Best Stories

Medium is a powerful platform for writers and content creators to share ideas, engage with readers, and even earn money. By following the steps I shared in this article, you can unlock the full potential of Medium. So, start writing and exploring the possibilities. Your audience is waiting.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles, what we learned from our first year on medium.

Do People Still Read? How Offsite Content Attracts Quality Readership

Medium for Publishers: What Media Companies Should Know

8 Medium Publications You Should Be Following

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How to Write on Medium – A Guide With Tips and Best Practices

July 24, 2019

by Devin Pickell

Publishing your content to the Web is a great way to spread your tips and ideas, but it’s also great for networking and building industry recognition.

In this tech-driven world, there are many options for publishing content. Some of the most commonly-used options today are website builders . This software allows businesses of all sizes to have powerful publishing capabilities with built-in SEO and analytics.

And while website builders have become the norm, many writers still utilize Web-based platforms for creating and publishing content.

I recently discussed the various benefits of writing an article on LinkedIn – like reaching the enormous community of professionals on the platform. But there’s another great option for Web-publishing. It’s called Medium.

Jump ahead to:

• 6 tips for writing on Medium
• Best practices for publishing

What is Medium?

Medium started as an invite-only Web-publishing platform in 2012 but quickly grew to prominence as blogging and content marketing grew in value. More people wanted a piece of the pie, and now Medium averages more than 200 million monthly visits.

The site is filled with both amateur and professional content. It has visual storytelling for publishers, and can even act as the main content hub for businesses that become Medium partners.

Anyone can join Medium for free and publish their thoughts, which makes the platform accessible for a wide range of users. In this guide, I’ll discuss how to write on Medium and provide some tips for maximizing visibility.

How to write on Medium

After signing up for Medium, customizing your profile, and including a few words about yourself, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to write.

Here are a few tips to consider:

1. Write on trending topics

Every article on Medium is tagged to its proper category, so this should help provide some inspiration on what to write. The current top five categories on Medium include:

• Ideas – The top category shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Medium serves as a central space for idea and perspective sharing. Write about life lessons, business ideas, inspiration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Politics – Politics have always been deeply important in our society. For some, politics have helped shape who they are today. In this category, you’ll see topics ranging from the President, political candidates, economics, and election polling.
• Tech – One of Medium’s largest reader bases is the tech-obsessed. Everything from startups, programming, blockchain, design and interface, and even social media is covered in this category.
• Entrepreneurship – This category goes hand-in-hand with ideas, however, more personal branding, marketing, self-improvement, and leadership skills are discussed here.
• Life – One of Medium’s more general categories, expect to see a variety of content on writing techniques, poetry, love, passion, inspiration, personal development, and relationships.

Other popular topics to write about on Medium include money, culture, education, comics, photography, spirituality, fashion, music, humor, and others. As you can see, there are many diverse interests on the platform.

2. Avoid content marketing

Medium isn’t exactly the spot to publish sales and marketing-heavy content. As a business, you can obviously include your links when necessary, but don’t push your product or service too much within the content. As a matter of fact, Medium itself says this is generally frowned upon in their writing community.

An actionable way to engage with your readers on Medium is to encourage them to ‘clap’ if they found your article valuable. Claps are considered in Medium’s ranking algorithm, and many claps can catapult your article in the eyes of more readers.

3. Don’t mislead readers

Your goal as a writer should never be to mislead readers into clickbait, and you should double-down on this when it comes to Medium. Also, Medium is adamant about not peddling pseudoscience or bad health advice. As Siobhan O’Connor, VP of Editorial at Medium would say:

“Life’s already too short to give people bad health advice.”

4. Be authentic

It is strongly encouraged to post original insights and perspectives. Medium states aggregating content is frowned upon and plagiarizing other’s work can lead to a few things. If caught plagiarizing, the original author could issue a cease and desist, request a reference link, force a complete rewrite, or negotiate a royalty.

The easy way to avoid all of this is simply not plagiarizing. Instead, map out your thoughts and conduct meaningful research before you begin typing. To learn more, read our guide on the five most common types of plagiarism today.

5. Reach the optimal content length

Your content doesn’t need to be long-form and fully fleshed out. This is contrary to writing on LinkedIn, where long-form content in the range of 1,900 to 2,000 words seems to drive the most engagement. Short-form content that is actionable can perform just as well as full guides on Medium.

6. Optimize your headlines

Make your headlines clear and descriptive. This is especially true if you’re trying to reach a wide audience. Unclear headlines could detract readers and may lead to higher bounce rates.

Publishing tips for Medium (how to get more visibility)

So, you have an idea of what to write and how to write it, but how do you get the most out of your content? How do you ensure people are seeing and reading your articles? It starts with on-page elements.

On-page writing elements for Medium

On-page writing elements refer to individual tweaks made to a piece of content to improve its searchability and user-friendliness. This is commonly done for SEO reasons, but Medium has on-page tweaks that can be made to increase visibility as well.

Add alt-text to your images

First off, you should already be using images in your Medium content, since articles with images have 94 percent more views than text-only articles. Next, be sure to include alternative text with these images. Alt-text makes images more accessible to sight-impaired users, hence, a greater audience.

Above is an example of alt-text. Be sure to be descriptive of the image so screen readers can accurately depict your image.

Use proper header tags

Most writers are aware of different sized headers and their readability, but did you know header tags are important for informing search engines of what your content is about? Using header tags properly in Medium is important

The large T signifies an H1 tag and should contain some variation of your target keyword. The small T signifies an H2 tag and should complement your H1.

For example, if your H1 is “How to write a marketing email,” the H2 tags should be the individual steps of that process, i.e. “Write a captivating subject line” or “Be short and to the point.”

Create a custom URL

Medium allows content creators to customize their story links before publishing. This can be done by tapping the More options menu and selecting Customize story link . Do so in a way that makes sense to the reader, but also has SEO value.

Customize links in a way that makes sense to the reader, but also has SEO value. If you have a keyword research tool or some SEO software , you can analyze which keywords have the highest volume and aim for one when customizing a URL.

Add a meta description

Publishing software typically requires you to enter a meta description before going live, although, Medium does not. Instead, you’ll need to tap the More options menu and select Change display title/subtitle to begin customizing.

A meta description is an HTML tag, typically in 160 characters or less, that summarizes the content of your article. A good meta description is important for both readers (increases click-throughs) and search engines (increases ranking).

Add topic tags

If you really want to reach a variety of readers, consider tagging your content to relevant topics. You can do so by tapping the More options menu and selecting Change tags .

Add topic tags that are both high volume and relevant to your story. You can add up to five tags per article.

Bonus tip when using Medium

Medium may be a Web-publishing platform for amateur and professional writers, but users should still look to expand their networks. This is another, less referenced way to maximize your profile's visibility.

See a publication that interests you? Follow it and engage with its day-to-day writers.

Clap for stories you enjoy to uplift them and share your thoughts in the comment section. Let the author hear your take on their story, and offer a new perspective if you feel it adds substance. The more you engage on Medium, the greater the likelihood other users become aware of your work.

For more online networking tips on platforms similar to Medium, check out our full guide for networking on LinkedIn . This could provide insight on how to leverage your network to its fullest potential.

Devin is a former senior content specialist at G2. Prior to G2, he helped scale early-stage startups out of Chicago's booming tech scene. Outside of work, he enjoys watching his beloved Cubs, playing baseball, and gaming. (he/him/his)

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Get Published on Medium: Writing Tips and Tricks

You've probably heard of Medium. It's a platform for writers, and it's gaining in popularity every day. The great thing about Medium is that it's not just for journalists and bloggers. In fact, anyone can write for Medium and share their stories with the world.

If you're thinking of writing for Medium, or if you've already started but are having trouble getting your stories published, this guide is for you. We'll walk you through the basics of Medium writing, from drafting your first story to promoting it on social media. So let's get started!

What Is Medium and How Does It Work?

Medium is a blogging platform that lets you write articles and read stories from other writers. It's a great place to start if you're looking to share your thoughts and ideas with the world, and it's easy to get started.

Once you sign up for a free account, you can start writing articles and sharing them with other Medium users. You can also choose to lock your content behind a paywall so that only people who pay can read it.

If you're looking to make money from your writing, the Partner Program is a great way to do it. This is a program that pays writers for their work based on the amount of engagement they receive and the number of users they convert into Medium members. Check out the section on the Medium Partner Program below if you're looking to start earning money from your articles.

Why Write on Medium?

Medium is a platform where people come to read stories, and it's a great place to share your work with a large audience. But that's not the only reason to write on Medium.

Well, for starters, it can be a great way to build up your portfolio and get your name out there. If you're a freelance writer, having a strong presence on Medium can help you attract new clients and grow your business.

Think about it: when you write on Medium, you're putting your name out there as a writer. You're establishing yourself as an expert in your field. You're building a portfolio of work that you can share with potential employers. For budding writers, this is an excellent way to kickstart your writing career and hone your skills without needing to create your own website.

Furthermore, Medium can be a great way to connect with other writers and create a community around your work. By sharing your stories and insights on Medium, you can connect with like-minded people from all over the world who may also be starting out like you are.

Productivity and career goals aside, writing on Medium can help you get better at your craft. The more you write, the better you'll become at writing. So, whether you're looking to improve your writing skills or build an impressive portfolio, Medium is a great platform to consider.

Pros & Cons of Publishing on Medium

There are a few things you should consider before deciding whether or not to publish on Medium.

For starters, it's free to publish on Medium. You don't need to set up a website or pay for hosting. And because Medium is an established platform with a large audience, your work has the potential to reach a lot of people.

Another pro is that it is a great platform for networking and connecting with other writers whom you can learn from. You can also get exposure to a wider audience than you would if you published on your own blog. Medium's content tags help your published posts rank better on search engines.

The downside to publishing on Medium is that you don't have as much control over your work as you would if you were self-hosting. For example, you can't change the URL of your article once it's been published, or customize your profile to suit your personal brand. And because you don’t own your content, you risk having your work censored or removed from the platform if Medium decides to shut down or change its terms of service at any time. As a Medium writer myself, I keep a neat repository of my published (and unpublished) work to make sure that I don't lose anything if one day Medium decides to erase everything on their servers.

For any beginner writer, publishing on Medium can be a great way to get started. You can build your portfolio, connect with other writers, and get exposure to a wider audience. Just be sure to keep in mind the pros and cons before you make your decision.

Understanding the Medium Partner Program

As a Medium partner, you have the opportunity to earn money for your writing. Medium pays partners based on a combination of traffic and engagement, with the goal of rewarding great content.

To join the Medium Partner Program , you must have more than 100 followers and publish at least one article on Medium. Once you’re in, you’ll receive a share of the revenue generated by the readers who read and engage with your stories. As a partner, you also have access to exclusive features, such as the ability to set a paywall for your stories and access to detailed story analytics. It's almost like running your very own writing business!

However, it’s important to understand that making money on Medium is not easy. You won’t get paid for every article you write; only the ones that attract views will earn any money. So it helps to write about popular topics from a unique personal perspective — the more interesting and relatable your stories are, the more readers they will attract.

What Makes a Good Medium Article?

If you want to make money off your writing, it’s important to understand what makes a good article on Medium.

Most successful Medium articles are honest and personal. They often tell stories about their experience, and give readers valuable perspective on themes that connect us all. While writing for Medium, it’s essential to think about your readers’ needs. What information do they need to learn something new? How can you help them relate to your story? To keep readers engaged, it’s best to write stories that are 500 words and up. That way, you can showcase your writing skills while still providing helpful context and insight.

When crafting an article for Medium, it’s also important to consider the best way to present it. In addition to a compelling story, your content should be visually appealing. Try adding relevant images and videos to break up text and add meaningful context. Having an attention-grabbing headline is also key to higher click-throughs. Focus on creating headlines that evoke a sense of curiosity and get readers interested enough to want to read more!

When it comes to what topics are trending on Medium, consider focusing on stories related to the latest news in tech, business, or culture since those topics attract the most readers. And remember that the more stories you publish, the higher your chance of making money on Medium. Publishing frequently allows your readership base to grow quickly and means more potential earnings for you — largely based on how long people spend reading your stories. So don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas and topics!

From crafting an effective headline to adding visuals, there are many steps you can take to make your writing stand out in the crowded world of content creation. With practice and patience, you can become a successful author on Medium.

I've further elaborated on some of the most important elements of a good Medium post below:

Crafting Powerful Headlines for Medium Posts

Headlines are an incredibly important element of any Medium post. Not only do they need to be engaging, but they also need to accurately represent the content within the article, as well as draw in potential readers. Crafting a strong headline requires finding the optimal balance between brevity and intrigue. Keep in mind that you want your headline to be as descriptive as possible, while also creating an effective call-to-action that entices readers to click.

To make sure your headlines are powerful, there are several things you can do. First, keep it short and sweet — try to keep it under 8 words if possible. Then, use powerful action verbs and be direct. Think about the emotion you want your reader to feel when they read your headline — what words can you use to evoke that emotion? Finally, make sure your headline is relevant. Nothing will turn off readers more than a headline that has nothing to do with the content of the post!

Writing Engaging Content on Medium

Writing content that engages and captivates readers is key to a successful writing career on Medium. From the get-go, make sure you’re writing content that’s interesting, unique, helpful and easy to digest. Medium readers are not only looking for a good read, but also for valuable insights. What are their pain points? What questions or topics would they like to see addressed? Doing research on their demographics and interests can help give you an edge in delivering the best content possible.

When it comes to the structure of your story, try grouping similar examples together so you can provide a full picture of the concept you’re writing about. Additionally, use transitions to help the reader move from one idea to the next — this will help keep your reader’s focus and make the story more cohesive. As a best practice, make sure your stories are actionable — offer insight that can help readers take meaningful steps they can take to improve their lives.

Visuals also play a pivotal role in making your article engaging and successful. Visuals can come in the form of images, videos, graphics, animations, or interactive content. Research has shown that articles with visual elements are more likely to be shared on social media. So make sure to include relevant visuals with each post to help break up long chunks of text, while also adding extra context to your article. This shows personality in your pieces and gives readers something more meaningful than just words on a screen.

In short: Content that’s well-researched and relatable will help you engage with people better on Medium and make your work stand out from the rest!

Tips on Writing Popular Articles on Medium

The most important advice writers should abide by when creating articles on Medium is to write with the readers in mind. Knowing your audience and their preferences will help you create content that resonates with their interests and needs. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the language you use to communicate your ideas is accessible and concise. A good way to do this is by breaking down complicated ideas and avoiding long sentences. Furthermore, explaining your ideas using visuals and diagrams can help to make them more relatable, making it easier for readers to comprehend.

It is also essential for writers to take the time to research and understand the topics they are writing about. A well-researched and informative article will hold the reader’s attention, and make them more likely to return and read more of your content. Additionally, it is important to read articles by other writers to understand industry standards and inspire your own writing. Give a unique perspective on the topic, and avoid generalizing or over-simplifying your ideas. Showing your readers that you are knowledgeable about the subject and are passion about sharing your ideas with them.

Finally, SEO (search engine optimization) is also a key element to consider when writing articles for Medium. SEO can help to increase the visibility of an article and get it to the right audience. Writing captivating titles and including relevant keywords , tags, and subheadings can all help to increase the article’s visibility. Furthermore, including a relevant excerpt and meta description can also help to get an article in front of more readers. All of these elements can increase the chances of an article getting noticed and gaining traction.

Medium is an ideal medium (pun intended) for anyone looking to start writing and having their work seen on a wider platform. By considering the audience you want to attract, honing in on good titles and captions, sticking to a consistent style, and keeping your articles concise, you can write successful pieces that will draw in more readers. And remember, practice and feedback can help you become even better at expressing yourself and connecting with those who share your interests.

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Illustration by Kevin Sterjo

In This Guide

Writing on medium in 2024: the ultimate guide.

The platform, founded in 2012, gives independent writers a space to grow their audience, influence, and income.

Writers, rejoice: There's a “YouTube for articles” — and that website can help you both grow your audience and make more money along the way.

I'm talking about Medium.com , a free, open-source publishing platform established in 2012. When leveraged well, Medium can help you get seen online, attract ideal readers, and even make money in the form of royalties on your writing.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll go through how Medium works as a platform, along with everything I did in my first year on Medium to accelerate results.

“It shaved years off my learning curve”

Dial in your strategy on Medium with The Medium Workshop , a comprehensive on-demand workshop replay that covers everything you need to know. One payment, lifetime access.

Table of Contents

Example results on medium, what makes medium unique, what is medium, why write on medium instead of a blog, how to write for medium publications.

• Growing an Audience On Medium

How to Make Money on Medium

Metrics on medium, frequently asked questions.

I began writing on Medium because I was tired of using other social media platforms to try and promote my expertise. These social media platforms felt crowded, and it was hard to break through. It was also hard to attract people who actually wanted to read things, rather than just scroll.

In my first year on Medium, I attracted a little over 220,000 views to my articles.

30-day traffic numbers for every month in 2020.

I also brought in a net gain of over 3,600 new email subscribers to my list by offering a freebie at the end of my articles and having the right strategy.

Email subscriber growth in 2020. Gross growth: 4,742 subscribers. Net: 3,600.

At the time, when readers subscribed, I offered them a limited-time discount for one of my mini-courses. I put one in place about halfway 2020, and another one in place near the end of the 2020.

Together, these made $10,714, and once they were all set up I didn’t have to lift a finger to fulfill. We like this!

Monthly revenue numbers for every month in 2020 off of "limited-time offer" email signup offers. Two different offers each had two checkout link options — four screenshots in all.

My favorite result, however, is that when you put your articles behind a paywall on Medium, you are paid based on member reading time from Medium’s $5/month paying subscribers. You can share paywalled articles with your non-Medium audience for free using something called “friend links”, which we’ll get into in part five.

With Medium, you can get paid and grow your email list at the same time. In 2020, my first year on the platform, Medium paid me $7,685.98 to grow my list.

Payouts from the Medium Partner Program in 2020.

Most of that money went back into my business. I did also splurge and use some of it as fun money to buy a Nintendo Switch, which made pandemic living a little more tolerable.

Medium: A great platform for funding your midlife crisis

I actually didn’t make much progress in those first three months, because I was making critical mistakes. I probably left thousands of dollars and subscribers on the table in this first year as a result.

People hate on Medium, but that’s because they don’t know how to use it correctly.

Most people think of Medium as a blog where they can self-publish their writing in lieu of a website. Although Medium can be used for that -- and millions of people who want to write do so every month -- some articles get way more views than others.

• There are different curation techniques you can use to ensure a post gets distributed over and over again on Medium’s platform and in Medium’s daily emails to subscribers, giving you more visibility than a Wordpress website. These are called curated posts.
• There are user-owned publications that have large followings and will let you publish your work with them. Some of them will also let you self-promote. Publications are a great growth driver.
• Comments on content do not influence article distribution. This one is big. It means the quality and value of your writing determines how well you get distributed, not popularity, which is how things are on social media. Medium is a great platform for people who have something thoughtful to say.

Also, since Medium’s design is very clean, you don’t have to compete with super fancy brands, video creators, or thirst trap images. Readers don't expect fancy stuff here. The platform is designed for writing and publishing to shine.

Screenshot of the Medium interface. Words are the star.

Medium is a terrific platform. In this supersized guide, we'll go through everything you need to know to get started.

Medium was founded in 2012 by former Twitter founder Ev Williams as a way for people to start writing and publishing updates that were longer than 140 characters. Williams recently stepped down, and was replaced by current CEO Tony Stubblebine in 2022.

One reason professionals are confused about Medium is that it’s changed a lot over the last few years.

• From 2012-2015, the site operated mainly like a digital magazine.
• In 2017, Medium introduced a membership paywall and uses its paywall earnings to incentivize and pay writers to create quality content.
• The last audience size number given publicly by Medium was 60 million readers, but that was in 2016. It’s estimated today that Medium has over 100 million readers.

In recent years, Medium has also become the vehicle of choice by various celebrities, politicians, and big thinkers to tell their stories or make official statements.

For example, here’s a post from U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris sharing about the economy.

And here was a post from influencer Chrissy Teigen sharing about a grief-stricken personal experience.

There are also successful authors who use Medium regularly. Laura Vanderkam, a bestselling author, writes regularly on Medium.

Susan Orlean, also an award-winning author who was portrayed by Meryl Streep in the 2003 film Adaptation , also writes on Medium.

Medium Has a High Domain Authority

The SEO company Moz created a metric called domain authority to help users measure the likelihood that a search engine like Google or Bing will rank a certain page of a website. This score is not the only factor in ranking search engine results, but it does help to measure the “health” of a website.

If you choose to write on Medium instead of, say, your own blog, you’ll be able to “piggyback” on Medium’s high domain score. For example, here was the domain authority of my website at the time I started writing on Medium, a piddly 30 out of 100.

Here is the same domain authority score for Medium.com: a whopping 95 out of 100. That ranking is even higher than major media publications like Entrepreneur and Fast Company.

In terms of visibility, your post usually has a better shot of being seen by new eyeballs when it’s published on Medium. It can rank in search engines. Some posts get picked up by Google Discover as well.

I would have never been able to achieve that if I had published the same piece on my own blog, because my domain authority is too low. Medium, on the other hand, has enormous domain authority.

Usually, writing for websites with a high domain authority is a challenge. I write for Entrepreneur and Fast Company, and to write for these sites, I have to pitch every article. A lot of pitches get turned down, and if a pitch is accepted, I wait two to six weeks for it to get published.

Insight : In terms of domain authority, Medium is at the level of other tier-one media publications and top websites, but much easier to get into.

When you use Medium, you don’t have that problem. And in many Medium articles, you can promote a freebie, personal newsletter, or your own website in your story. This is a big opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaways

• Medium has had many formats since inception, but has hit its stride in the last few years.
• Medium has the buy-in of industry professionals, especially with a new incoming CEO.
• On Medium, your posts can “piggyback” on the site's domain authority, giving you more visibility in search engines.

“Easy to understand and implement”

In the previous chapter, we talked about how domain authority is one of the best reasons to write on Medium instead of on your blog. But what if you don’t have a blog, or don’t care about having one?

You should still start writing on Medium. Writing on Medium has several advantages with regard to visibility, design, and ease of use. Let’s go through a few of them now.

No. 1: Medium Will Curate Your Articles

When you put a story on Medium, it gets read by people at Medium called curators. That’s right: actual humans read every single article posted on Medium!

If curators see that your article follows Medium’s guidelines, and feel that the article is of a certain level of quality, they will choose your article for further distribution and curate your article on various curation tags.

You can see if your article has been curated in the stats section of any article. It will say "chosen for further distribution."

A screenshot from the article stats section.

Tags are topics on Medium that readers can choose to follow. You can also tag your own articles with up to 5 tags, but only a curator's blessing will determine whether your article will be actively distributed to followers of that tag.

I can’t overemphasize enough how valuable this is. As someone who has spent years in marketing consulting, agonizing over how to ensure good content gets seen again and again for years to come, having a way for content you’ve published to be actively pushed to readers over and over again is amazing. Readers see curated articles in two places: Their dashboard and daily digest emails.

The Medium dashboard recommends articles every day. Think of it like a YouTube dashboard; the recommendations are based on a mix of your reading history and the tags, publications, or authors that you follow. The dashboard got a nice redesign in the second half of 2022 — personally, I love it.

A screenshot of the Medium dashboard. Notice the recommended articles; below the article, you can see which tag the article was curated in ("product design", "tech", "writing tips", "philosophy").

Your curated article may also be placed in a daily or weekly digest email that goes out to readers. Your article will literally land in people’s inboxes. In some circumstances, your article title and your name will actually be the headline of the email itself, which is great for visibility.

If your article gets curated, that curation includes being incorporated into daily or weekly digest emails that go out to users. In some cases, your article will be the subject line of the email.

No. 2: Medium Gives You Valuable User Feedback

As content creators and entrepreneurs, we know it’s virtually impossible to get everything right on the very first try in business. That’s why you need feedback loops.

You want to know:

• How many views your articles are getting.
• How long your readers are staying on the page.
• Which topics or article styles worked – and which ones didn’t.

These stats are similar to what you’d see in a Google Analytics dashboard, but it’s contained entirely within Medium. If you’re focused on making money, you can also see how much money an article has made from articles placed behind the paywall.

Screenshot of an article from the article stats page, including payouts from the Medium Partner Program.

We’ll touch on stats more in Chapter 6, but know that it's more than enough to guide you.

The only valuable metrics missing from the stats section, in my opinion, are impressions (how many users saw the article title, including ones that didn't click) and in-article link clicks (how many users clicked links, and which ones they clicked). I'm a grizzled old marketing consultant, so I'm picky, but this stats page is still helpful.

In this example, you can see a day where an article of mine was shared in a media outlet’s newsletter, causing a spike in reads from non-Medium subscribers.

A couple months after this article was published, someone published it in their popular email newsletter (the blue spike on the chart). Since those users weren't Medium subscribers, though, I didn't get any extra payout from the Medium Partner Program.

Overall, I like that the Medium stats dashboard gives you all of the information on a given story you need to make decisions, and none of the stuff that leads to information overwhelm.

No. 3: Medium Readers Actually Like to Read 🤯

This is a more subjective note, but I think it’s important to keep in mind: Medium’s readers actually want to read content.

It can sometimes feel like the internet is overwhelmed with videos, sassy GIFs, crazy-fast memes, and other “fast” content. Readers are here to read words, so if you don’t have any branded design or anything like that, you’re in the clear.

Since my main tool for connecting with people is my email list, I want to attract people who like to read stories. Medium has this exact audience built directly into the platform.

If you sign up for the Medium Partner Program (Explained more in chapter 5), and put your articles behind the paywall, your audience consists of readers who are paying to read on the platform, which means the audience quality is even higher.

These readers are paying to read stories just like yours, and you’ll get paid as a result. Signing up for the MPP is optional, but you’ll access a more invested audience by doing so. I put all my articles behind the paywall, personally. You need a minimum of 100 followers on Medium to unlock the Medium Partner Program.

• Medium’s curation tags are one of the most powerful ways to get longevity out of your articles.
• Medium gives you feedback loops and data so you can figure out what works and what doesn’t.
• Medium subscribers actually like to read and value a platform that is word-centric, rather than flashing lights and livestreams everywhere.

Related reading: How to Get Curated on Medium

When writing on Medium, you can choose to either self-publish your article or submit your article to a publication for consideration.

Publications are an exciting concept within Medium. In a way, they are like miniature media outlets, catering to audiences within Medium’s overall ecosystem.

Related: The Top 20 Active Publications on Medium

Users on Medium can choose to follow different publications, and when they do so, new stories published in that publication will be put in front of them. This is a great way to get a post in front of your ideal readers: people who want to read about the very subject matter you regularly publish on.

There are all types of publications. For example, one publication I like writing for, Entrepreneur’s Handbook, covers business and entrepreneurship.

Here’s a thoughtful publication on mental health called Invisible Illness.

Mind Café, a personal development publication, has over 100,000 followers. The publication actually launched a quarterly physical magazine as well.

Generally, there are two types of publications.

No. 1: Publications Owned by Medium

Editor's Note : Most Medium-owned publications are now defunct, as of mid-2022.

For the most part, Medium-owned publications are no longer active. But it’s important to know their history and how they worked with writers to publish stories.

In 2019, Medium poached top editors from the media industry to run a series of new niche publications. Some of these publications included:

• Forge , a publication focused on productivity and personal development,
• Future Human , a publication dedicated to cool new science,
• Human Parts , nuanced stories about the human experience, and
• Modus , a publication dedicated to all things design.

Articles published with Medium-owned publications were sometimes distributed to all of Medium, making them a great opportunity to attract readers and followers to your work. They were competitive, but you were paid an upfront stipend when you wrote a post for them.

Most of these editors were laid off in 2021, and the Medium-owned publications were scrapped. If I’m being honest, I don’t think you’re missing much. Posts and stories in Medium-owned publications never did great in terms of distribution, and you couldn’t self-promote your business in them.

No. 2: User-Owned Publications

In contrast, user-owned publications are created by members of Medium themselves. You could hop on Medium and start a publication right now if you wanted to. Some writers create a publication, then make themselves the only contributor for the pub, using it as a portfolio or makeshift website for their stories.

In user-owned publications, the writer submits a completed story draft to the publication’s editors. The editors consider the story, and then your story is either published or rejected with some revision requests or a hard pass.

Here’s the good news: After you’ve submitted to a user-owned publication once, you’ll be able to fast-track future stories for consideration by submitting them directly in the Medium interface.

When a publication accepts your article draft for the first time, they will add you as a writer to their publication. It will then appear as a submission option in future drafts.

This brings up an important distinction: for user-owned publications on Medium, you have to write a story first, then send your story draft to the publication in order to pitch it.

To be successful on Medium, you need to get comfortable with writing regularly, and that process can take time and skill. (My free online writing portal, Camp Wordsmith , can help with that.) Develop the skill of writing articles quickly and regularly!

User-owned publications are a really exciting opportunity for three reasons.

User-Owned Publications Are Still Pretty New

User-owned publications only began in 2017, and reached their current form in 2019, so there isn’t a ton of competition at the moment. Publications also become increasingly saturated as time goes on, so it’s good to get in now.

New publications are being created all the time, and Medium’s readership is also rising all the time, so there are always fresh opportunities to get new eyeballs on a story.

User-Owned Publications Are Easier to Get Into

It can be easier to find your footing in user-owned publications and get your work accepted than other media outlets. Even with having bylines in fancy outlets like Entrepreneur and Fast Company, it still took me almost a year to get a piece accepted by a Medium-owned publication.

However, I was building my readership and audience throughout the year by publishing nearly every story in a user-owned publication.

User-Owned Publications Will Let You Self-Promote (Usually)

Medium’s guidelines state that overly self-promotional articles will not be curated, but what you can include is a link and a short call-to-action in your articles. As we’ll discuss more in chapter 4, this is a key and often-overlooked detail that makes all the difference.

Here is the call to action I used to attract a total of over 12,500 new email subscribers from Medium in 2020 and 2021.

For entrepreneurs, writers, and experts who are looking to grow their following and their email list, the magic is in the user-owned publications. Your sweet spot is to write a quality story for a user-owned publication, because if they are curated, the story is being distributed both to the publication’s audience and to the curation tag. Your story can only be in one publication at a time.

If you want to get your work seen, user-owned publications are a terrific way to get noticed and kick up those views. But what should you do with that readership to best leverage your opportunities?

You’ll want some strategies in place when it comes to growing your audience, and the chapter that breaks it down is coming up next.

• Medium has its own little ecosystem of publications.
• Publications are a new feature (Created in 2017) with not too much competition… yet. They’re a great visibility opportunity.
• Medium had its own publications, run by top editors, that are mostly relics now.
• There are also user-owned publications. These are niche, and many of them let you have a self-promotional link in your story, which is very valuable.

“A valuable investment of my time”

Growing an audience on medium.

As someone who has been a consultant for years, one of my biggest regrets is that I wasn’t building my online audience along the way.

Your audience can be your sounding board for new ideas, and often, when you announce a new product, program, or service, they are the first to sign up, because they are the people who know you best.

Related Reading: How to Get More Followers on Medium

My recommendation is that you work to bring your audience off of Medium and onto an email list. That being said, having followers on Medium does help. Let’s go through both approaches now.

No. 1: Growing an Audience Off of Medium

Building an email list is incredibly valuable.

The ROI on email marketing is 40:1, which outperforms the ROI of social media, ads, sponsorships, and direct mail, according to reporting from VentureBeat. The reason email does so well is that it lets you get directly in front of your audience, immediately, for free. There are no ads or algorithms filtering your message.

You work hard to grow your audience. I want to ensure an algorithm switcheroo doesn't suddenly strangle your access to these readers. Platforms will come and go in coming years, but an email list remains one of the best ways to directly communicate with your audience.

How do you have Medium readers come off of Medium and onto an email list? You could just ask them and have a call-to-action that says something along the lines of “Sign up for my newsletter.”

Here’s the thing, though: No one wants more emails. They do, however, want their problems solved.

So in digital marketing, it’s common to offer what is called a “lead magnet” or “ethical bribe” in your publishing as a way to invite people onto your email list. A lead magnet is a free piece of content you offer people in exchange for them joining your list.

You already encounter lead magnets all the time on the internet without even realizing it.

The gender-neutral apparel website TomboyX offers you free shipping on your first purchase in exchange for your email address; that’s a lead magnet.

The media outlet Social Media Examiner has a report summarizing survey responses they’ve received from over 50,000 marketers; that’s a lead magnet.

You’ve been seeing a lead magnet even within this guide. Our toolkit includes a PDF checklist, a 5-episode mini-podcast, and a behind-the-scenes video to help cement what you’re learning and get into action.

By offering a freebie that helps your readers, you’ll both help them and have an easier time growing your email list through publishing. As you grow on Medium… think about ways to invite readers over to your email list as well.

No. 2: Growing an Audience on Medium

Readers can follow you on Medium, and having followers can be a great way to get your articles seen.

We’ll talk about this more in Chapter 6, which covers metrics and analytics, but know that views on your articles and read time are more important than follower count.

Insight : A large follower count does not always mean more traffic on Medium.

Like most other big platforms, there are some people trying to cut corners. Buying followers or buying “claps”, Medium’s version of likes, is unfortunately becoming increasingly common. While that vanity metric looks good, it won’t contribute a whole lot to your growth.

Having readers follow you can be a distribution tactic along with publications and curation tags. The best advice I can give on follower growth is to write quality articles that make readers want to follow you in the future.

When readers come into your orbit on Medium, you don’t just develop an audience; you can also create a new stream of income. How, you ask? Read on to the next chapter to find out the two approaches you can take.

• When you write and grow your following on Medium, your followers will see your future articles in their feeds or daily digests - this is great for visibility.
• Also think about how you can leverage this visibility to grow an audience off of Medium that you can communicate with directly.
• The one asset I recommend you be building all the time is your email list.

If you are looking to make money on Medium, there are two ways to do it.

• The first is to enroll in the Medium Partner Program and start getting paid by Medium themselves.
• The second is to sell your products, programs, or services to readers who have joined your email list.

I do both, personally! And you can do both as well, if you like. Let’s go through each of these strategies in a little more detail.

Strategy No. 1: The Medium Partner Program

Medium is a great marketing and visibility tool. But there’s something else about Medium that is pretty neat, and that is the Medium Partner Program . Medium will pay you for your content!

The Medium Partner Program allows you to get paid based on read time for your articles. There are some content creators who make so much money on Medium that it becomes a side hustle income or even their entire income.

Example article stats, including payout earnings from the Medium Partner Program.

When you use the Medium Partner Program, articles that you place behind a paywall can monetize. You don’t have to put all your articles behind Medium’s paywall if you don’t want to.

You can also create friend links for any of your articles. A friend link is a backdoor link that lets non-Medium subscribers read your paywalled articles for free. Medium users who don’t have a subscription get three free articles a month, but an article read on a friend link doesn’t count as one of those three.

I don’t recommend you try to make Medium your entire income, as the partner program payouts can swing wildly from month to month based on distribution.

When you keep at it, however, your Medium earnings can begin to snowball, and that’s where it gets exciting. Here are my earnings from my first year on Medium.

Think about it: What could you do with an extra $100, $500, or $1,000+ a month? Now imagine that you’re being paid that number for your content while also growing your email list at the same time. That’s the magic of Medium.

Here’s the thing: to get results like these and beyond, you have to commit to learning the platform and publishing on a regular basis. Make a commitment and you’ll be handsomely rewarded!

Strategy No. 2: Sell to Your Email Subscribers

Another way to make money through Medium is to sell to email subscribers you have gained from your writing efforts on the platform.

As we mentioned in the previous chapter, an email list is one of the best audiences you can develop, because it allows you to communicate directly with your audience and not through some algorithm that limits your distribution. When you send an email newsletter, everyone on your list receives it immediately.

This means when it’s time to promote a product, program, or service of yours, you can do it via email. You can even automate emails that lead people toward your sales promotions, webinars, or challenges. In online business, converting 0.5%-1% of your email list into customers during a launch is considered successful.

At first, that sounds pretty low. But if you do the math, it can start to really add up.

• From a list of 1,000 subscribers, a $47 offer that converts at 1% would generate $470.
• From a list of 2,500 subscribers, a $197 offer that converts at 0.75% would generate $3,694.
• From a list of 5,000 subscribers, a $497 offer that converts at 0.5% would generate $12,425.

What if you’re a coach, a consultant, or a service provider? Sending a gentle “hop on a call with me” email can generate some leads.

Back in my consulting days, I once sent an email to 900 subscribers inviting them to book a consultation call with me. Four of them did, and I closed one of my four leads on a $4,000 package and another one of them on a small-bite $1,000 package. From my list of 900 people, that launch made $5,000.

Your email list can generate revenue, but you need to be bringing new subscribers in regularly for it to be a viable resource. Medium can do this for you.

• The Medium Partner Program is easy to sign up for, and lets your articles make money by putting them behind a paywall. You need 100 followers to become eligible.
• You can still share paywalled articles with your audience for free using “friend links”.
• Bringing Medium readers off of Medium and onto an email list will set you up to sell via email down the line if you choose.
• You can actually sell to Medium readers before they ever even see an email from you by using a “limited-time offer”.

We’ve gone through quite a lot already together! So far we’ve covered what Medium is, what publications are, how to grow your audience, and how to make money with Medium if you so choose.

Now, what numbers should you pay attention to in Medium, and what other numbers can you ignore completely? In this final chapter, Metrics on Medium, we’ll do a quick overview of your dashboard.

Metrics on Medium: A Breakdown

When you go to click on your Medium stats, it can start to feel overwhelming. What do all these numbers mean? Are these numbers good or bad?

Here's a rundown of the different metrics and what they mean.

On Medium, views are measured by when someone has landed on an article of yours.

Already, a view is an achievement. It means that, in the sea of articles being published on Medium, someone picked your article, based on its headline and preview image. To get views on Medium, you must have clear or interesting headlines.

On the stats dashboard, you can see a summary of overall views for the past 30 days, and can also see previous months’ performance. You can’t pull reports, though. If you want to track performance for a given month, you’ll have to toggle to the nearest 30-day window, then add or subtract any straggler days manually. (I know, I know.)

In stats, next to each article, you can see a summary of how your article has done. When you click on an article, you’ll get day-by-day stats of both internal and external views for that article.

Views are like website traffic. Without views, we’re dead in the water, so they’re pretty important!

Reads and Read Ratio

Next, you have “Reads”, which Medium defines as the number of users who read the entire story.

Some readers will skim your articles and make it to the bottom, which would count as a read. The "read ratio" is the percentage of viewers that made it to the end of the article. I don't overthink this much; length of article is the main factor.

In individual articles, you'll also be able to see average read time. Read time is one of the main monetization factors in the Medium Partner Program. The longer you hold members' attention with your writing, the more you'll get paid.

While holding your reader’s attention for an article is certainly important, my experience is that the read ratio drops off the longer an article gets, so I wouldn't “read” too much into this metric (Zing!).

Tip : If you’re putting a call-to-action to join your email list at the bottom of your articles, your "reads" will be the number of people who actually saw it.

Fans are the number of unique users that have clapped for an article of yours. We’ll get to claps (Which are like “Likes” for Medium) in just a moment, but for now, know that a user can clap up to 50 times for an article on Medium.

This can make social proof look a little confusing. For example, an article with 500 claps could have 10 fans who each clapped 50 times. Or it could have 100 fans, who each clapped 5 times. Or it could have 500 fans, who all clapped once.

Fans will refer to the number of unique users who clapped for your article.

Additional Metrics on Medium

I ignore claps and recommend you do the same.

The problem with claps is that clap circles have cropped up all over the internet. Users attempt to juice their articles with tons of claps, and as a result you’ll sometimes see articles with thousands or tens of thousands of claps on them, which can feel demoralizing.

Here’s what to keep in mind: Clap counts don’t improve distribution. What improves your distribution is getting a lot of views and having good read time. This tells Medium that people are clicking to read your article and liking what they see.

Views-to-Subscribers Ratio

This is not a metric in Medium's stats, but I calculate it personally.

If you are running an email list, a metric that might keep you motivated is calculating your views-to-subscribers ratio. How many article viewers ended up becoming email subscribers?

To calculate this, I look at my Medium views for a given month, then look at how many new subscribers I gained from Medium in that given month. For me, my new subscriber count is 1-2% of my total views for the month.

For example, if I'm getting 5,000 views per month, and I'm bringing in 75 new email subscribers from that monthly volume, I could set goals for views, based on my audience growth goals.

Follower Count

You’re welcome to track your followers on Medium, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. A high follower count might mean a little more distribution, but it takes some time to build.

Follower counts are a vanity metric. In our approach, the audience that is even more valuable is an email list.

Is It Worth Writing on Medium?

Writing on Medium is a great way to practice your craft, grow your audience, and even earn royalties for your writing and dabble in the creator economy.

Do Medium Writers Get Paid?

Medium writers get paid by the Medium Partner Program. To be eligible for the program, you need to have a Medium account with at least 100 followers.

Can Anyone Start Writing on Medium?

Anyone can create a Medium account and start publishing on the platform, as long as the content follows Medium’s distribution guidelines.

How Many Followers Do You Need to Get Paid on Medium?

You need at least 100 followers to enroll in the Medium Partner Program and start earning royalties.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Writing on Medium?

The pros are that Medium has a built-in audience of users who like to read. The cons are that distribution is unpredictable, although there are some best practices to improve visibility.

What Is the Most Money Made on Medium?

In the summer of 2020, Medium reported that the top-paid writer on the platform made over $49,000. This was at the peak of the pandemic, however, when user activity on Medium was sky-high.

Final Takeaways

So there you have it! Thanks for sticking with me to the end, and hopefully after reading you feel excited and inspired about trying out Medium as a way to reach more people, spread your message, grow your audience, and even make some moolah on the side.

The internet landscape can be scary and challenging at times. If you love the written word, writing on Medium might be the perfect fit for you. ◆

“Thorough, down-to-Earth, and road-tested”

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Finding Tom

How to write for medium (a 5-minute beginners guide).

Let’s discuss how to write for Medium. My goal is to give you a fast guide that’ll get you from 0–60 in five minutes.

Along with how to write for Medium, here’s a few other things we’ll cover in this article:

• How to write a Medium article properly
• How to create a Medium account
• How to use Medium
• How does Medium work?

How To Write For Medium In 2 Steps

The first step is to answer the question of how to create a Medium account.

We got to start there.

How To Create A Medium Account

To learn how to create a Medium account, simply visit Medium.com and select the “Get Started” button in the top right.

Next, you should see a pop-up appear asking you to either “Sign up with Google” or “Sign up with Facebook.” 

If you don’t have Facebook, you’ll have to create a Google account to keep this process moving. After that, you’ll see a bunch of screens over the next few seconds, where you’ll get to decide which topics and writers to “follow.”

After that, you’ll have finished the actual creation process of your Medium account. If you want to learn how to customize your profile image, your page, or anything else, read this 24-minute Medium guide from me. 

That’s how to create a Medium account.

How To Write A Medium Article

Learning how to write a Medium article is the second part of this process. Luckily it’s pretty simple. First, click your profile image in the top right from any page on Medium.

Great, now click “New story.”

After you click on “New story” brace yourselves, because you’re about to see the most beautiful CMS (Content Management System) known to man. 

It’s a beautiful blank white page full of endless possibilities. Write your title first (pictured below).

Great, now you add a cover photo.

To do that, simply press “Enter,” click on the “+” button on the left hand side, and select the magnifying glass logo.

Now type in a keyword that you feel represents your article, press enter, and a selection of images will pop up for you to choose from. Select any of them. The cool thing about this is they’re all properly sourced for you. All you have to do is select an image and the attribution will get taken care of.

Now all you do is simply write your article out as usual. For tips on formatting, visit the “ How to customize a medium blog ” section of this mega-post I wrote. 

When you’re done writing your article out, press the green “Publish” button at the top right of your screen.

A pop-up will then appear (pictured above). This is where you add Medium tags . After you’ve added five, hit the “Publish Now” button. 

Wa-La. That’s how to write a Medium article.

This should’ve answered all your questions about how to write for Medium. 

How Does Medium Work?

Now that you know how to write for Medium on a basic level, maybe we should discuss how Medium even works.

In short, Medium is basically Instagram for bloggers. Instead of posting pictures, though, you post full-scale blog posts. 

When you publish your articles, your followers can find them on their homepage (pictured below), in their Medium Daily Digest emails, or beneath existing articles in the recommended reading section.

Since Medium is an extremely popular website that gets tens of millions of views every month, it’s easy to use the network effects of the platform to generate views on your articles, too.

There’s a variety of other important factors behind understand how does Medium work. I go over all of them in my mega-post .

How To Use Medium For Blogging

Now we’re getting into strategy. If you want to know how to use Medium for blogging, you came to the right place.

I’ve been blogging on Medium for the last five years, and have garnered some 50,000 followers there in that span. There’s a few tricks to the trade that I’ll share with you right now that can help you see success on this platform, too.

I’ll list a bunch of them below in bullet point format.

• Get into top Medium publications  — Publications command size-able audiences of readers. The Startup has over 500,000 followers. If you get published with them, you’ll get in front of a much wider audience.
• Target popular tags  — When you add tags to your story, like I showed you above, target ones that have a lot of followers. I have a list of the most popular Medium tags right here for you to check out.
• Publish on your site first, then publish on Medium  — I am a huge fan of publishing your blog posts on a personal site and then re-publishing them on Medium. I go over how to do that in this post . Make sure to use the canonical link so Google knows which post to show in search results. I show you how to do that in the post I just linked.
• Grow your email list  — You’d be missing a huge opportunity if you weren’t using Medium to grow your own email list . When learning how to use Medium for blogging, this is essential to keep in mind and build your strategy around. In the post I just linked, I teach you how to add call-to-actions to your posts. 
• Use Medium as a portfolio  — Medium’s CMS is beautiful. If you get into big Medium publications, you can use your own Medium profile as a portfolio for future freelance clients. I think this is a great way to use Medium, too.

When learning how to use Medium for blogging, there’s a plethora of ways to do it correctly. The bullets I just listed should take care of 80% of that.

We just learned how to write for Medium, how to use Medium for blogging, and how does Medium work.

For a gigantic 5,000-word guide on how to use and grow on Medium, consult this mega-post I wrote.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to write for Medium.

Get my free 5-day Medium course!

Learn how to get your first 1,000 followers on Medium in my free 5-day email course. Taken by over 10,000 people!

How to Write an Article: A Proven Step-by-Step Guide

Are you dreaming of becoming a notable writer or looking to enhance your content writing skills? Whatever your reasons for stepping into the writing world, crafting compelling articles can open numerous opportunities. Writing, when viewed as a skill rather than an innate talent, is something anyone can master with persistence, practice, and the proper guidance.

That’s precisely why I’ve created this comprehensive guide on ‘how to write an article.’ Whether you’re pursuing writing as a hobby or eyeing it as a potential career path, understanding the basics will lead you to higher levels of expertise. This step-by-step guide has been painstakingly designed based on my content creation experience. Let’s embark on this captivating journey toward becoming an accomplished article writer !

What is an Article?

An article is more than words stitched together cohesively; it’s a carefully crafted medium expressing thoughts, presenting facts, sharing knowledge, or narrating stories. Essentially encapsulating any topic under the sun (or beyond!), an article is a versatile format meant to inform, entertain, or persuade readers.

Articles are ubiquitous; they grace your morning newspaper (or digital equivalents), illuminate blogs across various platforms, inhabit scholarly journals, and embellish magazines. Irrespective of their varying lengths and formats, which range from news reports and features to opinion pieces and how-to guides, all articles share some common objectives. Learning how to write this type of content involves mastering the ability to meet these underlying goals effectively.

Objectives of Article Writing

The primary goal behind learning how to write an article is not merely putting words on paper. Instead, you’re trying to communicate ideas effectively. Each piece of writing carries unique objectives intricately tailored according to the creator’s intent and the target audience’s interests. Generally speaking, when you immerse yourself in writing an article, you should aim to achieve several fundamental goals.

First, deliver value to your readers. An engaging and informative article provides insightful information or tackles a problem your audience faces. You’re not merely filling up pages; you must offer solutions, present new perspectives, or provide educational material.

Next comes advancing knowledge within a specific field or subject matter. Especially relevant for academic or industry-focused writings, articles are often used to spread original research findings and innovative concepts that strengthen our collective understanding and drive progress.

Another vital objective for those mastering how to write an article is persuasion. This can come in various forms: convincing people about a particular viewpoint or motivating them to make a specific choice. Articles don’t always have to be neutral; they can be powerful tools for shifting public opinion.

Finally, let’s not forget entertainment – because who said only fictional work can entertain? Articles can stir our emotions or pique our interest with captivating storytelling techniques. It bridges the gap between reader and writer using shared experiences or universal truths.

Remember that high-quality content remains common across all boundaries despite these distinct objectives. No matter what type of writer you aspire to become—informative, persuasive, educational, or entertaining—strive for clarity, accuracy, and stimulation in every sentence you craft.

What is the Format of an Article?

When considering how to write an article, understanding its foundation – in this case, the format – should be at the top of your list. A proper structure is like a blueprint, providing a direction for your creative construction.

First and foremost, let’s clarify one essential point: articles aren’t just homogenous chunks of text. A well-crafted article embodies different elements that merge to form an engaging, informative body of work. Here are those elements in order:

• The Intriguing Title

The title or heading is at the top. It’s your first chance to engage with a reader. This element requires serious consideration since it can determine whether someone will continue reading your material.

• Engaging Introduction

Next comes the introduction, where you set expectations and hint at what’s to come. An artfully written introduction generates intrigue and gives readers a compelling reason to stick around.

• Informative Body

The main body entails a detailed exploration of your topic, often broken down into subtopics or points for more manageable consumption and better flow of information.

• Impactful Conclusion

Lastly, you have the conclusion, where you tie everything neatly together by revisiting key points and offering final thoughts.

While these components might appear straightforward on paper, mastering them requires practice, experimentation with writing styles, and a good understanding of your target audience. 

By putting in the work to familiarize yourself with how to create articles and how they’re structured, you’ll soon discover new ways to develop engaging content each time you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!). Translating complex concepts into digestible content doesn’t need to feel daunting anymore! Now that we’ve tackled the format, our focus can shift to what should be included in an article.

What Should Be in an Article?

Understanding that specific items should be featured in your writing is crucial. A well-crafted article resembles a neatly packed suitcase – everything has its place and purpose.

Key Information

First and foremost, you need essential information. Start by presenting the topic plainly so readers can grasp its relevance immediately. This sets the tone of why you are writing the article. The degree of depth at this point will depend on your audience; be mindful not to overwhelm beginners with too much jargon or over-simplify things for experts.

Introduction

Secondly, every article must have an engaging introduction—this acts as the hook that reels your audience. Think of it as a movie trailer—it offers a taste of what’s to come without giving away all the details.

Third is the body, wherein you get into the crux of your argument or discussion. This is the point at which you present your ideas sequentially, along with supporting evidence or examples. Depending on the nature of your topic and personal style, this may vary from storytelling forms to more analytical breakdowns.

Lastly, you’ll need a fitting conclusion that wraps up all previously discussed points, effectively tying together every loose thread at the end. This helps cement your main ideas within the reader’s mind even after they’ve finished reading.

To summarize:  

• Critical Information: Provides context for understanding
• Introduction: Sheds further light on what will follow while piquing interest  
• Body: Discusses topic intricacies using narratives or case studies
• Conclusion: Ties up loose ends and reemphasizes important takeaways

In my experience writing articles for beginners and experts alike, I found these elements indispensable when conveying complex topics articulately and professionally. Always keep them at hand when looking to produce written material.

How should you structure an article?

Crafting a well-structured article is akin to assembling a puzzle – every piece has its place and purpose. Let’s look at how to create the perfect skeleton for your content.

The introduction is your article’s welcome mat. It should be inviting and informative, briefly outlining what a reader can expect from your writing. Additionally, it must instantly grab the readers’ attention so they feel compelled to continue reading. To master the art of creating effective introductions, remember these key points:

• Keep it short and precise.
• Use compelling hooks like quotes or intriguing facts.
• State clearly what the article will cover without revealing everything upfront.

Moving on, you encounter the body of your piece. This segment expands on the ideas outlined in the introduction while presenting fresh subtopics related to your core story. If we compare article writing to crossing a bridge, each paragraph represents a step toward the other side (the conclusion). Here are some tips for maintaining orderliness within your body:

• Stick closely to one idea per paragraph as it enhances readability.
• Ensure paragraphs flow logically by utilizing transitional words or sentences.
• Offer evidence or examples supporting your claims and reinforce credibility.

As you approach the far side of our imaginary bridge, we reach an equally essential section of the article known as the conclusion. At this point, you should aim to wrap up your message neatly while delivering on what was initially promised during the introduction. This section summarizes the main points, providing closure and ensuring readers feel satisfied.

Remember this golden rule when writing the conclusion: follow the  “Describe what you’re going to tell them (Introduction), tell them (Body), and then summarize what you told them (Conclusion).”  It’s a proven formula for delivering informative, engaging, and well-structured articles. 

One final tip before moving on: maintaining an active voice significantly enhances clarity for your readers. It makes them feel like they’re participating actively in the story unfolding within your article. In addition, it helps ensure easy readability, which is vital for keeping your audience engaged.

Tips for Writing a Good Article

A persuasive, engaging, and insightful article requires careful thought and planning. Half the battle won is by knowing how to start writing and make content captivating. Below are vital tips that can enhance your article writing skills.

Heading or Title

An audience’s first impression hinges on the quality of your title. A good heading should be clear, attention-grabbing, and give an accurate snapshot of what’s contained in the piece’s body. Here are a few guidelines on how to create an impactful title:

• Make it Compelling: Your title needs to spark interest and motivate readers to delve further into your work.
• Keep it concise: You want to have a manageable heading. Aim for brevity yet inclusiveness.
• Optimize with keywords: To boost search engine visibility, sprinkle relevant keywords naturally throughout your title.

By applying these techniques, you can increase reader engagement right from the get-go.

Body of the Article

After winning over potential readers with your catchy title, it’s time to provide substantial content in the form of the body text. Here’s how articles are typically structured:

Introduction:  Begin by providing an appealing overview that hooks your audience and baits them to read more. You can ask poignant questions or share interesting facts about your topic here.

Main Content:  Build on the groundwork set by your introduction. Lay out detailed information in a logical sequence with clear articulation.

Conclusion:  This reemphasizes the critical points discussed in the body while delivering a lasting impression of why those points matter.

Remember that clarity is critical when drafting each part because our objective here is to share information and communicate effectively. Properly understanding this approach ensures that the writing experience becomes creative and productive.

Step By Step Guide for Article Writing

How do you write an article that engages your readers from the first line until the last? That’s what most writers, whether beginners or seasoned pros are trying to achieve. I’ll describe a step-by-step process for crafting such gripping articles in this guide.

Step 1: Find Your Target Audience

First and foremost, identify your target readers. Speaking directly to a specific group improves engagement and helps you craft messages that resonate deeply. To pinpoint your audience:

• Take note of demographic attributes like age, gender, and profession.
• Consider their preferences and needs.
• Look into how much knowledge they are likely to possess concerning your topic.

Knowing this will help you decide what tone, language, and style best suits your readers. Remember, by understanding your audience better, you make it much easier to provide them with engaging content.

Step 2: Select a Topic and an Attractive Heading

Having understood your audience, select a relevant topic based on their interests and questions. Be sure it’s one you can competently discuss. When deciding how to start writing an article, ensure it begins with a captivating title.

A title should hint at what readers will gain from the article without revealing everything. Maintain some element of intrigue or provocation. For example, ‘6 Essentials You Probably Don’t Know About Gardening’ instead of just ‘Gardening Tips’.

Step 3: Research is Key

Good research is crucial to building credibility for beginners and experts alike. It prevents errors that could tarnish your piece immensely.

Thoroughly explore relevant books, scholarly articles, or reputable online resources. Find facts that build authenticity while debunking misconceptions that relate to your topic. Take notes on critical points discovered during this process—it’ll save you time when creating your first draft.

Step 4: Write a Comprehensive Brief

Having done your research, it’s time to write an outline or a brief—a roadmap for your article. This conveys how articles are written systematically without losing track of the main points.

Begin by starting the introduction with a punchy opener that draws readers in and a summary of what they’ll glean from reading. Section out specific points and ideas as separate headings and bullet points under each section to form the body. A conclusion rounds things up by restating key takeaways.

Step 5: Write and Proofread

Now comes the bulk of the work—writing. Respect the brief created earlier to ensure consistency and structure while drafting content. Use short, clear sentences while largely avoiding jargon unless absolutely necessary.

Post-writing, proofread ardently to check for typographical errors, inconsistent tenses, and poor sentence structures—and don’t forget factual correctness! It helps to read aloud, which can reveal awkward phrases that slipped through initial edits.

Step 6: Add Images and Infographics

Introduce visuals such as images, infographics, or videos into your piece to break text monotony and increase comprehension. They provide aesthetic relief while supporting the main ideas, increasing overall engagement.

Remember to source royalty-free images or get permission for copyrighted ones—you don’t want legal battles later!

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing

Regarding article writing, a few pitfalls can compromise the quality of your content. Knowing these and how to avoid them will enhance your work’s clarity, depth, and impact.

The first mistake often made is skimping on research. An article without solid underpinnings won’t merely be bland – it might mislead readers. Therefore, prioritize comprehensive investigation before penning down anything. Understanding common misconceptions or misinterpretations about your topic will strengthen your case. 

Next, sidestep unnecessary jargon or excessively complex language. While showcasing an impressive vocabulary might seem appealing, remember that your primary objective is imparting information efficiently and effectively.

Moreover, failing to structure articles effectively represents another standard error. A structured piece aids in delivering complex ideas coherently. Maintaining a logical sequence facilitates reader comprehension, whether explaining a detailed concept or narrating an incident.

A piece lacking aesthetic allure can fail its purpose regardless of the value of its text. That’s where images come into play. Neglecting them is an all-too-common mistake among beginners. Relevant pictures inserted at appropriate junctures serve as visual breaks from texts and stimulate interest among readers.

Lastly, proofreading is vital in determining whether you can deliver a well-written article. Typos and grammatical errors can significantly undermine professional credibility while disrupting a smooth reading experience.

So, when pondering how articles are written, avoiding these mistakes goes a long way toward producing high-quality content that embodies both substance and style. Remember: practice is paramount when learning how to write excellent material!

How to Write an Article with SEOwind AI Writer?

Using the power of artificial intelligence has been a major step in many industries. One such significant tool is SEOwind AI Writer , which is critical for those curious about how to write an article leveraging AI. In this section, I’ll cover how you can effectively use SEOwind AI writer to create compelling articles.

Step 1: Create a Brief and Outline

The first step in writing an article revolves around understanding your audience’s interests and then articulating them in a comprehensive brief that outlines the content’s framework.

• Decide on the topic: What ideas will you share via your article?
• Define your audience: Knowing who will read your text significantly influences your tone, style, and content depth.
• Establish main points: Highlight the key points or arguments you wish to exhibit in your drafted piece. This helps create a skeleton for your work and maintain a logical flow of information.

With SEOwind:

• you get all the content and keyword research for top-performing content in one place,
• you can generate a comprehensive AI outline with one click,
• users can quickly create a title, description, and keywords that match the topic you’re writing about.

As insightful as it might seem, having a roadmap doubles as a guide throughout the creative process. SEOwind offers a user-friendly interface that allows the easy input of essential elements like keywords, title suggestions, content length, etc. These provide an insightful outline, saving time with an indispensable tool that demonstrates the practicality of article writing.

Step 2: Feed AI with context

The magic ingredient to make your AI content stand out is feeding it with the right kind of information.

1. Define your Brand Voice

• Your brand’s voice is its heartbeat. We will help you sketch it out. Just provide SEOwind with some sample text.
• Check out this handy video on  SEOwind Brand Voice Feature
• Company and product details
• The more we know about your company, products, services, and audience, the better. This fuels the AI to craft content that truly resonates.
• Dive into our video on  SEOwind Company data feature

3. Integrate with Google Search Console

• Authorize GSC integration, so SEOwind can find relevant internal linking opportunities when writing your articles.

4. Choose a model for AI Writing

• Choose between GPT-4 (which offers a creative flair to your writing) and the Google Gemini 1.5 Pro (which focuses on data precision and accuracy).
• For more details, check the video  Gemini vs OpenAI

5. Enrich AI with your own insights

To stand out from generic content, it’s essential to enrich your AI-generated articles with your own insights and expertise. This not only adds value to your content but also positions your brand as an authority in your field. In order to add your own insights, just toggle on Your own insights when creating the brief (Section: Include in AI Article within Build your brief) and add your thoughts in the field.

Step 3: Write an AI Article using SEOwind

Once you have a brief ready, you can write an AI article with a single click. It will consider all the data you provided and much more, such as copywriting and SEO best practices , to deliver content that ranks.

Step 4: Give it a Human Touch

Finally, SEOwind’s intuitive platform delivers impeccably constructed content to dispel any confusion about writing an article. The result is inevitably exceptional, with well-structured sentences and logically sequenced sections that meet your demands.

However, artificial intelligence can sometimes miss the unique personal touch that enhances relatability in communication and makes articles more compelling. Let’s master adding individualistic charm to personalize articles so that they resonate with audiences.

Tailoring the AI-generated piece with personal anecdotes or custom inputs helps to break the monotony and bolster engagement rates. Always remember to tweak essential SEO elements like meta descriptions and relevant backlinks.

A quick product tour on how to create AI articles below

So, whether it’s enhancing casual language flow or eliminating robotic consistency, the slightest modifications can breathe life into the text and transform your article into a harmonious man-machine effort. Remember – it’s not just about technology making life easy but also how effectively we utilize this emerging trend!

Common Questions on how to write an article

Delving into the writing world, especially regarding articles, can often lead to a swarm of questions. Let’s tackle some common queries that newbies and seasoned writers frequently stumble upon to make your journey more comfortable and rewarding.

What is the easiest way to write an article?

The easiest way to write an article begins with a clear structure. Here are five simple steps you can follow:

• Identify your audience: The first thing you should consider while planning your article is who will read it? Identifying your target audience helps shape the article’s content, style, and purpose.
• Decide on a topic and outline: Determining what to write about can sometimes be a formidable task. Try to ensure you cover a topic you can cover effectively or for which you feel great passion. Next, outline the main points you want to present throughout your piece.
• Do the research: Dig deep into resources for pertinent information regarding your topic and gather as much knowledge as possible. An informed writer paves the way for a knowledgeable reader.
• Drafting phase: Begin with an engaging introduction followed by systematically fleshing out each point from your outline in body paragraphs before ending with conclusive remarks tying together all the earlier arguments.
• Fine-tune through editing and proofreading: Errors happen no matter how qualified or experienced a writer may be! So make sure to edit and proofread before publishing.

Keep these keys in mind and remain patient and persistent. There’s no easier alternative for writing an article.

How can I write an article without knowing about the topic?

We sometimes need to write about less familiar subjects – but do not fret! Here’s my approach:

• First off, start by thoroughly researching subject-centric reliable sources. The more information you have, the better poised you are to write confidently about it.
• While researching, take notes and highlight the most essential points.
• Create an outline by organizing these points logically – this essentially becomes your article’s backbone.
• Start writing based on your research and outlined structure. If certain aspects remain unclear, keep investigating until clarity prevails.

Getting outside your comfort zone can be daunting, but is also a thrilling chance to expand your horizons.

What is your process for writing an article quickly?

In terms of speed versus quality in writing an article – strikingly enough, they aren’t mutually exclusive. To produce a high-quality piece swiftly, adhere to the following steps:

• Establish purpose and audience: Before cogs start turning on phrase-spinning, be clear on why you’re writing and who will likely read it.
• Brainstorm broadly, then refine: Cast a wide net initially regarding ideas around your topic. Then, narrow down those areas that amplify your core message or meet objectives.
• Create a robust outline: A detailed roadmap prevents meandering during actual writing and saves time!
• Ignore perfection in the first draft: Speed up initial drafting by prioritizing getting your thoughts on paper over perfect grammar or sentence compositions.
• Be disciplined with edits and revisions: Try adopting a cut, shorten, and replace mantra while trimming fluff without mercy!

Writing quickly requires practice and strategic planning – but rest assured, it’s entirely possible!

Seasoned SaaS and agency growth expert with deep expertise in AI, content marketing, and SEO. With SEOwind, he crafts AI-powered content that tops Google searches and magnetizes clicks. With a track record of rocketing startups to global reach and coaching teams to smash growth, Tom's all about sharing his rich arsenal of strategies through engaging podcasts and webinars. He's your go-to guy for transforming organic traffic, supercharging content creation, and driving sales through the roof.

Table of Contents

• 1 What is an Article?
• 2 Objectives of Article Writing
• 3 What is the Format of an Article?
• 4 What Should Be in an Article?
• 5 How should you structure an article?
• 6 Tips for Writing a Good Article
• 7 Step By Step Guide for Article Writing
• 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing
• 9 How to Write an Article with SEOwind AI Writer?
• 10 Common Questions on how to write an article

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Back in the day, being woke meant being smart

Professor of Social Work, Michigan State University

Disclosure statement

Ronald E. Hall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Michigan State University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US.

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If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had his way, the word “woke” would be banished from public use and memory.

As he promised in Iowa in December 2023 during his failed presidential campaign, “We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in the corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress. We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob.”

DeSantis’ war on “woke ideology” has resulted in the banning of an advanced placement class in African American studies and the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida’s universities and colleges.

Given the origins of the use of the word as a code among Black people, DeSantis has a nearly impossible task, despite his tireless efforts.

For Black people, the modern-day meaning of the word has little to do with school curriculum or political jargon and goes back to the days of Jim Crow and legal, often violent, racial segregation. Back then, the word was used as a warning to be aware of racial injustices in general and Southern white folks in particular.

In my view as a behavioral scientist who studies race , being woke was part of the unwritten vocabulary that Black people established to talk with each other in a way that outsiders could not understand.

The early days of wokeness

It’s unclear when exactly “woke” became a word of Black consciousness. Examples of its use – in various forms of the word “awake” – date back to before the Civil War in Freedom’s Journal , the nation’s first Black-owned newspaper.

In their introductory editorial on April 21, 1827, the editors wrote that their mission was to “plead our own cause.” Part of that mission was offering analysis on the state of educating enslaved Black people who were prohibited from learning how to read and write.

Because education and literacy were “of the highest importance,” the editors wrote, it was “surely time that we should awake from this lethargy of years” during enslavement.

By the turn of the 20th century, the use of versions of the word “woke” by other Black newspaper editors expanded to include the fight for Black voting rights. In a 1904 editorial in the Baltimore Afro-American , for instance, the editors urged Black people to “Wake up, wake up!” and demand full-citizenship rights.

By 1919, Black nationalist Marcus Garvey frequently used a version of the word in his speeches and newspaper, The Negro World , as a clarion call to Black people to become more socially and politically conscious: “Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!”

At around the same time, blues singers were using the word to hide protest messages in the language of love songs. On the surface, Willard “Ramblin’” Thomas laments a lost love in “Sawmill Moan”:

If I don’t go crazy, I’m sure gonna lose my mind ‘Cause I can’t sleep for dreamin’, sure can’t stay woke for cryin’

But instead of a love song, some historians have suggested that the lyrics were a veiled protest against the atrocious conditions faced by Black workers in Southern sawmills.

The song given the most credit by historians for the use of the word woke was written and performed in 1938 by Huddie Leadbetter, known as Lead Belly . He advises his listeners to “stay woke” lest they run afoul of white authority.

In an archived interview about the song “Scottsboro Boys,” Lead Belly explained how tough it was at the time for Black people in Alabama.

“It’s a hard world down there in Alabama,” Lead Belly said . “I made this little song about down there. … I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through there — best stay woke, keep their eyes open.”

And that’s the message that came out in the song lyrics :

“Go to Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord’ll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys Tell ya what it all about.”

A miscarriage of justice

On March 25, 1931, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates , falsely accused a group of several Black young men of rape.

Based on their words, the nine Black men – ages 12 to 19 years old – were immediately arrested and in less than two weeks, all were tried, convicted, and with one exception, sentenced to death.

All the cases were appealed and eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In its 1932 Powell v. Alabama decision, the court overturned the verdicts in part because prosecutors excluded potential Black jurors from serving during the trial. But instead of freedom, the cases were retried – and each of the “Scottsboro Boys” was found guilty again.

There were four more trials, seven retrials and, in 1935, two landmark Supreme Court decisions – one requiring that defendants be tried by juries of their peers and the other requiring that indigent defendants receive competent counsel .

The nine young men spent a combined total of 130 years in prison. The last was released in 1950. By 2013, all were exonerated .

How woke became a four-letter word

Over the years, the memory of the Scottsboro Boys has remained a part of Black consciousness and of staying woke . During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. used a version of woke during his commencement address at Oberlin College in 1965.

“The great challenge facing every individual graduating today is to remain awake through this social revolution,” he said .

In recent times, use of the word has ebbed and flowed throughout Black culture but became popular again in 2014 during the protest marches organized by Black Lives Matter in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Two years later, a documentary on the group was called “ Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement .”

But for GOP lawmakers and conservative talk show pundits , such as DeSantis, “woke” is a pejorative word used to describe those who believe that systemic racism exists in America and remains at the heart of the nation’s racial shortcomings.

When asked to define the term in June 2023, DeSantis explained : “It’s a form of cultural Marxism. It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth.”

DeSantis couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is that being aware of America’s racist past cannot be dictated by conservative politicians. Civic literacy requires an understanding of the social causes and consequences of human behavior – the very essence of being woke.

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Head of School, School of Arts & Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia

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