Picture this: You’re a content writer, and you’ve written a masterpiece—well as close to one as you can get by writing about financial services or about how to perfect your skincare routine. You hit publish, and you wait for the likes and comments to come pouring in.
…And nothing happens.
If you’ve ever dabbled in content marketing for your small business, you know the feeling.
But, it’s inevitable. With so much content to choose from online, most of it dies a quick death with few mourners. The vast majority of what’s written on the internet gets a few views then fades into the deep recesses of digital memory, never to be seen again.
That’s where Medium comes in.
Medium is a blogging platform where users can write, read, and discover long-form content. Essentially, Medium makes it easier to connect with interested readers.
Everyone has a story to tell. Medium is the place to tell yours.
5 Tips that Yield Big Results on Medium
Setting up your very own Medium account is easy. Just sign up with Google or Facebook, customize your interests (this information will determine what stories appear on your home page), and write an author description.
Ta-da! Now you’re ready to start writing on Medium!
But surely there’s more to it than that, right?
Well, yes and no. No, it really is that easy, and there aren’t many hidden tricks when it comes to writing on Medium. Yes, there is a catch. Drawing a large following to your content isn’t exactly automatic. If you want to really optimize your content for Medium, there are a few things you should know to help you grow your follower list and increase your reach:
1. Engage with other users:
This is common courtesy on nearly every social media platform. Don’t just post your content and split. Stick around and take a look at some other stories in your niche. Add to the community by liking and commenting on other interesting content. Not only is this good manners, but you’ll also be rewarded with a growing follower list.
2. Submit to publications:
Medium publications are collections of articles by different authors that are all focused around a central theme. They’re basically online magazines. Users can follow publications to get updates about new content, so if your content appears in a major publication, it can boost your reach tremendously. Just make sure to check the publication’s submission guidelines. Some publications do not allow you to repost your content elsewhere (like to your personal blog) if it is accepted.
3. Focus on Storytelling:
If you’re having trouble figuring out what to write about, check out popular posts in your niche. You’ll find that many of them have a focus on personal experience. That’s because stories drive success on Medium. Connect with your audience by weaving in anecdotes or examples from your life.
4. Keep Readers in Mind:
According to a study by Medium, articles written for a 6th grade reading level receive 20% more engagement on average, so keep word choice simple and sentences under 20 words long.
5. Publish on Tuesdays and Saturdays:
These are the days that users are more likely to engage with articles. Articles published on Mondays, on the other hand, fare the worst.
Thanks for reading!
About the Author
Mike Speer is a digital marketing executive at Michaels Wilder. Tune in daily for new content and other updates from Michaels Wilder that focus specifically on building your businesses digital presence. Sign up for our exclusive Inner Circle Newsletter, which will have exclusive content for Business Owners and Marketers that will not be posted on social platforms.
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