A Year on Medium. Here’s What Actually Moves the Needle

No breakthroughs. Just patterns

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

If you write well but feel like something’s not clicking on Medium, read on.

Also, you: doubtful, nervous wreck with a betraying inner voice. I was you last year.

I’ve been active on Medium for nearly a year. A few articles featured, a couple boosted.

The list below is for beginners like me — but it might help others too.

1. The Claps

Did you know you can clap up to 50 times?

It took me six months to realize this.

I was trying to work out the math around earnings, but things didn’t add up. Then I accidentally clapped more than once — then kept going until 50.

I broke the news to everyone — well, to the two real-life friends who follow on Medium.

In terms of earnings, they don’t add much value, but the dopamine rush as those numbers go up makes you want to write more.

2. Yes to Publications

I suggest starting by writing through publications.

Recently, I looked at profiles to understand why their writing stopped. Many only published on their own page. Their articles barely got any engagement, so they stopped writing.

Those who received more comments and claps kept going.

Publications give you that early momentum. They place your work in front of readers who are already there.

Always read a publication’s tips and rules. Editors often write guides. I see them as crash courses to improve your craft. Use them.

3. No to Publications

Limit the number of publications you write for. At first.

At some point, your Medium writing picks up, and you’ll want to spread your wings. Be careful not to stretch them too thin and exhaust yourself.

Quantity is good. But too many open doors can confuse both you and your audience.

What is it you want to say here on Medium? How do you want your voice to stand out? And for whom?

I’m still figuring things out.

Lately, I’ve been feeling scattered. Writing for different publications, adjusting tone each time, I could feel my voice start to blur.

It can overwhelm you, especially when you feel the need to ‘nurture’ each publication.

4. Treat a Publication Like a Microcosm

At first, Medium felt like a filing cabinet. Publications were just subfolders. Work. Now, I see them differently.

Medium is Mother Hen, and publications are its eggs — worlds within a world.

Some writers stick to a select few — or even just one — to publish and engage. They don’t just drop articles there. They exist there.

There’s a constant engagement — same names in the comments, articles linking to each other, and readers following those threads from one piece to the next.

Some even create their own publication for their personal writing and build from there.

It’s no longer just about posting. It’s about where your writing lives.

5. Is the Microcosm Alive?

Some publications compete — but not all of them are alive.

Find one that keeps you reading. Then look closer.

Look at the structure: organization, featured tabs, submission page, activity. E3, the current publication, does a good job at this.

Some have dwindled, with fewer articles and less engagement. Others are just starting — and maybe you could help them grow.

I noticed this with 𝑆𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑦 ✌️’s work. I liked her humor, and even though her animal-themed publication is still new, there were already signs of activity, so I joined and wrote the following piece:

[embed]When Birds Disrupt War (and Other Human Plans) From Mexican seagulls to Middle Eastern migration routes, birds keep interfering with our very serious human businessmedium.com

Sometimes the “Write for us” page isn’t visible.

In that case, search: [publication name] + submission

It almost always leads you where you need to go.

6. Keep the Microcosm Alive

I’m a selfish, prickly fellow — see what I did there? 🤓

I trap and exhaust myself producing.

Do — I must. Write — I must. But read?

Who’s got time?

You’ll soon realize busy little bees are keeping these microcosms alive. Writers like you.

And they’re not just publishing. You start seeing the same names everywhere — commenting, replying, keeping conversations alive.

The few pennies you earn come from others giving you their time. Do the same.

Follow people whose stories move you. But really read them — don’t just skim.

I’m guilty of skimming. And every time I do, I can feel the disconnect.

When that happens, I save it for later.

Soon, your mind will start building little “books” for each writer. The more you read them, the more chapters get added.

It also depends on time.

Some focus on producing. For them, replying to comments becomes the bare minimum to keep things moving — and that’s still something.

7. The Matrix behind the Microcosm

When I first joined Medium, I was lost. It felt alien.

Then I attended an introductory workshop led by a Medium employee. That made the difference.

Things started to click — how publications work, how writing circulates, where attention goes.

I couldn’t find a link to those workshops. Maybe someone can share one.

But if you can find one, start there. It helps.

Until then, keep writing. And reading.

Thanks to Malky McEwan and E3 for my very first published articles on the platform.