This free online publishing platform was developed by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams and launched in August 2012, and it’s really taken off! In fact, according to Alexa
It’s now one of the top 200 sites in the U.S. Medium is an amazing resource for content marketers, with elements of a social media network, blogging platform and content marketplace all rolled into one. It gives us an idea of what content consumption will look like in the future. Instead of hosting content on your own website and promoting social media, sites like Medium allow the best, most valuable content to stand out among the competition.
“Medium is a place where the measure of success isn’t views, but viewpoints. Where the quality of the idea matters, not the author’s qualifications…
The world has reached a saturation point of shallow, thoughtless content, and half-skimming through these pages of filler is increasingly unfulfilling. Every day, your Medium homepage is full of stories with depth and meaning—stories that make you laugh, cry, and actually feel things.”
There are probably hundreds of takeaways content marketers can learn from Medium, but here are three to get you started.
1. Take Risks. Try new platforms, and find new ways to use existing ones. Great storytellers with excel on any platform with the right promotion. Find what works best for you.
2. Invest in Long-Form Content–if you haven’t done so already. Content that educates and inspires is not going away; it’s becoming more popular than ever. Try your best to provide information customers can’t find anywhere else.
3. Focus on Great Ideas. Ideas are becoming more important than authority. On Medium, great content is recognized for its popularity, not who wrote it or how many dollars have been spent on promotion. Cite references, add illustrations, and write amazing copy to get your content on top.
Tips for Succeeding on Medium
Now you know what Medium can teach you outside of the platform, here’s what you need to know about optimizing your presence on the platform.
1. Don’t Forget About CTAs. Calls-to-actions are important on any piece of content, but especially so on Medium when it’s all about the reader. Try creating an image-based footer than links back to your website to drive traffic. And don’t forget to add CTAs to your content outside of Medium, as well.
2. Build Your on Publication. Publications offer your brand more customization options. Focus on a specific niche, and create a custom url that fits your brand. Choose custom logos and a bold header image to make a strong impression.
3. Don’t Miss Out on the Formatting Options. Medium offers many “hidden” formatting options that you may not see when you only use the popup toolbar. Blockquotes are a great option to catch the reader’s attention, and make sure any code is formatted correctly.
4. Share Medium Content on Other Platforms. Don’t rely on Medium’s algorithm alone to get your content in front of new readers. You should also share your Medium content on your established social media channels. Eventually, you may see the majority of your content views coming directly from the platform, but an initial nudge will be extremely helpful.
5. Work with External Writers. There are tons of great writers on Medium that push on excellent content on a consistent basis. If you’re stretch for resources (or even if you aren’t!), reach out to writers in your industry and ask them to contribute to your publication
6. write until your hands hurt.
When starting off, you probably aren’t going to be that good.
This isn’t meant to bully you or put you down in any way.
Unless you’re some type of writing prodigy or have already a copious amount of experience content writing before you get serious about Medium, you are going to publish a lot of lackluster content.
7. Practice creating killer headlines.
You might have the best article in the world.
In a crowded space like blogging, however, unless you incentivize the reader to actually click into your article, it will forever be lost to the deep, dark confines of the unread web.
