6 Lessons From 850+ Medium Articles and 180k+ Followers
The online writing platform that helped me become a full-time writer.
When I started writing on Medium, it was just another outlet for my creativity.
I had no plans of making online writing my business. In early 2020, I didn’t even care about making any money from my craft.
But life, as they say, had plans of her own.
Fast forward four years, and I’m a full-time writer. I’ve built a business around my online writing, and Medium has played a major role in it. From the Partner Program alone, I’ve made multiple thousands of dollars. But more than the money, it’s the credibility Medium has given me that I’m the most grateful for.
I’ve published 850+ articles and have built a following of 180k+ readers. When I pitch to potential freelance clients or sponsors, these credentials go a long way in backing me up. They’ve helped me land deals that were literal life-changers.
If you’re reading this in 2024 and wondering if Medium is the right place for you, I’ve compiled a list of the six biggest lessons I’ve learned from writing on Medium for four years. Read on, and if you feel my words resonate with you, leave your insights in the comments.
Medium can be your path to success
Most people assume writing online is all about starting a blog. They forget to consider the background work it takes that’s mentally and financially exhausting.
- Buying a domain and hosting
- Setting up WordPress, Wix, or coding from scratch
- Monetary investment and technical know-how.
Finding your audience on top of all this remains the hardest part.
It’s better to write for a well-established platform as they come with an already existing active audience.
I’m glad I began my blogging journey with Medium. It gave me global exposure and helped me build a strong online presence. I also managed to bag brand deals and build a community of 180K+ followers. All I had to do was understand who my reader is, what exactly they’re looking for, and how I can help them best.
Here’s how writing on Medium can help you:
- Exposure to 1 Million+ paying members (readers)
- An opportunity to build a strong portfolio
- Instant access to a global audience
This can be a stepping stone to your online business.
Medium is the best way to become a known name on the internet today. If I had to start writing online all over again, I’d choose Medium over starting a blog.
Read more than you write
If you’re a writer, reading is the most important habit, no matter what and where you write.
A Medium membership is only $5 a month, but the value you get from it far exceeds the investment. You can read the works of incredible writers from all around the world. If you use this to your advantage, it came become your secret superpower as you ace the online writing game.
Read more, see what stories are working, and reverse engineer them to apply to your writing. Reading on Medium has helped me:
- Improve the quality of my writing exponentially
- Bring in the relatability factor in my content
- Translate my ideas into words that engage people from around the world
- Learn what kind of articles get the highest engagement and why.
Don’t miss out on reading consistently if you really want to make it big as an online writer.
Let publications help you gain traction
The chances of getting traction in your Medium stories are limited to your followers if you publish an article on your profile.
Instead, leverage a larger audience by pitching your articles to Medium publications for better credibility and exposure.
The best part? Some publications can boost your story. It means you’ll get more views and ultimately make more money.
- Find a relevant publication for your story
- Read the submission guidelines properly
- Curate your article well to get accepted and attract more eyeballs.
Don’t report, tell a story.
Articles with storytelling format work well on Medium. They add a unique touch and an emotional aspect to your content.
Make it your unfair advantage to stand out in the AI-dominated online world and form a genuine connection with your audience.
Among all the 850+ articles I’ve published, my best-performing pieces are the ones where I wrote about my lived experiences.
Here’s what I do to create impactful and unique stories:
- I use experiences and anecdotes in my articles
- I engage with people to learn different viewpoints on the topic I want to write about
- I collect my unfiltered thoughts and quotes I like while reading
- I collect insights from videos or movies I watch to use in my content.
Start observing things around you more closely to deliver relatable stories your readers look forward to.
Stick to your unfair advantage
What’s a problem only you can solve?
What’s a question you regularly get asked?
What’s something you’re so passionate about that you don’t mind spending hours learning about it?
Reflecting on these questions will help you find your niche. These are topics you either know a lot about or are passionate about learning more. Write about these topics and focus on providing value to the reader. Leverage your interests to establish yourself as a subject matter expert.
Learn to present your story using multiple angles and cross-connect them with related niches.
If you write about ‘sustainable living’, you can merge it with ‘health and fitness’ or ‘personal finance.’
For example: “How Avoiding Plastic Can Help You Live Longer” or “How Switching to Eco-friendly Products Can Save Your Money”, etc.
This way you’ll never run out of ideas or put pressure on your creativity to show up consistently.
Do the inner work
Get rid of the “What will people think?” mindset. Publish, and let your work take you places.
Get rid of the “I need to get rich immediately” mindset. Be willing to put in the work so you can reap the benefits in the future.
The number of claps on your article or your follower count is never in your hands when you write on an online platform.
The only thing in your control is your dedication to write and improve based on the audience’s reaction.
Get started and keep learning along the way.
Advice from 180k+ Medium followers: Final words
My journey on Medium has taught me 6 lessons that have improved my writing skills way more than any course could do.
If you want to start your online writing journey, you’ll find them helpful. Here’s the compilation of everything I learned after writing 850+ Medium articles:
- Writing on Medium is a smarter way to begin and grow as an online writer than starting your blog. It allows you to access a global audience, build a stellar writing portfolio and establish a personal brand that could help you start your business venture.
- Reading on Medium is equally important if you want to understand the ins and outs of best-performing stories. You’ll find common patterns in the most successful stories that you can later reverse engineer to create valuable content for your audience.
- Leverage the publications on the platform to reach a larger audience rather than self-publishing articles
- Use storytelling format in your articles to create unique yet relatable content
- Write on topics that you’re passionate about to present yourself as a subject matter expert and never run out of ideas
- Start writing without delaying the publishing process in the name of perfecting the articles.
Which piece of advice most resonated with you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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