How To Make A Medium Writer Smile
By: Andy Taylor
Tags: Writers On Writing, Writing Tips, Writers On Medium, Writing, Reading

1. Read To The End (Don’t Rush)

Here’s the accepted theory on Medium: As a writer, it’s all about headlines, and the most important thing is getting someone to click on your article.

But I’m a writer, not a headliner.

I would like you to read my article, not just my headline (and I want to read what you write too).

All the way to the end, please. I know you’re busy but try not to skip ahead or speed read — you’ll get a lot more out of it by reading it slowly.

Give the words time to sink in. Leave the space for you to think and respond.

2. If A Sentence Hits You — Highlight It.

At first, I didn’t understand highlighting, but now I love it.

It’s the equivalent of a nod or a smile or a thoughtful chin rub — all things you might do if I was saying these words to you in a conversation.

Photo by Noémi Macavei-Katócz on Unsplash

It’s so interesting to see what readers highlight in the passages that you write. I’ve seen a few people highlight at random, but mostly it’s an indication of reading with attention.

It’s proof that the reader understands what I write.

If a sentence has connected enough with you to highlight it, maybe you’d consider going one step further and…

3. Comment On What You’ve Highlighted

This is my favorite interaction to receive as a writer. It gives me an insight into what thoughts my writing has sparked.

It starts a discussion.

Often responses inspire me to write a whole new article. I’ve had it work the other way round too.

I left a comment on Rocco Pendola’s article about making a million dollars. My question prompted him to write a whole new story:

If I have a decent amount of time to get into an article, I highlight many sections and respond to them individually.

This leads to the ultimate VIP reader interaction, which I call…

4. The Live Read

Here’s how to do a live read: Highlight and respond to anything and everything that grabs you as you proceed through the article.

I’ve left as many as 5 or 6 comments on a single article doing this.

I would love someone to do this to one of my articles. It’s as close as we’re going to get to a deep and meaningful writer/reader conversation about this subject that interests us both.

Photo by Juri Gianfrancesco on Unsplash

One of the joys of Medium is you have no idea who is going to read your article. Write for a magazine, website, or blog, and you have a fair idea of who the audience is.

On Medium, it can be anyone.

A live read lets you connect with another human being that you would otherwise never encounter.

Once you have done any of these brilliant interactions, you should…

6. Use Your Claps

Still, many people don’t realize you have 50 claps that you can use on each article. I have never run out of them. So clap away, clap heartily.

You can use it as a bit of a scoring system (each 10 shows a higher level of enjoyment?) It’s up to you. Be generous.

And finally, after you have clapped…

7. Follow The Author

…but only if you genuinely want to.

I’m not into this follower-farming technique of “follow as many people as you can and hope some follow you back.”

That’s like walking down the street and asking everyone to go on a date with you in the hope that someone might say yes.

If you enjoyed the article enough to think you might like to read more from that writer, then follow.