30 Things I’ve Learned From My First 30 Days on Medium
By: Stuart Costen
Tags: Publishing, Marketing, Tips, Ｍedium, Writing

30 Things I’ve Learned From My First 30 Days on Medium

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

The government had just put my local area into complete lockdown, and before this life had felt almost normal; we could still hang out with friends, go to a restaurant; it was good to escape the four walls of my kitchen. However, a lot of free time was on its way, and not one to sit around and do nothing when an opportunity presents itself; I started to write.

I don’t remember exactly when I signed up for Medium, but an email with lots of great stories by great writers would land in my inbox every day at 8 am. As I read through them (usually whilst sitting on the loo) I remember thinking ‘I could do this’, mainly because I like writing and know about stuff too.

Many articles and a steep learning curve later, I began writing this article. I didn’t quite realise the challenge I set myself when I was left scratching my head by lesson 15, but if we don’t challenge ourselves from time to time then what’s the point of anything? Go big or go home, as they say.

So what 30 lessons have I learned from my first 30 days on Medium?

1. I Write More

I go through writing motivation stages; they can last for days or be an hour here or there when I get the urge. But in the last two months, I have written every day, even if I don’t quite feel like it, even if I write absolute garbage one day, I can use that as a base to make it beautiful the next day.

I’ve written stories that haven’t been picked up by the publications I wanted. The knock-backs can be a little crushing, I will admit. After walking around the house muttering some expletives under my breath, I’m ready to go again, using the hurt as a catalyst to write more and write better.

As I keep churning out articles a few things have happened…

I’ve got better at writing. I have more and more ‘wins’. My followers are slowly rising. I’m starting to realise what works and what doesn’t.

It wasn’t until my second month did I get accepted into a more extensive publication, so bide your time, good things come to those that write.

2. I Got Paid

I joined the Medium Partner Program, thinking that I wouldn’t earn a penny. You see plenty of platforms out there that offer money in exchange for creative but won’t pay you for six months, which by the time you’ll probably have forgotten what you did to earn it.

However, on the 5th of the following month, as promised, $5.08 was transferred to my Stripe account and is now on its way to the bank. OK, so it’s not loads of money, but it’s a start, and as the saying goes ‘every journey; however, long or short starts with a single step.’

There’s no difficult payment strategy or long wait time, you get paid for people reading your work, and you get paid promptly.

3. I’m Addicted To The Stats Page

Constantly hitting refresh is doing me no favours.

When you create something you love and want the world to see it; extra incentives such as a clap or comment mean checking your stats page quickly becomes the norm, but as we all know a watched pot never boils (I seem full of idioms today, apologies as there’s more to come), so maybe I need to give the refresh button a holiday as if it was a physical button the paint would’ve definitely worn off by now.

4. Some Articles Will Do Well; Some Won’t

Unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast and will affect even the best writers I’m sure.

Sometimes my articles don’t strike the right chord, but I don’t think it’s because they’re bad (although they could be), it’s most likely the wrong article at the wrong time or place. There is no silver bullet that can guarantee every article you write will hit that sweet spot. However, you can influence how well your story does. Writing about a current, relevant topic; adding an attention-grabbing headline and submitting a perfectly pitched post to a popular publication will increase your article's chances of having a successful Medium life.

5. Researching the Perfect Publication for Your Story is Paramount

I’m sorry to be the one to tell you; your beloved story on sewing patterns won’t make it in The Startup. Unless, of course, the Startup is looking for stories on sewing patterns — see how simple that sounds?

I make sure to check the ‘writing for us’ section of any publication. This usually includes what types of articles it is currently looking for. Some have general guidelines about what the publication accepts all year round, but others will also have a specific topic they are looking for at a current time.

Don’t tailor your story to fit the publication but tailor the publication to fit your story.

6. Make Sure to Follow the Guidelines

They actually try and help you write for their publication—and write better in general.

Unsurprisingly, editors of publications want your stories, as their publication would be nothing without a constant stream of them.

But the key word here is ‘quality’. If I submit a badly written, 300-word article on the most amazing topic the world has ever seen it will probably not make it; to publish such a badly written piece of work would do neither the writer (me) nor the publication any favours. I make sure to follow the guidelines, and if grammar and spelling ain’t your bag, find an online tool that can help, so it would be wise to…

7. Invest in Grammarly

It doesn’t catch everything and lacks the personal nuances you may sow into your writing, but it’s a good start if you’re completely lost in the world of stuff you’ve forgotten since you took your native language class at school.

I’ve always been very conscious of my grammar. I’m OK at spelling if I sit and think about it, but grammar is one of my biggest foe’s; where to use commas, semi-colons, whatever this ‘ is called and a plethora of other grammatical tripping wires gets me hot under the collar. Having a tool like Grammarly sifting through my notes as I make them and correcting mistakes I might’ve missed before is invaluable.

I was using the free version but decided I wanted the extra features as well. So went premium, and why not? If it helps my writing and means my writing might reach a larger audience, then the investment is worth it.

The main caveat here is that it can make you lazy, choosing to accept Grammarly's suggestions without questioning whether the sentence still flows correctly. I make sure to read and re-read every story I write, and once I’ve read it and re-read it, I read it again.

8. Use Social Media to Promote Your Post

You can’t rely on Medium to do all the work for you, and if you miss the hallowed ‘Chosen for distribution’, you might have to seek exposure elsewhere.

If it’s a post that can be related to a job, so maybe a marketing or self-improvement article, then LinkedIn is a good place to start, but if you want to post anything and everything, use your personal Twitter or Facebook.

Another good tip is trying to find Facebook groups that cover your topic. Make sure to check the rules first as they might not accept posts to ‘paywalled content’ which yours will be if you have chosen the ‘meter my story’ setting when publishing.

9. Don’t Make Money Your Primary Focus for Writing

The money aspect is great, but I found that I needed to focus on the writing. I decided that if I was solely writing for the money, I might give up rather quickly, especially if an article I’d spent 3 hours presiding over was making me less than a dollar.

I’ve found that by writing more, ensuring I follow the rules, and submitting to the correct publications, my earnings are now starting to increase. However, I am still staying true to myself and writing about what I am interested in.

It’s great if there’s a publication I can submit to, but I don’t let it guide my article choice, I write for the joy of writing, nothing else.

10. There Are To Be More Articles About Writing on Medium Than Non-Medium Related Articles

This isn’t strictly true and maybe has more to do with the articles I find myself reading. Medium’s algorithm seems to have pigeonholed me as someone who likes reading about Medium on Medium.

I could spend a lifetime reading articles that tell me “How to earn $1,000 a month on Medium”, “How to get your articles published on Medium”, “The best headlines for Medium”, and yes there may be some juicy tips in there, but I found there was a real danger of reading more articles on being successful than writing articles. When, of course, writing articles is the best way of being successful.

There’s a saying that to be in with a chance of winning the lottery you have to buy a ticket, and the same goes here; I wasn’t going to achieve any level of success by simply reading about it.

11. Everyone Seems to be a Better Writer Than Me

They just seem…better.

When I’ve read other articles on Medium, I find I’m in absolute awe of the writers. Their work flows beautifully, and their stories are enlightening and interesting. Then I read mine, and I’m thinking ‘gosh I’m rubbish’, but then they were probably where I am now, fumbling around in the dark looking for the light switch.

It’s a huge gift that there’s so much quality work out there to aspire to and learn from, and the more articles I read on various subjects by various writers the better writer I can become.

12. My Followers Creep up Agonisingly Slowly

After a month, I have 20 followers which I don’t know if it’s good or not, but when you’ve released 10 articles in 30 days, you feel like you should’ve earned a few more.

Maybe I’d have more if I’d had more exposure with my earlier articles, but if you’re on a steady burn like myself, then a slow increase in following is how things are, and I’m 100% certain as I keep writing they will grow.

13. My Claps Don’t Come Easily

I love my article, so why doesn’t anyone else?

When I put my first article out there, I was expecting a raft of claps. It was interesting, useful and well-written, or so I thought, but it took an entire week for a single clap.

It’s not that I’m crying out for claps (please love me!), but when you’ve taken the time to put yourself out there, you feel a little bit of appreciation is deserved. Truth is I think my article is good, or I wouldn’t have to put it on the internet, so why is one clap such a mission? Then I remember, this is a journey with ups and downs, so I have to believe that the claps will come.

Fun fact: Did you know you can clap more than once for an article? Yup! Just keep hitting the clap button and watch them rise — only up to 50 though.

14. Be Me

It took a while to learn, but now I write from the heart and don’t hold back.

The best characters on TV are the one’s you can connect to on some level. The same applies to writing. People want to not only to read your article but connect with you as a writer.

I’ve realised that I have to be open and honest in my writing, I have to write from my heart and say what I want to say, as that’s the juicy stuff that everybody wants. There’s a certain strength in being vulnerable, and you have absolutely no reason not to convey your vulnerability in your writing.

15. I Read Other Writer’s Work

If there is a certain publication I want to be seen on, I read as many articles as I can that have made the grade. I am mindful to look out for style, tone and subject and see how mine compares.

I’ve also stolen some styles I now use in my writing, and I’m sure I will steal some more in time to come!

But other writer’s work is a treasure trove of writing skills and way better than any writing course. This doesn’t mean I felt the need to copy someone completely; I am finding out what I like and what I don’t like, and keeping the good bits for myself.

16. I Use Good Stock Imagery

I usually head straight to Unsplash after writing an article title as it is a great place to find free stock imagery. I make sure to search for the one that really encapsulates my article and stands out.

Warning: I have learned that most writers will also use Unsplash, so be mindful that you aren’t using the same image as another article already in a publication you are looking to be accepted into.

17. I Pick Relevant Tags on My Articles Before Publishing Them

Tags help define the audience that might happen upon your article.

I try and make sure they are relevant and popular. To gauge their popularity, you can type out the tags in the box, and the count of how much they are used appears alongside it.

There are two ways of looking at this; one is that the more, the better as it clearly means it’s popular, but then it can also get lost in the sheer amount of other articles that are already featuring that keyword, or if your article is for a niche market, then keeping with a certain keyword, no matter how low its tag number is, might be a smart move.

18. I’m Not Afraid to Self-Publish

Medium has its own content curators who can put your article out there.

Writing for publications can obviously help, but the ‘Chosen for distribution’ isn’t reserved for publications only.

If your article is good enough and all the other pieces come together, you might find your article on the home page without a publication in sight.

19. I Myself if I’m Enjoying it

Sometimes I didn’t feel like it was worth it when I was writing for hours for no claps and minimal reads.

I kept thinking “am I enjoying it?”, “do I actually want to keep going?” and I realised the answer to both questions was a resounding yes, and then immediately started on my next article.

20. I Don’t Get Disheartened

Just because it got rejected from a publication doesn’t mean it was bad.

I’ve been knocked back for a few of my articles from publications I really wanted to be in, and the thrill from seeing a private note added to my article to the despair of reading that it wasn't “exactly what they’re looking for” was a real confidence killer.

The usual negative thoughts filled my head, and I thought about throwing it all in for a brief moment.

But if there’s one skill I’ve acquired during my life its the ability to talk myself around. After a brief moment of being a ‘Negative Nigel’, I got the article accepted into a different publication.

21. Take Every Opportunity

I’ve been approached three times and three times I’ve accepted the offers.

If an editor contacts you and asks you to write for their publication, do it. It’s how I got accepted into Javascript in Plain English, and these were the most read articles in my first 30 days.

Even if you can’t think of what or how to write it, give it a go, as a chance may never come up again.

22. Your Most Reads Might Not Happen on The Day You Publish

This happened to me with my most recent article. It only garnered 59 views on its first day, but by day 2 it was viewed 192 times, so nearly 4x as much. This will be down to the way Medium distributes its content throughout its member base.

So when it’s launched don’t be disheartened that it is not getting as many views as you’d hoped as by day 3, you’ll be wondering what you were worrying about in the first place.

23. Write About Your Experiences

Don’t write about how you could or would, write about how you have.

I started writing about how I had done something and how it affected me and what I had learned; this made my writing a lot more personal and enjoyable to write.

No one can write about an experience you’ve had as you can, so writing from your point of you can make it feel less essay-ish.

Weave your life into your work with interesting examples and anecdotes; it did the readability of my articles the world of good.

24. Focus on Reading Time

Reading time = money.

If it really is money you’re after, then you need to focus on article reading time. If you find a topic interesting, then there’s a good chance someone else will, but how you write about your topic is what will separate it from a read-worthy article to a skim-read skipper. Try and make it as readable as possible; ensuring grammar is top-notch, you have written in the active voice, and that your headline, subline and image support the content of your article.

25. Write With Confidence

I was maybe just using the wrong kind of tone.

This is a difficult one, and it’s only since using Grammarly have I noticed the tone of voice I lean towards. I find, for some reason, that I don’t want to sound too active.

I realised that “just” and “maybe” didn’t quite give my writing the confident tone I wanted to express. I now make sure to write with an active voice and keep sentences and headings as snappy as possible.

26. You Don’t Have to be a Writer to Write

I’m not a writer; I just like to write.

You may or may not have noticed this from my writing so far if you’ve even made it to this point, that I don’t write for a living, this is merely something I enjoy doing on the side.

But what defines a writer? Could anyone who puts words in a sentence, puts the sentence in a paragraph, and hits the save button can be classed as a writer? I’ll leave that one up to you to decide…

27. Pay it Forward

A clap and a comment can go a long way.

Enjoying an article, you’re reading? Why not give it a clap? If you’re really enjoying it, why not 50 claps and a follow?

There’s a tendency to read an article and move on to the next without giving the writer any appreciation, but it only takes a second to clap for an article, or give them a follow, so why not show them some love? You never know, you might even earn some love back.

28. ‘Chosen for Distribution’ Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Your Article Will Be Read

It was an exhilarating moment when my first article got the coveted ‘Chosen for Distribution’, but this didn’t mean it got read. In fact, in the first couple of days, it had barely any views at all.

I’m sure a few factors make up the Medium algorithm that decides whether your article will be seen by more people or not, and claps must be a big part of that.

To me “Chosen for distribution” is like a big gust of wind at the start of your boat’s journey, but claps and reads are what keep the wind blowing, and if the first gust is all you’ve got, your boat is going to slow down pretty quickly.

29. Don’t Be Precious About Your Articles, Editors Aren’t

I’ve found it’s better to treat my articles like a production line, once one is submitted it’s onto the next.

I may have spent hours pouring over an article on my favourite subject; agonising over the title, subtitle and image, only for it to get rejected after waiting for three days to find out.

This is nothing personal, and it doesn’t mean that I’m a bad writer or my article was awful, it just means that what I was submitting to the publication wasn’t right.

30. It’s Not Easy

It was never going to be easy, and sometimes I’ve felt like it wasn’t worth it at all. Still, I know that my persistence, tenacity and enjoyment will see me over any hurdle I encounter, and 10 published articles later, I’m still a hurdlin’, so I must be doing something right.

Thoughts? Opinions? What do you think? What lessons have you learned since writing for Medium? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.