Introducing: Context

A publication that will help brands get the most out of Medium

The Internet has created a world in which brands have little to no control over the context in which consumers view their ads. So it should be no surprise that the value of digital advertising is on the decline. Premium brands need a new space to share their stories — one in which they can reach not just any audience clicking around the Internet abyss, but the right audience. One in which they can tell meaningful stories, foster thoughtful conversations, and engage in authentic interactions.

In the last year, brands have embraced Medium as this new contextual space. In fact, the number of brands publishing on Medium grew by more than 65% in that time, and the overall volume of content published by brands has nearly doubled. Hundreds of brands have been using Medium to launch publications, showcase their executives as thought leaders, and even host their company blogs.

It’s easy to see why: Medium is better looking and easier to use than your average blogging platform. Our CMS is “what you see is what you get,” allowing you to create a gorgeous digital publication with zero HTML or CSS knowledge. And publishing on Medium also comes with a network effect — our network drives a lift of nearly 25% in time spent reading. Here you’re not just broadcasting to the void; you’re immediately sharing with an audience that is highly educated, well-read, and influential. Think journalists, CEOs, celebrities, philanthropists, and even heads of state.

Besides, in a world of nanosecond attention spans and clickbait headlines, our readers actually read good content — on Medium, users spend an average of 1.6 minutes on a post compared to the average 15 seconds or less that people spend on the average web page.

A strong creative presence in this high-value community translates into serious brand cred. Case in point: A brand study we commissioned in 2015 showed that branded content on Medium moved the needle in a big way for a large hospitality chain.

Readers who were exposed to the brand’s content were

As more and more brands start publishing on Medium, we get more questions than ever before regarding the best ways to make use of the platform. Today we’re launching Context — a publication to answer all of these questions (and more!) in one place. We’ll present case studies, resources, data, and analysis to illustrate all of the innovative ways you can use Medium to tell your brand stories and connect them with an engaged, thoughtful audience.

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll publish a series of posts that explore and explain our brand-building tool set — everything you need to “do” Medium. We’ll cover:

• The basics — what you need to know about our product to get started
• A deep dive into publications — how to use them to their fullest potential
• The network effect— how organic distribution works within the Medium network
• Paid distribution — a rundown of our forthcoming native advertising product
• Content strategies — different types of brand content we’ve seen succeed
• Case studies — a detailed look at some of the most successful brand uses of Medium
• Nitty gritty details — the most frequently asked tactical questions we get from brands

Additionally, there will be news and announcements. We’ll tell you about how brands can best use Medium’s latest tools, send a monthly newsletter with the best brand pieces on the platform, and notify you of opportunities to join beta groups for new products.

Follow the publication to join us as we explore the myriad ways that brands can leverage Medium to grow, share, and connect. If you’ve got a content project in the works and would like more immediate advice, reach out and touch us at [email protected].