THE FRESHIE WRITER BASICS (SERIES)
The Freshie Writer Basics: Five Benefits of Publishing in Publications
If I started from scratch on Medium I would do this again
Hi freshie writer,
I’m you back in 2019 when I had my debut on Medium in January 2019, to be very specific. And when I first started on this platform I, too, had 0 followers. So I understand what it is like to begin from 0 across the board.
0 followers. 0 stories. 0 views. 0 reads. All I saw were 0's.
You and I, like most freshie writers, began from ground zero, literally.
A blank slate can be overwhelming to get started from, so if you are feeling this way, know you are not alone.
The same question you have I had too, what do I do to write successfully on Medium?
In search of answers, I discovered senior writers’ opinions and insights about publishing on Medium.
How to Publish on Medium
The two methods of publishing writings on Medium that I came to learn about from them are:
- Self-publishing
- Publications
The recommendations for freshie writers like me to write for publications made the most sense to me as someone without a following. So that is how I published my very first story and my stories then after. Exceptions were a few stories I self-published because they were not accepted into the publications I submitted them to.
The five benefits I have experienced from writing in publications include the following in no particular order.
- Access to Existing Communities of Readers
- Access to Existing Communities of Writers
- Blueprint of Topics
- Diversification Ability
- Opportunities to be Advertised
#1. Existing Communities of Readers
Publications have already established and dedicated community of followers who read and write content on their pubs.
As this being my first time ever writing and publishing anything online and to keep my fresh-eyed optimism in check, I needed to learn how to be successful writing on Medium.
So, before I wrote/published my first story, I spent time self-educating myself. I read writers content on Medium about writing. I even gained some secondary knowledge about best practices for headlines, subtitles, simple language, short sentences, tags, and more.
The key information I was in search for about writing that was a very important insight for me was the recommendation from multiple writers to join publications.
I was convinced and went in search for publications to join that advertised topics I was interested in writing about.
My first two publications I joined were The Post Grad Survival Guide and The Ascent. I am very thankful and grateful the publication owners added me as a writer for their publications. I plugged into their existing communities and started publishing my writings there.
#2. Existing Communities of Writers
Can learn from the writing style of other writers in the same publications as you.
I picked up several writing tips from different writers on Medium.
Tom Kugler, the publication owner for The Post-Grad Survival Guide was one of the first writers who’s content I read. The one of many things that I really liked about his writings are its casual and conversational tone. For me this makes his narratives approachable and engaging as a reader.
For example, aware of his audience he uses simple, everyday language, and dare I say one word with a period, that any English teacher would be upset by.
My having been in an academic setting of writing for a while, I only matured in the formal, structured writing style. I had not had exposure to this way of writing, until Medium. I have discovered that the beauty of writing is it can be customized to resonate with the specific readers one is trying to reach.
#3. Blueprint of Topics
One’s writings can reach an audience interested in certain topics because publications commonly build their communities based on topics readers are interested in.
Publications topics are a sort of blueprint for writers on readers’ interests.
It is not a guarantee that your story will perform well, but I think it does take out a lot of the guess work of, what should I write about and also helps a writer’s discoverability by the publications’ readership.
Places I have know of to learn about what publication’s niches are:
- In their how to join their publication’s story they specify what tags to use when submitting your story for their publications
- In their publication’s submission guidelines story they also include what tags to use in your story
- On their publications site in the header bar
- As section headers for sets of related stories
A note: publications also state whether a certain tag is required.
#4. Diversification Ability
There is not a limit on the number of publications you are allowed to join.
Publications either focus on specific topics or are open and non-topic specific. If you chose topic specific publications, I have found it easy to put my writings into topic buckets. For example my poems are submitted to publications that are different from publications I submit my writings to on work/money, etc.
Diversifying also helps with slower response time some publications may have in publishing your submission. When you publish in publications you are on their timetable, so depending on:
- How many submissions they received in a day
- How similar your writing on a topic is to another writer’s
- Whether they have a set maximum on the number of new stories they publish per day
- Whether they have a limit on the number of posts they will post per writer in a week (for example a writer who submits 3 posts to one publication may not see all three posts published in the same week if the publication has a policy of one post per writer per week)
All of these affects the timing of if and when your story is published.
It is possible to diversify in the same topic as well as different topics.
For example, you can find multiple publications who are publishing writings on money.
Have a week’s worth of writings? Can submit to 5 different publications in that same topic area.
Likewise with different topics, can apply the same strategy by choosing publications on self development, environment, education, and submitting a story to each.
At the time of my start on Medium I was not aware of this, but with diversification, an indirect benefit is readers can become familiar with seeing your name, frequently.
#5. Opportunities To Be Advertised
Publications have their own Medium email newsletter and social medias where they can feature your content, bringing your writings more exposure.
It depends on the publication as to whether your content is featured.
Some only circulate top performing content, some circulate content based on topics, or some other way I do not know about, lol.
I have not seen it laid out to writers on what are the things editors look for in order for content to be featured in their email newsletters or social media posts, at least for the publications I am a writer for.
In Closing,
As someone who had 0 followers at the start of her writing journey on Medium, self-publishing would not have been the strategic best step for me to build readership.
Instead what was most effective for me as a freshie (which I still am) was using the strategy of writing for publications.
Medium’s algorithm I assume like most technology is good at circulating content with high engagement. Which makes sense because Medium trust content from writers who have built social proof (engaging content).
But as a freshie writer I definitely was not yet on the algorithm’s radar.
Like anything else in our lives, when we are in a new place no one knows us because we have not made a connection. This same principle applies on Medium. I could not expect to come into a new space and people are going to find me. I needed to learn how I could start.
I had to do what every writer before me had on this platform, learn from those who have been on Medium. What were successes and challenges writers were having in building an audience?
The process is trial and error. You hypothesize what you think will work, determine the method, test, analyze results, draw conclusions, refine, and repeat.
Thank you for reading and I hope I delivered helpful information in this story!
I would love to know any thoughts or questions you have! You can get in contact with me by public commenting to me, private noting me, or emailing me lifenotabrupt@gmail.com. :)
Are you new to reading this series about writing on Medium? Glad you’re here and welcome! Or are you a returning reader who’ve missed reading a story in this series? No worries, they are below!
My latest story. ⬇
Other stories you may enjoy. ⬇
