Newsletter 4 — What Makes a Successful Poem on Medium?

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As promised last week, here are some details of one of my March poems which got boosted on Medium.com.

Lets examine the stats behind this, and try and work out just what gets a poem boosted.

A couple of things to note about getting poems boosted on the site:

By their nature, poems are much shorter than say, prose fiction, and readers are naturally going to spend less time overall reading.

You need at least a 30 second read before you start earning on Medium, so even an excellent poem viewed by 1000 readers and read by 500 of them, will earn nothing if it’s only taking 25 seconds to read.

So the minimum should be no less than 3 stanzas and no more than 6.

Why have I put a maximum length? Boredom!

This especially so with prose poem or free verse, which are to two most popular poetry forms at the present time.

Every month, my boosted poems have one thing in common:

Superb graphics x 2 — graphics are extremely important

Good title — strangely, only second to graphics in importance

Short — average 2 minute read

One of the popular topics - (Mindfulness, relationships, loss, fantasy etc.)

Shaping Each Other — Boosted

Your Readers’ Interests

Writing 70%

Psychology 51%

Mental Health 48%

Mindfulness 47%

Relationships 46%

Poetry 46%

Here are the Topics I used when publishing

Poetry

Scrittura

Prose Poem

Love

Old Age

Notes:

Look at the topics I listed and the order, which is important

The people who read it have different interests, so what should be my topics?

The poem is short 1 min. Ideal poem length 2 mins, so I put 2 graphics to delay the time spent reading = more money earned

The graphic is crucial, it grabs the attention first, probably even more important than the title

Here, according to Medium, are the total views and reads for this poem

$126.66 Earnings

495 Views

238 Reads

48% Read ratio

People who visited your story’s page

495 Total views

325 Member views

170 Non-member views

Reads

People who read your story for at least 30 seconds

240 Total reads

53% Member read ratio

172 Member reads

68 Non-member reads

Note the high amount of non member views and reads compared to member views and reads. This is due to the fact that I post on Linkedin, Facebook and X (Twitter) and followers on these sites choose to read my poems on Medium, but as they are non-members, do not generate income for me,

However these social media readers serve another purpose outwith Medium.

Based on the detailed statistics and insights, here’s an analysis on the factors that likely contributed to the success of this poem on Medium:

Title: “Shaping Each Other” -

Having one of your poems “boosted” on Medium is a significant achievement that not only provides validation for your writing but also generates income. By analysing the performance metrics and characteristics of this recently boosted poem “Shaping Each Other,” we can identify key elements that resonate with Medium’s audience and algorithmic curation.

1. Length and Read Time: My notes highlight the importance of striking a balance between brevity and substance when it comes to poetry on Medium. While the platform requires a minimum read time of 30 seconds to qualify for earnings, I’ve found that the ideal length for a boosted poem falls within the range of 2 to 6 stanzas or approximately a 2-minute read. This sweet spot prevents reader boredom while providing enough depth to captivate the audience.
2. Visuals and Aesthetics: One of the most crucial elements that caught my attention is the significant role of visuals. I find that including two high-quality graphics is consistently associated with my boosted poems. This aligns with Medium’s emphasis on visual storytelling and suggests that compelling imagery can significantly enhance the appeal and engagement of your poetic work.
3. Title and Topic Selection: Interestingly, I found that the graphics of the poem holds as much importance as the title. A well-crafted graphic can pique reader interest and contribute to the overall success of the piece. Additionally, aligning your work with popular topics on Medium, such as mindfulness, relationships, and mental health, can help attract a broader audience interested in those subjects.
4. Social Media Amplification: While the majority of my earnings on Medium come from member reads, I’ve noted that non-member views and reads are substantial due to my social media promotion efforts on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Although these non-member interactions may not directly generate income on Medium, they serve the valuable purpose of increasing your overall reach and potentially attracting new followers or readers to your work.
5. Understanding Your Audience: By examining the interests of your readers on Medium, you can gain valuable insights into tailoring your topic selection and content to align with their preferences. For “Shaping Each Other,” you can see that the readers are predominantly interested in writing, psychology, mental health, mindfulness, relationships, and, not specifically the topic of poetry itself. Catering to these interests can help you create more resonant and engaging work.

So, the success of the poem “Shaping Each Other” on Medium can be attributed to a combination of factors, including striking a balance between length and depth, leveraging visuals to enhance the overall experience, crafting an attention-grabbing title, aligning with popular topics, amplifying the reach through social media, and understanding the interests of the target audience.

By continuing to refine and optimize these elements, you can increase the likelihood of having your future poetic works boosted and appreciated by Medium’s diverse and engaged community.

Next week: A look at rhyming poetry, is it important today or is it a relic of bygone days.