Tired of No One Seeing Your Stories?
Another article hours in the works and not one view…
Sound familiar?
How many times has this happened before?
I hate to say it but probably more times than we can remember.
When I started writing on the medium (and even now), I still experience the dissatisfaction of hard work gone to waste. We all have.
However, it doesn’t have to be like this forever…
Through actively trying different methods to promote my medium writings I’ve managed to accumulate a list of the 4 methods I have found most effective.
In this article, we will explore several different strategies for gaining more readers and followers to build up a regular audience.
Without further ado let’s get started.
1. Publish your work through a publication
The top way to promote your writing on Medium is to publish your work through publications.
A publication is where the followers are, it’s where your writing counts.
Publications have a curated collection of stories on specific topics and themes and if you can find a publication that focuses on the topic you’re writing about, be it writing or self-development, you’ll be able to promote it there.
All publications have their own editors, followers and distribution channels, which can help you gain more exposure and credibility for your work.
When you publish with a publication, your work seems more professional as it takes more effort and skill to get into a publication.
If you look at the articles on my page I’ve published my work to several publications, from ILLUMINATION to Practice in Public to Age of Awareness.
Each publication has exposed me to different groups and followers increasing my reach.
To publish your work through a publication, you need to find one that matches your niche and style and always remember to follow their submission guidelines.
Different publications have different requirements to join. Some are open to all, while others require you to apply.
The way to find a publication relevant to you is to search for the topic you want to write about and look under the publications section on Medium.
2. Share your stories on social media
The next step to promoting your Medium writing is to promote your writing on different social media platforms.
Whether you have Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram, social media can help increase your reach.
The goal when trying to promote your articles on social media is to expose your writing to a different audience.
You don’t just have to show off your writing to your other followers though, you can show it to strangers too…
Using # hashtags under your post will increase your reach further. The more hashtags on your post the more traffic that will be driven to your page. Using specific keywords that are relevant to the story will help find relevant readers.
This will then increase your chances of getting curated by medium editors as they may be looking for writers on social media.
People on social media won’t be able to read the whole story though. The likely chance is they will only see a screenshot of the post or the title. This is why you need gripping headlines, eye-catching images and hooking captions that will spark curiosity in potential readers and actually make them want to read.
3. Subtle Links.
The third but most subtle method you can use to promote your writing on Medium is to add links to your previous stories with the writings.
I try to do this as much as possible.
If I’m talking about something to do with self-development (my main topic) such as languages or fitness I will add links to the stories so there is a chance that the reader will read some of my previous work which will increase my views.
You may or may not have noticed but I did this 3 times in the last sentence, and 3 earlier.
The only key to this is to make sure that the links are relevant. Don’t add a link to a story that has nothing to do with the topic at hand. If you do want to add one that isn’t relevant though, make it relevant (just like I did with the languages or fitness).
Links to other stories can also help provide your readers with more context if you have explained something in more depth in a previous article.
You can also add links to other stories at the bottom of the page.
TIP: A good habit to get into is to also add links to research/sources that you have used at the bottom of the page as this provides your article with more credibility.
To link to other stories on Medium, you need to use the hyperlink tool in the editor and paste the URL of the story you want to link to. Just highlight a word and get linking.
4. Engage with the Medium communities.
The fourth and final way to promote your writing on Medium is to engage with communities.
Engaging with relevant communities can help to build up your reputation and get feedback on your articles and work.
When I joined ILLUMINATION a couple of years ago I also joined the Slack group. I sometimes use this group to promote my stories and get feedback on my own.
Through different communities, you’ll discover new opportunities to promote your work such as new publications that the publication may have created (such as ILLUMINATIONS MIRROR)
Another way to engage with the medium communities is to read, clap and comment on stories that interest you and follow other writers. In doing so you open up the opportunity for other writers to read your articles back and show the same respect to you.
Responding to comments on your own stories and thanking readers for their time is a great way to encourage readers to return to you regularly.
Conclusion:
While there are many different ways to promote your articles on the medium (even ones I haven’t listed here) it is important to find methods that work for you.
It’s vital to explore different options and start actively trying different things. Don’t cut yourself short by making assumptions that things will not work.
First, enjoy the process of writing, then GET PROMOTING.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you found it helpful and think someone else could too, please comment 💬, share 📣 , or follow 🙋♂️️ for more…
I write mainly on self-development, personal experiences and interests but also venture into other topics too. If you are interested in self-development, please read some of my other articles (linked below). Enjoy.
Sources:
Where To Promote Medium Articles (21 Best Traffic-Boosters)
5 Ways To Market and Promote Your Writing | Creators Hub — Medium
How to Use Medium: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing, Publishing & Promoting on the Platform
8 Tactics to Promote Your Writing (Without Social Media)
