On Medium
Are You New on Medium?
Here are three tips to get you started
First of all, welcome to Medium.
You’re in great company with the likes of Jason Provencio, Luciano Latouche, James Finn, Okwywrites, Katie Jgln, David B. Clear, Biliz Maharjan, and so many amazing writers.
Are you here to read, write, or both? It doesn’t matter. There’s something for everyone here. And as a bonus, you can earn money on your stories as long as you make it to the Medium Partner Program. Sweet, right?
But hold on. First things first.
These three simple tips should help you get started.
Tip #1: Set up your profile
Yeah, you probably rolled your eyes reading that. I mean, who doesn’t know they have to create their profile when they join a platform?
You’d be surprised how many people find it hard doing it. Okay, maybe I’m just projecting my own issues. But I’ve stalked… I mean seen enough profiles to know what I’m talking about.
When I created my first account on Medium, it took me forever to set up my profile. Instead of focusing on what was more important (name, profile pic, and bio), I was obsessed with getting my fonts, colors, and logo right. That shit took so much of my time that I never wrote a single story. All I did was tweak my profile over and over just so it could be perfect.
It was ridiculous.
When you’re new on a platform, it’s easy to fall into that trap. I mean yeah, it’s okay to want your profile to look its absolute best. Maybe you want to create a brand for yourself, and that’s great. But if there’s one thing I’ve come to understand about Medium or any platform for that matter, then it’s that creating an excellent profile is a lifelong process.
As you grow and evolve, your profile also evolves with you. So when you’re just starting out, do what matters most and forget about everything else.
And what is it that matters most in setting your profile? Only three things; your name, profile picture, and bio/about.
Everything else comes later. I took my own advice and created a new Medium account. Instead of focusing on the little details, I just jumped right in and simply started with my name, bio, and profile picture. That was less stressful.
1. Name
Your name is the first thing people notice about you on Medium. While many people use their real names here, a good number of people do not. There’s no right or wrong way to this, to be honest. It all boils down to preference.
The name you choose to use on Medium should reflect who you are and your purpose on this platform. Normally, that’s your actual name.
I have three names. However, I only use Torshie Torto because as an author, that’s the name I want to be known by.
If for some reason using your real name will not be feasible, use a pseudonym. At the end of the day, it should be something you’re most comfortable with.
Imagine you suddenly got thousands of engaged readers who all knew you by that name. Will you be fine with it? If yes, then great, stick with it. No? Then do something about it.
2. Profile picture
Some people will say having a picture of yourself, where your face is visible, is the best way to go. It’s not bad advice, but you don’t have to use your picture if you don’t want to.
Be as creative as you want, but whatever image you use, ensure it doesn’t break any of Medium’s rules.
3. Bio/About
These are two different things on Medium.
You can edit your bio on your phone, however, you can only edit your About tab on the desktop web. Another difference is that the bio is typically shorter than the About. The bio is what appears right next to a person’s name.
I’m pretty terrible at writing bios and about pages so I’m probably not the best person to advise you on this. I tweaked my bio over and over until I eventually settled on one word that truly resonates with me: Storyteller.
Then I added a link to my newsletter.
That’s it. It’s simple and I love it.
All I can say is that write something about yourself that persuades readers to read your stories. If you’re a poet, include it in your bio. Have you written novels or are you traveling the world? Tell us about it.
You can add more details about yourself on your About Page. Unlike the bio, there’s no word limit. However, do not ramble. Or ramble. Whatever. Look, it’s all about you… you do you.
Don’t look at me like that. I already told you I suck at this.
Just have fun and do what feels authentic to you.
Pro tip: Don’t get too caught up in creating the perfect profile. Go with your gut and move on. You’re here to write so focus on that instead.
Tip #2: Write your story
The articles you write on Medium are called stories. Time to copulate your Medium account with your beautiful, beautiful stories. Wait, I meant populate… Okay, that doesn’t sound any better.
Here are a few things to take note of.
1. Formatting
Let me be blunt. If you don’t get your formatting right, people will not read your story no matter how amazing they are.
You don’t want that to happen right? Great. Then let’s see how to do formatting right.
It begins with the title of your story.
The title or headline is the first thing people see about your story. Some writers don’t even add a title, so Medium uses the first sentence in their story as their headline. Please don’t do this.
A great title gets readers to click. You might be the literal embodiment of Shakespeare. But if your title isn’t good enough, no one will know how good a writer you are. Sorry.
As an editor of a Medium publication, no one understands the importance of titles more than James Finn. While editing my story, he was very passionate about helping me craft a much better headline.
I want people on Medium to read this, but with the current title, I’m thinking not too many people will.
That was what he said when he read my original title, and yes, he was absolutely right. If you don’t pay any attention to your titles, your stories will suffer for it.
Want to learn how to craft headlines that hold readers captive? Read this story by Luciano Latouche. He’s knows a thing or two about it.
The subtitle is right below the title, and it gives additional context to what the story is about. It’s written in sentence case and may have punctuation if it’s made up of sentences.
To write the subtitle, highlight the words and apply the small T in the editor.
The kicker is found right above the title. Think of it as the broad category your story falls under. While it adds a nice touch, this is definitely one of the things you can omit unless a publication specifically asks for it.
To write the kicker, type it in a new paragraph right above the title. Don’t worry if the formatting of the title screws up. Simply highlight all the words of the kicker and apply the small T in the Medium editor. Everything sets up perfectly.
Now comes another important formatting tool — the featured image.
To add the image, go to a new paragraph and click on the plus sign. You have the option to choose an image from your computer or Unsplash. Choose the one you want and add a caption right below the image.
Do not for the love of god use an image you have no right to. That’s the quickest way to get sued. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about copyright issues with images on Unsplash.
While we’re still on formatting, write shorter paragraphs. Make use of whitespace.
A long wall of text is hard on the eyes and makes it difficult for the reader to keep up. Nine times out of ten, I give up on a story when paragraphs are too long. It just makes my head hurt. I will not subject myself to such torture.
I usually use about three or four sentences in a paragraph. Some of my paragraphs even have only a single sentence, or sometimes, a single word. Some writers craft incredibly long sentences that go on and on and it seems to never end, so you keep reading and all you want to do is explode, because this person is already killing you with their words, and it’s pretty insane since they just won’t stop rambling so you wonder what the heck is wrong with the writer, are they okay, do they enjoy torturing their readers, what’s it with this pointless ramblings? OMG, make it stop.
Did you die a little inside as you read that whole paragraph? Yes. That’s exactly how readers feel when you don’t break up your paragraphs or when you use insanely long sentences.
2. Writing style
Of course, all writers are different, and that difference is usually seen in our writing style. But whatever your style, make sure your story is well-edited. A story with lots of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes will turn off writers. If you have a hard time editing your story, use Grammarly.
Vary your sentence structure so it doesn’t sound monotonous. Just because I said you should use shorter sentences doesn’t mean avoid long sentences either. Mix them up. Use many words, use fewer words. Keep it fresh. Keep it crisp. Cool?
Also, use storytelling to keep your readers engaged. If you write like you’re stating facts in an encyclopedia, people will find it boring. Add anecdotes from your life or someone else’s life and relate them to your story. Stories give facts a human face making it easier for people to sympathize with them.
Yes, it’s sad that people die of substance abuse. Yes, drugs are bad. Don’t do drugs. But do you know what will make people care even more? Telling the story of your friend who overdosed in college. That brings it close to home.
Do that to all your stories and readers will be hooked like cocaine… Um… sorry, wrong choice of words.
3. Consistency
Of course, if you’re new to writing, you won’t get it right the first time. Chances are that you suck. No offense. But it’s true. Don’t worry though. This happens to everyone. But with consistency and more practice, you get better.
Also, if you intend to grow your readership base, then you’ll have to be consistent. You can’t hope to get thousands of followers with twelve stories. Well, unless you’re Oprah or something. You have to write a lot. And publish a lot.
Consistency is key on Medium, and anywhere in life.
If you’re a newbie, I recommend you write every day so that the habit becomes ingrained in you. But of course, if writing daily isn’t realistic for you, then come up with a schedule that suits you best.
Publishing consistently is also important. Again, you decide how often you’re going to publish. I used to publish one story every day. But then I quickly realized that it was just terrible for my mental health. Now, I only publish at least once a week, or a maximum of three times a week. It’s just perfect.
Take note that it will be hard to grow on Medium if you don’t publish regularly. Do it at least once a week. Then again, you know why you’re on Medium. So it’s all up to you at the end of the day.
Tip #3: Have fun on Medium
Write the stories you want to write. Pour your soul into them. Be passionate about your craft. But also, have fun. That’s right. Have fun writing. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It may work out, or it may not. Just do it anyway.
Most importantly, remember that Medium is a community of writers and readers. Here, you’re never alone. Engage with the community, make friends, leave insightful comments, and clap for them if you love their stories.
Just be good to people here and have good vibes. People will surely return the favor. We’re all just winging it, to be honest. And the more we wing it, the better we become at it. So just wing it. You’ll be fine, I promise.
Final thoughts
Medium is great. As long as you’re here and believe in what you’re writing, you will find your tribe. Do your best. Keep writing. Don’t get distracted. Have fun.
All the best to you and welcome to Medium.
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