You’re Wasting Your Time Writing on Medium!
No! This is not a clickbait…
How many of your Medium Blog Posts got ZERO views? (Perhaps, when you are just starting.) Struggling to gain traction on Medium?
Writing on Medium can feel like shouting into the void. Isn’t it?
With over 155.9M million monthly readers and thousands of articles published daily, it’s easy to get lost in the noise.
That’s why I said, you’re wasting your time writing on Medium if your articles don’t get a single view.
However, creating quality content and optimizing your approach is the key to getting noticed.
Learn how to avoid the top time wasters and write more effectively to stand out among thousands of authors.
Now, Let Us Look At Some Facts…
- Around 53% of Medium’s readers earn over $100,000 annually.
- About 70% of Medium writers make money…
but only 6.4% earn more than $100 per month.
Let that sink in for a second.
- The majority of Medium’s traffic comes from search engines, with only 6.5% originating from social media and less than 6% from referrals.
- (In comparison, approximately 83.2% of Facebook’s traffic is direct.)
When you write an article on Medium, it’s important to choose a good tag, or “topic.” Some topics are more popular than others, just like in real life.
For example…
The “Life” topic has over a million followers and more than 659,000 stories. Similarly, “Life Lessons” has over a million followers and 551,000 stories.
But Medium isn’t only about advice.
- For example, “Startup” also has a million followers and 533,000 stories, while “Blockchain” has 615,000 followers and 603,000 stories. These topics are very focused on business.
- Other popular tags include “Politics,” “Health,” “Love,” and “Technology.”
Considering the huge amount of content on Medium, if you want to read everything, you’d have to go through an article every two seconds.
On average, Medium says a story gets about 600 views within the first 1–2 weeks after it’s published. But some stories can get over 1000 views, while others might get less than 300.
Let that sink in, again, for a second.
So, do not waste your time writing on Medium.
Write what your readers want, create content that aligns with Medium’s goal, and craft articles that favor the platform’s algorithm and Medium SEO.
Here are the top 4 time wasters when writing on Medium and how to avoid them:
1. Seeing What’s Popular and Copying Doesn’t Work
When scrolling through Medium, it’s tempting to notice a viral post and create something similar. But replicating existing popular content typically won’t gain traction. (But not all).
The main issue is that the content isn’t original. Readers have likely already seen the topic covered, diminishing its novelty.
Mimicking the headline, angle, and structure won’t magically make your post go viral too.
Instead, put effort into developing fresh ideas. Read industry news and brainstorm potential angles. Identify underserved niches where you can provide unique value to readers.
Creating novel content is difficult but pays dividends in the long run.
2. Flooding Medium with Low-Quality Posts Backfires
It’s easy to get overeager and publish a high volume of posts in hopes of increased visibility. But this shotgun approach rarely succeeds on Medium.
The platform’s algorithm demotes low-quality contributions. So flooding Medium with subpar writing actually hurts your account.
Poor posts send negative signals, making it harder for your quality content to gain traction.
A better strategy is to write valuable content but optimize each piece. Carefully craft posts likely to resonate with your target audience.
Spend time refining the angle, structure, headings, length, and clarity.
Patience and thoughtfulness trump spamming quantity.
3. Overproducing Visuals is Often Unnecessary
It’s tempting to invest heavily in visual assets like custom images, graphics, animations, and videos.
But research shows high production value doesn’t directly equate to viral success on Medium.
Engaging writing mattered far more than elaborate visuals.
This indicates spending excessive time or money on visuals for Medium posts is unnecessary. Focus efforts instead on nailing the title, hooks and narrative to captivate readers.
Craft content for your audience. If you do it, the readers are happy, as well as Medium and its algorithm.
4. Lacking Tracking Prevents Optimization
Publishing without analytics is like flying blind. You have no data on what content and topics resonate with your audience. This makes optimizing future posts nearly impossible.
Medium provides statistics on views, readership location, highlights, traffic resources, and reader retention. Analyzing this data identifies high-performing areas to double down on.
Third-party analytics tools give additional insights. You can connect your Medium account to view real-time metrics on traffic sources, engagement, and conversions.
Leverage analytics to refine your publishing strategy over time. The data doesn’t lie.
7 Tips for Writing Effectively on Medium
Avoiding common time wasters is a start. But you need proven strategies to make your time invested in Medium worthwhile.
Here are 7 tips to write more effectively:
1. Develop Fresh Angles
Coming up with novel ideas is challenging. But successful Medium writers generate content people haven’t seen before.
Reading industry publications helps spark perspectives. Browse reliable other sites.
Brainstorming sessions also breed creativity. Discuss potential topics and angles with colleagues or friends. Bounce ideas off each other to develop something fresh.
With some effort, you can identify intriguing angles untouched by other writers.
2. Establish a Strong Point of View
The most engaging posts on Medium (as I read 200 articles on my niche) take a decisive stance. Don’t be afraid to offer controversial opinions and analysis.
For example, a title stating “You’re Wasting Time on Medium” grabs attention with its bold proclamation. It signals hard-hitting advice readers won’t find elsewhere.
Sharing strong viewpoints also builds your authority. When done right, it positions you as an industry expert willing to call out common mistakes.
3. Provide True Value to Readers
Beyond entertainment, compelling Medium posts deliver tangible value. This comes in many forms, from educational lessons to data-driven insights.
For example, sharing key statistics on content marketing trends provides readers with useful industry analysis.
Medium writers should ask themselves:
What will the reader walk away with after finishing this piece?
The value delivered determines if people share and return.
4. Leverage Trends Relevant to Your Niche
Viral trends offer opportunities for high visibility.
But generic trend-jacking rarely succeeds.
The key is aligning trending topics with your niche. This integration feels natural rather than forced.
For instance, a Medium writer could offer tips for other starting Medium writers to leverage viral writing tactics. The combination of a hot trend and niche relevance is shareable.
Keep a pulse on trends, but only tap into ones that authentically fit your niche.
5. Collaborate with Others
Team up with other writers and influencers in your niche. Cross-promote content to tap into each other’s audiences.
For example, co-write a post that gets published to both your Medium accounts. Or get interviewed by an industry thought leader for their publication.
Look for Medium writers with audiences that overlap with your target readership. Mutually beneficial collaborations expand your reach.
This is the technique I am doing on Facebook. As a result, nearly 50% of my income came from collaboration. (Link to my Medium Post: I Sold on Payhip for 3 Months)
6. Get Personal
Some of the most powerful Medium stories come from first-hand experiences. Personal narratives feel authentic and immersive.
Don’t be afraid to get vulnerable sharing your own stories and lessons learned.
Describe how starting your business nearly ruined your finances or relationship. Unfiltered personal perspectives build deep connections with readers.
Share your journey on Medium writing. As I said in my one post, Do Not Create Content… Document!
7. Optimize Content for Each Platform
One final tip is to tailor content for each platform’s algorithm. For Medium, focus on long-form about 1,500–2000 words, multi-heading articles with smart SEO.
You can click the SEO settings of one of your stories.
The title should have between 40 and 50 characters with commonly searched words having the best click-through-rates.
Good meta or subtitle descriptions should have keywords and are between 140–156 characters long.
Customizing style and formatting prevents wasting time spamming identical posts everywhere.
Optimize your Medium style, not just wasting time writing on Medium.
Final Thoughts
With the right approach, writing on Medium can be hugely rewarding. But many common practices turn out to be wasted efforts. Avoiding time sinkholes and laser-focusing on value creation is imperative.
What other Medium time wasters have you observed? Which of these tips do you find most crucial?
Let me know in the responses!
