What I Learned by Publishing over 800 Articles on Medium in 22 Months

Writing on Medium still works in 2023.

Photo by Mike Levad on Unsplash

I started writing on Medium in July 2021.

Medium has changed quite a bit since then, but it’s still an excellent platform for writers. I’ve been fortunate to have a fair amount of success on Medium, and I’ve learned some things along the way.

Screenshot of Medium stats.

Over 800 articles and 185,000 views later - here’s what I’ve learned that has helped me become a better online writer.

Your growth depends on your commitment level.

So you want to grow your audience and be writing for tens of thousands of people? Or maybe you want to make a living writing full-time.

Growing your subscriber list or your audience and increasing your income by writing online are connected to your commitment. It’s OK to treat writing online like a hobby - but don’t expect the results that people who treat it like a business are getting.

Envision where you want to be with your online writing, then consider your commitment level.

Put in the work to reach whatever heights you want to reach.

Pivot to what’s working from what’s not working.

Do you know what your top 20 performing articles are? How long were they? What topics were they about?

If your articles aren’t reaching as many people as you like or aren’t resonating with your audience - maybe it’s because you’re writing about something that’s not working.

One reason why it’s so essential to build up an extensive “library of content” is so you can examine what’s working and what’s not. Write as much as you can to improve your craft, but then go back and discover what’s working for you.

Be willing to pivot your writing to what’s working.

Build and maintain relationships with other writers.

Writing can be a lonely way of life.

It’s kind of strange - as writers, we constantly put ourselves out there in front of people, so people might think we are incredibly popular and our lives are full of friends.

But that’s not always true. Writing - especially writing a lot - requires a lot of time alone.

Build and maintain friendships with other writers - because they experience many of the same feelings as you. Writers can be your best friends if you will let them.

Block out all the noise and keep writing.

There’s probably been a couple of negative comments on your writing that you still remember. Whatever they wrote really got to you.

While sometimes the trolls can make us mad - what they write are still just words on a screen. What can they really do to you? Keep writing, and don’t let the negative comments or trolling stop you.

Block out the distractions and write. Put your thoughts down on the page.

Don’t listen to the doubt that creeps in and tries to tell you that you’ll never make it as a writer. Keep writing.

The way to overcome obstacles to our writing is to keep writing.

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So what have you learned in your time writing online?

My time on Medium has been so helpful - and I hope to keep writing on Medium for a long time.

Take time to reflect on what you have learned by writing online.