The great thing about Medium Insights is knowing what works and what doesn’t.
I am guilty of reviewing the stats regularly because I should have spent more time on writing better.
Since Medium doesn’t have detailed insights like other commercial tools, we have to do with whatever is given.
However, that was the early days.
Now I know what works and what doesn’t.
If I look back at the top 5 highest earners, I can see similar trends and topics, which made me think twice about what kind of articles I should post in the future.
Let’s start with the highest earner:
1 — Avoid These 10 Mistakes and Become a Better Writer in 2024
In this article, I reflect on the shortcomings in my writing journey over the past year. Despite having written over 100 articles, I needed more engagement, with most of my articles receiving minimal views and no significant increase in followers.
To address this, I identified and shared ten critical mistakes that I aim to avoid: 1) Writing without emotional depth; 2) Focusing on knowledge rather than problem-solving; 3) Failing to connect with my audience; 4) Neglecting effective headlines and SEO; 5) Using overly complex sentences; 6) Superficial engagement with fellow writers; 7) Unstrategically republishing old content; 8) Not keeping up with trending topics; 9) Lack of practical “How-To” guides; and 10) Inconsistently sharing my personal writing experiences.
I offer these insights to guide my fellow writers to improve their craft and reader engagement in the coming year.
2 — Tripling My Medium December Earnings: When I Implement These Amazing Things
In my article “Tripling My Medium December Earnings: When I Implement These Amazing Things,” I share my experience of significantly increasing my earnings on Medium in December.
After a disappointing November with relentless daily publishing but little success, I realized I needed a new approach.
Firstly, I aggressively expanded my network by connecting with active Medium writers, creating a dynamic and reciprocal network.
Secondly, I deepened my engagement by initiating meaningful conversations instead of just leaving comments, building a community where every voice matters.
I also appreciated comments by clapping, a simple yet impactful gesture. Beyond these strategies, I continuously improved my writing, experimented with styles, and crafted catchy headlines to draw in readers.
The result was a dramatic increase in followers, views, and earnings. I emphasize that success on Medium is about connecting with your audience, engaging with peers, and evolving as a writer.
My journey underscores the importance of authenticity, consistency, continuous learning, valuing interactions, and enjoying the writing process. This experience wasn’t just about earning more; it was about personal growth, community building, and enjoying the journey as a writer on Medium.
3 — Why You Should Not Give Up Writing When No One is Reading Your Articles
In this article, I share my struggles with writing on Medium, where initially, my posts received no views, comments, or claps.
Despite posting daily and focusing on topics related to my entrepreneurship journey, I needed more audience engagement. This led to frustration and thoughts of giving up.
However, before quitting, I took a break to analyze what others were doing successfully.
Upon my return, I implemented several changes: writing with emotion to resonate with like-minded entrepreneurs, exploring different niches besides entrepreneurship, creating better headlines, writing shorter articles that are easier to digest, engaging more with readers, and ensuring my articles were longer than 3 minutes for monetization purposes.
These changes resulted in a significant increase in views, follower count, and engagement. This experience taught me the importance of persistence and adapting strategies in writing, leading me to continue my journey on Medium with renewed determination and hope.
4 — No Wonder My Articles Don’t Get Boosted Because I Am Using AI to Help Me
I discuss my realization that using AI, specifically ChatGPT, to expand my points into articles might be why my work on Medium wasn’t getting the boost I desired.
Despite receiving some views, reads, and claps, my articles never made it to the “For You” tab like many others. After researching, I stumbled upon an article titled “Medium Says Writers Can Use AI — Under One Condition,” which made me reconsider my approach.
Facing the challenge of not being a native English speaker, I decided to write more naturally, as if chatting with friends on WhatsApp or social media.
I turned to Grammarly for grammar checks and tone adjustments, opted for short, straightforward sentences, and embraced one-sentence paragraphs.
This article marks my first attempt at writing without AI assistance, and I’m eager to see how it performs. If successful, I plan to continue this new approach to writing.
5 — How My Articles Able to Pay the MPP Subscription — (And How You Can Too)
In this article, I share my journey with the Medium Partner Program (MPP), where I went from just covering the $5.00 monthly fee to earning profits that exceeded my expectations.
My success on Medium wasn’t just about writing; it involved building a community.
I engaged with my followers and other writers through meaningful interactions, claps, and comments. Claps on Medium became a way to show appreciation and increase my visibility. I used highlights to mark impactful phrases in others’ articles, fostering connections.
Thoughtful comments and replies were vital in engaging with readers and authors alike. I also focused on creating exciting and insightful content, keeping readers engaged.
This strategy paid off in December when my earnings covered eight months of MPP fees.
My takeaways for other Medium writers are to build a genuine community, clap purposefully, use highlights effectively, engage meaningfully in comments, and create content that values the reader’s time.
My commitment to these strategies continues as I progress on Medium, finding joy in writing and satisfaction in building a community.
For those new or facing challenges on Medium, remember that success comes from consistent engagement, valuable content, and genuine connections.
Lessons Learned
- Articles related to writing on Medium are top earners.
- Catchy headlines
- Short sentences articles
- Eye-catching photos
Keep writing and engaging, and your efforts could soon see significant rewards.
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Dr. Mazlan Abbas 