“More than 30 million people use Medium each month. They come here in search of something worth reading. Something substantial. And you can give it to them.”
This enticing quote is from an article on FreeCodeCamp.org, one of the many resources on the internet about how to write successfully (i.e., go viral) on Medium. Publishing on Medium is a unique opportunity, but it has both pros and cons. This publication spotlight will give you a quick overview of writing for Medium, and will lead you to the resources provided on the LIS Publications Wiki profile that we created for this fantastic site.
Maybe you’ve heard about the website Medium, or you’ve seen articles linked on social media that were originally published there. Getting your work published on Medium is a simple process: sign up for a free account, open the ‘Write a story’ tab at the top of your browser, write, and….publish! If you love writing about new and popular LIS topics but starting and maintaining a blog doesn’t appeal to you, Medium could be a great place to showcase your work.
The LIS Publications Wiki page for Medium includes links to articles that can help you get started, and help you gain more visibility. As you can probably guess, the ease of publishing on Medium means that there is a staggering amount of writing that crops up daily. How do you ensure that your work will get the attention it deserves?
First, be sure to take a look at Medium’s Write page for basic information on formatting your article in the most inviting way. Additionally, the staff at Medium created a great Tips and Tricks page on how to really use all that Medium has to offer: creating lists, quotes, mentioning people with the ‘@’ sign (similar to Twitter), and embedding audio or video. These additional features can make your article more engaging and eye catching. Along with the Tips and Tricks page, Medium has a plethora of articles on how to get your reader numbers in the thousands. This Medium writer recommends a catchy title and an engaging image.
If you’re ready to get started, create an account (no writing or posting required) and search for LIS topics you plan on writing about. This will give you a feel for current articles that are drawing the attention of Medium’s readership. You can also try out some of the Medium’s tools, such as highlighting, commenting, and “clapping,” to show appreciation for articles you enjoyed, all before you start writing and posting your own material.
All of the links mentioned in this post are also featured on the wiki’s profile for Medium.
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