How to Get Better Engagement on Medium
This is your sign to become a great writer on Medium…
Before getting started, I want you to answer a few questions:
Why are you on Medium?
Are you here to make some dollars?
Or
Are you here to learn and build a community?
If you have just money in your head, then I’m sorry.
This post is not for you.
Why? Because I’m disheartened if you came here in the hope of getting more bucks in your account. You may leave.
But But But
If you are here to interact with other writers, to learn and to engage.
I welcome you with lots of best wishes.
I appreciate people like you who are curious to gain knowledge.
So without wasting any of your time, let’s get started. ( I would have said the same thing if I had a YouTube channel lol)
7 STEPS TO HAVE AN ENGAGING AUDIENCE ON MEDIUM
Step 1 : Select Your Niche
Rather than just writing about anything, be particular.
Decide who is your ideal audience?
Who do you want your content to be served?
Remember, if your content is for everyone, it is for no one.
Hence, be specific about your writing niche and post accordingly.
You can experiment with the niches that you have in mind and take time to explore which niche interests you the most. After that, stick to your final selected one.
Step 2 : Good And Catchy Headline
The headline of your story is the first thing a reader notices at the first place. If it is not good enough to catch the attention, he/she won’t click to read more of the story.
Don’t just go with the first heading that you came up with. How can you paraphrase the same which is better and more intriguing? Think.
Tip 1: Don’t use extraordinary vocabulary that your reader can’t understand.
You want readers’ next step to be searching your words on Google or to click to read your post? Thus, easy to understand headline is perfect.
Tip 2: You may use any headline analyzer site to see if your title is good or not . If the points are 60+, use it. If not, come up with a new one.
Step 3 : Write In Short Paragraphs
Imagine you just learnt reading English and two people come to you.
First one is holding a book for you with fancy words and long paragraphs which are going above your head.
The other one has a book with beautiful pictures and short paragraphs.
Who will you pick?
If I had to select, I would’ve chosen the second book.
This is because long paragraphs look boring at the first place. Not everyone who came to read your write-up will spend time in reading those paragraphs. He/she will probably skip.
Therefore, writing in short paragraphs with easy language appeals to every reader. I won’t say prohibit fancy words. But not every person knows the meaning of such words or tends to forget like me.
So, use them in such a way that one can understand your sentence without actually knowing the meaning of those fancy words.
Step 4 : Good Images
We all use images in our medium stories. I won’t spend much time on explaining the why factor of using images. Instead, I would suggest you to use images as per your content especially the featured image. If your headline is showing an excitement and your image appears to be the opposite. Some Medium members may skip clicking to read your full story (because they will think you haven’t done your homework).
Step 5 : Be Authentic
Don’t try to steal anyone else’s content. Instead, observe.
How they write? How they frame their content? Were you interested in reading or you were bored? Why you were interested or why not?
Find answers to these questions and apply the result into your posts.
How can you create a masterpiece with your own quality content? Think like this.
Stand out from the crowd and post original content. You don’t need to check for plagiarism every time you write something. If you know you didn’t copy from any place. Publish it. Self-satisfaction is the best.
Step 6 : Don’t Make it Complicated
This is for CTA (call-to-action). Rather than giving multiple call to actions like follow me, subscribe to get an email from me, connect with me on twitter, read my this story etc., only one is enough!
Don’t confuse your reader at any cost whether it is for the content or your call-to action. Present one option to them and make it easier for them to engage with you.
Step 7 : Consistency Is The Key
Being consistent is essential. If one of your posts went viral and people followed you to read more like that but you disappeared from medium. How will they remember you? How will they be your active audience?
Publish regularly. I am not saying you need to show up daily. Make a schedule.
Publishing two to three times is good to go. Even if you are not getting any clap and comment on your posts, still open your medium account and publish a new story.
P.s. Every day isn’t the same. Hard work pays off. So don’t give up.
I hope you enjoy reading my medium stories. I welcome your feedback in the comment section below.
Thanks :)
Written by
Anamika Sharma.
