Medium: The Democratic Publishing Platform
Medium was founded in 2012 by two Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. In contrast to traditional blogging platforms, Medium functions very democratically in its own way. Decisive for the success of an article is not necessarily the number of Twitter followers or whether you are constantly producing new content, but only the quality of the article.
At least in the English-speaking world, this is ensured by an editorial team. She selects the best texts and presents the articles prominently on the page. In addition, algorithms should ensure that users see the best articles. Medium not only uses the number of clicks, but also takes into account whether the article was actually read. Lurid headlines like Upworthy or Heftig.co are therefore not enough.
In addition, users can create collections on specific topics themselves, which other users can in turn follow. At this point, however, it should be noted that Medium is still a primarily English-language platform and the number of German articles is comparatively small. Nevertheless, it could also be suitable as a field of experimentation for marketeers in this country, especially since the medium should still have some growth potential.
Advantages and disadvantages: Medium as a marketing channel
A big advantage of Medium over your own blog is that you are not constantly under pressure to produce new content. If you only want to write an article occasionally without having to concentrate on your own blog in the long term, Medium is an interesting platform for you. In addition, existing articles can be republished there, which can potentially increase your readership base.
In addition, thanks to the integrated analytics service, you can not only see how many people click on your articles or favorite them, but also how many people actually read the article in full. On the other hand, of course, you have no control over the platform and must first lure readers to your page via an additional link. Which is also the reason for this that many authors publish content that they have already published elsewhere.
Medium: The publishing platform is suitable for republishing content. (Image: Medium)
Medium and Marketing: This is how you use the platform
In the following we want to show you how your medium can best be used as a marketing instrument.
Publish content from your blog on Medium
As already mentioned, there is no shame in republishing existing texts on Medium. You can either republish the whole article, or you can do it like the fader and just publish an excerpt of the text. In this way you can also attract new readers directly to your blog.
Create a collection of articles on a topic that affects your company
In addition to your own articles, you can also put together texts from other medium authors in a collection, provided the topic is related to your industry. That way you can position your brand as an industry expert.
Also publishes visual content
Medium does not have to be used for long, in-depth articles. There are many examples of medium posts that consist only of images. You could also use the site to republish an interesting infographic of yourself. Ideally, this way more people will enjoy your work. It doesn’t cost you a lot of time and effort.
Always offer your readers added value
You should never forget that Medium is all about interesting content. You can publish a press release or purely advertising articles on your blog. Nobody on Medium will care. You should always deliver added value to your readers here!
Create a collection of your own articles
If you use the medium regularly, it makes sense to create a collection that only contains your own content. Readers will find your content faster and can be kept up to date on all new articles.
Put a link on your website or blog
At the end of your article or at a suitable place in the text, you should refer to your website or blog. You could also try a call-to-action like “Follow us on Twitter” or “Wear yourselves on our mailing list” at the end of the article. Don’t forget to use a tracking link so that you can measure your success.
Recommends posts that fit your industry
Users who follow you on Medium can see which posts you recommend. Use the feature to establish yourself as an industry expert and to be perceived as a source of good content.