![\"Turn](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/Marketing-Cloud-1.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img><\/a><\/p>\nThe Basics: How Medium Works<\/h3>\n
The co-founder of Twitter, Evan Williams, created Medium. With his unique background, it’s no surprise this platform is different than other options available to writers. The idea behind Medium is to let writers focus on writing without distractions. Sometimes distractions can be good and keep people on your website; that\u2019s why WordPress or Tumblr work for many users.<\/p>\n
In the age of GIFs, memes, and sensory overload, Medium forces users to think about content in an entirely different way. It\u2019s about focusing on the copy, and nothing else. It\u2019s hard to imagine in the midst of the clickbait phenomenon, but it\u2019s working. Once you understand how it works, you can see why it works and what \u201cfocusing on content\u201d really means.<\/p>\n
How Medium Works for Writers<\/h3>\nMedium\u2019s Tips for Writing Great Content<\/h3>\n\n- Do the work\n
\n- Spend time researching, writing, and editing<\/li>\n
- Fix the weak spots<\/li>\n
- Craft the perfect introduction and conclusion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Make it pretty\n
\n- Use the call-out feature<\/li>\n
- Add formatting to make your post look professional<\/li>\n
- Include visuals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Make it easy\n
\n- Pay attention to paragraph length<\/li>\n
- Your visuals should help move your readers through the post<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/marketing-medium-001.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\n
You can sign up for Medium<\/a> with your Twitter account. If you\u2019re a writer, you have two main publishing opportunities. First, you can choose to upload or write a post<\/b>: It can be a blog post, the start of a novel, an interview, or any number of other types of content. Anyone can contribute regardless of experience or motive. The interface is simple. When you\u2019re done writing, you can see the \u201cPublish\u201d button in the upper right-hand corner.<\/p>\nClick your photo icon on the top right corner to get to your dashboard, where you can see your drafts, published posts, and any comments you\u2019ve published.<\/p>\n
Your Dashboard Shows You Drafts, Published Posts, and Comments You\u2019ve Posted<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/marketing-medium-002.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\n
Your second option as a writer is to get involved with a publication<\/b>. You can curate a publication yourself (more on this in the last section), or you can contribute to a preexisting publication of curated stories. In other words, \u201cpublications\u201d are pages full of related articles. In order to get your writing in a publication on Medium, the editors have to make you a writer<\/a>; this means you have to look for contact information on the publication\u2019s homepage. Keep in mind that stories can only be in one publication at a time.<\/p>\nHow to be Published in Medium\u2019s Publications<\/h3>\n\n- To have your post included in a publication, you must be\n
\n- The publication owner<\/li>\n
- An editor of the publication<\/li>\n
- An invited writer for the publication\u2014and then your story must be accepted by the owner or an editor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Create your own publication\n
\n- Click the \u201cNew Publication\u201d button on the Publications page<\/li>\n
- Give it a name and write a description<\/li>\n
- Add an imagethat\u2019s at least 1400 pixels tall<\/li>\n
- Change these options anytime by clicking the edit button on the publication page<\/li>\n
- Publications you create are accessible (to anyone) on your profile page <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/marketing-medium-003.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\n
Unique Features Medium Offers Readers and Authors<\/h3>\n
Like many social networks, it\u2019s easy to browse, bookmark, and share posts with others. Like Reddit, you can recommend articles you liked by clicking the \u201crecommend\u201d button at the end of each post. It also works similarly to Quora in that you can find and follow writers and publications. And, like StumbleUpon, your homepage will change based on what authors and publications you follow. There are also features that make Medium unique.<\/p>\n
The Comment (Note) Feature<\/b><\/h4>\n
You can leave comments in the margins of a story that line up with the part of the text you\u2019re discussing. Highlight the text, and then you can either leave a note privately or publicly. Medium also lets you send a response directly to the author. As an author, if you don\u2019t want notes to appear on your articles, you can change this option under Settings.<\/p>\n
Respond Feature<\/b><\/h4>\n
This feature makes it easy to respond to what others have highlighted and commented on, and is an excellent way to keep a conversation going. It\u2019s also easy to follow the writers you respond to. It\u2019s a great way to ask questions and make connections.<\/p>\n
Ask for Notes<\/b><\/h4>\n
This feature is more for writers. Before you publish, it allows you to leave comments on your own articles as footnotes and ask others to look at your post and make comments. You can also send the draft directly to others to get their feedback. Writers can put this link on their social media accounts to maximize visibility.<\/p>\n
Get Feedback on Drafts with Medium\u2019s Share Feature<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/marketing-medium-004.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\n
Mentions<\/b><\/h4>\n
If you\u2019re a reader and you edit a piece for a writer before they publish it, you can get a mention at the end of the article.<\/p>\n
Formatting Options<\/b><\/h4>\n
The Medium platform offers different headline options and styles, as well as options for displaying photos such as background and inline images. You can find these options by editing a piece and clicking the \u201c+\u201d button on the page. Once the button is clicked, it changes to an \u201cx.\u201d You can then see all the different formatting options.<\/p>\n
The Pros and Cons of Using Medium Over a Company Blog<\/h3>\n
Since Medium is free, everyone can use it. Because of the diversity of topics and authors, it reaches a wide audience, so it\u2019s a great platform for almost anyone on an individual level. For companies, however, there are different things to consider.<\/p>\n
The Pros to Using Medium for a Company<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- Medium offers great statistics for each article.<\/b> For every article you write, you can see statistics on Views, Reads, Read Ratio, and Recommendations the post earned. This can help you learn which topics are most popular, and help you shape your content strategy in the future.<\/b><\/li>\n
- You have access to a large audience.<\/b> Medium moderators categorize your content and help promote it. This way your content isn\u2019t confined to just your followers like it is on most social media platforms. For startups, this can often bring in more views than a company-hosted blog.<\/b><\/li>\n
- Great for opinion pieces.<\/b> It may be inappropriate to put opinion pieces on a company blog because you don\u2019t want to speak for the whole company. When writing for your company, you want to appeal to your readers in a professional way; however, Medium thrives on opinion pieces, company-related or not.<\/li>\n
- Medium makes it easy to connect.<\/b> As with all social networks, Medium lets users build a community, and all the features mentioned above help make it possible.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Cons to Using Medium for a Company<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- You can\u2019t personalize your posts.<\/b> For example, you can\u2019t add a logo to your articles.<\/li>\n
- You can\u2019t plug in your own Google Analytics code<\/b>. When you post on Medium, you\u2019re not able to see how people found your content. While there are some workarounds, optimizing and coming up with insights about your Medium audience is difficult. Since it doesn’t allow many third-party integrations, you also can\u2019t integrate with a number of useful tools, like your CRM platform<\/a>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Verdict: Should It Be Used in Place of a Blog?<\/h3>\n How Should Companies Use Medium?<\/h3>\n\n- Post articles that don\u2019t fit into your blog\u2019s content calendar\n
\n- Opinion pieces<\/li>\n
- Potentially controversial articles<\/li>\n
- Content that has no effect on SEO <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Build your community<\/li>\n
- Increase your visibility<\/li>\n
- Improve your credibilit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/marketing-medium-005.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\n
While Medium is great, from an SEO perspective it shouldn\u2019t be used in place of a company blog on your website. Rather, you should focus on using Medium for slightly different benefits: Use it as a place to publish opinion pieces, try out potentially controversial pieces, or write content without worrying about SEO. This will help establish your brand in a different way, and in a different place, which makes it a great supplement.<\/p>\n
The reason a company blog is so important is because it gives Google content to index that is directly associated with your website. As a third party won\u2019t help you rank. Think of Medium in the same way you think of social media sites: Social factors don\u2019t improve your SEO or your domain name, but they will help you build a community, increase your visibility, and improve credibility.<\/p>\n
If you decide to use Medium for your company, check out Buffer\u2019s extensive guide<\/a> for marketers. While Medium may not help your company rank higher on search engine results pages, it\u2019s a valuable tool modern marketers can use to reach out to their audiences.<\/p>\n<\/img><\/a><\/p>\nShare “Marketing on Medium: How Does It Stack Up?” On Your Site<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Do the work\n
- \n
- Spend time researching, writing, and editing<\/li>\n
- Fix the weak spots<\/li>\n
- Craft the perfect introduction and conclusion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Make it pretty\n
- \n
- Use the call-out feature<\/li>\n
- Add formatting to make your post look professional<\/li>\n
- Include visuals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Make it easy\n
- \n
- Pay attention to paragraph length<\/li>\n
- Your visuals should help move your readers through the post<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/img> <\/p>\n
You can sign up for Medium<\/a> with your Twitter account. If you\u2019re a writer, you have two main publishing opportunities. First, you can choose to upload or write a post<\/b>: It can be a blog post, the start of a novel, an interview, or any number of other types of content. Anyone can contribute regardless of experience or motive. The interface is simple. When you\u2019re done writing, you can see the \u201cPublish\u201d button in the upper right-hand corner.<\/p>\n
Click your photo icon on the top right corner to get to your dashboard, where you can see your drafts, published posts, and any comments you\u2019ve published.<\/p>\n
Your Dashboard Shows You Drafts, Published Posts, and Comments You\u2019ve Posted<\/h3>\n
<\/img> <\/p>\nYour second option as a writer is to get involved with a publication<\/b>. You can curate a publication yourself (more on this in the last section), or you can contribute to a preexisting publication of curated stories. In other words, \u201cpublications\u201d are pages full of related articles. In order to get your writing in a publication on Medium, the editors have to make you a writer<\/a>; this means you have to look for contact information on the publication\u2019s homepage. Keep in mind that stories can only be in one publication at a time.<\/p>\n
How to be Published in Medium\u2019s Publications<\/h3>\n
- \n
- To have your post included in a publication, you must be\n
- \n
- The publication owner<\/li>\n
- An editor of the publication<\/li>\n
- An invited writer for the publication\u2014and then your story must be accepted by the owner or an editor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Create your own publication\n
- \n
- Click the \u201cNew Publication\u201d button on the Publications page<\/li>\n
- Give it a name and write a description<\/li>\n
- Add an imagethat\u2019s at least 1400 pixels tall<\/li>\n
- Change these options anytime by clicking the edit button on the publication page<\/li>\n
- Publications you create are accessible (to anyone) on your profile page <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/img> <\/p>\n
Unique Features Medium Offers Readers and Authors<\/h3>\n
Like many social networks, it\u2019s easy to browse, bookmark, and share posts with others. Like Reddit, you can recommend articles you liked by clicking the \u201crecommend\u201d button at the end of each post. It also works similarly to Quora in that you can find and follow writers and publications. And, like StumbleUpon, your homepage will change based on what authors and publications you follow. There are also features that make Medium unique.<\/p>\n
The Comment (Note) Feature<\/b><\/h4>\n
You can leave comments in the margins of a story that line up with the part of the text you\u2019re discussing. Highlight the text, and then you can either leave a note privately or publicly. Medium also lets you send a response directly to the author. As an author, if you don\u2019t want notes to appear on your articles, you can change this option under Settings.<\/p>\n
Respond Feature<\/b><\/h4>\n
This feature makes it easy to respond to what others have highlighted and commented on, and is an excellent way to keep a conversation going. It\u2019s also easy to follow the writers you respond to. It\u2019s a great way to ask questions and make connections.<\/p>\n
Ask for Notes<\/b><\/h4>\n
This feature is more for writers. Before you publish, it allows you to leave comments on your own articles as footnotes and ask others to look at your post and make comments. You can also send the draft directly to others to get their feedback. Writers can put this link on their social media accounts to maximize visibility.<\/p>\n
Get Feedback on Drafts with Medium\u2019s Share Feature<\/h3>\n
<\/img> <\/p>\nMentions<\/b><\/h4>\n
If you\u2019re a reader and you edit a piece for a writer before they publish it, you can get a mention at the end of the article.<\/p>\n
Formatting Options<\/b><\/h4>\n
The Medium platform offers different headline options and styles, as well as options for displaying photos such as background and inline images. You can find these options by editing a piece and clicking the \u201c+\u201d button on the page. Once the button is clicked, it changes to an \u201cx.\u201d You can then see all the different formatting options.<\/p>\n
The Pros and Cons of Using Medium Over a Company Blog<\/h3>\n
Since Medium is free, everyone can use it. Because of the diversity of topics and authors, it reaches a wide audience, so it\u2019s a great platform for almost anyone on an individual level. For companies, however, there are different things to consider.<\/p>\n
The Pros to Using Medium for a Company<\/b><\/h4>\n
- \n
- Medium offers great statistics for each article.<\/b> For every article you write, you can see statistics on Views, Reads, Read Ratio, and Recommendations the post earned. This can help you learn which topics are most popular, and help you shape your content strategy in the future.<\/b><\/li>\n
- You have access to a large audience.<\/b> Medium moderators categorize your content and help promote it. This way your content isn\u2019t confined to just your followers like it is on most social media platforms. For startups, this can often bring in more views than a company-hosted blog.<\/b><\/li>\n
- Great for opinion pieces.<\/b> It may be inappropriate to put opinion pieces on a company blog because you don\u2019t want to speak for the whole company. When writing for your company, you want to appeal to your readers in a professional way; however, Medium thrives on opinion pieces, company-related or not.<\/li>\n
- Medium makes it easy to connect.<\/b> As with all social networks, Medium lets users build a community, and all the features mentioned above help make it possible.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Cons to Using Medium for a Company<\/b><\/h4>\n
- \n
- You can\u2019t personalize your posts.<\/b> For example, you can\u2019t add a logo to your articles.<\/li>\n
- You can\u2019t plug in your own Google Analytics code<\/b>. When you post on Medium, you\u2019re not able to see how people found your content. While there are some workarounds, optimizing and coming up with insights about your Medium audience is difficult. Since it doesn’t allow many third-party integrations, you also can\u2019t integrate with a number of useful tools, like your CRM platform<\/a>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Verdict: Should It Be Used in Place of a Blog?<\/h3>\n
How Should Companies Use Medium?<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Post articles that don\u2019t fit into your blog\u2019s content calendar\n
- \n
- Opinion pieces<\/li>\n
- Potentially controversial articles<\/li>\n
- Content that has no effect on SEO <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Build your community<\/li>\n
- Increase your visibility<\/li>\n
- Improve your credibilit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/img> <\/p>\n
While Medium is great, from an SEO perspective it shouldn\u2019t be used in place of a company blog on your website. Rather, you should focus on using Medium for slightly different benefits: Use it as a place to publish opinion pieces, try out potentially controversial pieces, or write content without worrying about SEO. This will help establish your brand in a different way, and in a different place, which makes it a great supplement.<\/p>\n
The reason a company blog is so important is because it gives Google content to index that is directly associated with your website. As a third party won\u2019t help you rank. Think of Medium in the same way you think of social media sites: Social factors don\u2019t improve your SEO or your domain name, but they will help you build a community, increase your visibility, and improve credibility.<\/p>\n
If you decide to use Medium for your company, check out Buffer\u2019s extensive guide<\/a> for marketers. While Medium may not help your company rank higher on search engine results pages, it\u2019s a valuable tool modern marketers can use to reach out to their audiences.<\/p>\n
<\/img><\/a><\/p>\nShare “Marketing on Medium: How Does It Stack Up?” On Your Site<\/h3>\n
- You can\u2019t plug in your own Google Analytics code<\/b>. When you post on Medium, you\u2019re not able to see how people found your content. While there are some workarounds, optimizing and coming up with insights about your Medium audience is difficult. Since it doesn’t allow many third-party integrations, you also can\u2019t integrate with a number of useful tools, like your CRM platform<\/a>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- You have access to a large audience.<\/b> Medium moderators categorize your content and help promote it. This way your content isn\u2019t confined to just your followers like it is on most social media platforms. For startups, this can often bring in more views than a company-hosted blog.<\/b><\/li>\n
- Medium offers great statistics for each article.<\/b> For every article you write, you can see statistics on Views, Reads, Read Ratio, and Recommendations the post earned. This can help you learn which topics are most popular, and help you shape your content strategy in the future.<\/b><\/li>\n
- To have your post included in a publication, you must be\n