This One Medium Feature Is Broken

Publishing on Medium is all about timing, so choose your publications wisely.

Photo by NITISH GOSWAMI on Unsplash; Edited by the author

Have you ever posted something on Medium only to get a private note saying something like, “This is great! Want to put it in insert publication here?”? I hate these messages, and they prove the Medium feature is broken. Let me explain why.

Publishing on Medium is all about timing. After posting, there’s a small window that your story will either take off or fade into obscurity. Submitting to a publication can help with views, but only when published initially there. Moving an already published story into a publication does nothing for you and everything for the publication.

When a published story moves into a publication, it adds with the original publication date. So, if I post this story today and then move it into a publication tomorrow, it does not appear at the top of that publication’s feed. If they publish four dozen stories today, chances are people will never even notice.

Publications that solicit stories this way are simply trying to bolster the content and exposure of their publication. Moving your story might not benefit you, but it gives them more eyes. Plus, you likely feel honored and start following the publication. So, they get more followers, too.