What I’ve Learnt After Publishing 200 Medium Articles

Why do you write?

I published my first Medium article in September 2020.

Since then, my life has changed dramatically:

I’ve made lifelong friends on the platform
My articles have clocked over 1 million views
I’ve become a full-time writer!

Alright, that’s enough back-slapping. Just know that if you want to change your life through writing, you’re in the right place.

(I can’t promise love, but you never know!)

This article is split into two parts.

The first part covers important writing principles that have kept me going over the last two years.

The second covers practical Medium writing tips. Again, you can implement these straight away.

Let’s go!

Part I: Principles

Consistency + Patience + Developing = Chef’s Kiss

“Anyone who isn’t embarrassed by who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.” — Alain de Botton

You can find my first podcast if you do enough digging. I wouldn’t recommend it, though.

It was terrible.

I mean really bad.

I spent 20 minutes sharing my “origin story” in episode one. (Yikes.) By episode 17, I was so done with the show that I ranted about how sh*t my life was.

Yeah — you’ve got to love angsty Scott.

The same goes for my writing. My early Medium articles make me want to hide, but I see this as a good thing. I’d be more worried if I was like, “yeah, these are masterpieces.”

So show up for 30 minutes to an hour a day, put in the work, and let momentum do the rest.

It’s that simple.

Also, you can skip 30 articles a month. I rarely put out more than three a week. So shoot for one and then two.

Just make writing part of your routine.

Why Should Someone Read Your Article?

“A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.” — W.H. Auden

If you’re writing for fun, you can ignore this principle. But be honest with yourself. If you want to change your life through writing, write for your reader.

How do you do this?

Simple.

Before publishing, ask yourself this: why should someone read my article?

If you still need an answer, save it for your diary.

Act Like You Don’t Need the Money

“One of the secrets to getting what you want in life is creating the perception that you don’t need a thing.” — Curtis Jackson

Let’s be honest: there are easier ways to make money. eBay flipping, dog walking, getting a job — you name it.

So if making money is the only reason you want to write, don’t do it.

I’ve seen so many writers come and go. The ones who stay are the ones who don’t depend on their writing to survive.

Now I know what you’re thinking. “Scott, you said you’re a full-time writer. What gives?!”

That’s true, but I recommend keeping your day job for as long as possible. Then, only leap when you feel 1000% ready.

I quit my job when I met the following conditions:

12 months of savings in the bank
At least one steady client
Replace my monthly 9–5 income (~$2,000/month) with the money I make online (freelancing, blogging, online courses, and affiliates)
A proven process to land high-value clients
I tested that I like freelance work (by doing it on the days I wasn’t working my part-time job)

Before that, I worked a standard 9–5 job for three years. In the last 12 months, I shifted to part-time hours.

And I probably would have stayed part-time if the job didn’t bore me to tears.

So those are my three principles.

Let’s move on to my Medium writing tips.

Part II: Practical Medium Writing Tips

Headlines are 80% of the game. Write different ones. Play with the structure. Take a step back and think would I click this?
Odd numbers make headlines more appealing. Throw them in.
Put your work through the Hemingway App. It’ll simplify your writing.
Grammarly Pro is my new favourite tool.
Study the platform’s most successful writers. What are they doing that other writers aren’t?
Write and rewrite your introductions.
Claps and top-writer tags are overrated.
Store content ideas online. Notion, Evernote, Obsidian — the platform doesn’t matter. “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” — David Allen
Remove fluff.
Use power words (where appropriate).
Add links to external sources.
Write for publications. It’s the best way to grow your audience. My favourites are Start It Up, Inspired Writer, Better Marketing, The Happy Human, Entrepreneur’s Handbook, a Few Words, and Hello Love.
Use Text Analyser to remove repeated words.
Use simple words. You can’t mask lousy content with fancy ones.
Study great articles using Medium’s archive feature. Simply add /archive to the URL of any publication (see below).

Only sign up for a writing course when you’ve published 50 articles. You’ll waste your time and money until you commit to writing.

Use this capitalisation tool to format your headlines.
Establish credibility but don’t ram it down people’s throats. You’ve sold a few businesses. We get it.
Comment on the articles you like. The conversations can lead to incredible places.
Followers are a vanity metric, so don’t ask others to follow you. If they like your writing, they will.
My writing gets rejected by publications all the time. Don’t take it personally. Sometimes, your writing is a better fit somewhere else.
Lean into flow states.
Edit later.
Use colourful images from Unsplash and Pexels.
Put in the reps. “Trust is consistency over time.” — Jeff Weiner
Just because your writing hasn’t got many claps or views, it doesn’t mean it’s sh*t.

Key Takeaways

I’ve seen so many writers come and go.

The ones who stay are the ones who:

Love writing
Keep learning and improving
Are here for the community — not the money

So dust yourself down, put in the reps, and stay quiet for two years. Opportunities will come your way when you’re ready.

Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)