Anatomy of a $100 Medium Article

The number one thing to keep in mind about being successful on Medium is that they prefer personal stories. Storytelling is an art that must be mastered in order to be truly successful on this platform.

A good headline is the next skill that must be mastered. If you don’t take the time to create an intriguing headline to grab the reader’s attention, you are doomed from the start. Here’s some ideas to get you started:

• Use numbers
• Use power words like “Should, You, Expert, Instead, Million/Billion”
• Use cause and effect like “I did this…and this happened,” or “Can’t do this? Do this instead.”

Create a subtitle. Try to summarize the article in a single sentence.

Select an eye-catching image. Try to capture the essence of the headline using a picture.

Move seamlessly into your introduction. Answer some questions. What is the story about? Why should your readers care?

In the first paragraph, don’t give away the ending just yet. Create the tease. Promise to get to the answer to a tantalizing question.

Say something like, “…..but first, this…” Set the scene. Start the reader on the journey. Provide a background. Paint a picture. Keep building and expanding without giving away the ending.

In the second paragraph, lead up to the answer. Say things like, “Now, you’re probably thinking this,” or “Here’s the thing about this answer,” or “Let’s discuss why this is important.” Don’t give the answer away just yet.

In your third paragraph…boom! Give ’em what they came for! Provide the answer. Give those 5 tips, teach them how to do something, cover everything learned in between.

Want to exceed your readers’ expectations? Give ’em a fourth paragraph!

Try to tell your readers why they should continue trusting you in the future. Say something like, “Oh, and this important thing too…” Describe what it means to you, and why it’s important. If there’s more to add here, add it.

To wrap everything up, you told your story. Check. You gave your gift. Check. Now, it’s time to tie a bow on your gift. Offer some key takeaways. Summarize what was learned. Help to solidify everything with a bullet list.

Don’t forget your call to action! What is a good article on Medium without a call to action?

You can say something like, “If you liked this, do this…” By now, if the reader is still with you, they probably enjoyed your story; therefore, tell them what action you want them to take next. Say something like, “ Subscribe to my…” or “Follow me for more content like this,” or Learn more about (whatever) on my website.”

In other words, offer value, but don’t beg. By now, you should have earned their trust enough to have faith that they like you and want more from you.

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