The Power of Strategic Relationships
Success on Medium doesn’t come just from what you write. It also comes from who notices. While content quality is the foundation, strategic relationships are what open doors you can’t unlock alone.
Editors, established writers, and smart timing all factor into how visible your work becomes. Medium isn’t just a publishing platform. It’s a living network of creators, curators, and readers who influence what gets seen and shared.
If you want to gain traction faster, you can’t isolate yourself. You have to step into the network and start building real connections that lead to opportunities, boosts, and long-term momentum.
Connecting with Medium Editors
One of the smartest moves you can make is getting on the radar of Medium editors. These are the gatekeepers for featured content across categories like Entrepreneurship, Technology, Marketing, and Productivity.
When they choose your article for a topic feed or homepage placement, it immediately jumps into the spotlight. That means more reads, more claps, more followers, and more income if you’re in the Partner Program.
Editors aren’t some hidden, unreachable group. They’re often just writers with elevated roles inside major publications, and they’re usually active on the platform. If you’re already publishing strong work that fits a specific niche, it’s worth finding out who edits the publications you want to appear in and following their work.
*To be sure your content meets publication standards, review Medium Content That Works: Engagement Strategies for Writers.
The Art of Editor Outreach
Reach out to them with purpose. Don’t pitch right away. Start by engaging with their content. Leave thoughtful comments. Share their articles if they resonate with your audience.
When you’re ready to connect, send a message that’s short, relevant, and specific. Mention what you appreciate about their work and ask a clear question or express interest in contributing.
Keep it professional. Editors don’t want flattery—they want writers who can deliver clean, valuable content that fits their publication. Suppose you build the relationship slowly and show consistency. In that case, you may find yourself getting early access to submission guidelines, inside info on changes to Medium’s strategy, or even personal feedback that can sharpen your work faster than trial and error ever will.
Many editors also run large publications. A relationship with one editor can lead to repeat placements or even an invitation to join as a contributing writer. Once you’re part of a trusted circle, your articles may be prioritized more often, and your name becomes one they recognize. This kind of insider track doesn’t guarantee virality, but it does give your content a much higher ceiling.
Collaborating with Established Writers
In addition to editors, you should make it a point to connect with other established writers. These creators already have loyal followings and know how to work Medium’s system.
Collaborating with them – whether through article responses, interviews, or joint Series – can help you expand your audience by association. If one of their followers reads your co-authored post and enjoys it, they’re more likely to follow you.
Some writers even host Medium-based challenges or guest series that spotlight new voices. Getting involved gives you exposure without needing to start from scratch.
Publication Laddering: A Strategic Approach
One overlooked strategy for visibility is publication laddering. Think of this as starting small and climbing up the chain. Instead of going straight for the biggest publications, begin by submitting to mid-tier ones that focus on your niche. These might have a few thousand followers instead of tens of thousands, but they’re more likely to accept new writers.
If your piece does well there, you can use that as leverage. When pitching a larger publication later, you can reference where your previous work has been featured. Editors are more receptive when they see that you’ve already been vetted by others. This laddering approach builds credibility without needing to be a Medium superstar from day one.
*To find the most profitable publications in your niche, see Profitable Medium Topics: Strategic Niche Selection for Writers.
Maximizing First-Hour Engagement
Pay close attention to first-hour engagement on your articles. That early traction is one of the key signals Medium uses to determine if a post is worth promoting more widely. If you publish and get zero claps or comments within the first hour, the algorithm assumes the content isn’t resonating and might bury it before it gets a chance.
To combat this, notify your audience as soon as you hit publish. This could mean emailing your list, posting on X or LinkedIn, or texting a few loyal readers to give it a boost. You’re not begging for likes—you’re strategically seeding the initial momentum that tells Medium your work deserves a wider push.
Strategic Timing for Maximum Exposure
Timing your posts for maximum exposure can also help that first wave. While there’s no perfect posting time for everyone, many Medium readers tend to browse early in the week, especially on Mondays, or in the evenings when they’re more relaxed. Test your own timing to see what works for your audience. Once you find a window where you consistently get better traction, try to stick to it.
Cross-Platform Promotion Tactics
Cross-promotion is where you take Medium content and plug it into platforms that already have your audience’s attention. X (formerly Twitter) is great for short, punchy takeaways from your article.
Pull a quote, add a hook, and drop a link. On LinkedIn, go for slightly longer summaries—mini-posts that act as previews. This platform tends to reward depth and professional value, so angle your content around skills, growth, or outcomes.
Reddit requires more care. Join subreddits that are related to your niche and engage there first. Once you’ve built trust, you can share links sparingly, as long as the content fits and isn’t overly self-promotional. The goal across all platforms is the same: to drive high-quality readers back to your Medium page, where they can dive deeper and, ideally, follow you.
Leveraging External Media Appearances
Relationships built outside Medium can feed back into your success on the platform. A podcast guest spot, a YouTube mention, or a newsletter feature can introduce people to your Medium profile.
If you’ve written something that solves a real problem or delivers value fast, many of them will stick around and explore your other posts. This is how you grow a base of loyal readers rather than just casual clickers.
Identifying High-Value Networking Targets
Not all networking connections have equal value on Medium. To maximize your return on time invested, prioritize relationships with:
- Active curation editors: These individuals directly influence content distribution
- Publication founders: They can offer recurring contributor positions
- Writers with engagement (not just follower count): Someone with 5K highly engaged followers is more valuable than someone with 50K passive ones
- Complementary content creators: Writers in adjacent niches who don’t compete directly with you
- Medium staff: Occasionally, Medium team members are active on the platform and can provide valuable insights
Research potential connections before reaching out. Check their recent activity, publication frequency, and response patterns to understand if they’re likely to be receptive.
The Relationship Nurturing Calendar
Networking isn’t a one-time effort. Create a simple relationship-nurturing calendar to systematically strengthen your Medium connections:
- Weekly: Comment meaningfully on 5-10 articles from your priority network
- Bi-weekly: Share one valuable article from each top-tier connection on your external social media
- Monthly: Send a direct message to 2-3 connections with a non-promotional update or resource
- Quarterly: Propose a collaborative opportunity to your most aligned connections
This consistent approach builds relationships without becoming overwhelming or appearing transactional.
Value-First Networking Principles
The most successful Medium networkers follow a value-first approach:
- Offer before asking: Provide value to others before requesting anything
- Amplify others’ work: Share, highlight, and promote content from your network
- Connect the dots: Introduce compatible people in your network to each other
- Share unique insights: Provide feedback or perspectives others might miss
- Be genuinely interested: Show authentic curiosity about others’ work and journey
This approach establishes you as a community contributor rather than just another writer looking for promotion.
Publication Submission Strategy
When submitting to publications, follow these strategic principles:
- Research thoroughly: Study at least 10 recent articles to understand the publication’s style, tone, and topics
- Follow guidelines exactly: Publications often reject good content that doesn’t follow their specific requirements
- Start a relationship before submission: Engage with the publication’s content before pitching
- Customize each submission: Tailor your article to match the publication’s audience and formatting
- Follow up appropriately: Wait the specified time before following up, and always be polite
Remember that publications receive dozens or hundreds of submissions. Make yours stand out through quality and adherence to guidelines, not through aggressive follow-up.
Medium rewards content that lives inside a connected ecosystem. When you build ties with editors, collaborate with other writers, and structure your publishing schedule around strong early engagement, your visibility improves dramatically.
Each connection gives you another path to growth. Each relationship shortens the time it takes to be seen. Each touchpoint increases the odds that your next piece gets curated, featured, or shared.
If you’re writing in isolation, you’re leaving too much to chance. The platform is designed to amplify what’s already working—but to trigger that, you need people in your corner who will read, engage, and elevate your voice when it counts.
Start building those bridges. Follow editors and interact with their work. Reach out to writers whose content inspires you. Look for ways to collaborate that add value to both sides. Be generous with your own platform, too—recommend good work, highlight rising voices, and support others. That generosity tends to come back around.
You don’t need to know everyone to succeed. But you do need someone. One editor, one writer, one community that sees your work and helps it spread. Focus on building those relationships. The content still matters, but in a networked platform like Medium, who you connect with can be just as important as what you write.
This has been part 8 of our Medium series. Next in our series: Monetizing Your Medium Account – Discover strategies for turning your Medium presence into revenue streams. Or return to the intro and the full series’ Table of Contents.
