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06 · Publications and Boost

A publication is a Medium magazine run by editors. For a new writer it's the fastest way to readers: the publication's followers see your story, and its editors may nominate it for Boost (facts).

Find 3–5 publications

  1. Read the top stories in your topics on Medium; note which publications they're in.
  2. For each, check: posted in the last 2 weeks? clear submission page? accepts writers like you? topic fits? Publications move or close (Towards Data Science left Medium in 2025), so check before pitching.
  3. Prefer a smaller, active publication in your exact niche over a huge general one that replies to nobody.
  4. Log them in the publication tracker.

Submit

  1. Follow their submission page exactly (form, "add me as a writer", or email). Many want an unpublished draft.
  2. Once you're a writer, submit the draft from the story's ⋯ menu → Add to publication.
  3. One publication at a time per story. If they decline or don't answer within their stated time, withdraw and try the next.
  4. Tell them if it's a republish with a canonical link.
  5. Never pitch a product announcement. Pitch the reader's problem.

Boost

  • Boost is chosen by people: Medium's curators and publication editors in the Boost Nomination Program.
  • You can't ask for it, and you can't buy it. What helps: a clear, specific, well-made story, your own experience, no promotion, no AI writing, published in an active publication in your topic.
  • Only stories under 6 months old can be nominated. Publish, submit and share in the first weeks.

Your own publication?

Later, maybe. A publication with your name ("Notes from {{Product}}") is a tidy archive, but it has no readers until you bring them. Write for existing publications first.