Understanding Medium's Boost Program: A Comprehensive Guide
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Chapter 1: Introduction to the Boost Program
The Boost initiative on Medium has sparked hope among writers since its launch. Although it remains in the pilot phase, we continue to learn about its objectives, methods, and criteria for selection.
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This image was created by the author using a photo sourced from Pexels.
Dear subscribers, I appreciate your support for my publications on Medium.com. Over the past year, my inbox and Slack messages have been inundated with questions about the Boost program. Given my close involvement with this initiative since its inception and my role as a boost nominator for several months, I aim to address these inquiries transparently.
Responding individually to each question has been time-consuming, especially since I assist over 27,000 writers with just 149 volunteer editors. This journey is ongoing, and I intend to update this article until the program evolves into a standard practice. Please consider saving it and sharing the friend link.
I acknowledge Medium’s significant investment in this program and advocate for its success. Thus, I remain committed to providing constructive feedback to the leadership, offering raw data to support its growth and effectiveness.
In this piece, I will begin with fundamental questions and gradually tackle more intricate ones, providing a comprehensive overview based on my experiences, observations, and feedback from writers and readers, including early adopters of Friend of Medium. Additionally, I will include examples of boosted stories at the end for the benefit of writers and readers alike.
Section 1.1: What is the Boost Program?
This is perhaps the most common question posed by new writers joining the platform and some of my subscribers. Many have heard about it in stories and comments but lack the context to fully understand it. I aim to provide a high-level overview for beginners.
To the best of my recollection, the Boost program commenced in November 2022 but gained notable traction in August 2023 when Medium implemented significant changes to prioritize quality over quantity. This led me to adjust my publication strategy, and our guidelines were revised accordingly.
The initiative marked a pivotal shift from a focus on quantity to a greater emphasis on reaching a wider audience. Now, Medium rewards high-quality content to meet writers' goals and satisfy readers.
The Boost program serves as a recognition mechanism for well-crafted and impactful stories. However, Medium still disseminates high-quality stories, even those that are not boosted.
In contrast to the previous algorithm-driven selection process, Medium now empowers the community (selected boost nominators), mainly publication owners and certain independents, to nominate stories with justification. Medium's curators also have the authority to boost stories.
In essence, during this pilot phase, human curators evaluate nominated stories. If they agree on the quality, impact, and alignment with Medium’s standards, they boost the story by integrating it into the distribution system. This strategy leverages the platform’s automation capabilities to enhance the story's reach.
My understanding is that boosted stories receive visibility not only among the writer’s followers but also among the followers of the publication hosting the story and those interested in the relevant topics discussed. This broader exposure ensures that well-crafted and impactful stories reach a wider audience, utilizing the platform’s distribution capabilities.
The first video titled "What Does 'Boosted on Medium' Mean? - Interview with Medium Head of Product and Content" provides insights into the Boost program from the perspective of Medium's leadership.
Section 1.2: Why Is Boosting Important?
For Writers:
Boosting is vital for writers, especially those who are just starting out, as it enhances the visibility and engagement of selected stories, thereby increasing potential income. It acts as a shortcut to building an audience on Medium and encourages new writers to improve their skills incrementally by adhering to further distribution guidelines.
For Readers:
For readers, boosting is essential because it signifies that content has undergone nomination and curation by humans, validated by experienced editors or subject matter experts, and approved by Medium’s official curation team. Stories selected by the Boost program meet stringent criteria similar to those of peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. This ensures that readers receive curated content they can trust.
For the Platform and Publications:
The significance of boosting for the platform and publications lies in the fact that an increase in boosted stories contributes to a higher-quality content ecosystem filled with trusted and valuable information. This new ecosystem enhances the confidence of publication subscribers and platform readers in consuming quality content while rewarding writers with increased visibility for their valuable contributions. As boosted stories attract more readers, publications gain more followers and writers, facilitating rapid growth. Thus, it’s a win-win situation for readers, writers, publications, and the platform itself.
Chapter 2: Key Requirements for Boosting
The second video titled "How Often Should You Publish on Medium?" discusses effective publication strategies on Medium, which can be beneficial for writers looking to enhance their chances of being boosted.
The key requirements for a story to be eligible for boosting, based on my experience, include originality, quality content, engaging writing style, broad audience impact, depth of explanation, memorability, and valuable takeaways. Notably, a story does not need to meet all these criteria simultaneously; sometimes, fulfilling just one or two is enough.
To assist writers, I offer five questions to consider while self-editing their stories to enhance the likelihood of curation, as communicated by Medium during the program's announcement in 2022. These criteria emphasize the importance of delivering meaningful, original, and well-crafted content that resonates with readers on both intellectual and emotional levels.
Conclusion and Takeaways
There are many more questions that could be addressed, but to keep this article concise, I have focused on the most frequently asked ones. If certain questions arise more often, I will add them to this list for future reference.
The key takeaway is that the Boost program is still in its pilot phase, so it’s essential to maintain realistic expectations. Writing is an art; if your story is not accepted, it doesn’t diminish its value. Instead, it suggests it may not meet the specific criteria established by the platform.
While boosted stories generally attract more readers and engagement, non-boosted stories can sometimes perform even better. Medium continues to disseminate high-quality stories, so your efforts are not in vain. Additionally, unexpected opportunities can arise from stories that receive few views, so remain optimistic and focus on providing value to your readers.
Sample Boosted Stories from My Publications
Here are a selection of boosted stories from various topics that can serve as inspiration:
- Finding Comfort in Blocks: How Minecraft Eased My First Time Loneliness and Intense Grief at 17 by Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
- My Perspectives on the Ukraine Invasion Two Years Later as a Ukrainian Descendant by Oksana Kukurudza
- How I Managed to be Productive at Every Level in the Company by Lisa Bage
- The Power of Placebo to Boost High Performance and Self-Belief by Sean Kernan
- How to Deal with Painful Emotions from Our Past: Mickey Singer’s Tough Love Teaching by David Gerken
Thank you for reading my insights. I hope they provide clarity and guidance for your writing journey on Medium.