Medium is not your average blog platform. Whether you’re an active user or have never heard of the site, it’s easy to tell at first glance that Medium was built differently.
Created in 2012 by Evan Williams (co-founder of Twitter), Medium’s goal is simple: to change the way we share ideas and stories. Medium believes in three concepts: that great ideas can come from anyone anywhere, that people create better things when they work together, and that design really matters. Medium lets its users upload and share content to existing followers across all social media platforms. So why is this so important for startups, and what makes it the best platform for sharing and creating content? Here’s what has made this platform so appealing to startups in the last few years:
It focuses on the story, not advertising.
Medium doesn’t promote click-bait, outside advertising, or any other gimmicks to get views on a page. Medium shies away from writing about celebrities, sports, or gossip. Yes, this is hard, as Internet sites have seen proven traffic results from these strategies, but CEO Williams wanted to Medium to be more than that. His frustration with Internet content drove him to create a blogging platform with a different goal.
Now, what can you write about on Medium? The answer is, quite simply, anything: personal essay, humor, fiction, inspirational posts, and yes, your very own startup. Medium is a great place to tell your company’s story without flashy ads or pushy content. Medium, like any startup, is all about innovation: blogging in a new, better way. “It feels like blogging tools haven’t really evolved in a decade,” Williams said in an interview with The New York Times. “I thought, ‘Do I really want to get into this space again? Am I just stuck in a rut?’ I did some investing and incubating, but came back around to this as what I really wanted to do.”
Anyone can write content that can go viral
Medium doesn’t have a submission process or an application to become a writer. After signing up for an account (via Twitter), you’re in. You can start creating content that has the potential to be seen by millions.
Medium does occasionally commission work from professionals to ensure a wide range of content, but 95% of the daily content comes from nonprofessional writers. And since it’s so integrated with Twitter, your existing followers become your Medium blog followers, which is great news for startups who use Twitter to build an audience. You have a platform, and now, you have an audience, all for free. Medium also features and recommends posts daily, so your quality content can potentially be viewed by Medium’s 1.6 million followers if selected. It puts the power in the user’s hands to create content about your startup with all the possibility of most major web publishers.
It’s easy to use and customize
Medium gives you full control over your content with not a lot of fuss, like other commonly used platforms with confusing interfaces and tools. After signing up with Medium, you click “write story,” and a new blog page opens. Computer crashes? No problem; everything is automatically saved and backed up as a draft. Want to add photos? Simply drop them into the post. You can set large quotes, headers and sub-headers, all without any HTML knowledge or design skill.
Also, Medium looks great on any device – laptop, phone, or tablet, meaning wherever your content is viewed, the reader is getting the best experience. No need for a paid website or expensive designer to create a mobile version – Medium does the design work for you. Again, Medium’s goal is all in the storytelling, letting your content shine without fuss.
There are plenty of startup companies already taking advantage of Medium’s easy to use, story-focused features. One great example is the Medium page “Forty Five Miles Per Hour” – a website focused on startup life, growth, and foundership. The page is sleek and images are high resolution with clear headlines, giving a great first impression. And this is just one example of the way Medium can be utilized for your business – the platform that can work wonders for your company.
