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Medium — a platform for business: features, advantages and step-by-step instructions

Medium – платформа для бизнеса
08.06.2025
Est. Reading: 24 min
Table of Contents

The Medium platform is an underrated channel for business that opens the doors to an international audience for large and medium-sized businesses. A blog on Medium allows you to go beyond local traffic, build trust, and find new B2B communication channels. However, the resource also has a number of disadvantages, the main one being the small number of Russian-speaking users. If the business is focused exclusively on the Russian-speaking segment, then it will not be possible to get additional traffic from the platform.

In this review, we will tell you what else you need to know about Medium.com, and also tell you how to get your first 1000 subscribers, integrate this resource into your promotion strategy. Read the article to the end - there is a free content plan for 3 months.

Что такое платформа Medium

Medium for Business: Core Benefits and Demographics

The Medium publishing platform unites more than 170 million people worldwide, and every month hundreds of thousands of articles on business, technology, marketing and startups are published on it. The main advantage of the media resource is the algorithms that promote even users with a small audience. In the long term, this provides rapid growth, entry into Google* search results and the creation of a loyal audience.

Medium Platform Demographics

As of March 2025, the platform ranks 376th in terms of traffic in the United States and receives about 95.6 million views per month worldwide. The main audience is concentrated in the following countries:

  • USA – 30.56%;
  • India – 10.98%;
  • UK – 5.02%;
  • Taiwan – 4.65%;
  • Canada – 3.56%.

The majority of users are men (63.28%), the main age group is 25-34 years old.

Demographics of Medium platform users

 

Fits into SEO strategy

Platform users are interested in professional content. It gets the most reach, so companies should focus on creating quality content that can be easily found and read by the target audience. This helps to establish trust with the audience and strengthen the company's reputation as an expert in its field.

Medium vs Blog: Strategic Comparison for Business

Criterion Medium Personal blog on the site
Traffic More than 60 million users on the platform You need to attract traffic yourself
SEO High DA (92), fast indexing Depends on the optimization and authority of the site
Content Control Limited (standardized design) Full Control (design, functionality)
Monetization Limited capabilities Wide capabilities (advertising, affiliate programs)
Analytics Basic statistics Deep analytics through tools like Google Analytics

Medium vs Social Media: Content Longevity Advantage

Unlike social networks, where a post quickly gets lost in the feed, texts on the Medium platform have a long lifespan (evergreen) and continue to attract traffic long after publication. With proper presentation, you can get from 100 to 5,000 views solely through organic impressions: through the feed, editorial selections, external search engines and algorithm recommendations.

Another advantage —SEO promotion through the formation of an expert image. Articles are published on behalf of a person or brand and are displayed in Google results. A Domain Authority (DA) score of around 92 out of 100 ensures high positions in search engine results and promotes better visibility.

What is especially important for B2B marketing is customer trust. Unlike standard landing pages and advertising posts, expert posts are read longer and inspire more trust. They are convenient to use in newsletters, as part of a content funnel, in retargeting campaigns, and also in social networks with a link to a more detailed study of the topic.

So, Medium promotes a brand or company due to:

  • reaching a global audience without spending money;
  • creating an image of an expert and opinion leader;
  • increasing trust through open and useful content;
  • strengthening SEO and the external link profile of the site;
  • flexible use in the sales funnel and marketing strategy.

Who Should Use Medium for Business?

Medium is especially effective for companies operating in the following industries:

  • tech startups seeking international recognition;
  • consulting and marketing agencies offering expert services;
  • educational platforms and online courses aimed at a global audience;
  • IT companies providing software solutions for businesses.​

Interface and functionality

A minimalist and intuitive interface has been created for authors and readers. The article editor provides a clean space for writing, supporting various formatting options: headings, quotes, images and embedded media. The sidebar has a menu with access to subscriptions, a personal profile and the "Explore" section, where recommended posts are displayed.

Interface and functionality of Medium

A web version and a mobile application for iOS and Android are available.

Medium for Business Pricing and Account Types

The free version allows you to read a limited number of articles per month and publish an unlimited number of your own materials.
The paid version offers several tariffs:

  • with monthly payment: for $5 or $15 per month;

Account types: monthly

  • annual: $60 or $150 per year;

Account types: annual

The main advantages of the Member category:

  • access to all stories only for paid members (member-only stories);
  • support for authors whose materials you especially like (Medium redistributes part of the monthly fee in their favor);
  • earnings within the Partner Program;
  • listening to audio versions of articles;
  • offline reading via a mobile application;
  • access to the Mastodon community;
  • linking your own domain to the blog;
  • the ability to create and curate your own publications (Publications).

What does a Friend subscription give you:

  • all Member features;
  • increased payment sharing - 4x more support for authors;
  • the ability to share member-only content with anyone - while still supporting authors;
  • customize the Medium app icon on your device.

How to choose the Right Plan for Business

The Member plan is optimal for entrepreneurs and specialists who want to stay up to date with all the trends in the industry, value access to analytics, insights and exclusive materials, and want to read at a convenient time - offline or in audio format.

The Friend plan is suitable for those who want to build a professional community, share valuable exclusive content with colleagues, support authors whose ideas are important for the development of the industry, get expanded branding and interaction opportunities. This is an investment in a professional community and in your own information capital.

Medium Partner Program: how to monetize your Business Content?

For individual authors and experts, there is the Partner Program — subscription-based monetization. Readers who have signed up for a paid subscription support authors: part of the subscription proceeds is distributed among bloggers. The longer a user reads your article, the higher the income. Brands can also use this model to finance the development of a corporate blog or motivate employees to create content. The program is only available to those with a paid subscription.

Content Formats for Medium Business Strategy

  • Articles are the primary format for analytical materials, research, and opinions.
  • Stories are personal experiences and stories aimed at establishing an emotional connection with the reader.
  • Replies are a feature that allows commenting and supplementing existing posts to increase interaction between authors and readers.

Publications is a special section that is a collection of texts on a common topic. Some of them have more than 100,000 subscribers.

Publications on Medium

Publication on Medium

Publications is a special section that is a collection of texts on a common topic. Some of them have more than 100,000 subscribers.

Anyone with a paid subscription can create such a selection on the platform — and then add to and edit it. The creator of the publication has the right to add authors, edit and publish stories sent by authors, and view statistics. Authors can offer their own posts to certain thematically suitable publications.

This feature will be especially useful for entrepreneurs and experts who develop a personal brand through content. It will suit IT companies and startups that want to share news, guides, and product development stories. Publications allow consulting and educational projects to clearly demonstrate their expertise, and HR specialists to talk about the company's culture and attract candidates. This is an easy way to build a community around yourself and regularly appear in readers' feeds without spending money on advertising.

Interaction Features on Medium

The platform offers a variety of controls that allow you to quickly mark, save or share your favorite content.

Likes, reposts and bookmarks

Likes, reposts and bookmarks on Medium

On the sidebar is a clapping icon: clicking it changes its color and records your support. Next to it is the number of likes, and clicking on the number opens a list of users. Next to this element are buttons for reposting to X and Facebook**, as well as a bookmark icon: it saves the article to the “Lists” section of the profile for reading later.

Text Highlighting and Reactions

Select the text and a menu with four options will appear:

Working with Text Snippets in Medium

  • Highlight: turns the text green and notifies the author.
  • Reply: opens a comment form where the selected passage is inserted at the beginning of your message.
  • Tweet-quote: generates a tweet with a screenshot of the selected section and a link to the source.
  • Personal message: allows you to send a fragment directly to the author (if this option is enabled in the settings).

Responses as Standalone Posts

The “Reply” button launches the editor, turning the comment into a separate publication on the platform. Such a response is displayed not only under the original post, but also in your profile feed, collecting its own likes and comments.

Thanks to these tools, interaction with materials becomes flexible and prompt: you can express your opinion with one click, save useful information or start a full-fledged discussion without leaving the page.

How to Create a Medium Account for Business: Step-by-Step Guide

To get started, sign up on the site, enter your company or brand name, fill out your profile: write an informative bio, upload a quality image, and add links to your site or social networks.

It is important to clearly convey your brand identity and use keywords related to your industry to help users understand who you are and what you do. A bright visual style and concise information will increase your chances of attracting readers.

Tip! Sign up through your company's Facebook account, then the algorithms will pull in a ready-made subscriber base from there.

How to Create a Profile on Medium

If you have already registered via email, no problem, the resource offers to link your Medium.com page to X or Facebook via the “Connections” tab in the settings menu.

Step-by-step guide to creating a Medium profile

In the settings, you can also change your username or profile page URL.

Changing your username on Medium

Once you have your profile set up, start publishing articles. The platform’s clean and minimalist interface helps you focus on the content, so be clear and to the point.

Medium Content Strategy: How to Write Articles on Medium.com?

To get to the editor and start writing, on the main page, click your avatar in the upper right corner and select Write. This will open a blank canvas where you can type text, insert media, and customize the look of each block.

Formatting tools

Formatting tools

  1. Headings and subheadings
    Enter your text and press Ctrl+Alt+1 (or select the "H1" button from the format bar) to create a first-level heading.
    Ctrl+Alt+2 and Ctrl+Alt+3 create second- and third-level subheadings, respectively.
  2. Bold, Italic and Strikethrough Text
    Select a word or phrase and press Ctrl+B (bold), Ctrl+I (italic), or Alt+Shift+D (strikethrough). For faster usage, you can type **word** (bold) or _word_ (italic) directly in the line.
  3. Lists and quotes
    Press – (hyphen + space) to start a bulleted list, or 1. (number + period + space) to create a numbered list. Pressing > before a line converts it to a quotation.
  4. Inserting links
    Select the text, press Ctrl+K and paste the URL in the window that appears. After saving, the selected section will become clickable.
  5. Media and embedded objects
    Click the plus sign (+) in the left margin before a paragraph to upload an image, insert a YouTube video, GIF, Tweet, or Code Block.
    Images can be centered or stretched to full screen width.
  6. Code snippets
    If you are writing technical manuals, select "<>" from the insert menu and place the code for automatic syntax highlighting.
  7. Horizontal line
    Type --- and press Enter to add a separator bar between sections.
  8. Saving and previewing
    The draft is saved automatically. Click the eye icon in the upper right corner to see how the post will look to readers.
  9. Publishing and access settings
    When you're done, click "Publish" in the top right corner. Specify tags (up to 5) and choose whether the post will be available to everyone or only paid subscribers.

These formatting elements will help you create structured and aesthetically pleasing content that is easy to read and communicates your message effectively.

What to write about to be remembered?

Writing catchy blog texts is not that difficult. Just follow these simple guidelines:

Write useful content

Evergreen content that will bring new subscribers for a long time to come must be expert and useful. Don’t limit yourself to general phrases, study specialized research, market reviews, official reports — and publish fresh figures or insights. Add links to authoritative sources, such as McKinsey, Gartner, Forbes.

Use tags

There can be up to five of them under each post. They help the algorithm determine the topic of the article and show it to people interested in these topics. The menu has a separate tab for searching by tags, so using them correctly will greatly increase views. Examples of good tags for business: marketing, b2b, startups, content-strategy, growth-hacking. Choose popular but accurate tags to avoid getting into the wrong feed.

Structure your text

Break it into paragraphs of 3-4 lines each, add subheadings to make it easier to read and to make the presentation of information more structured.

A catchy headline

Come up with a really interesting headline, it will raise the article in search results and “hook” readers. Test options: a question format (“How…?”), a promise of results (“10 ways to increase…”), numbers and specifics always work better than a general formulation.

Add a strong CTA

At the end of each post, there should be a call to action: subscribe to the page, download the checklist, ask a question in the comments or go to the site.

Give free information products

Offer readers to get ready-made templates and checklists. Any text is a potential tool: add a link to a downloadable PDF, Google spreadsheet or an embedded template to the article. This stimulates subscriptions and reposts.

Interact with the audience

Respond to comments, thank for criticism and questions, improve the article based on feedback. This not only takes into account the wishes of readers, but also supports the algorithm, which cares about the topic “living” and collecting responses.

Pay attention to the quality of images

A thumbnail on Medium plays the same role as a cover on YouTube. It forms the first impression, distinguishes the article from others and increases CTR. Images inside the article also affect perception: they group the material, illustrate ideas and help to hold attention.

Platform principles and limitations

Medium adheres to strict rules for blogs. Direct advertising integrations and promotion of third-party products without appropriate marks are prohibited. The use of affiliate links is allowed, provided that readers are transparently notified.

Understanding these aspects will help you effectively use Medium to promote your business, establish your expert status, and interact with your target audience.

Medium Analytics: how to measure Business Success

Medium's built-in analytics dashboard aggregates all the key metrics and lets you understand which topics and formats are performing best. Here's how to access it and where to find each one:

Login to the analytics panel

Go to your profile and click on the avatar in the upper right corner of the screen.
In the drop-down menu, select “Stats”. You will be taken to the general statistics page, where the total indicators for the last 30 days will be immediately displayed: views, reads and subscribers.

Analytics panel Medium

Views

At the top of the screen, you will see the Views graph — this is the total number of unique article views for the selected period. Below the graph, you can switch the range: the last 7, 30 or 90 days.

Reads

Below that is the Reads graph, which is the number of times users read your article at least 95% of the way through. This shows real engagement, not just a momentary click.

Read Ratio

Read Ratio is calculated automatically as Reads÷ Views and is usually displayed as a percentage next to the corresponding graph. The higher this number, the more “sticky” your text was for readers.

Metrics for individual articles

Scroll down and you'll see a list of all your posts, with monthly Views, Reads, and Read Ratio for each. You can sort the list by any of these columns to quickly identify your best- and worst-performing posts.

Audience insights

Audience insights

In the right column of the Stats page, there is a block called “Audience insights” — there readers are grouped by topics that interest them. You will see top categories (for example, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Marketing), based on the tags of your articles and user behavior.

Additional features

If you use the Partner Program, a hint about the expected earnings may be displayed next to Reads. Under each graph, there are icons for exporting data to CSV - conveniently creating your own reports.

This data helps you understand which topics, formats, and presentation styles generate the greatest response. Regular analysis of metrics helps you quickly adapt your promotion strategy, reinforcing effective topics and formats.

Cost of promotion on Medium: what you can expect

One of the main advantages of the platform is that there is no need to pay for advertising promotion. You can create an account for free, publish articles and receive organic traffic. However, for effective growth and real business results, you will still need to invest resources - primarily time and effort.

Content creation. Regular activity is the basis for successful promotion. To maintain interest and increase reach, it is recommended to publish 1-2 articles per week. Writing one thoughtful article takes an average of 3-5 hours, including research, writing and editing.

Promotion through external channels. Although Medium.com generates organic traffic, the effect can be enhanced by distributing content through social networks (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and email newsletters, which can cost from $100 to $1000, depending on your goals and budget.

Medium vs LinkedIn: which platform to choose for promotion

Many companies and authors ask themselves: what to choose - Medium or LinkedIn? It depends on the promotion goals.

Criterion Medium LinkedIn
Audience Professional, readers looking for expert content B2B professionals, top managers looking for useful contacts
Monetization Yes via Partner Program Not available
SEO High traffic from Google search Low SEO visibility
Format Full articles, deep storytelling Short posts + articles
Content Longevity High: evergreen articles last for years Quickly loses reach without constant activity

Medium is suitable for long-term content marketing, building expertise and SEO promotion. LinkedIn is effective for developing business connections, networking and working in the B2B sphere through short formats.

Pros and Cons of Medium.com

Pros:

  • high level of trust;
  • high-quality professional audience;
  • opportunity to enter the English-speaking and foreign markets without additional costs;
  • ease of creating and publishing content;
  • support for monetization through an affiliate program.

Cons:

  • no built-in paid promotion for posts;
  • not always predictable coverage algorithm;
  • requires constant activity for growth.

Pros and cons of the

How to attract your first 1000 subscribers on Medium?

Attracting subscribers is a complex and lengthy process. Here are specific methods.

Post what's popular

Detailed guides, market trend analytics, customer case studies and reviews, research reports, product update descriptions. Make such publications regularly at least once a week to build your reputation.

Connect external promotion channels

Newsletters, social networks, corporate blogs, ready-made articles from the company's website. This allows you to reach a new audience without harming SEO. Announce the release of new material on the company blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and specialized Telegram and VK groups.

Try to get into publications

As already mentioned, publications have their own reader base, so posting an article in one of the popular selections gives a huge influx of subscribers and views. Find relevant publications and submit your material there - this way you will reach the target audience.

Support other authors

Activity on the platform is important: writing reviews and responses to other people's articles is one of the most reliable ways to attract attention. Authors receive notifications about comments left and can subscribe to your profile or leave comments under your works, thereby promoting you.

Participate in collaborations

Write joint articles, mention each other on social networks - this will attract subscribers from related circles.

Don't forget about optimization

A full bio, a link to the site and the use of relevant tags for each article will increase trust in the brand. If necessary, you can update the texts: delete poorly received articles and republish them with adjustments. And remember: regularity, niche focus and quality are the main foundation for subscriber base growth.

Strategic 3-Month Content Plan for Medium to Establish Thought Leadership and Drive B2B Growth

Week Post Topic Format Purpose
1 Digital transformation in B2B: our experience of ERP implementation in 5 steps Case Positioning of expertise, trust
2 5 Key KPIs for Monitoring B2B Product Performance How-to / Sheet Practical Recommendations
3 How We Used ML to Automate Customer Support Research Guide Innovation Showcase, PR
4 CTO Interview: Scalable Cloud Architecture Interview Personal Branding of Management
1 Step-by-step transition from on-premise to cloud without downtime Step-by-step Practical recommendations
2 Lead Nurturing Strategies in B2B: From Triggered Emails to Multi-Channel Retargeting Marketing Review Lead Generation
3 Protecting Remote Workers: Best Practices and Tools Recommendations Engaging IT Professionals
4 How we implemented sales personalization through big data analysis Thought leadership Approval of expert status
1 Formation of the Customer Success Department: Case and Metrics Case Demonstration of the Value of Post-sales
2 Content Marketing ROI Framework for B2B How-to / Infographics SEO Strategy Support
3 Predictive Analytics in B2B: Business Cases and Practical Implementation Research Guide In-Depth Analysis
4 Leadership in a Growth Environment: Lessons from Our Experience of Scaling Essay / Personal Experience Strengthening the Personal Brand of Leadership

Frequency: 1 material per week.
Format: cases, guides, interviews and essays to hold the attention of various segments.

Result

Medium is a platform for promotion in expert niches. It provides opportunities to create a company's image through texts: from deep analytical materials and cases on digital transformation to stories of the personal brand of executives. A balanced combination of technical guides, research reports and author's essays allows you not only to attract target clients and partners, but also to lay the foundation for long-term organic traffic. A properly built strategy, regular publications, SEO optimization and active interaction with readers turns the platform into a source of qualified leads and a tool for strengthening reputation.

The key advantage of the resource is that it contributes to the development of a corporate and personal brand: content on behalf of the company is supported by stories and insights of its leaders, which increases trust and opens up additional growth channels. Integrating a blog into a multi-channel strategy (LinkedIn, email marketing, social networks) creates synergy, where each material enhances the value of the others. With such comprehensive work, articles become active advertising materials for business.

How not to waste time and resources on Medium with Marketing Strategy?

Struggling to create compelling content that drives business results on Medium? Our team at INTEG will help you build a strategy for your product, adapt texts to the platform algorithms and the interests of the target audience, show you how to enter international markets, and provide results in numbers: by reach, clicks, subscribers, and leads.

What we offer:

  • Custom content strategy development
  • Professional article writing and optimization
  • SEO and publication placement
  • Analytics tracking and performance optimization
  • International market expansion through social media

Schedule Your Free Marketing Strategy Consultation

FAQ


Medium offers free accounts with basic features, or paid subscriptions starting at $5/month (Member) or $15/month (Friend). The main business costs are content creation time and potential promotional expenses.

Yes, through the Medium partner program, businesses can monetize their content based on reading time from paid subscribers. This can help offset content creation costs while building authority.

Visit medium.com, click "Get Started," register with your business email, complete your profile with company information, add professional photos, and include links to your website and social profiles.

Medium excels at long-form content, SEO benefits, and evergreen content value. LinkedIn is better for networking and short-form professional updates. Many businesses use both platforms complementarily.

Most businesses see initial engagement within 2-4 weeks, with significant traffic growth after 2-3 months of consistent publishing. Building a substantial following typically takes 6-12 months.

B2B companies, technology startups, consulting firms, SaaS companies, and professional services see the best results on Medium due to the platform's professional, educated audience.

Successful businesses typically publish 1-2 high-quality articles per week. Consistency is more important than frequency - maintain a regular schedule you can sustain long-term.

Petr Dzyuba
Article authorPetr DzyubaCEO of DOO "INTEG SOLUTIONS"
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