If you are a blogger or content writer, you might have heard about the advantages of republishing your posts on Medium.
But is it worth your time and effort?
In this post, I will explore the advantages and risks of republishing on Medium. I will also share tips for maximizing the advantages and mitigating the risks.
Advantages of Republishing on Medium
1. Medium is a social community that can bring additional traffic.
Medium has a built-in audience of millions of readers who are looking for engaging and helpful content. By republishing your posts on Medium, you will have an opportunity to reach a broader audience and earn more exposure for your brand or website. If your post is interesting and engaging, it can attract new readers and followers on Medium.
2. Medium allows for easy formatting.
Medium’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to format your posts and add pictures, videos, and other media. That way, you can make your post more visually appealing and engaging. This can draw more readers to your content.
3. Medium can help build your authority and credibility.
If your article is well-received on Medium, it can help build your authority as a thought leader in your niche. This can open more options for guest posting, speaking assignments, and other collaborations.
Risks of Republishing on Medium
1. Google might prefer the Medium version over the original post.
One of the biggest concerns with republishing on Medium is that Google might choose the Medium version over the original blog post.
This risk can be mitigated by using the Import a story feature in Medium.
This feature automatically adds a canonical link to the original post.
The canonical link tells Google that the original post is the preferred version. Hence, it should be given preference in search results.
However, there is always a chance that Google still prefers the Medium version. Therefore, the Medium version could outrank the original post.
2. Republishing on Medium can cause a loss of traffic from Google.
Another concern about republishing on Medium is that you can lose traffic from Google. If Google decides to show the Medium version of your post in search results, readers will use the Medium version instead of the original post on your website. This can cause a loss of traffic and potential revenue.
3. The Medium community might not engage with your post.
While Medium has a big and engaged community of readers, there’s a possibility that your post is not well-received or generates engagement. If your post doesn’t connect with the Medium community, it may not yield additional traffic or followers.
Tips for Maximizing Advantages & Mitigating Risks
1. Wait until the original post has been indexed by Google.
To avoid the risk of Google picking the Medium version in search results, it’s better to wait until the original post has been indexed by Google before republishing it on Medium. This ensures that Google realises that the blog post was published first and is the original content. So, Google will prioritize it in search results.
2. Add a canonical link back to the post.
To ensure that Google identifies the original post as the authoritative source, it’s important to add a canonical link back to the post.
If you use the import tool in Medium, the canonical link will be automatically added. If you choose to write a new post on Medium, be sure to update the “Advanced Settings” option in the story settings to add the canonical link.
3. Avoid using the Import a story feature.
If you’re waiting for the post to be indexed by Google on your blog before republishing on Medium, it’s better to write a new post in Medium instead of using the import tool. It can seem counterintuitive since the import feature is very easy to use and saves time.
But the import tool sometimes doesn’t pull all the details, such as images. It also displays the date from the original blog post with no option to change it in Medium. This means that the Medium story will be seen as old. As a result, it will unlikely generate good engagement.
4. Customize your post for the Medium audience.
To increase the odds of your post being well-received on Medium, consider tailoring your post for the Medium audience. This might mean changing the tone, adding more photos or visual elements, or concentrating on a different angle than you did in the actual post.
5. Engage with the Medium Community.
To increase the chances of your post being well-received on Medium, consider engaging with the Medium community. This includes reading and commenting on other posts, following other writers, and replying to comments on your post. By being an engaged member of the Medium community, you can develop relationships and gain more visibility for your posts.
6. Experiment with different republishing strategies.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to republishing on Medium. So it’s essential to test different strategies to see what works best for your blog or website.
You might test republishing all of your posts on Medium. You can also republish just the best posts that you think will resonate with the Medium audience. If you are just starting, I generally suggest that you start with all posts to see what kind of posts do well on Medium. You can then adjust your strategy for a select few posts.
You might also try changing the timing of your republishing to see if it impacts engagement and traffic.
Final Words
Republishing your blog posts on Medium is a worthwhile option for boosting your visibility and reaching a bigger audience. There are some risks to republishing on Medium. But these can be mitigated by following the right approach and experimenting with different strategies.
You will need a varying level of time and effort depending on strategies. For example, a simple strategy of republishing all posts using the import feature will require a low effort. But a complex strategy of choosing the posts, analysing what works, engaging on Medium, adjusting your posts for Medium etc will require significant effort.
Ultimately, the decision to republish on Medium will depend on whether the effort required to execute the chosen strategy is generating enough traffic and revenue to justify the effort.
