A Look at Detailed "Getting Started" Tips on Medium (Part 1)
Is there someone you know who could still benefit from this resource?
See how screwed up my mind is today? I posted Part 2 of my story, before publishing Part 1. Oh well…
Here’s the first part…
As I’ve made perfectly clear in all my previous posts, the current situation pertaining to recent issues on Medium, is what brought me to the Substack community.
Part of my purpose in being here, was to help me stay tied into the stories and useful content I have to offer, like the information contained in what I’m about to share with you now.
This beneficial “how to” resource story was written specifically with new and potential Medium members in mind.
The decision I made, was to remove these valuable stories from Medium and make them exclusively available on Substack, both for free but also behind a paywall.
But lately, I’d be lying if I said that my motivation to go forward wasn’t dwindling. The more and more I get fed up with the whole Medium situation for honest writers, the more leery I become of putting myself out there again.
So far Substack seems like a great and welcoming place to be. But so did Medium - once upon a time.
I’m too conflicted and confused at this point, to even focus on the plans I had for Substack, let alone my initial plans for fixing my “meta” stories on Medium.
Honestly, at this point, I don’t know or don’t care to try to figure it out - not now anyway. I’m feeling really down in my spirit, like I mentioned just today in a post for my Just Goode Writing newsletter.
I’m just not my usual fun-loving self, full of gusto, get up and go, and always eager to write!
I also stated how I don’t think it’s fair to anyone who might think of paying for a subscription, to count on any kind of regularity, with regard to the way I decide to post stories.
Some days there might be a shower, and who knows, on days like today there might be a scarcity. I actually forced myself to share the content I’m currently writing, because I want readers to know exactly where I’m coming from.
That is why, from this point forward, all my content will be FREE and available to whoever wants to read and take advantage of all the smart and effective resources I share details on in my Medium related stories.
I worked extra hard to make sure these stories provided value on Medium, to readers that I knew were contributing via the monthly membership fees.
I encourage you to read the story mentioned above, which goes into this issue a lot more. But for now, please enjoy a resource that could help, in the event you happen to be a new or budding writer on Medium.
I’m not here to kill any writer’s dreams about Medium, so I have no problem sharing both the pros and the cons, of writing for the platform.
Allow me to share some effective tips when it comes to getting started
What to know about Getting Started on Medium
The following material has been slightly tweaked and updated as of April 14, 2025, to reflect the current policies and attitudes to date.
Many writers I know of, myself included, are not happy about the recent transitions that Medium is going through, but I still believe things will turn around.
But regardless of my personal views at this time, the details I share in this “how to” story are still just as useful to anyone interested in writing on Medium.
In fact, if you’re a content creator who’s thinking about giving the platform a shot, I wish you all the best, and suggest you SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter for lots of other useful tips and help aids to get you started.
Membership options when joining Medium
👉 Here are the most important, but basic steps to the business aspect of your Medium membership and status.
Join by becoming a full fledged Medium member, and if you can spare the cash, and you think it’s worth your while, you might as well try out the Friend of Medium (FOM) program from the very beginning (in my humble opinion).
NOTE: My upgraded membership to the Friend of Medium program actually ended in February, when I discontinued renewing it out of protest. Prior to that time, I’ve been one of the biggest supporters of the program, and I still believe it makes sense to join it.
You can click on this link about my FOM journey on Medium, if you’d like to read about my overall experience as a devoted member.
Anyway, an important part of your sign up process, should include filling in all the necessary payment related information, so your stories will be eligible to earn as soon as possible.
This is one element of the Membership process that you don’t want to leave to chance, or risk screwing it up, so read the complete official details about the Partner Program, and make sure to learn what you need to know to ensure timely payouts.
When you click the “Membership and Payments” tab, and proceed to click “Manage membership”, here’s the screen you’ll be able to do that on:
Thus far, I’ve seen many cases where new writers have joined the website, but don’t fully understand that this can benefit them in the long run.
I still believe in this theory, and suggest writers learn more about it for themselves. If you read a few stories that contain my line of reasoning, you’ll probably end up joining, like many others have done.
That’s exactly why, to me, it makes sense to simply get used to paying the $15 right at the start, and convince yourself to be determined and fully committed to earning no less than the monthly cost of your membership.
Now, let’s talk about your identity on Medium, and what you should do right away when establishing it (even though way too many writers neglect some of these steps).
Establishing your Medium identity
The good thing to know about creating and establishing your Medium identity, is that you can go in and make changes and updates, whenever you please. Many Medium members seem to enjoy the option to create and revise the captions and catch phrases that display alongside their profile names.
👉 Choose a Username, but keep in mind, this is not necessarily the same as your profile name. Whatever your username is, it will be visible in your profile url link, just like this:
MY USER NAME/LINK 👉
https://justissgoode.medium.com/
ALSO NOTE: It’s your username — not your profile name — that you type with the “@” symbol, in order to generate the member’s username link that you often see in stories.
(Keep in mind this was when I first created this help aid) Here’s how mine was displayed: Justiss Goode | F😄M and when you type it like that, as you can see, it will displays in green text. Many times, you’ll find that once you first begin typing the member’s name, after typing the “@” symbol, a menu will pop up, and the name will be among the options, even before you finish typing the entire name.
But be careful, and aware that there are often more than one user with the same name, or sometimes the user you’re seeking, has created an updated profile, but the previous one with the same name may still display.
As you might imagine, with the possibility of getting confused and mixing members up, you should try to be as clear and concise about your profile and username as possible.
Many members choose to have different names for their user and profile names. Personally, I believe this might be problematic, for the reasons I just mentioned, so my suggestion is to keep things uniform and simple.
Regardless, it’s totally up to you to decide whether you want your username to be the same as the Profile Name that displays in the upper right side of your Profile page, just underneath your photo.
Don’t neglect taking a little time to supply a few details, that will also appear on the Profile page, in that area (Notice the details I shared about myself, directly under my “Friend of Medium” status).
As you can see, you have the ability to update that information right from the Profile page, by clicking where it says: “Edit Profile”.
When you choose that option, and click to edit your profile, you’ll land on the page that looks like what you see in the following screen shot. You’ll be able to:
Edit your profile NAME
Include a SHORT Bio (160 characters only)
Provide details for an ABOUT PAGE (when you click on the tab)
On Medium, there is usually more than one way to do something, and yet accomplish the same task. This is true, with regard to supplying profile related details to the community.
Some members allow all these multiple options to confuse them.
Did you understand what I just conveyed above, or were you confused and overwhelmed with the information?
Trust me, it’s much easier than it sounds, especially when you actually implement the steps, and aren’t simply reading them.
If you feel the need to take a break and let this information marinate, that’s fine. If not, proceed to the next phase.
Whenever you’re ready, take a deep breath, and proceed to visualize yourself performing the steps I describe.
In fact, if you can, why not actually do what the instructions advise, while keeping the story available to refer to. The rest is up to you.
Final Word
If you enjoyed this story, and especially if you found it beneficial, than make sure to follow me and if you want, feel free to subscribe also.
I have lots more to offer, and all of it is FREE.
Thanks for your time and attention…
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