9 Medium Publications That Can Submit Your Stories for A Boost

I wonder if the people who announced their participation saw the train coming

Happy Friday,

Hoo boy. Want to know a fast way to learn the inside scoop on Medium’s new boost program? Read 9 articles from people on the inside. That’s what I just did.

First thing… the boost program makes a difference.

How much difference, that’s a different story. On the low end, it gets you 500 more views. But if the response to that initial boost is good, it can be thousands of views.

As a publication editor, I *want* my writers to get boosted because it brings us more readers. So I wrote some boost tips to my History of Women writers, but they apply to any writer and any publication. You can read them here if you’re interested.

But there’s a down side to boost. Because, people.

Most of the publications chosen for the Boost program seem to be keeping it on the down low and not telling anyone. A few have stood up and identified themselves.

I wonder if they saw the train coming before it hit them.

After The Writing Cooperative announced that they’re part of the boost program, their acceptance rate went down to 20%. It’s a new low for them. The editor said a lot of submissions aren’t even on the topics they publish. They’re just getting whacked with submissions with little regard for quality or even topic relevance.

Plus, they had to remove a couple of writers who suddenly started submitting all their already published stories en masse. They don’t even accept published pieces. Only way to make it stop was to remove the writers. Grown adults, yet.

I’d say wtf, but that’s not new. It happens every time Vocal runs a writing challenge. If you go to the recent submissions at any given time, at least a third aren’t even on the topic they asked for. Sometimes more than a third.

Why people do stuff like that, I don’t know. Boggles my mind.

That’s a whole conversation all by itself.

But if you’re serious about getting more views, Boost can help.

Here’s the Coles Notes version of how it works…

• Boosters can “suggest” 3-5 stories per week to Medium’s curators.

• They don’t get to boost stories themselves. They just get to suggest stories to the curators at Medium who ultimately make the choices.

• It’s not an algorithm. It’s actual humans reading every submission.

After a real live human being reads the story and says yup, that’s a good one, that’s when an algorithm kicks in to help find readers. Once a story gets a human nod, the algorithm then finds people who follow the tags and topics of your story.

The minimum boost is 500 views. But it could be much more, depending on how well the story does in that first round. That’s from Tony’s original post, incidentally.

According to Tony, if a freshly boosted article gets good reads and response in that first wave, they keep promoting it and it can get thousands of views.

9 publications that are part of the Boost program…

Worth keeping in mind that some of these publications are getting bombed with submissions. Also, that they’re real people with lives and jobs and families. You know? So if they don’t reply quickly, be patient.

Also? Remember that each editor only gets to submit 3-5 stories per week. They’re going to be looking for the ones that really stand out. You know? Stories that have some je ne sais quoi that we struggle to describe, but know it when we see it and when you get to the end, you’re glad you read it.

Last — you’ll have no idea if you’re submitted for a boost. You won’t know a thing unless you get an email from Medium saying your story has been boosted.

That said, here’s the list…

1) Modern Women
Heartfelt, down-to-earth and real stories by women for women.
— Stop the presses, we have amazing news

2) Fanfare
Pop culture conversations.
— Fanfare is part of Medium’s Boost program

3) The Generator
The Generator covers the emerging field of generative AI
— I’m One Of Medium’s New Boost Curators

4) UX Collective
Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design.
— Boosting the Best of the Best

5) Scribe
Stories that matter. Emotion first and foremost.
— The Time For Nominated Stories Has Come

6) Writing Cooperative
Medium’s largest collection of advice, support, and encouragement for writers.
— Stop Writing Quantity, Start Writing Quality

7) Mystic Minds
A medium publication for slightly conscious souls.
— Spiritual Writers, Could Your Story Use A Boost?

8) Middle Pause
We are the voices of women who encourage, inspire, and empower each other to live lives of meaning and purpose before, during, and after menopause.
— Exciting News, Middle Pause Is Part of Boost

9) The Memoirist
We exclusively publish memoirs: The creative stories unpacked from the nostalgic hope chests of our lives.
— Attention Memoirists, You Can Be Boosted Here

P.S. If you’ve been boosted, I’d love to know how it went. :)

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On Medium…

• Can We Talk Real Bluntly About Which Stories Get Boosted?

• How Old Is Too Old To Care About The Stupid Patriarchy Anymore?

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xo, Linda