Level Up Your Following

Writers: Keep your readers in the loop by letting them subscribe to email updates. You own your subscriber list.

This past year, Medium has given readers and writers more control over the stories they see by emphasizing follows over algorithms. Now, writers, you can take your follower list one step further. Let your fans know when you’ve published something new from their email inbox, in addition to when they come to Medium, by adding the option to subscribe to story updates. You control which stories get sent and your subscriber list is portable.

We made the tool simple, here’s how to use it.

First, go to your Settings page and find a new Followers section. You’ll see the option to display a message on your Story, Home, and About pages to promote email subscriptions. The promotion will be shown to all of your followers visiting your profile (readers won’t see the message unless they follow you).

There’s another option within your Settings to export your subscribers’ email addresses. Medium knows how important it is for you to be able to own your relationship with your audience, so we’ve made the list portable. We ask your subscribers for confirmation when they sign up for your email list so that we can give you a direct relationship with your readers while respecting their privacy. This confirmation happens once for readers, so if they’ve already confirmed for a prior subscription, they won’t need to again.

Once your list starts to grow, you’ll be able to send emails with links to your stories. It’s as simple as checking a box before you publish. There are no extra steps and you’ll always be able to decide whether or not to send.

If you choose to send the story, your subscribers will get an email with a preview of your post and a link to read more on Medium. It’s a convenient way for subscribers to never miss a beat from you.

We’ve built subscriber lists so that you can deepen your relationship with your audience. This is another step towards a more connected Medium with many improvements coming as we head into the next year.

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Update: We now support sending story links if you're publishing your post under a publication. Regardless of whether your article is published under your name or under a publication, your subscribers will be updated.