MEDIUM I RESPONSES
Medium Writers Must Think of Readers as Customers. Most Don’t
Nicolas Kristoff of the New York Times replies to readers. Why can’t we on Medium? It would help us — and Medium
Imagine being a retailer with curious strangers looking in the windows. The brave who enter deserve our special attention because they may buy something. Simple politeness is essential. But our engagement can make a sale, make a sale beyond the initial intention, and return the customer for future purchases. It’s hard to imagine a retailer mute to customers walking in their door, but this is what writers are when they don’t respond to readers.
A shocking 60% of writers don’t reply to ANY readers
There are writers on Medium who are excellent retailers. Unfortunately, they are few. A shocking 60% of Medium writers don’t reply to ANY comments made by their readers (the tally from the first hundred articles in my For you list). This is a costly omission and hard to fathom. Readers have likely paid to indulge in our articles and take the time to highlight, applaud, and comment. They add to content, interest, and reading time and draw additional readers. Tech has made it possible for Medium writers to respond easily. We…
