I Looked at Viral Medium Articles in 2025 And Found 3 Things Common
It might surprise you
I have made a lot of money from writing on Medium since 2018. Most of it was between 2020 and 2022.
Since mid-2023, I have been mostly clueless about what works on Medium.
And I later found out I wasn’t the only one.
But I kept writing because I’m fundamentally a writer.
People kept asking me what now works on Medium. My humble answer is — I don’t know. And honestly, I don’t think anyone does.
But something feels different nowadays in 2025. So, I thought to share a few things I’ve noticed.
I haven’t tested this rigorously. So, if you have any antecedotes or data that affirms or suggests otherwise, pls share in the comments.
This article is about 3 things I have found to be common among 2025 Medium stories that have lots of claps (and comments).
My Method
I decided to take a look at the “for you” tab. And my focus was on stories that had over 1k claps with a sizable number of comments.
And I only considered stories that were published in 2025.
I looked at the stories themselves, the writers, and the publication. And I found 3 things that were common to them all. And those 3 things are quite odd.
Let’s take a look…
1. Concentration on One Publication
Instead of publishing stories in several publications about many things, the writers I noticed were doing well had multiple stories in just one publication.
I think the Medium algorithm is now prioritizing publication focus.
Note that I don’t have conclusive evidence. Just conjectures at this stage.
In fact, they were not published in any other publication. And they get published around twice a week.
And I don’t think the publication size matters as long as the publication is still active.
Publication concentration is a good angle to try. Remember to stick to a definite theme and only publish with just one publication (if you want to experiment with this).
I will also strongly advise that your profile bio match the subject you want to write about.
2. Personality & Proof
The viral articles have one word in their titles. And that one word is — I.
Articles based on personal firsthand experience seem to be doing exceptionally well (compared to other articles).
I have seen this myself. Here is an example:
However, I also noticed that when the topic is something that takes people out of Medium, it doesn’t perform well.
Another thing I also noticed is that articles that show receipts perform better. This means screenshots.
When you can show picture proof, the article just performs better.
If you can show picture proof of the result and the process, it would even perform much better. Then, add a personal tone to the title by starting with “I…”
For some reason, the viral articles have this in common.
3. Result
It is not merely about storytelling anymore. Research-based articles can be labelled as AI, so that has little chance.
If you share your insights without showing proof of some sort, the Medium algorithm will not throttle the story.
However, if you have a result that is quite unique or that lots of people can relate to, the article performs very well.
Even if the result is a failure. Failure sometimes sells more than success. As long as it is a result, and you can show proof, it would work.
Also, there is something to be said for writing frequently. However, I am not sure how important it is and whether posts differ from comments.
Conclusion
These are just my observations, and I hope they work for you.
I am not earning anything on this article and I don’t care about going viral. Just want to help people who are struggling here.
The 3 things I have noticed about viral Medium articles in 2025 are:
- They publish in only one publication primarily
- The titles have a personal tone in it, often starting with the word “I”
- They include results (of success or failure) and show proof of it
I hope that helps.
What have you noticed thus far in 2025?
P.S. I help professionals on LinkedIn find their content niche and go viral to attract high-paying opportunities — https://linkedin-famous.beehiiv.com/
