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How to Use Tags on Medium
Little words that make a big impact
You spend hours, days, or weeks working on your article. You choose the perfect title and image to accompany it. Then you press “publish.”
Oh, wait, you need to select tags for your story. How much time do you spend choosing them?
Minutes? Seconds?
I used to just click through and choose something that seemed OK, so I could get to the next step, which was releasing my article into the world so I could refresh the stats page every ten minutes.
But hold on for a moment. Tags are incredibly important for your story. Readers often find your story through your tags.
You should consider outlining what tags your story will have early in the writing process — during your first draft or right after you decide on a title.
Why is that?
Tags can help you focus your piece. Deciding to use certain tags, like “Relationships” or “Food,” can help you stay on track.
The tags you write under can also influence whether or not you get “Top Writer” status. You can be a “Top Writer” under certain tags if you write enough popular articles under them.