How Highlights on Medium Changed Publishing Forever: Managing New vs Established Products

How Highlights on Medium Changed Publishing Forever: Managing New vs Established Products

Introduction:

In the ever-evolving landscape of online publishing, Medium has emerged as a frontrunner, revolutionizing the way people share and engage with written content. One of the key features that set Medium apart is Highlights, a tool that allows users to annotate and share their favorite passages from articles. This feature has not only garnered praise from readers and writers alike but has also propelled Medium to become one of the leading online publishing platforms. In this article, we will explore how Highlights on Medium changed publishing forever and discuss the key considerations in managing new vs established products.

The Power of Highlights:

Medium's Highlights feature was developed with the intention of making sharing and engaging with writing on the platform easier. It draws inspiration from the Notes feature, where users can leave comments in the margin of a post, and the Recommend Notes feature, which allows users to highlight and share their favorite parts of a post. By incorporating these elements, Medium created a more interactive and social reading experience.

For readers, Highlights make the reading experience more engaging and social. Whether it's resonating with a quote, sharing an insight on another platform, or capturing an idea for later, highlighting allows readers to actively interact with the content. This feature has become one of Medium's unique selling propositions, attracting readers who value depth and engagement over superficial metrics like views or clicks.

For writers, Highlights offer a direct line of feedback from their audience. This not only provides instant gratification but also helps writers identify the most engaging parts of their posts. By knowing what parts of their writing resonate with readers, writers can improve their craft and create more impactful content. Additionally, Medium's high readership attracts the best writers, who are then rewarded financially for sharing quality posts.

Lessons Learned:

The success of Highlights on Medium holds valuable lessons for product managers and teams working on new product initiatives. Firstly, it emphasizes the importance of prioritizing depth of engagement over vanity metrics. By focusing on a metric that truly measures the value users derive from the product, product managers can make more informed decisions about feature prioritization and create a more sticky product.

Secondly, it highlights the significance of user feedback and learnings. Medium's product ideas often stem from analyzing product history and designers playing around with ideas. By closely observing how users interact with features and uncovering unintended use cases, product teams can gain insights that drive product improvements.

Lastly, the experience of Highlights on Medium reminds us not to assume that everyone uses a product the same way. The team at Medium had to consider the user experience for both new users who didn't follow anyone and users who followed many others. By surfacing relevant Highlights and implementing filtering mechanisms, they ensured that the feature added value for all users.

Managing New vs Established Products:

While Medium's success with Highlights is a testament to their product development strategies, it's important to consider the key differences between building a new product initiative and optimizing an existing product or segment. When developing a long-term roadmap for a new product, internal alignment, strategy fit with users, and changes in the competitor landscape are crucial considerations. Establishing product-market fit is the primary focus in these early stages.

For aspiring product managers, it can be challenging to break into the field. However, there are resources and tips that can help. APM programs provide a structured path into product management, but if that doesn't work out, joining a company with an APM program in a different role and working your way into it can be an effective alternative.

Working at a company like Facebook, with its immense size and scale, requires adjustments in approach. Strong company-wide communication becomes essential to move fast and democratize information. The impact of products on millions, if not billions, of users also sets a different level of responsibility and opportunity for growth.

Conclusion:

The success of Highlights on Medium showcases the transformative power of innovative features in online publishing. By prioritizing depth of engagement, incorporating user feedback, and avoiding assumptions about user behavior, Medium has become one of the largest writing platforms on the web.

In managing new vs established products, product managers must consider factors like internal alignment, strategy fit with users, and changes in the competitive landscape. Aspiring product managers can explore APM programs or find alternative paths to break into the field.

In conclusion, the story of Highlights on Medium serves as a reminder of the importance of user-centric product development, the value of engagement metrics over vanity metrics, and the power of innovative features in shaping the future of publishing. By applying these lessons and taking actionable steps, product teams can create products that truly resonate with their target audience and drive sustainable growth.