How to Embed Medium Blog Posts on WordPress – An In-Depth Guide

As an experienced WordPress professional with over 15 years in the industry, I‘ve helped hundreds of bloggers integrate their Medium content into WordPress websites.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my proven techniques to smoothly transition your articles from Medium to WordPress – the most popular CMS on the web powering over 43% of all sites.

Why Medium Content Belongs on Your WordPress Site

With over 100 million monthly users, Medium is one of the largest online publishing platforms. Many bloggers use it to supplement their main website or test out content ideas before republishing them elsewhere.

But there are significant advantages to having full control over your content on your own WordPress site:

• Increased Authority – Your own domain signals you are an industry expert. Medium is seen as a blogging platform while WordPress is used for serious sites.

• Better SEO – Posts on your domain carry more weight with Google than third-party platforms. Easy to optimize with WordPress SEO plugins.

• Access to Data – Get insights into traffic and engagement with WordPress analytics instead of relying on Medium.

• Content Ownership – You maintain complete creative control and ownership over articles on self-hosted WordPress.

• Monetization – Flexible options to monetize content with ads, affiliate links, digital products, memberships etc.

Clearly, it makes sense to graduate your articles from Medium to your professional WordPress site. Now let‘s see how to make that happen smoothly.

Two Options for Displaying Medium Content in WordPress

Based on my extensive experience, I recommend two primary methods to integrate Medium with WordPress:

1. Embed Medium Articles Inline

This method allows you to embed your latest Medium posts directly into a WordPress page or post. It‘s simple and has the benefit of automatically displaying your newest Medium content.

However, the major downside is that you don‘t have full control over the embedded articles.

2. Migrate Medium Content to WordPress

For full flexibility, I suggest fully migrating posts over to WordPress. This makes them first-class WordPress content that you can customize, optimize and monetize.

The migration process is a bit more complex. But the long-term benefits make it worthwhile for serious bloggers.

Let‘s explore both options more in depth:

How to Quickly Embed Your Medium Articles in WordPress

If you want a quick way to showcase your Medium content directly on a WordPress page, embedding is the way to go.

Here is how to do it in just a few easy steps:

Step 1: Get Your Medium RSS Feed URL

Every Medium publication has an RSS feed URL to tap into its content.

To find it, simply go to medium.com/feed/@yourusername. Be sure to replace "yourusername" with your actual Medium username.

For Medium publications using custom domains, the feed URL is usually yourdomain.com/feed

Step 2: Add the RSS Block in WordPress

Next, open the page or post where you want to embed Medium content. Add the RSS block from the editor toolbar.

Now paste your Medium feed URL in the block settings:

The RSS block will automatically pull in and display your latest Medium posts!

Step 3: Customize the Display

You can customize the appearance in the block settings:

• Number of posts
• Post title font size
• Show/hide feature image
• Excerpt length
• And more

For example, you may want to limit to 3 latest posts and feature the image prominently. Tweak it to match your specific preferences.

And that‘s it! Your recent Medium articles are now showcased seamlessly on your WordPress site.

Pros and Cons of Embedding Medium Content

Embedding Medium posts directly has some notable upsides:

Pros

• Super fast and simple to set up

• Automatically displays your latest Medium content

• Updates whenever you publish new posts on Medium

Cons

• Limited customization options

• Can only show your most recent posts

• No ability to embed specific posts

• Posts are not editable since they live on Medium

As you can see, embedding has its limitations. That brings us to the second (and better) option…

How to Fully Migrate Your Medium Posts to WordPress

While embedding provides a quick shortcut, I strongly recommend fully migrating all your Medium content over to WordPress for maximum control.

Here is the complete step-by-step process:

Step 1: Export Your Medium Posts

First, you need to extract all your Medium posts into a file.

To do this:

1. Open your Medium profile

2. Click your profile avatar > Settings

3. Scroll down and click "Download your information"

4. Choose the ZIP file export option

Medium will process the export and email you the download link when it‘s ready. This may take a few hours.

Step 2: Convert Medium Posts to WordPress Format

By default, Medium‘s export format doesn‘t play nicely with WordPress. So you need to convert the files first.

I recommend using the excellent Medium to WordPress converter tool for this.

Simply upload your Medium ZIP export file. The tool will process it and generate a WordPress-optimized XML file.

Step 3: Run the WordPress Importer

Now we‘re ready to import your posts into WordPress.

First, install the WordPress Importer plugin if you don‘t already have it activated.

Next, go to Tools > Import in your WordPress admin and run the importer.

Upload the converted XML file when prompted. You can also download images and map authors at this stage.

Once completed, all your Medium posts will be safely imported into WordPress!

Step 4: Redirect Old URLs (Optional)

If your Medium publication used a custom domain, it‘s a good idea to set up 301 redirects pointing the old URLs to their new WordPress counterparts.

See my guide on creating redirects in WordPress for how to properly do this.

Step 5: Delete Medium Publication

Now that your content is migrated, I recommend deleting your Medium publication to avoid duplicate content issues.

You can also keep it and set all posts to private if you wish to maintain ownership of the Medium URL.

Either way, the focus becomes your new home for the content – your WordPress site!

Benefits of Migrating to WordPress

Fully moving your Medium posts to WordPress gives you:

• Full creative control – Modify, optimize and republish posts on your terms.

• Enhanced SEO – Improve search visibility with WordPress-specific best practices.

• Better analytics – Utilize WordPress tools like Google Analytics to understand engagement.

• Customization options – Leverage WordPress plugins and themes to extend functionality.

• Familiar environment – Manage all your content in one place instead of learning Medium‘s platform.

• Revenue opportunities – Monetize your posts through various methods like affiliate programs and advertisements.

Overall, migration leads to a much better user experience compared to just embedding Medium posts.

Promoting Your Medium Content on WordPress

Driving traffic to your newly-ported Medium posts takes some promotion. Here are my top tips:

Update Social Media and Profiles

Don‘t forget to update all your social media bios and online profiles to link to your new WordPress URL. This is crucial for an easy transition.

Email Current Subscribers

Notify your current email subscribers about the move and provide incentives to follow you on WordPress. A customized email sequence works well.

Optimize Imported Posts

Double down on SEO optimization for your top posts using Yoast SEO or RankMath. Help Google understand that the authoritative version moved to your domain.

Promote on Social Media

Share your newly-migrated top Medium stories actively on social media. Spark conversation and link to the post on your own site.

Analyze Performance

Leverage WordPress analytics tools like Google Analytics and MonsterInsights to see which posts resonate best with your audience.

Invest in Paid Ads

Consider promoting your imported evergreen content through Facebook, Twitter, Quora and LinkedIn ads. Retarget people who previously engaged with your posts on Medium.

The potential for reaching new audiences and revenue with your existing content is massive after migrating from Medium to WordPress.

Helpful WordPress Plugins for Migrated Content

WordPress boasts a thriving ecosystem of over 55,000 free plugins to add functionality. Here are some I recommend:

• Yoast SEO – Optimize all your posts for search engines.

• OptinMonster – Convert readers into email subscribers.

• CoSchedule – Streamline social media management.

• Thrive Architect – Create high-converting landing pages.

• Google Analytics – Track visitor behavior and engagement.

Integrating these plugins into your workflow will help maximize the impact of your posts after migrating from Medium.

Key Takeaways from This Guide

If you‘ve made it this far, pat yourself on the back! You‘re now equipped with specialized knowledge on integrating Medium and WordPress.

Let‘s recap the key points:

• Embed Medium posts for quick wins, but migrate for maximum control
• Your own WordPress site brings increased authority, SEO benefits and monetization potential
• Export your Medium content, convert to WordPress format, then import into WordPress
• Promote migrated posts through social media, email subscribers, ads and SEO optimization
• Leverage WordPress plugins to gain powerful analytics and functionality

I hope this guide served as a comprehensive resource to help advance your blogging journey. Don‘t hesitate to reach out if you need any help with the Medium to WordPress transition!