I don’t care how great you think your Medium article is.
If your featured image isn’t good enough, you will lose. Much more often than not.
They say first impressions last and guess what: this is first thing anyone scrolling through Medium is going to see.
You just can’t it wrong.
It’s the chief invitation to your article and it’s not something to treat like an afterthought.
But too many writers treat it like an afterthought—picking something generic, irrelevant, or worse, ugly.
Which ends up losing them crucial views and clicks and reads.
And your earnings end up being much lower than they could have been.
Why your featured image matters
Why your featured image needs to be great:
- Stops the scroll: Your image shows up in Medium feeds, search results, newsletters, and social shares. A strong image increases click-through rates dramatically.
- Sets the tone: A good image tells the reader what mood to expect—playful, serious, professional, emotional, etc.
- Boosts branding: Over time, your image style can become part of your signature—especially if you write frequently in a niche.
What makes a good featured image?
1. Relevance
Your image must relate to your article. Not in a boring or literal way—but in a way that complements or amplifies the core idea.
Here my article was about a coding tool so I used a screenshot of the tool in action as the featured image — drawing tons of attention and intrigue.
If your article is titled “Why Working From Home Might Be Killing Your Creativity,” don’t use a stock photo of someone smiling at a laptop in a sunny kitchen. Use something that evokes mental fog and isolation, or the clash between comfort and burnout.
2. Emotion
People respond to emotion not information. Choose images that trigger a feeling: wonder, nostalgia, ambition, tension, peace, curiosity.
Tip: Faces are powerful. So are hands, contrast, and empty space.
3. Originality
Avoid clichés if you want to stand out.
No more light bulbs for “ideas,” or people on mountains for “success.”
Medium is full of those.
Stand out by subverting expectations or finding a fresher visual metaphor.
Ask yourself: “Have I seen this image a hundred times before?”
Standing out is especially important when you’re just starting out as a new writer.
4. Clarity
Your image should still make sense when it’s small. Medium often displays featured images in thumbnails—so avoid clutter, tiny text, or noisy compositions.
Test how your image looks at around 250x140px.
5. Cohesion
If your article uses certain fonts, colors, or themes, your image should feel like it belongs. It doesn’t need to match literally—but there should be visual harmony.
Where to find great images
Free image sources
- Unsplash — High-quality, artistic photos
- Pexels — Diverse visuals with a modern vibe
- Pixabay — Includes illustrations and vectors
- Gratisography — Quirky, weird, scroll-stopping photos
Design tools
- Canva — Great for adding text overlays or simple design
- Figma — Ideal for UI-like layouts
- Adobe Express — Clean templates, easy to use
Take your own
A candid photo you took on your phone, slightly edited, is often more compelling than any stock image. It feels raw, human, and authentic.
AI!
We now have powerful AI image generation tools like GPT-4o — take full them advantage of them to create your featured image.
Now you can create unique images with never-before-seen visuals tailored to your exact article topic in whatever artistic style you desire.
The possibilities are endless with AI, but make sure your image isn’t so flashy that it makes your writing seem underwhelming in comparison.