Head to head
Hed Press vs Medium
Medium leads the BLP Index (63 vs 61). Medium has more raw reach. Hed Press is fairer for founders without a network. Medium scores higher on AI visibility.
| Dimension | Hed Press | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| BLP Index | 61 | 63 |
| Rank | #41 | #35 |
| Type | Directories | Communities |
| Cycle | ongoing | ongoing |
| Listing cost | Free reciprocal or free nofollow, one each per project | Free to publish |
| Audience | Makers with a product that can be named in the first lines | People reading essays in tech, startups, and design tags |
| Traffic | Editorial URL, not a hunter room. Do not forecast signups from it. | Tag and follower distribution; highly skewed |
| Backlink | Dofollow on the reciprocal free plan and the $29 plan. One in-sentence product link. A separate free plan is not followed | nofollow is common — Medium is reach, not SEO juice |
| Reach | 32 | 64 |
| Intent | 58 | 58 |
| Fairness | 84 | 66 |
| Evergreen | 72 | 70 |
| AI visibility | 54 | 60 |
| Ease | 86 | 62 |
Hed Press
Hed Press writes a product story that opens on the point, then places one contextual link in the article. Free reciprocal and $29 are dofollow. Stated domain rating is 0.
Hed Press is the opener desk in this set. The first lines are supposed to say who the product is, what it does, and who it is for, before a reader has to scroll. The rest of the page earns that opening. It is a permanent story on hedpress.com, not a row in a catalog.
Full Hed Press guideMedium
Medium still distributes essays to people who read. A launch post can ride tags and publications. It is not a hunt. The canonical recap often belongs on your own domain first.
Medium is a publishing platform with remaining distribution. A clear build story, numbered lessons, or a recap with real numbers can find readers. A link-only ‘we launched’ post dies.
Full Medium guide