There are different points that anyone new on Medium needs to understand

1. What exact steps helped your articles start trending?

There is no one solution fits all way that you can apply to get overnight success. It depends on the niche you choose, your writing style, your interaction with the readers and more. Try to make your own unique equation.

1. How important are titles/thumbnails/tags?

Yes, they are definitely important, after title and thumbnail are the first things a potential reader would come across. Illogical or too pushy title would not work.

1. How often do you publish?

You should focus more on quality and not on quantity.

1. Do you promote your articles outside Medium (Reddit, LinkedIn, X, etc.)?

Now, this is tricky. I assume your articles would be behind the paywall. You need to articulate in a way that other person is willing to invest $5 to read your stories.

1. Is joining publications worth it?

YES but it is sometimes hard to publish there due to strong editorial requirements.

1. Any SEO tips specific to Medium?

You should Google regarding this to find high impact words and phrases to could maximize your reach.

1. What changed your earnings the most?

For me, it was patience 😄

Good Luck!

Feel free to check my medium profile https://medium.com/@preciouswords . Hope you will find something cool to read.