How to Convert Medium Articles to Audio
Stop reading Medium — start listening to it
Medium is home to some of the most thoughtful long-form writing on the internet, but reading lengthy essays on a phone screen is rarely enjoyable. speakeasy lets you convert any Medium article URL into polished audio narrated by a natural AI voice. The extraction engine handles Medium's layout automatically, stripping out clutter and delivering only the article text to the synthesizer. Your converted articles live in your iCloud library, ready to play anytime, anywhere. This guide walks you through everything you need to know, from the basic setup to advanced tips that most users miss. Whether you're new to text-to-speech or looking to optimize your existing workflow, following these steps will help you get the most out of speakeasy and save significant time in the process.
Steps
Find the Medium article you want to hear
Browse Medium on your iPhone or Mac and open the article you want to convert.
Copy the article URL
Tap the share icon in Safari or copy the URL from the address bar. Medium article URLs follow the pattern medium.com/@author/article-title.
Paste into speakeasy
Open speakeasy and paste the URL. The app uses its Medium-specific extractor to pull clean article text, excluding headers, footers, and recommended articles.
Generate and play
Tap Convert to synthesize the audio, then press play. Long Medium posts are chunked and processed in parallel, so even lengthy pieces finish quickly.
Why this matters
Understanding how to convert medium articles to audio isn't just about following a checklist — it's about fundamentally changing how you consume content. Most people spend 2-3 hours daily reading articles, newsletters, and blog posts on their phones. Converting that reading time to listening time opens up hours of productivity you didn't know you had.
The process is simpler than you might think: Find the Medium article you want to hear → Copy the article URL → Paste into speakeasy. Once you've done it a few times, it becomes second nature, and you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. speakeasy handles the technical complexity behind the scenes, so you can focus on the content rather than the conversion process.
Common mistakes to avoid
When learning to convert medium articles to audio, there are a few pitfalls worth knowing about upfront. First, don't try to convert everything at once — start with a few articles you're genuinely interested in, and build your listening habit gradually. Second, make sure you're using the right voice and speed settings for the type of content you're converting.
Another common mistake is not taking advantage of speakeasy's iCloud sync. Your audio library syncs automatically between iPhone and Mac, which means you can queue articles on one device and listen on another. This is especially useful for articles you discover on your desktop but want to listen to during your commute.
Advanced tips for power users
Once you've mastered the basics, here are some ways to level up your workflow. Use the iOS share sheet to send articles directly from Safari, Twitter, or any other app to speakeasy — no need to copy-paste URLs. Set up a dedicated listening time each day, and queue articles the night before so your library is ready to go.
Experiment with different playback speeds for different content types: news articles work well at 1.5-2x, while technical or philosophical content benefits from 1.0-1.2x. You can also use speakeasy's voice preview feature to find the perfect voice for each type of content. Many power users maintain separate mental categories — a deep voice for serious analysis, a lighter voice for casual blog posts.
Getting the best results
The quality of your audio depends on several factors that are worth optimizing. speakeasy works best with well-structured articles that have clear paragraphs and headings. Most blog posts, newsletters, and news articles convert beautifully. Extremely visual content (infographics, charts-heavy pieces) may lose some context in audio form, but the text content still converts well.
For the best listening experience, use headphones or earbuds — the nuance in speakeasy's AI voices is more apparent with direct audio delivery. If you're listening through phone speakers, you might miss subtle intonation that makes the experience feel natural. Finally, don't forget to rate and organize articles in your library — this helps you build a personal audio archive you can revisit anytime.
Key takeaways
- The setup process takes less than a minute once you know the steps
- Start with content you're already interested in to build the listening habit
- Use iCloud sync to seamlessly move between iPhone and Mac
- Experiment with playback speed to find your optimal listening pace
- The iOS share sheet is the fastest way to convert articles
Tips
- Use the Share Sheet in Safari to send Medium articles to speakeasy without copying the URL manually
- Medium member-only articles require you to be logged in via the in-app browser for extraction to succeed
- Save the converted audio to your library so you can replay it later without using your article quota again
Frequently asked questions
Turn any article into natural-sounding audio. Paste a link, press play, and stay informed while you move.
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