1k Followers Do Not Guarantee You Success On Medium
When I first joined Medium, I saw the writers with high numbers of followers as the cool guys. They must be doing something right. I wanted to be like that. Then I started writing actively and realized this was misleading.
I have discovered that most writers on Medium with many followers do not enjoy the same high level of interactivity. You can see someone with 3k followers having only 100 claps and 1 comment on a post.
A lot of writers are sucked into the game of gaining followers and then they end up soliciting for claps. They do 100-days writing challenge, daily writing challenge to publicize themselves, then they encourage other writers to do the same because it is working.
Quality vs Quantity
It works. Yes. A 100-day challenge or 30-days daily writing can get you in front of a ton of persons, but is that the kind of writer you want to be? A writer with just followers, no voice? Who remembers you? Who mentions you or something you have written? How many persons can honestly say your writing has touched them, challenged or inspired them? Do you get any feedback?
That’s not the kind of writer I want to be. A writer who is just churning out words. I want to be a writer with a message. A well-crafted, thought-of message. If you are just after the followers, then you should invest in Facebook. Medium is not the place for you.
There are only 2 things to consider when writing
Write for yourself
When you write for yourself, you write just the way you want without thinking about what it looks like, what it sounds like, who is going to like it and who isn’t. When you write for yourself, your work isn’t diluted and this is what makes it unique; different from every other work people had seen before. You bring a fresh perspective to that work. It is refreshing to see someone write from their heart. Someone who isn’t copying or trying to blend in and I admire writers like Kris Gage for that.
Write for your audience
You can’t write for everyone no matter how you try. You just can’t. Some people don’t need the information you are passing along and some are just not interested. Amongst those interested, their interests are at varying degrees. Some need it like their life depends on it and some just skim through checking to see if they can find anything new, memorable or inspiring.
Your first focus should be on those who really need the information you are sharing. Who are they? How will this message be beneficial to them? What is the best way to send this message across besides writing? With drawings, illustrations, charts, images, polls or a combination of all? Having all this in mind will help you narrow down your writing and you get straight to the point in time.
When your writing is valuable, you don’t look for followers, responses, private notes, and claps.
Jessica Semaan shares her experience on Medium and on gaining followers. It’s very insightful. You can read it here
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