The truth about article views on Medium.
As told by a guy that doesn’t have 50k followers.
You know, instead of this 10 step algorithm that people with large followings write like, “How I reached my first 10k followers on medium, and how you can too”, or “How I got 10k views on an article in 12 days”, why don’t we just start being flat-out honest here. About a month ago I had a post about the fact that it’s okay to be single. The post hit about 4k views. If I’m being transparent, I don’t even believe that was my best writing. After seeing yet another post about “how to hit 10k views” on here this morning, I decided to share with everyone, especially the new writers out there that are actually trying to build a follower/reader base, some thoughts on the subject. Also, to preface this entire thing I shoud add that I really don’t have many followers myself, but after that post about a month ago, I did get an influx that has contributed to a steady follower/reader every day.
Summarizing what the person with 50k followers is going to tell you about how to build a following:
- create an email subscriber list and attach it to the end of your articles
This would be great, if you were like them and had 50k followers… It’s fine if you want to do this right off the bat, but don’t count on any serious influx of “subscribing” for a looonnngggg time. Off of my post that saw 4k views, 2 people signed up their email. It’s a start, but if you’re looking for some “how to” on improving your follower base immediately, it’s not what you’re looking for right now.
My advice — focus on getting followers right now (I’ll tell you what I think is effective later) instead of subscribers. Chances are, you aren’t even ready to put out any exclusive content if someone does subscribe any way. Once you get a steady build of followers, your posts will begin to see more traffic each time. In my opinion, this is when you can plan for exclusive content and create a subscriber list.
- write for a publication
Easier said than done. Like my first point, this would be great if you already had the followers. Publications generally like to see that you have some followers and recommendations. This is obvious because they also want to ensure traffic is being brought to their publication.
My advice — this is probably one of the better advice points you’ll receive from the 50k follower. To do this though, you have to be scrappy. If you find a publication on medium that you think produces your niche, send them a writer submission through email. You can usually find their email at the top of the publication page. If it’s a large publication, they may take a while to get back to you, or they may never get back to you. That doesn’t mean to stop asking them, though. Obviously don’t spam them daily, but check back in a few weeks and send them a different article you’ve produced that may fit better than the first one you sent them.
- bring your first followers from outside
Meaning — post to your social media and get support from your family and friends before depending on building followers on medium itself. These people will most likely share your articles too, which ultimately expands it to their friends and family as well.
My advice — I agree with this point as well. I typically share every article I publish on Facebook and Twitter. I’ve actually found that authors with followings will find you on Twitter and actually share your stuff. How cool is that? It’s one of the great parts about following a passion that includes writing — we’re all in this together. Of most of my articles thus far, Facebook has generated the most reads (I know this because the stats tool is really cool). Hopefully that changes eventually, though, as I would like to reach more people I don’t know in the actual Medium community.
- generate catchy headlines
This is another piece of advice from the 50k follower that I think is undeserving of the attention it gets. Personally, I write because I like to, and because I want to influence people in positive ways. So, maybe I’m a bit biased here, but I personally do not think you need to spend an hour on a headline. Otherwise, you’re going to produce some click-bait title that doesn’t have the content to back it up and results in a loss of credibility.
My advice — I get it, the 50k follower will tell you I’m all wrong, but I think it’s really as simple as just believing in your title and rolling with it. I have a title named “Choosing Happiness” with a subtitle along with it, “One day at a time”. Type that into one of those headline tools that the 50k follower will tell you to use, and the result will tell you that it’s a fairly weak headline that lacks the appropriate “power” words or whatever (actually, “happiness” is a power word). If you want to use one of these tools, more power to you. I’m just letting you know from personal experience, the headlines will not bring more readers if you have no followers. Again, you have to remember that the 50k follower is telling you their “headline strategy” works, without recognizing why it works (more about the following, less about the words in the headline).
- produce consistent, quality content
This one is a bit obvious and one that I feel I don’t need to spend much time on. My goal when I first started was to put out 2 articles per week. I really haven’t deviated from that much. You can’t exercise any of this advice if you aren’t writing anything.
My advice — If you’re like me and have always wanted to start writing articles, avoid starting too fast. Without exercising that writing muscle, you probably won’t be as sharp at first and if you choose to post every day, you’ll most likely spend less time on the quality and more time on the quantity. That’s a dangerous approach if you’re just beginning and you want to write for a publication, grow a following, etc. The 50k follower can write every day, because people will read it. You and I have to stay scrappy and keep producing top-notch stuff. I’m basically in the midst of writing an article that would probably go viral if I had a huge following. Nature of the beast.
- write what people want to read
Remember, the 50k follower is telling you what works for them if you’re trying to write an article that gets a ton of views. They’re kidding themselves though if they tell you that they are literally using a google search tool to see what people are searching and then are only writing about that stuff. They could be using a tool like that, of course, but they’re also searching within their realm of expertise. They are writing about the things that they feel they can give honest contribution. Whether they have a PhD, knowledge in a specific area, or are passionate about something specific, they aren’t completely catering to a specific subject because it got a lot of google hits. Like really? Someone writing self-help tips isn’t going to abandon their niche and randomly write about the superbowl because it’s what’s being searched. A disclaimer: some people do write about topics that are assigned to them, usually for pay.
My advice — This is another energy-waster. One of the things I’ve never done is use a google tool to see what people were searching for in an attempt to manipulate internet traffic, and I still received 4k views on an article.
- comment on popular posts with good insight
I don’t think I’ve gotten any actual followers from doing this, but there is nothing wrong with networking with other writers. I’ve had some good conversation threads that have come from quality posts with big followings. One thing you will do if you provide some additional insight — you may intrigue someone to check out your profile at the very least and look at some of the articles you’ve previously posted.
My advice — the same. I don’t necessarily do this in hopes of gaining followers, but instead meeting people with different perspectives on a similar subject. Personally, I think it helps me expand my horizons and allows me to become a better writer.
Summarizing my own advice on how to build a following:
Be scrappy. That’s the biggest piece of advice I can give. Starting out, you’re going to have posts that get like 7 reads. That’s okay. Growing a readerbase is not going to happen over night by any means.
Be persistent with publications. Again, as I stated earlier, they might not even respond to you when you send that email. Don’t quit. Continue writing great content, like you already know how, and someone will eventually enjoy an article and accept you as a writer. You’ll then be able to start submitting articles to the publication and you’ll start to see more reads and follows.
Don’t give up. If you have a passion for writing in a particular area, then keep doing it. The process is just that, a process. I’m in the same boat, but I believe that if I continue putting out quality content, people will keep seeing it and I’ll be able to influence or encourage more people.
Enjoy the ride. Seriously. If you find yourself unfulfilled because you aren’t gaining followers in the capacity that you would like, then maybe writing for a following isn’t for you. Enjoy what you do. I personally believe that if you’re only doing this for followers then you’ll ultimately be disappointed in the end. I like putting out articles and seeing that 100 people read it, but not because I’m depending on that number growing. I like it because maybe it means that 100 people are having a better day today because of reading it. I like to share and if it can benefit others, why keep it to myself?
My conclusion. I wanted to write about this because I remember seeing a lot of these “advice on how to build followers” articles even before I made my first post. My article received traffic and 4k views, but it wasn’t because of a great headline or guest post or a publication. This post was not meant to knock the advice of the 50k follower, as they can offer a plethora of good advice. They’ve most likely already put in the work and probably can’t always remember what the early days in their writing were like. How I got 4k views on my article? Medium randomly posted it on their home page under the tab, “Humans”. Just keep writing and don’t give up. If you stick to consistency and quality, you will be accepted into a publication and you will begin filtering more people into reading your stuff. Make a committment early, though. If you don’t, you may become discouraged and decide that it’s not worth your time. Just remember, we’re in this together!
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