What I Learned From My First 3 Weeks On Medium
— You can succeed if you have these 2 key ingredients
“Where has Medium been all my life?”
I’ve just started on Medium, and to be honest, I’m blown away by it all. It’s such a lively platform — never a dull moment.
It’s amazing! What an opportunity for anyone who wants to give their writing a go. I mean — talk about, something for everyone in the family.
I’m clearly in the honeymoon stage of my Medium experience. I’m loving it. I think everyone needs to become a writer!
No really — it’s just my gratitude bubbling over as I found what I was looking for, and we all know how good that feels — when you finally find something that fits.
Illumination published my first post last week and what a happy day that was. Just seeing my post sitting there in their publication made me smile.
I didn’t get 10K views or anything like that, but I certainly didn’t expect to either. I was just grateful for what happened with that post and how my efforts were rewarded.
Now I’m ready to learn how to be a great writer.
But, how do I become a great writer on Medium?
Medium says we are not meant to make outlandish claims, but after my 3 weeks on the platform, I think I can back up my claims with evidence. Bear with me as I explain…
When I started, I had no big expectations, I was just looking for a platform that I could write on. I signed up last October but just read occasional posts.
But this time, I decided to really give it a go. I started by observing what seemed to be getting the most attention — basically what was showing up in my feed and what I found on YouTube.
As it transpires, the following names kept showing up again and again: Tim Denning, Zulie Rane, and Ayodeji Awosika. So, I took a peek.
They are all doing really well on the platform, but what’s their secret?
I believe their success comes down to 2 key ingredients:
- Consistency
- Humility
All three of these writers are genuinely interested in helping others — they have a good manner, they are likable, and they show up consistently with interesting and engaging posts for their readers.
I don’t think everyone can be a great writer, some have more of a gift than others, but I believe, the visibility these writers are getting comes down to something more than just writing.
Zulie Rane has 18K followers
Ayodeji Awosika has 82K followers
Tim Denning has 147K followers
Everyone says, don’t look at how many followers you have, and just enjoy your writing. I agree as I didn’t come to Medium to get millions of followers, but you can’t deny that it is an interesting case study.
I’m interested in human behavior and I love to see how people go for what they want in life and get it — to pursue their dreams and aim to reach their fullest potential.
They have something that we probably all have, but somehow, they’ve managed to get in touch with it, activate it, and release it. That is admirable and something worth studying.
They are good writers, and I love reading their work, but there are other good writers out there that are hidden in the background, so what is it that Tim Denning, Ayodeji Awosika, and Zulie Rane have that others are still trying to figure out?
Some of the more experienced writers on Medium are not getting the same level of success, so clearly, it doesn’t just come down to being an excellent writer, although there has to be a level of quality and style to meet Medium’s requirements.
So let’s take a closer look at the 2 key ingredients I mentioned above:
1. Consistency
Tim Denning shows up every day. When I log in to Medium, I can be sure that Tim Denning has published something and something worth reading. Is he my style? — I don’t know, but somehow he’s managed to draw me in and now I’m hooked on reading his posts.
Did I follow him because everyone else did?, maybe, it’s hard to tell now because he managed to create a curiosity in me, and maybe with a mix of different techniques, I was drawn in to read one article after another which then led me to want to learn more about him and his background.
I think it’s all good. What’s there to criticize? Nothing.
Since I started for real on Medium — a whole 3 weeks ago, Tim Denning just keeps showing up and keeps delivering excellent content that’s interesting and engaging (especially for a newbie like me).
I now love his style. Yes— how he puts it all together like a beautiful piece of art. I really like it, and you know, this is a good time for me to write my observations down while I’m still new and have many more authors to get to know, but Tim Denning has shown me the beautiful art of writing and what you can do with it.
And this is my key point — ‘and what you can do with it,’ because what I’m trying to say here, is that success on Medium doesn’t just come down to good writing (sorry, writers). There’s a lot more to it.
The readers are the ones making the choices, so if we want to succeed here on Medium — we are going to have to take a large slice of humble pie and get to work.
Tim Denning said in an interview with Todd Brison that he’s still working on his craft, as the more seasoned writers, who write in publications like Human Parts, don’t need to attract the reader in, in the same way as a nonprofessional writer does — with dazzling headlines, cool images, and jaw-dropping first paragraphs.
After all, if you’re like me, and you have no big following to bring with you, you pretty much have to do the groundwork first to create visibility.
Good writing will always be good writing but without the consistency of showing up every day and putting yourself out there…
- You won’t get seen
- You will lose your skill
Whether you’re a good writer or a bad one, you’ll never know unless you get up every day and write something and then have the guts to put it out there. And if you don’t write regularly, your writing won’t improve.
The advice I’ve heard from all the successful writers on Medium is to write often — every day if you can, or at least 2–3 times a week and that means publishing them too! Not just leaving them half-finished in your draft box.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines consistency as:
‘The quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way.’
Human beings like consistency. It feels comfortable and secure — that’s why children love and need routine as it makes them feel safe.
That feeling never goes away. Yes, we grow up, but within us, we still like something to be consistent in our lives, even if that’s waking up in the morning to your favorite author who has written, yet another amazing post!
And this brings me to my next point. The reason I think Tim, Zulie, and Ayodaji are doing so well on Medium is that they also have the golden virtue — humility.
“The X-factor of great leadership is not personality, it is humility.” — Jim C. Collins
2. Humility
They are leaders.
If you have a large following that = LEADER.
This ingredient for success doesn’t fit well with those of us who want to be an overnight success. The ego is always thinking about the self, but it needs to be put in its rightful place if we want true success as writers on Medium.
If it hasn’t sunk in yet, here’s what I’ve been hearing over and over again in the last 3 weeks on Medium — It’s not about YOU!
We write for the readers — full stop (period).
The secret is to add value through your content, but value varies from person to person. It depends on the reader’s needs or curiosity.
I’m reading things on Medium I hadn’t planned on reading but because they were well presented with a curiosity gap — I read the articles and enjoyed them.
So you must add value.
All the great artists, inventors, and world-class leaders had to show up every day and consistently produce piece after piece to master their craft.
They may not have received accolades, praises, or gifts. Mostly they were working alone in some room, office, or shed, day after day, week after week honing their craft. They certainly didn’t wake up one morning and be famous painters, writers, sculptors, leaders, etc. It didn’t just happen.
This is why there's no such thing as an overnight success.
The hard grafting humbles us. When you try to do something difficult and challenging, it’s humbling because we realize that although these guys make it look easy — in fact, it was most likely a long, hard, lonely grind.
Let’s not assume because they make it look easy that a price was not paid. We have artists because they paid the price, for us — they made sacrifices.
And, I’m under no illusion that my writing will take off like wildfire in the next few months. No, I can see what it takes and I’m choosing to stay with it for the long haul, because like Tim Denning, Ayodeji Awosika, Zulie Rane, Claude Monet, James Joyce, Nicole Kidman, David Bowie.. to name just a few.. I want to experience the joy of mastering my craft, and actually — I’m sort of glad it takes time to develop it, because, quite frankly, the superficial get rich quick schemes make me feel weary and uninspired.
Give me the slow road any day.
But, don’t just believe me, research shows that humility may be the missing ingredient to your success:
“As Entrepreneur recently pointed out, a study conducted by the University of Washington Foster School of Business found that “humble people tend to make the most effective leaders and are more likely to be high performers in both individual and team settings.”
Humility is often mistaken for low self-esteem.
In reality, humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking less about yourself. Genuine humility is a study in perceptiveness, self-awareness and kindness and makes people more candid, compassionate and charitable. Humble leaders are honest about both their strengths and limitations. They are confident without being conceited; open-minded without being obstinate; and supportive without being submissive.
Entrepreneur Europe, The Missing Ingredient to Your Success, 2015
Another study found that humility offers a “competitive advantage.”
Scientific inquiry into the power and effectiveness of humility in the workplace has shown that it offers a significant “competitive advantage” to leaders.
According to a study from the University of Washington Foster School of Business, humble people tend to make the most effective leaders (that’s right, the most) and are more likely to be high performers in both individual and team settings, according to associate professor Michael Johnson.
Unsurprisingly, researchers found that employees who rated their managers as humble reported feeling more engaged and less likely to quit. They also reported being more committed to a leader’s vision, and more trusting and receptive to their ideas.
“Our study suggests that a ‘quieter’ leadership approach — listening, being transparent, aware of your limitations and appreciating co-workers strengths and contributions, is an effective way to engage employees,”
Entrepreneur Europe, Turns Out, Humility Offers Competitive Advantage. by Zachary Feder and Khatera Sahibzada, 2014
So what can we take away? You too can succeed on Medium if you work on these key skills — consistency and humility.
And no matter what level your writing is at, at this point, it can get better if you stay with it, and give the readers a good reading experience that adds value.
Take the advice of the three who are living proof that it’s possible, and on top of that, they are extremely generous with sharing their secrets to success — because they know, that what you give for free, comes back in abundance.
Read for yourself — I’ve added 3 of their popular stories that will transform your way of thinking and help you on your journey.
I’m new on Medium, but to have teachers on the platform who are willing to help me is such a blessing.
Before I go, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Tim Denning:
“Chase moments that send chills down your spine.”
Read his story of how he completely changed his life in a year. It got 18.2K claps — that’s a lot of claps!
Ayodeji Awosika says ‘you attract what you are and not what you want.’ This is a great article which he published only yesterday. It’s powerful. If you can get your mind around this — it could change the whole direction of your life.
It’s about making a mindset shift which is something all three of these writers had to do in order to achieve the success they are enjoying today on Medium.
In this article, Ayodeji Awosika answers this question, ‘how do you bridge the gap between wanting something and getting it?’ In short, his answer is:
“You attract it by taking steps to become the type of person who gets said outcome.” — Ayodeji Awoskia
You should read this article as he goes into more detail to help you to understand exactly how to make this shift in your thinking and come to a place of knowing you deserve to have what you want. It’s about focusing on doing the things that bring about success and not chasing success itself.
He puts it this way:
“Don’t try to build an audience, focus on creating the best content possible.”
Ayodeji said he just focuses on the things he can control and leaves the rest to work itself out. Makes a lot of sense to me and a lot less stressful too.
And last, but not least, Zulie Rane wrote this great post that got 12.9K claps, ‘6 Habits of Deeply Miserable People.’ I think it’s a great headline. She clearly understands the cause of unhappiness in people’s lives. She sums it up beautifully where she writes that the clear signs that you are unhappy are:
“you overreact; you’re afraid to take risks; you refuse to admit fault; you look for reasons to worry; you hate the idea of changing; and you lack the ability to be grateful for anything, no matter how big or small.” — Zulie Rane
So if we show up consistently with quality content and a humble attitude, we should have no problem meeting our goals in becoming successful writers on Medium.
Now, all we have to do is…do it.
