Mar 8, 2018
Three Surprising Things I Learned Writing Every Day on Medium
My own experience with growth hacking
I used to post to Medium once a week.
Sometimes I didn’t even do that.
Like you, I’m busy. At least I like to think I am. And everything I do feels important at the time.
I would have an incredibly long and impossible to complete to-do list every week.
Finally, I just got tired of trying to do it all.
I then sat down and decided that if I’m going to wear myself out to make it as a writer, I’ll just do what brings me the most reward — and forget the rest.
Three things have worked best so far:
- Being involved in writers groups on Facebook has been phenomenal. I loved it so much, I started my own group.
- Networking with other writers has opened doors of opportunity for me.
- Writing on Medium has helped me grow my email list more than anything else I’ve tried.
One of the most surprising things is Medium has allowed me to do three of the things I love most— build community, meet new people, and have some great conversations.
If you want to grow on any platform, you’ve got to have a tribe.
Let’s face it. It’s no fun to write and wonder whether anyone cares. Medium gives you a great chance to find out. The community here is awesome. To all of you who have interacted with my work — thank you!
I noticed that a few of my most successful friends on Medium do one thing — they post a lot. Even every day.
This week I decided I would do that, too.
Here’s what I learned in the first three days.
It’s not as hard as I thought it would be.
I’m a writer. So you would think I would love writing every day.
And I do.
The thing is I’ve gotten into the habit of writing epic, structured posts. Those take longer to write, so I’m not quite as eager to do that with my already jam-packed schedule.
So I decided to follow Dr. Gary Goodman’s advice and keep it simple using the rule of 3.
Here’s how he does it.
- Make a point.
- Give it 3 supports.
- Restate the point.
Presto, you’re done.
And you know what? It’s not hard to do that.
So armed with a workable strategy, I get up every day at 4 am and write.
I’d say, “You can, too.”
But if you want to wait until 5 am, go right ahead.
My engagement doubled in the first 3 days.
Yesterday, I had my best day ever in views on Medium.
This shocked me.
Every Monday my Facebook group has an event called the Medium Experiment. We all share our posts around 1 PM and then clap heartily for each other.
That creates a stir in the Medium ecosystem.
I credit that for raising my numbers to begin with.
And this week I shared two of my posts there.
What’s really shocking is that every day since Monday my stats have steadily climbed.
It may take a boost to get going. But once you start engaging with people, write every day to keep it going.
My email list has grown every day as well. So rather than have all my followers held hostage by Medium, I’ve been able to take them with me.
Write helpful posts and people will love them.
I was talking with a good friend last night and she said,
I just read your new stuff. Sheesh, how are you so helpful?
I love people.
Lots of them have helped me. One way they have is through interviews.
I’ve been doing interviews on my blog for over a year now. Last December I started doing them on video.
It all started when I took the Intentional Blog Course Jeff Goins offers.
In one lesson, he says,
If you want to connect with influencers, and be associated with them in people’s eyes, interview them.
I’m a extrovert at heart. So I said to myself,
Yeah, man. I can do that.
Then I did one. And another. And another.
It was like trying to eat one chocolate chip cookie or one Lay’s potato chip. You just can’t stop with one.
My original intent — in fact, it still is — is to help people become everyone’s favorite author. When I can give them tips to help make that happen, I feel like I’ve scaled Mount Everest and planted a flag.
And you want to know a cool byproduct of doing these interviews?
I’ve learned a ton of good stuff myself.
Some of the best has come after the camera goes off.
To all those who have helped me, thank you so much.
And to all who have watched or read these interviews, you rock!
Write as often as you can on Medium.
And above all, be helpful.
It always pays.
When you’re done, remember to invite your readers to follow you wherever you are.
Are you up to the challenge?
Your tribe is waiting to find you and hear from you.
Like what you just read? Clap heartily.
Want more tips to help you become everyone’s favorite author? Subscribe below and I’ll send you 3 eBooks to get you started!
Want to read some of the interviews I’ve done? You can find them at:
