Why does the 100 followers Challenge fall flat?
New Writers, we have a better idea.
Disclaimer- This article is largely based on my own opinions (as most of my posts are). If you are among those who support that challenge, it’s okay, I still love y’all. Please read ahead anyway ♥️
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you’re new, I’ll explain briefly. 100 followers challenge (or Follow for Follow) is a challenge where you publish posts or comments asking other writers on Medium to follow you, with the promise of giving them a follow back. Simple.
When I joined Medium, it was everywhere. My feed was filled with posts like ‘How to get 100 followers in 24 hours', ‘I got 500 followers in a month of joining, so you can do too,’ etc.
It was a nice idea on paper. I too was enamoured by the way it could increase your following very quickly, especially if you’re new to the platform. When we check our page to see 0 followers, c’mon, who wouldn’t be tempted?
I hate to admit that my follower count hit 100 on the same week I joined the platform mainly because of my post about this challenge, which was more or less a very active trend when I joined. Everyone was doing that and I kind of jumped on the bandwagon as well. It felt good to see people following you left and right — the motivation to log back in during that time was immense.
It was a low-hanging fruit. That was the only pro about the whole trend.
I realized it soon enough. The time I seriously started writing, I realized that even though I had more than 100 followers in hand, not many were reading my works. Even the view count was too low with regard to the number of followers who will definitely chance upon my posts somehow.
That is when I realized that the mission of that trend was just to hit the ‘100’ mark for Medium’s partnership program which was anyways useless to me because I live in India. Well, maybe I knew this was all for MPP, but is it my fault that I wanted to also cultivate a loyal readership through that easy way? It is?
Oh dang!
Anyways, I understood the mistake I made and stopped commenting follow for follow under similar posts of this kind.
The main challenge on this platform though is increasing readership engagement. You are here to show your writing skills to the world rather than to earn money, right? (Oh well, both? Fine! I’m not at all jealous, ok? Lol.)
Still, apart from having a large number of followers, we want people to actually read, respond to and support our stories, don’t we? And that’s more important than the bucks. You can’t change my mind. :P
If you are new to this platform, you might want to be popular enough before you put your maximum effort into your writing. It is reasonable to think that way. That is the main reason some of us go the follow-for-follow route. I know I did. But I kid you not, the writers who actually read and support my writing are my friends I made on this platform after I
- started concentrating on the quality of my work
- took time to read stories of fellow writers, and
- made the effort to give appreciation and feedback
That is how you do it. Honest appreciation given out always finds its way back to you in some way or the other. That is what I was taught in an early phase of my life and it still holds true.
Self-publishing is great once you have found a foothold within the platform. Finding the apt publication(s) that would accept and publish your stories to their audience is the first step towards finding your own loyal Medium kin.
Now, wondering where to start with?
That’s where Reciprocal comes in.
(WOW.. does this have a sponsored ad/brand deal energy? I assure you, this is not sponsored, lol.)
This new pub is everything you need if you would like to be a part of that amazing bunch of Medium writers who support fellow writers through claps, comments, and highlights.
This wholesome publication is spearheaded by Sahil Patel who is happy to have all of you on board with your skills in writing and supporting (both are very important on Medium, in case you didn’t know :P).
The publication requires members who are ready to actively provide support to other Medium writers and also work towards the collective upliftment of the pub and its contributors.
Reciprocity, my dear fellas. That’s it. That is how we all thrive in a platform full of readers and writers.
If you are interested, check out the submission guidelines to this pub in the article below. (Don’t worry, there are no stringent rules that could scare you away.)
More than seeing your follower count increase (which is good, I won’t deny), what actually warms our hearts are seeing fellow writers clap, comment, and/or highlight your articles. We feel loved, seen, and heard.
The claps and comments on my posts by my wonderful Medium friends have the power to make my day and I want that for all of you. The highlights on my articles tell me what my lovely readers liked or resonated with the most.
Consistent quality posts would definitely ensure your success on this platform. Pubs like Reciprocal, New Writers Welcome, Evolve, Coffee Times, etc. provide you with the platform for you to find your foundation.
If you are interested in joining Reciprocal, all you have to do is ask to be added to the pub under the guideline post. And once you’re added, be the awesome human you are — write away, and in addition, be the support system that you’d like to have for your own stories.
What you give out will come back to you as well. Haven’t we all heard similar versions of this moral?
Let’s join hands in this wholesome venture by Sahil.
If you’re interested, please check out these amazing writers who also write for Reciprocal:
Josephine Crispin talks about how online writing introduced her to the issue of self-promotion and how it is a necessary evil for thriving in such platforms.
June Kirri talks about her frustration on finding obnoxious clickbait articles and through an apt comparison between Facebook and Medium, she points out the sheer amount of articles posing as saviors, misguiding (baiting)their readers — promising them unrealistic achievements or giving out misinformation packed with overconfidence.
As I’m writing this, Sahil has called for a Facebook group for Reciprocal. Please check it out and join the group if you’re interested.
I invite some of my amazing friends to check this pub out.
TzeLin Sam Megan Llorente Kannan Natesan Natasha Nichole Lake Kaleb Shumway Nikanshika Maddisson CZ Julian Cosky
That’s all for now. Looking forward to your wonderful writing.
Love.
Would you please consider buying me a coffee? Thank you so much. As an Indian national deprived of her MPP rights, this gesture of yours means a lot!
