1K Followers in 6 Months — Here’s What I Wish I Had Known Earlier
You’ll Be Amazed to Know That You Have the Wrong Strategy to Grow Here.
It’s been half a year since I started writing on Medium, beginning in December 2023, and today, I’m overjoyed to share a milestone: 1,000 followers.
I am from India and I don’t even earn from Medium because Medium does not provide a Medium Partner program in India. So, what kept me going?
Writing has been my passion since childhood. Medium, discovered through LinkedIn, felt like the perfect place — a community-driven platform where thoughts flow freely and voices are heard.
And I was right, Medium accepted me with open arms.
I am a Leo, and I am stubborn and hungry for success-these are my general traits. They reflected themselves when I started on Medium too.
I have learned a lot here, and there were some things I was stubborn about. I wish I had known earlier that they were wrong.
The Stubbornness To Not Engage
At first, I was stubborn about not chasing after unnecessarily engaging with others just to grow. I wanted my growth to be organic. I hoped readers would naturally find my content, just as I found theirs. But reality hit — I saw very little natural growth. I quickly realized that actively engaging with fellow writers and building a community was crucial to growing here.
No matter how perfect you are, the most difficult thing on Medium is to get yourself seen.
Quality Over Quantity v/s Quantity Over Quality
A common piece of advice I read in many stories was to publish frequently. Excited to share more as I was new to this platform and reading this advice frequently, I fell into the trap of sacrificing quality for quantity.
As a software engineer, time isn’t always on my side, so I could only manage one or two articles a week.
Consistency matters, I will never deny that. Taking breaks has always led to my fall. But forcing it compromises the heart of my work. I regret those rushed posts that lacked depth.
Are You a Copy Cat Too?
To be honest, I’m not a professional writer — just someone who loves poetry and journaling.
I do have loads of thoughts, but writers have an art of putting those thoughts into beautiful sentences charming to read. Not everyone can do that.
Writing beautifully isn’t my strong suit.
Initially, I tried to imitate successful writers, hoping for quick growth. But I learned that authenticity is more valuable than imitation.
You can never be proud of something you copied. I wanted to feel proud of myself, even if people did not like it. So, I started to be original.
This is what I am, like it or not, hehe!
Embracing my unique voice, flaws and all, became my mantra.
These are the only three points I could recall while writing this story. xD
I am proud of this story too, because it is straight from the heart, and is a reflection of my journey. It’s genuine, not made up to impress.
On a lighter note, to each of my 1,000 followers — thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Your decision to join me on this journey means everything, no matter for what reason you did so. I am sincerely grateful for your support and encouragement.
As a Leo, milestones like these fuel my passion for success.
And this is a never-ending journey to success with beautiful milestones in between and some ups and downs.
Here’s to celebrating each milestone forward and learning from every setback.
Thank you,
Mehak Adlakha
Thank you for reading!
I am from India, where no Medium Partner Program exists, so I cannot earn from Medium. If you enjoyed my content and want to support my passion for writing, consider buying me a coffee — ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee ☕.️
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