A Follow for Follow, Commenting for Notoriety
I joined the medium community about a month ago, having little knowledge about the environment and how to thrive in it. With a few exceptions, I believe a lot more people, and maybe you, also found yourself in this situation, not knowing how to get the attention of readers, and share your insights, experiences, and ideologies with the rest of the world.
Whether you are in for monetary reasons, or to simply make the world see things from your perspective, or maybe even both, gaining that first 100 followers is always the first aim of any and every newbie on medium.
I am not going to bore you with the experience of how I garnered my first 100, but rather, how differently I would have approached the target if I were to start all over.
Following
“You scratch my back; I scratch your back.” — An African Proverb.
As a new member on medium hoping to make outreach, I believe strongly that your first action must be following as many people as possible because they in turn follow back. With the current limit of followings per day being 150, maximum efforts should be invested channeled towards following other members — people with huge numbers of followers, this will boost your content exposure. Look out for accounts that have been active for about a month — posted a story recently, as they are people more like to return the following.
Commenting
Taking a few minutes to read through a writer’s story or article, and making comments or suggestions that relate to the work is pivotal for any new member on medium as it shows your genuine interest in the piece of writing. Emphasis is laid on making comments that have something to do with the work. Writers wanting followers will simply write anything, which often appears pre-conceived, desperate, and vague. Efforts are appreciated by all, and with the “listen” feature on the platform, you can easily multitask. Always make sure to leave a comment, and as much as possible, avoid asking people for a follow.
Let us connect, vibe, and together build a community where all authors are celebrated, and every voice heard. Credits should be given to good writings, and contributions made to improve the ones that lack the touch of perfection.
