WRITING | WRITING ON MEDIUM

I Had A Medium Boost — And It’s Not What I Expected

Surprises all the way

Image by Pixabay (Pexels.com)

I’ve heard all sorts of rumours and speculations, but the actual Boost was something mysterious and yet to be experienced. Come Chinese New Year and the Dragon gifted me the said Boost. Jumping with cheer and joy I expected incredible views and significant earning increases. Yet, it was something entirely different.

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First things first. Like many, I always wondered how does one get a Boost?.. Or more like how do we know our article was boosted?

It’s quite normal to see high engagement and wonder — is this it?! I’ve seen plenty of people on Discord debating if an article got boosted — because it had incredible applause, comments and readership…

Turns out, that’s all you! Maybe your topic did well or you nailed your timing and/or tags. If an article took off, but there was no prior notice from Medium, you did your job as a writer. But if it gets boosted, you will get notified.

Screenshot by the author

So, turns out there’s no way to get boosted and not know about it!.. One thing is out of the way.

Now, what does a boost do?

✅ Boosted stories are shown to a wider audience

✅ We get more engagement — claps and responses

✅ Boosted stories also earn more

Yaaaaaay! — I thought to myself. How amazing is that?!

What it takes to get boosted

I technically know the requirements — we all do — but it hits differently when you receive that mysterious Boost!..

So, the articles have to be:

✅ Constructive and well-written: good quality writing, tidy formatting, etc.

✅ Original: interesting/unique/personal point of view

✅ Memorable

Here’s a great article about the Boost programme, how booster people work and what it takes to get boosted:

The “Thirty over Fifty” Editor is a Nominator for the Boost Program

So, overall, I was really happy with myself and my article! The piece I wrote was also dear to me because it’s about a culture I love. It seems only appropriate that the first-ever Boost I received would be for something Asia-related (looking at those who don’t approve of my nicheless ways of writing!..).

Here’s my article:

Are Non-Asian People Okay to Celebrate Chinese New Year?

So, of course, I was extremely excited about the article and engagement it received / will receive… And was looking forward to all the positive effects it will bring me. Naturally, I anticipated it would cascade and other articles would get positive exposure too!..

What I didn’t expect was negative reactions, spammers, bounce rates, etc. Remember that green list earlier?.. Well…

This is what actually happened:

✅ Sure, I got great views on the article. But it seems some people didn’t agree with me. So, my engagement metrics didn’t increase that much.

✅ I got more financial gain in comparison to non-boosted articles.

But…

❌ My bounce rate skyrocketed — people who didn’t agree with me dropped the article, reducing my read ratio.

❌ Some people left insulting comments and I had a lot of spam that needed to be reported and removed.

❌ People who didn’t like my article went on to read other works and left negative comments on other articles as well.

❌ I had some negative messages on social media too (learn how to write, get a niche…)

All jokes aside, I think I was better off without receiving the said mysterious boost. Of course, it’s a blessing and perhaps I was unlucky — that particular article probably triggered some people. However, I have several articles that did better without a boost — I had more engagement, positive emotions and a great encouragement to keep on writing.

Not all is gold that shines like it. But I suppose there are lessons in this too:

✅ Not everyone will like what we write. Either accept it or don’t write at all. What we can’t do is tailor to everyone’s needs and tastes.

✅ People might like what we write, but they might not appreciate how we do it. Personal style is a thing and if mine sounds too much or too little?.. I don’t think I should apologise for that.

✅ People are not kind. If I don’t like an article, I just leave. Why would I want to pick a bone with a writer who spent their time and considerable effort crafting it? An enriching discussion is one, being rude is another.

✅ Community is incredibly important. I felt how much support my writer friends offered me — I got advice, and some people jumped to report spam and fight negative comments (thank you!). It only serves to prove that we are all in this together.

✅ Last, but not least… We are more than our writing. We are more than just the writer. And in a way, as much as it’s our essence, we are a separate being. If someone doesn’t like or approve of our writing, don’t take it personally. When it started pouring, I physically took a blow. It took me a few minutes to process it and take a step back. It’s fine. It’s part of the process. Perhaps this is also a conversation — they’re engaging, after all…

So, my dear Medium writers… A Boost is great. But it might not be what we expect!.. So, let’s write and enjoy the process. If we’re graced by the Medium gods — perfect… but if not, maybe we’re avoiding trouble?..

Boost or no Boost — keep on going, keep on writing! It’s an incredible experience, a learning journey and a way to share with the community.

I’m rooting for you!

My scribbles dive into a variety of topics. Yet whether I scribble fantasy or horror, highly opinionated or research-driven pieces, I hope it leaves you with something to ponder: makes you feel better (or worse?..), strikes an inner monologue (hopefully, voiced out in the comments!) or simply gives you something to chew on, inspiring to keep the creative ball rolling.

Thank you for reading!