386 Responses, 4K Claps, 5K Views— Here’s What You Can Learn From My Most Engaging Story On Medium
How did that happen?
I was looking through one of my old stories on Medium. It has gotten over 386 responses, 4K Claps, and almost 5K views.
I was surprised to see this engagement in my story.
However, there is a catch: I had asked people to respond to the story if they wanted to reach 100 followers on Medium.
About the story
The story is for newbie writers who want to reach the minimum threshold of 100 followers. The achievement would make them eligible for the Medium Partner Program and start earning money on this platform.
When I struggled to gain followers a few months ago, I experimented with different strategies to increase my follower count.
I found two methods to be the most effective through my experimentation. So, in that story, I wrote about the two ways to reach 100 followers on Medium.
And at the end of the story, I asked people to respond and talk about their journey to 100. Further, I also told them to link to their best story.
What people are responding
I went through the responses and saw that people had found my methods to be effective.
Most people in the response did what I had asked them. They shared their journey to reaching 100 followers and also linked to their story.
In addition to that, people have been thanking me for sharing my methods.
Some are using the follow-for-follow strategy too.
On the other hand, some people are confused regarding my message in the story. I had shared my experience of the time when an author followed me back because I responded to his story. So, people think that I promised the same.
I am not a fan of the follow-for-follow method. It doesn’t make sense to me. You follow someone because you like their work, or they inspire you.
Focus on creating valuable work. Then, your follower count will grow.
I have never asked anyone to follow me back just because I followed them. Instead, I usually say, “Here’s the link to my best story. Please follow me if you like my work and find value in it.”
Lessons learned
Below are some of the lessons I learned by writing my most engaging Medium story. I hope these will help you write one too.
1. Write something helpful and valuable.
Your story has to provide value. People have problems in life, and they want solutions. If you can give them something helpful, they will appreciate it.
Try to write something that helps others. It is better to find a common problem. But how do you do that?
I do two things. First, I check the responses to other stories. What are people saying? Are they seeking a solution of some kind? I’ll find something and write about it.
Second, I analyze my own experience. What problems am I facing? How did I come up with a solution?
2. The title and subtitle must be intriguing.
I am not an expert in writing the best title and subtitle, but I have seen that having intriguing titles do make your stories stand out.
It has happened in many of my popular stories.
Your title should connect with people. It should make them want to click on your story.
For example, the title of my story is “The Only Two Things You Need To Do To Get Your First 100 Followers.” And the subtitle is “Warning: 100 followers guaranteed.” Here’s why I think these titles worked:
- It makes people want to know what the “two things” are.
- New writers are struggling to get their first 100 followers. So, they want to try everything.
- The line “you need to do” says that you will get more followers if you do it.
- The subtitle says that you will get 100 followers guaranteed if you read this story. The reader has no choice but to click on it because they really want the followers.
Below are some of my other popular articles. I believe the titles have a significant role to play in them too.
3. Create a win-win situation.
I asked the readers to respond to my story if they wanted 100 followers. Other people will see their responses, and they will probably click on the link to their story or maybe their profile.
This strategy made my story engaging. In a way, the response section became a community of writers with under 100 followers.
So, the writers gained followers, and I got myself an engaging story. That’s a win-win for both.
4. Share your experience.
You can’t expect people to trust you if you tell them to do something you haven’t done yourself.
I wrote my story immediately after I got 100 followers. At the time of writing, I had around 150 followers.
Imagine if I had written the story about getting 100 followers, and I had only 80 followers. Would you trust me or my methods? Of course not.
It is crucial to share your experience and lessons in your stories. However, don’t make your story entirely about yourself. Like I said in the first point, write something that helps people.
Final thought
Writing an engaging story takes time. You can plan and write your best story, but you might not get the expected views, claps, and responses.
My intention in writing the story was never to get 386 responses. I asked people to respond not because I wanted more reactions to my story. No. I did it because that method worked for me to gain 100 followers. So, I wanted them to achieve it too.
Remember, the only thing you can control is writing your best story. But the response you get is not up to you.
If you ask the viral authors how they wrote such stories, I am sure most of them will tell you that they never planned it. It just happened because they maintained a consistent writing habit.
I hope my story was helpful to you. Thanks for reading.
If you like my work, please buy me a Ko-fi as I am currently unable to earn from Medium.
Also, check out my eBook How to Build Side Hustles & Make Money Online.
