6 Reasons Why It Doesn’t Matter if Your Stories Have Zero Claps or Fans

Lessons from going viral

After two years of writing (somewhat consistently) on Medium, I had an article go viral for the first time. Within 72 hours of getting curated in three topics, it took off — careening across the internet and making appearances on the likes of Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, and YCombinator. Within a month it garnered nearly 200K views, 10K claps, and $6,000. In the meantime, I did what any writer would do — I kept writing.

Making a living from your words and writing stories with impact is what every writer wants. But going viral is a good reminder that you’re not here for the claps or cash. At least, you shouldn’t be. Allow me to explain.

For happiness and sanity, writers must write. Despite how excruciating putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) can sometimes be, not writing is even more painful. While I’m grateful to make a side income from writing, I’ve been doing it for free since I learned how. I have enough journals to fill a bookshelf, started blogging circa 2007, and I was rambling on Medium years before the Partner Program came about.

I’ve been writing for so long that I can’t remember when I started. If you’re reading this article, I’m sure you can relate. Deep down, you know that you’ll write for the rest of your life — regardless of if Medium were around.

That being said, “succeeding” here is not for the faint of heart. You have to be okay with investing hours of blood, sweat, and tears into a piece with zero perceptible response. And you have to be willing to subject yourself to such torture hundreds or thousands of times in a row.

But despite all the articles on how to “make it” on Medium, I’m confident that measuring your success through claps, fans, or Partner Program earnings is the wrong approach.

Here are six reasons why you’re not wasting your time, no matter what your results are so far. And why the stories you think no one is reading are just as valuable as your one-hit wonders. (PS: No one ever talks about the last one.)

1. You’re getting better at writing.

Every day in every way, you’re getting better and better. — Émile Coué

Without writing, you can’t make a living at it. And without writing a lot, it’s impossible to get better. At least, it’s unlikely you’ll unearth something that will resonate with hundreds of thousands of people.

But every time you publish something on Medium, you’re improving your skills. You’re learning how to craft articles people want to read, write good headlines, select eye-catching images, and promote and distribute your work. Throughout the process, you’re building an online portfolio while learning from other writers (and readers). All of this effort adds up over time and can result in exponential growth and unexpected results.

So even if you’ve published 100 articles that flopped, keep writing. It’s the only way to strengthen your skills and develop your voice.

2. People are reading your work, and it’s helping them.

Even if your articles don’t have fans, people are still reading. (Seriously, check your stats.) You may write something that gets zero comments, then receive a private note from someone who’s glad you put it out there.

For example, this article, “How to Make the Most of Being a Digital Nomad,” has six fans and made $3. If you’ve had a similar experience, don’t despair. One reader liked this article so much that she shared it on Facebook, tagged me in it, and declared that I was her “favorite digital nomad blogger.” Typing that sentence makes me want to collapse into a puddle of joy.

Another article, “The Paradox of Loneliness in the Digital Nomad Lifestyle,” has 12 fans and earned $2.30. However, 91% of the views come from Google, which means people are looking for advice on how to be less lonely while traveling. One reader happened to be an anthropologist, who reached out to let me know he was citing the article in his upcoming book (so cool).

While you won’t always know who’s reading your stuff, someone surely is. And regardless of if they tell you or not, your work is serving a purpose. So whether you write about motivation, love, or learning how to code, keep going. You’re helping someone.

3. You‘re expanding your personal and professional network.

If it’s true that humans are a product of their environment, then there’s no place I’d rather be than Medium. Smart, talented, creative people of all industries and walks of life share their knowledge here. When you write on Medium, you’re a part of something special. And you have the chance to connect with millions of diverse yet like-minded people around the world who are here to learn and be better.

Without writing on Medium, I would have never met such outstanding people as Tom Kuegler, Ayodeji Awosika, Niklas Göke, John Gorman, Trevor Huffman, Jari Roomer, Ada Ubrezi, and countless others.

In addition to making friends, your writing can lead to new business opportunities. This (not monetized) article about co-living has 16 fans. That may not seem like much, but thousands of people have read it, resulting in interviews, speaking engagements, and all-expenses-paid trips to visit co-living spaces in Iceland and Norway.

I had no idea any of that would happen when I wrote it. I just felt strongly about the potential of co-living in the world. But when you write about things you care about, your writing has an impact that can’t be measured in claps or dollars.

You might even make a romantic connection here. I’ve long said that Medium could double as a dating platform, and recently received my first marriage proposal via a private note (Spoiler Alert: Declined).

The point is, when you write on Medium, comment and interact on articles, and join related Facebook groups, you can’t help but meet cool people. And isn’t sharing and collaborating with fellow humans what life is all about?

Measuring your success on Medium through claps, fans, or Partner Program earnings is the wrong approach.

5. You can build a business or personal brand here.

To establish expertise in your field, you have to be visible and share what you know. What better place to do that than Medium, with its 100 million monthly unique visitors? Where else can you submit your work and have it distributed to hundreds of thousands of people overnight — without any prior connections or writing experience?

Whoever you’re writing for, you can find them here. You can also build an audience, grow your email list, spread the word about a product or service, announce something important, and attract potential customers and clients.

Plenty of Medium writers have eclipsed their Partner Program income with revenue from freelance writing clients, digital products, and online courses — without ever “going viral.”

6. You can rank at the top of Google.

I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this, but Medium has major clout with search engines. For example, after spending a month in Buenos Aires, I decided to write a cost-of-living guide for others who might want to visit. Less than a year later, my Medium post about living in Argentina as a foreigner has earned seven fans and $15. That might not sound like much, but it ranks at the top of Google for various keyword combinations. A bonus — the Buenos Aires travel video I embedded my article now has over 100K views on YouTube. It’s become one of the top videos on my channel.

I don’t have to explain how valuable that is. Still, if you write high-quality articles, you too can rank #1 Google (without spending years hustling for backlinks). How? Because of Medium’s near-perfect Domain Authority rating of 96. Enough said.

Closing thoughts

You don’t have to go viral to provide value, serve others, or accomplish your goals.

If you’ve been feeling down about your perceived lack of progress, income, or impact on Medium, don’t be. Something good can happen every time you post.

Engagement is a sign that your content is resonating with people. But you don’t have to write a viral hit to provide value, serve others, or accomplish your goals.

So don’t let stats and analytics drive your motivation. Your words have value. Write, write, and write some more. Trust the process. And don’t forget to learn, grow, make friends, and have fun along the way.

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