A BIG Warning For Medium Writers
I’ve been ghosted by the algorithm. You really do not want this to happen to you
I messed up big style, and the algorithm is seriously punishing me for it. Out of all the do’s and don’t on Medium, I have broken the most sacred rule of them all. Don’t upset the algorithm!
What Did I Do?
I stopped writing.
For two weeks, I didn’t write a goddamn thing and now I am seriously paying for it. FYI, the reason I didn’t write for two weeks is simple. I was with my family for a fortnight, who we hadn’t seen in about 5 years. I decided to make the most of our time together and have a break from work for most of the holiday. Considering it could well be years until I see them again (we live in different countries), I wouldn’t change my decision.
What’s Happened?
The algorithm appears to have abandoned me (temporarily I hope), in favour of other writers who have been publishing regularly. I want to complain and shout about how stupid and unfair this is, but I can’t. It makes perfect sense.
Why would Medium give my stories more exposure if I am not being consistent? They won’t, they reward the committed writers here. Believe me, I know, because until now I had relatively favourable conditions. I write regularly enough (normally anywhere between 3 and 7 stories per week on Medium) to typically be in the algorithms good books. Most of my work gets distributed and even in the rare times that it doesn’t, it normally gets some love, anyway.
I have been regularly publishing stories which get thousands of views for months, but that feels like a distant memory now. Check out my depressing stats.
I can hardly look at it. My numbers have dropped off into oblivion. Despite me writing again, I haven’t been able to kick start my stats again.
What Am I Going To Do About It?
Write, write and write some more. Seriously, I see it as the only way out of this mess. I have to massively up my game this month to try and impress the algo gods. Luckily, this isn’t going to be much of a problem for me. I have a huge backlog of stories. I have already written about my 113 (now 105) drafts, which are currently driving me mad.
I have vowed to either complete them all or delete them by the end of the month. I am steadily making progress and working my way through. Who knows, maybe I will publish 50 of them and delete the rest. No matter what my addiction to drafts is over. Hopefully, this increased output will improve my stats and bring me back to the good grace of the algorithm.
Lessons Learn’t
I try not to be overly critical when I screw up; I know I’ve made a mistake and I won’t do it again. That’s the most important takeaway from this. If you take Medium seriously and have goals you want to achieve here, then you can never lose momentum. You need to keep creating consistently. If I went on holiday again, I would prepare stories to publish while I am having time off. This way, you avoid hurting your stats.
Feel free to join our newsletter and Facebook group named Write To Inspire for more updates.