Summary

Doran Lamb outlines three fundamental reasons why she won't follow new writers back on Medium: the absence of a bio blurb, a lack of a proper profile photo, and using an email address as a name.

Abstract

In the article, Doran Lamb, a seasoned Medium writer, addresses new writers on the platform by explaining why she may not follow them back. She emphasizes the importance of a well-crafted bio blurb that either succinctly describes the writer's content or is humorous, suggesting that it's a deal-breaker for her to follow someone without one. Additionally, she stresses the necessity of a profile photo that represents the writer, arguing that a commitment to writing is reflected in the effort to present oneself visually. Lastly, she points out that a professional approach to writing includes having a proper name on the profile, not just an email address. Lamb provides these tips as foundational steps for new writers aiming to reach 100 followers and potentially get paid for their writing on Medium.

Opinions

Doran Lamb values a well-composed bio blurb as a crucial element of a writer's profile, considering it a reflection of their writing quality and personality.
She believes that a profile photo is essential to establish a writer's identity and dedication to their craft.
Lamb suggests that using an email address as a profile name indicates a lack of understanding or care for the platform's professional standards.
She acknowledges the challenge of reaching the first 100 followers and offers these tips as practical advice to improve a writer's chances of being followed and read.
Despite the importance of these foundational elements, Lamb admits that she is selective in who she follows and does not subscribe to the practice of following everyone back.
She encourages new writers to take the time to set up their Medium profiles properly, hinting that even with exceptional writing, a lack of attention to these details can hinder a writer's success on the platform.

Dear New Writers: This Is Why I Won’t Follow You Back

3 basic tips on getting to 100 followers

Photo by **BARBARA RIBEIRO** from Pexels

I was at the dawn of 2021 where you are now. I might now have a couple of thousand followers and a handful of mildly readable articles out there, but I was like you in February this year, nervously posting my first article and waiting for someone, anyone to read it and clap.

That first person to show some love was Christopher Robin, who I will be forever grateful to for not just letting that first article float into the Medium ether and die.

Christopher Robin by the way, in case you’re interested and even if you're not, writes much better than I do, but because he's a committed parent, writes much less. Either way, he's worth reading and following if you want to read quality, not quantity. And he might even follow you back. Because he’s that kind of nice guy.

I on the other hand am not. I know you want to get to that magic 100 followers mark to get paid and I sympathize, but not every writer will follow back for the sake of it. Or perhaps they will and I’m just not that nice a person. Oh well.

Either way, here are the 3 simple reasons why I’m not following you back:

#1 You don’t have any bio blurb under your name

This is the biggest one for me. Writers who don’t have something under their name are not going to get followed by me.

At the very least it should surmise what you write about or be funny AF. If you can incorporate both, even better.

Check out the bio blurbs written by these popular writers if you need inspiration, and whilst you are there follow them… Michael Burg, MD (AKA Medium Michael Burg), Toni Crowe, Lindsay Rae Brown, Gillian Sisley, Lindsay Soberano-Wilson.

You will notice there is no definitive way to write a blurb, you can keep it short and sweet or pack in as much you can. You can detail your niche or not.

But the most important thing is to have a bio blurb.

#2 You don't have a photo or it’s a rubbish photo

I like to know who I’m following. If you don’t have time to set your profile up properly and put a cute selfie are you sure you’re fully committed to this writing game? You don't have to have a pro photo but unless you’re going fully incognito, it should be a photo of you, not your dog. Dogs don’t write good.

If I’m going to follow you I want to know you’re going to take this writing shit seriously. So at the very least a photo of your face.

#3 Your name is an email address

If you can’t even work out how to write your name into your account details, how are you going to format an article? Time to get to grips with the writing platform pronto.

Bio, photo, and name can be changed in 5 minutes by hitting the circle where your gorgeous face should be and selecting Settings. It will look like this:

Note: I don’t care if you have written anything of quality, or even anything at all. That can take time. I know. But in order for me to follow you, I need a pretty picture, a name that passes as a name, and a blurb.

If you haven’t got that and are a new ambitious writer with under 100 followers, get on it now. Don’t cut corners with setting up your Medium page and you can reap results, even if you write complete and utter shite!

Good luck!

Doran Lamb is a freelance writer on relationships, addiction, and mental health. She writes to challenge the stigma that exists as a result of mental health and through her writing wants the world to know that individual difference makes the world dynamic, sexy and beautiful. She is proudly an addict in recovery, a mother, and an opinionated woman, who has learned not to give a f**k what anyone thinks.