Summary

A Medium writer reflects on reaching 1,000 followers and analyzes the impact of follower count and curation on article views and engagement.

Abstract

The author of the article has reached a milestone of 1,000 followers on Medium after seven months of writing. They explore whether the number of followers directly correlates to the visibility and success of their articles. The author notes that uncurated articles tend to receive fewer views and engagement, averaging a 7.1% view ratio and a 4.4% engagement rate from followers. In contrast, curated articles have a higher engagement rate of 10.2%. Despite the lower engagement compared to curated content, the author's overall engagement rate of 7.9% surpasses average engagement rates on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. The article concludes with the author acknowledging the importance of patience, the value of curation, and the need for consistent effort to grow on Medium, while also advising against overanalyzing statistics and maintaining perspective on the platform's role in one's career.

Opinions

The author values the milestone of reaching 1,000 followers but recognizes its modest significance in the broader social media landscape.
Curation is seen as a significant factor in the success of an article, with non-curated articles often failing to gain traction.
The author suggests that Medium's curation system may have insight into reader preferences that authors might not fully grasp.
Engagement rates on Medium are considered favorable compared to other social media platforms, even for non-curated articles.
There is an acknowledgment that self-criticism should be tempered, as even articles with seemingly low engagement are performing relatively well on Medium.
The author emphasizes the need for patience and consistent growth, estimating it could take five years to reach a point where articles consistently receive around 1,000 reads.
A realistic perspective is encouraged, with the author implying that one should not rely on Medium as a primary source of income in the early stages of their writing career on the platform.
Overanalyzing statistics is cautioned against, with the author deciding to refocus on the writing process rather than obsessing over metrics.

Do Medium Followers Translate to Eyes on Your Articles?

I’ve reached 1,000 followers. Does it matter?

When I published my first Medium story about seven months ago, I had zero followers. When I clicked publish, I wasn’t sure if a single soul would ever see my article. But a few souls did see it.

Somehow, someone found it and read it. And shortly after that story, I picked up four followers. And I loved and appreciated those first four followers. I still do.

Fast forward seven months later, I have recently reached a personal Medium milestone with my 1,000th follower. Although it seems like a large number to me, I know in the world of social media, it’s minuscule.

It was, however, a number I was looking forward to. It’s a gratifying number. And I don’t plan on stopping here. Oh no, I plan to keep this momentum growing, and growing.

Is the Success of an Article Dependant on Followers or Curation?

It’s disheartening though, to reach this milestone and still have some stories that barely get viewed. I find when I publish an article, and it doesn’t get curated, with a few exceptions, it doesn’t garner many views. However, a curated article will occasionally take off and pull in thousands of views.

But when that dreaded message, “Not distributed in topics,” shows up, generally, those stories disappear into the ether. They get a few reads, and then they die a slow death.

Let’s Do Some Math!

Out of the 11 stories I published in June and July that didn’t get curated, I have an overall average of 71 views per story. That means with my 1,000 followers, I’ve got a 7.1% view ratio.

With a little bit of Google research, I found that the average rate on engagement for Instagram can vary from 1 to 5%. It’s less on Twitter, .09 to .33%.

Suddenly, 7.1% doesn’t sound so bad. But it’s not accurate to compare only my latest 11 uncurated articles to my overall viewing rates. So, looking at my overall stats for June and this far into July, I am averaging 125 views per story. Some are way more, some are quite a bit less, but that’s the average.

This brings me to a 12.5% view rate. Wow, that’s quite a bit higher than Instagram and Twitter.

Views Don’t Equal Engagement

And it’s at this point I realized my error. You’ve probably noticed it already. Viewing a story and clicking away is not the same as engaging. An accurate engagement rate for Medium is based on reads, not views.

Which leads to more math. Now my average read per all stories for June and most of July is 78.6. This brings me to a 7.9% engagement rate from my 1,000 followers.

Looking at my uncurated articles, I have an average of 71 views per story and 44 reads. My uncurated articles have a 4.4% engagement rate.

Getting tired of all the numbers? Yeah, me too. I probably lost you a long time ago. For anyone left reading, here’s how the formula looks.

(Reads per story/Total followers) X 100 = % engagement rate on Medium

The author’s engagement rate from 1,000 followers in June and July

To sum it up, uncurated articles received a 4.4% engagement rate compared to curated articles, which were 10.2%. When I put it all together, for the past two months, I have a 7.9% engagement rate from my followers.

What Does It All Mean?

This very unscientific analysis is missing lots of other data. As in, how are publications helping to get more eyes on my work? Or Facebook groups or Twitter promotion? If I wanted to delve more deeply into this, I should compare my first two months, when I had fewer followers, to my last two months. Yet, I think I learned a few things from this little exercise.

Curation matters. This may be different for writers with massive followings, but it matters for me. My uncurated stories not only get fewer views, but they also get less engagement. Perhaps there is a reason they aren’t curated. It could be the elusive Medium curators know more than I do about what Medium readers want to read.
Other social media platforms have much lower engagement. Yes, a quick Tweet or picture on Instagram is not the same thing as writing an article. But it’s still about getting eyes on your creation. And keeping those eyes engaged. I’d love to know the average engagement rate of all Medium stories, not just my own, but was unable to find the data.
I need to be easier on myself. When I write a story, and it seems like it’s bombed, I’m still getting far better engagement rates than other platforms.
Medium takes patience. It took me almost seven months to get 1,000 followers. If I want my stories to get around 1,000 reads each on average, and I maintain the 12.4% overall engagement rate, that’s going to take roughly 10,000 followers. No more calculator, it’s rough math from here on out. If I remain consistent in gaining followers as I have been for the past seven months, that’s five years before I can get there.
Don’t quit your day job for Medium. At least not in the first five years.

And last, but not least, overanalyzing stats can drive you bonkers. Enough with the stats. It’s time I get back to writing.

What do you think? Do you see more engagement as your followers increase? Or do you think publications and curation are bigger factors for success on Medium?