Does Anyone Actually Read On Here?
Or are we all just hustling to get paid.
I’m disappointed.
Or rather —
My expectations have been disappointed.
Upon first hearing of Medium, which honestly wasn’t at all that long ago, I immediately knew that it was where I needed to be. And wanted to be.
These last few years have seen a rapid expansion of my personal development (catalysed by a past mental breakdown), which has meant for me a departure from the old, trauma-informed, life I once lived.
And knowing that my communities were shifting, connections evolving, and conversations expanding — I needed to find where I next fit.
Which brought me to —
Medium
*celebrates in writer’s hopes & dreams*
By way of sharing my life experiences, and knowledge garnered from them (whether that be in the spiritual, the psychological, or the mental), I’d hoped to help others navigate their own. Whilst at the same time embracing a community of like-minded intellect.
(If there’s one thing I’ve learned in therapy, it’s that there is peace to be found in the validation of shared experience.)
I don’t intend to help only by funneling through the ego-centric vessel of self (I know Ayodeji Awosika hates that) — but by an experimental mix of personal, practical, actionable, relatable, and educational.
But…
How can I help if there aren’t any readers?
What I have noticed (and bear in mind, I am just a newbie) is that there seems to be a swell of writers hustling for reads, claps, follows — payment. But not a whole lot of reader investment in stories, messaging, information— writing.
I mean, the ratio between engagement on articles and a publication’s follower-count speaks for itself, no?
Some stats for you
(These have been extracted from articles days old so as to give time to garner engagement — pulling from the freshly published wouldn’t make for a fair assessment.)
Now, you might look at some of these and think “211 claps is pretty good!”, and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong no, but—
That was from a 751K following!
It is this precise (gaping) discrepancy of the ratio between engagement and following which I am baffled by and, well, disheartened.
I’m aware that algorithm comes into play, but, still.
Does everyone just want a piece of the pie without actually eating it?
Every time I publish in a publication I immediately share the article on Medium Writers Facebook groups. Because I know that is where I will get momentum going for engagement.
If you’re not familiar already, there are communities of Medium writers supporting, reading and clapping for each other’s work when shared on one of these groups.
If you too would like to join, here’s my recommended list:
But, as helpful a kick-start as these groups may be, they too are flawed.
Articles get skimmed, comments are generic, follows have an ulterior motive (follow4follow?) — and that’s if your engagement is even reciprocated!
(This doesn’t go for all participating members by the way, I’ve interacted with some genuinely interested and engaged writers from these groups also.)
But, ultimately —
My articles still aren’t being read.
Not with the integrity I intended them anyway.
I know, I am still only entry-level on Medium.
I made Partner Program last month, have a total of 10 articles published, 1 article curated, $12 earned — and a missed target of 3 articles per week.
So who am I to scrutinise?
I’m sure readership looks very different at the top from what it does down here — grafting on the hustlers’ bottom.
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