First Month on Medium: Stats, Results, Lessons, a Lot of Love and a Little Bit of Hate
The good, the bad, the ugly and the raw truth
Whenever I read a title about how writers did their first few months on Medium I get so excited. I click instantly. I want to know. I care!
Medium is not like a bunch of people staying in the same hotel. It’s a community of like-minded writers. We all feel the need to pour our souls out there and possibly make a living out of our most authentic selves.
Dear writers, whenever I read your stats, I live vicariously through you. I share your joys and struggles.
Hoping to do better one day because I see someone else doing better.
It’s a joy to be part of this beautiful community and share my story, and it’s a thrill to read yours.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
What I achieved in my first month of Medium (April 3rd to 30th):
- Over 500 followers (find out how in the link below)
- 20 e-mail subscribers
- 30 published stories
- 2969 views, 1187 reads, 12416 claps.
- Partner program earnings: 11.92 $
Bonuses:
- A lot of engagement, claps, highlights, comments, and feedback from fellow writers. Thank you so much for the love, everybody, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!
- Some hate from a guy who left a ton of angry and frustrated messages on one of my articles. I instantly blocked him. As you can see, the ones sending love are fellow writers, the hater is ‘a guy’.
I have no time for the hate. I’ve got writing to do.
What I didn’t achieve and why I think that is:
- Referred members (because I didn’t advertise outside of Medium, except for some links on my Facebook, but my followers there would rather laugh at photos of my cats than read my articles)
- Stories going viral (bad luck or bad writer?)
- Curated stories (possibly because I’m not a native speaker, but then again, maybe I am a bad writer)
No idea, time will tell, but either way, I’ll just keep writing. If I’m a bad writer, I’ll get better. If I had bad luck, it will change. Etc.
What I wish I would have done differently:
- Submit to publications.
I only submitted 3 stories so far (out of 30). Of those 2 were accepted and 1 was rejected. Or rather ignored, I didn’t get an answer back.
I don’t like submitting because you have to wait to be published, and once I’m done with all the writing and editing, I just want it out of my hands.
Too bad for me, because publications have way more readers than I do, so here’s one more opportunity for me to learn patience.
It’s the 5794th opportunity, by the way.
- Start engaging ever since I started writing.
This way I would have also had engagement on my first 15 or so stories would have also been read.
I was just reading like a maniac, with no engagement. Nobody knew I was reading their story and it’s a pity because I know how much we all appreciate being read. What a waste; now I know better.
- Write for the reader.
Sometimes I’m just babbling, looking to get out there whatever I have in my heart. That’s not very productive because I’m not writing in my journal here. Focus and think of someone else for a change!
- Only start publishing when I had about 30 articles already written.
Otherwise, as a new writer, it’s very difficult to constantly be writing without a previously formed writing habit. It’s like going to the gym every day, but you’ve been lying in bed for the past 5 years. Burnout is just around the corner.
Conclusion:
Keep going, keep writing, smile and wave to the haters, embrace your fans and never stop believing.
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