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How An Old Story Now Becomes Visible And Successful
Statistics are useful tools on my writer’s journey
On Illumination, we share honest stats. It helps me get a grip on my writing business and the details of how to go forward. It has been a while since I shared some stats, but today I have a new reason to do so.
Something unusual stood out today.
And analyzing it helps me grow as a writer.
It might help you too, so here’s the sharing. And to make this story even more valuable, I will end with some extra tips and experiences from my journey.
I don’t look at my stats compulsively, I must say. It makes me restless if I would. My focus is on being inspired, writing, connecting to readers and other writers, and just keeping a steady flow. I know it takes time to grow where I would like to be as a writer, so I just focus on the process.
One step at a time.
Unusual Activity in My Stats
But once in a while, I check my stats and my Medium Partner Program. And today I saw something unusual.
My second story, written in July 2019 more than one year ago, is on the rise again. It now shows up 7th in the row of earners this month.
This is the story I’m talking about.
And when I checked the profile of this one story, this graph emerged.
Hmm…
That’s interesting.
The story has not been curated. So it can’t be that it is going through a new phase of being on the front pages of Medium or something like that.
The colors of the stats show that it relates to external views. So, another explanation could be that I posted about it on LinkedIn or Twitter and it went viral. But I can’t remember posting this story recently.
So what is happening here?
I looked at the traffic source of my views and saw this:
Google.com
97% external referrals and the most important one of those is not a social media channel such as LinkedIn or Twitter.
No, it is Mr Google himself!
And yes, when I Googled ‘connection to nature’, this is the first page:
I’m mentioned on page one, as the second result. Wow!
And no, it’s not making me rich from Medium. People who read might not even be members. But this is so very, very, very valuable in my process to become a good, well-read writer!
No successful writer ever became well-known overnight.
I have to build my audience.
And this is how I do it.
No email-list for me. No spamming of people to buy this or that. No, I want people to be curious. To read my words. To read some more of my words. Then become real fans. And then, we’ll change the world together.
One story at a time. One book at a time. One film at a time.
That’s my path!
And to get there, these are the very practical steps I’m taking. Be invited to follow in my footsteps or even surpass me and I’ll happily follow you!
- I’m building a writing legacy. And being a writer is not the same as being a one-day-wonder. So, I care about my whole portfolio. Not just about one individual story. I don’t get excited about curation or going viral, I care about the whole, steady foundation of my writing business. The connections between my many, many, many stories will be my writing legacy. And that’s what I focus on
- Medium is only one source in my complete writing oeuvre. There are also social media posts that have an influence on my readers and will strengthen the bond with my fans. There will be books. There will be YouTube videos. There will be talks. One step at a time, I am building my castle. And the most important fact for me is that I have fun building it. It would be a waste of time otherwise
- And don’t think you cannot do as I do. I only found my voice last year, in May 2019. I’m a niche writer in a segment that’s not popular at all. Sustainability, environment, nature-based solutions, and nature-poems. But now, after one year of writing, the foundation is ready. I’m building the first parts of the walls now…
- And to be practical, I make sure my titles contain SEO search words that are really describing what the story is about. And don’t think I do a lot of research for this. I just use my common sense. In this case, the story was about connecting to nature. So, that’s in the title
- If my title is a bit more creative, I always make sure I add a subtitle that is descriptive. And again, it’s no rocket science. Use your common sense. Use words that you also might choose yourself when Googling
- Fill in the SEO Settings for every story you publish. You can find the SEO Settings under the three dots … at the top of the page. Make it a sentence rich in relevant keywords
- Cross-pollinate with all kinds of social media. I post my Medium articles on LinkedIn with a little story for my business connections. I post one sentence quotes on Twitter. I collect my stories on Pinterest (although due to lack of time, I really haven’t found my feet here yet). But you can also go for Quora (answering questions), Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Flipbook, or others. The more the better, but always make your posts relevant!
- Cross-pollinate your stories with relevant links. Underneath my stories, I post a link to my own website, but also my social media profiles. Furthermore, I connect to many people on Medium and social media. And the more they post about me, the more relevant I become for Google
- No complicated strategy needed here. My success starts with giving success to others. I abundantly give compliments. Heartfelt, honest compliments. Whenever I read an interesting line, I tweet about it. I comment on many stories a day. And I tag others (mindfully!) when I think they might be interested in something I wrote. I gained the most wonderful friendships on Medium! And I have no trouble at all finding writers that deserve my attention so they can become successful too…
- Google’s algorithms are just always looking for really interesting, relevant information. So the less cryptic I am in titles, the more interaction I generate on social media, the more relevant links to other sources I generate, the more serious Google will take my writing…
That said, my journey shared, I’m curious about your ways of growing your writing business. What has your path to success brought you so far?
Do you look at your stats?
How do you use your stats to help you grow as a writer?
I really like to hear about your experience in the comments. Or we can discuss on the Illumination Slack. Just tag me somewhere if you want to discuss your journey.
Happy writing, my friends!
And always remember:
“Success is only as valuable as the price you paid to get there” — Quote by someone unknown
Keep remembering what’s important to you. And keep weighing money, time, and freedom to judge your success.
Age of Awareness
Thank you Stephen Muskett, M.S.Ed, editor of Age of Awareness, for finding me early on in my writing journey and giving me the opportunity to be part of your awesome publication with many of my stories, including ‘7 Ways to Connect to Nature’ that is now gaining a steady interest on Google.
Let me take this opportunity as well to congratulate you on 34K followers and the great interaction between teachers and sustainability writers. Yours is a publication to be aware of!
If you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or my website. Or somewhere in nature, finding inspiration for my next story. Or a poem. Or a practical regenerative project…