Summary

McCaylee Putney shares her strategy for gaining 100 followers on Medium within her first week, using engagement, consistency, draft utilization, sharing content, and getting into publications.

Abstract

McCaylee Putney, an aspiring writer with a background in English and Creative Writing, joined Medium with the goal of reaching 100 followers in her first week to qualify for the Medium Partnership Program. She employed the SMART goal-setting method, which she had previously discussed in another post. Her approach included engaging with the community by reading, clapping, commenting, and creating lists; maintaining consistency by posting twice a day; using drafts to plan and manage content creation; actively sharing her work on social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest; and aiming to get published in Medium publications. Putney achieved her goal with two hours to spare and reflects on what she might do differently, emphasizing the importance of community engagement, quality content, and content visibility.

Opinions

Putney believes that engagement with other writers and their content is crucial for building a supportive community and increasing follower count.
She advocates for consistency in posting, suggesting a frequency of one to three articles per day to maximize reach without overwhelming readers.
Putney finds drafts instrumental in maintaining a steady flow of content ideas and reducing the stress of looming deadlines.
Initially hesitant, she overcame her reluctance to share her work and now strongly encourages other writers to promote their articles across various social media channels.
She suggests that getting published in Medium publications is a valuable method to gain more exposure, though it doesn't guarantee automatic publication.
Reflecting on her experience, Putney indicates she would engage with more writers and focus on the quality of her content even more if she were to repeat the process.
She emphasizes the importance of finding one's community on the platform and prioritizing quality over quantity to succeed on Medium.

How I Got 100 Followers My First Week On Medium

An Update On My SMART Goal

I joined Medium less than a week ago and gave myself a deadline to reach 100 followers within my first week. I used the SMART method of goal setting that I discussed in a previous post you can read it here.

I got my 100th follower with two hours to spare and I want to tell you how I did it so you can do it too.

Why did I want 100 followers specifically?

To put it simply, that’s the bare minimum number to apply for the Medium Partnership Program.

I’ve put a lot of time and money toward an education focused in Creative Writing and English that I’d like to put to good use. I love writing and I’d love to get paid to do it.

However, it should be noted that’s not the only reason I’m here and money isn’t the reason I write. I’ll always be a writer sharing my content somewhere.

What methods did I use?

If you’ve read some articles on this topic, you likely already know what I’m going to say. I want to give you the specifics on what I did though.

1. Engagement

This is how I got a few followers before I ever wrote an article.

I spent my first day on Medium reading, clapping, commenting, and creating lists. I wanted to get a feel for how the platform operated and what posts did well before I ever published a word.

Keep doing this. Not only will your follower count go up, you’ll create a small, supportive community of fellow writers to cheer you on.

2. Consistency

You have to post and I suggest you do it often.

I’m currently sharing two posts per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. I wouldn’t suggest more than three because you want to give each of your posts a chance to thrive without overwhelming readers.

Do this in a way that fits your schedule without being overworked.

3. Use Drafts To Your Advantage

Currently, I have 33 drafts saved.

Every time you think of something you want to write about, make a note.

Sometimes I’ll just add a temporary headline, other times I may have a solid headline and a couple of lines of ideas to create a brief outline.

This ties into consistency because you want to create quality work without being stressed and feeling like you’re on a deadline.

4. Share Your Work

At first, I wasn’t very confident in my writing and I was unsure whether I was going to stay here or not, so I didn’t share anything. This was a mistake.

I wrote “I Forgot. Again.” and shared it on Twitter because I thought other parents might relate to it. That opened up doors for me because I realized sharing wasn’t as scary as I thought it was.

Then I started sharing all of my articles on Twitter.

Then a few on LinkedIn.

Now I’ve added Pinterest. I have a board dedicated to my Medium posts.

I can’t say this enough: share your work.

5. Try to Get Into Publications

This is a great way to get more eyes on your writing and there are a lot of publications willing to welcome new writers.

Be sure to have a couple of posts up before applying to be a writer so the editors can see if you’d be a good fit.

Keep in mind that getting accepted as a writer doesn’t mean automatic publication.

What would I do differently?

I would have tried to engage with more writers and focus on my own quality content.

I would have started sharing my work sooner.

That’s it.

Focus on finding your community, quality over quantity, and get eyes on your writing.

You can do this.

McCaylee Putney has a BA in English and Creative Writing from SNHU. She is working on her MFA in Creative Writing while juggling all the other facets of her life. Follow her here or on Twitter at @mputneywrites to see more of her journey.